Willow is Here

On Tuesday, we took the step we had been discussing for nearly a year now - we went to the animal shelter and adopted another cat. I wish we could have taken home three or four of them (animal shelters are sad places, in spite of this one being well-staffed and well-kept), but we came home with a small feral girl, approximately five or six months old, whom we have named Willow.

She is a tiny and lovely little creature, nearly all black save for perhaps a dozen or so white hairs sprinkled here and there. Even her nose and paw leather is black, as are her whiskers. Her face is dominated by huge golden eyes which regard us warily when we approach. So far, she has chosen to hide behind the toilet when we come into the room (she's sequestered in the bathroom until we tame her to human handling), but we are excercising great patience and treating her to large daily doses of affectionate petting and attention. In two days, she's made small amounts of progress, but I think it'll be a while before she becomes fully integrated into the family.

I'm glad we brought her home. I think if she had stayed in the shelter much longer, she would have become un-adoptable. As it is, I think we still have a bit of work ahead of us, but honestly, I can't think of anyone better prepared to do this than us.