CAT!
Meet Galileo!!! He is my new kitty! He's a two year-old boy-cat, and he's awesome.
His original name was Pepper, but Yin and I like "Galileo" better. =)
He used to be out on the streets until a woman found him and brought him in. He was obviously an abandoned pet, because he was too sweet to be feral. Then he made his way to our shelter. I met him yesterday, and while watching him rolling around his cage attempting to catch his own tail, I knew that this was the cat for me.
He's an absolute goofball. I just brought him home today, and he's already completely settled in. He adjusted so fast, it feels like he's always lived here. =)
I've never owned a cat before, not even as a kid, but for some reason, it feels absolutely natural to watch this boy stroll about my apartment. He just fits in. It's like we've been BFFs our whole lives, haha.
He's taking a dietary supplement that he needed to have brought home with him, but no one could explain why he needed it. I loved him anyway, so I brought him home without even knowing what the supplement was for, despite my better judgment.
After making a lot of calls, I finally heard back from someone - his supplement is for a luxating patella. He has a very mild version of this condition, but just enough that it could bother him when he gets older, unless he stays on this supplement which helps his joints.
It's kind of amazing. Now I know for certain he is the right cat for me. I know exactly how it feels to have bad joints in my "hind legs". I know all about needing to care for those joints now, because of the fear of having them hurt me later in life. Just like me, he may need to have to have surgery some day. Just like me, his condition doesn't bother him as long as it is taken care of. Just like me, he's freaking awesome.
It's just such an odd coincidence, that the cat I fall in love with and bring home has just one real medical condition, and it happens to be one that I can relate to so easily. I feel like this cat could not be more perfect for me.