i realize everybody thinks that their own pet is god’s gift to petkind, so i’m going to continue that tradition and gush about my fuzzy critter, rohe (pronounced ro) boat, for a post (or two.. or more…).
i adopted rohe (aka chatty) from the SPCA in victoria in the fall of 2008. my good friend Gabrielle was in town visiting, and she had adopted 2 cats from the SPCA, gryphon and schooner, and so i was glad that she was able to come along with me for support! after the glass sponge symposium (yes, glass sponge symposium), we headed to the SPCA and went in to meet some cats! the main location was only housing adult cats at that time, and i had hoped to adopt a younger cat, since i was new to cats and wanted to be able to meet it at as young of age as possible. gabrielle and i travelled to a nearby petcetera, where they were separating the kittens (to protect them from any upper respiratory disease that the adults were carrying at the time).
rohe and i locked eyes the second i looked through the window (i know, i know, everyone says that). we went in to the room and i saw that in front of the cage where rohe, or “chatty”, a sign was posted “adoption pending”. my heart sank. he was the fuzziest, fluffiest, cutiest little guy and i’d felt an instant connection as he watched me and followed my movements as i moved back and forth in front of the cage. good thing gabrielle was there, for at the time, i was quite timid and didn’t feel as though it was important to ask about his adoption status. gabrielle pushed me to ask, just in case, and so i did. thankfully, it turned out, the tag was for another cat that had already been removed from the cage and adopted, and rohe (chatty) was available! eee!
the technician removed him from the cage and put him in my arms. he lay on his back like a baby, touching my neck and purring away. i had been planning on adopting a cat for a long time, i had always just planned that things would happen in smaller, slower steps. i’d had no idea i would be walking out w/ a kitten THAT day! i’ve always been someone who thinks things over VERY carefully before acting, but as i had to remind myself that day, i had been planning for a long time to do this, and there would never be a 100% perfect time. the assistant warned me that they were adopting out approximately 6-7 kittens per day at that point, and it was likely that rohe (chatty) wouldn’t be there if i didn’t submit an application in motion to “reserve” him.
rohe sat quietly in my lap as i filled out the paperwork and then handed it to the assistant. he checked it over and then said “ok. take this up to the till”. i did a double take and asked him stupidly, “you mean, i’m taking him right now? like today?”. the assistant said i could leave him overnight if i wanted to and pick him up tomorrow if i’d prefer, but i looked at gabrielle and she was beaming. i thought “what difference will today or tomorrow make? i’ll take him now!”
gabrielle and i picked up everything i needed for him: carrying case, food bowls, food, litter, box, treats, toys, and we were on our way!
ryan was in halifax when i adopted rohe, but he helped come up with his name. we named him after ludwig mies van der rohe, an architect that ryan was interested in at the time.
this is turning into a long post, so i’ll leave it at that and save more for another time!
