Jemma & Tucker, New Cats
Topic: New Cats
Dec 30, 2007, Day One
Yesterday was Day One with our two new cats, Jemma Chase and Detective Tucker.
Bob and I live deep in the North Carolina Mountains, near Boone, Banner Elk and Blowing Rock. Our location is in Triplett Valley, the lowest altitude in Watauga County at 2200 feet. Three switch back turns on Elk Creek Road bring us up to 3200 feet at the Blue Ridge Parkway, ascending a thousand feet in three miles. During the spring and fall, we see early season changes down where we live and drive by later blooming or leaf color changing plants on our way to town at the top of the mountain. We have the gift of extended seasonal color.
On the drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday, we drove through fog even though it was nine in the morning. When we broke through the fog, we could see clouds settled in the valleys. Once we left the High Country for Hickory in the foothills, we re-entered the fog which lasted until noon on this day in an unseasonably warm winter season.
We had planned to wait until spring before getting another cat. Hunter, our Havana Brown with a Siamese voice, passed away on October 26th. We had been together for over twenty years, almost as long as I’d known Bob. Hunter was 20 and 8 months. He even dictated a book, Meow Means Me!Now! If you’ve ever lived with a cat, you know they can dictate. After two months, we were ready for feline company.
Tucker, the black male, trembled in Bob’s arms for long minutes. Jemma, they grey female, was more curious and didn’t want to be held for long. She explored the glassed-in visitors booth and reminded me of the female character in my mysteries.
Jemma and Tucker were retrieved from the Humane Society of Catawba County on Saturday, Dec 29 just after noon. They were with their long-haired grey mother and a black sister in a cage. The building was wonderful and new. The society had moved in on December 12th so everything was spacious, clean and inviting. Race car driver, Ryan Newman, and his wife, Krissie, were instrumental in donating funds and time to the new facility. Included in the facility are a spay/neuter clinic, isolation rooms for dogs and cats with separate air filtering systems, glassed in visiting rooms for private time with the new pets, a cat play room and a small gift shop.
Both cats were subdued during the hour and a half drive back home. I sat in the front seat as chauffeur; Bob sat in the back and talked with the kitties. Their eyes stayed wide during most of the trip. Once in our home, they disappeared! We played hide and seek for a while. Every time we’d find them, off they’d go to separate and new hiding places. We decided to leave them alone and let them explore without our interference.
Posted by maggiebishop1
at 6:00 AM EST