Adoption

I found him at a homeless shelter in Seattle. Without traveling to Seattle in person, I contacted the shelter via email to arrange the adoption. The shelter told me they were desperate to find him a home, so all I had to do was pass the home inspection and pay for his ticket up to Alaska. My instincts told me this was the right thing to do, so I basically took him sight-unseen.

The home inspection went extraordinarily well. The lady told me she knew I’d provide the perfect home for him from the moment she walked in the door. The next hour was basically just a formality; she gave tips on what I could do to ensure his comfort and make the transition as smooth as possible, and shared stories of other adoptions that she had facilitated.

When the big day finally arrived, I nervously drove down to the airport to pick him up. The flight attendant handed him off to me, all bundled up against the cold. I quickly got him into my car and took him home. When I showed him to his new room, he immediately ran and hid behind the couch before I got a chance to have a good look at him.

I knew he was frightened. He didn’t know where he was and couldn’t understand why he’d been taken from his home and sent off to God knows where. So, I simply sat down on the floor and talked to him in a soothing voice, introducing myself and assuring him that he was in a safe place. I told him that I’d always wanted a little boy just like him, and that I really hoped he would one day learn to love me – just like I immediately knew I would love him in return.

Eventually, he slowly crept out from behind the couch and came over to sit in my lap. That’s when I discovered two things about him.

The first thing I realized was that this boy is a snuggle-bunny. He absolutely loves to be held, and the tighter the better. I assumed it’s was due to a lack of hugs in his past, and vowed right then to never deny him a hug again.

The second thing I noticed was that he had to be the strangest looking cat I’d ever in my life seen!

Yes, my new little boy is a cat. At least, I think he is.

Mother came over a few days later to meet him. She took one look at him and said “My God – What is that? It looks like E.T.!” So, that’s how he earned his name: the Alien.

After getting to know the Alien over the next few weeks, I came to realize just why the homeless shelter was so desperate to find him a home = I’m sure no one else would have him! Anybody coming in to the shelter would have taken one look at him and run in the opposite direction!

He is old; most people want a cute fuzzy kitten to adopt. He is also extremely over weight, with wrinkles everywhere. On top of which, he’s bald. And orange. And toothless. And have I mentioned the asthma?

Mother is right – he does look like ET.

He also drools, but I didn’t learn that little tid-bit until later. Apparently, that’s a trait that all Devons share as a breed. The happier a Devon gets, the more a Devon drools. Buckets of drool come out of that kid sometimes. It doesn’t help that he has had so many teeth pulled that his tongue sometimes falls out.

I spend a lot of time defending him from the people who come to visit me. “He is NOT ugly! He’s very handsome, in an Alien sort of way. And, well, yes… maybe he does smell funny. I’m not sure what causes that exactly.”

In spite of all the weirdness he embodies – I have to say he is the sweetest cat I have ever had, and I will continue to defend him with the fierceness of any mother protecting her child. In fact, I have even gone so far as to adopt another one of these fascinating creatures: this one is a girl whom I’ve named Thing.

This one even has hair!