Dora, My Explorer

(Originally published 10 December 2011) 

I had been on the lookout for the right connection to a new kitty, since losing my longtime companion Kenny. Purrfect Pals is a no-kill rescue organization here in Washington, and they have adoption centers in some of the pet stores, including the local one in Tukwila, where I had taken Kenny to the attached pet hospital.

After a couple of trips resulted in zero attraction (with Kenny, it had been love at first sight, and my first time as a kitty mommy), I discovered there was a center in Bellevue, close to the Group Health medical center where I occasionally have to visit for procedures that my closer and smaller GH facility doesn't offer. I made a connection through the glass with a female cat named Cabico. I went back the next Saturday when an adoption counselor was available, only to find that Cabico and a few older cats were at a special senior adoption event some distance away. Rats.

The next time I had to go to the Bellevue GH, I got there early enough to swing by the adoption center again, and Cabico was still there. Next to her was a younger cat, a mostly gray female named Capri Cornesha, who flirted and flopped and rubbed her face against the glass. The next weekend I went out to meet the 2 ladies. Cabico took a few swipes at me and tried to bite. Oh, well!

The little gray was in her unlatched cage. She had been taken from a home with too many cats, and didn't always get along with other felines. She had a litter of kittens, although she was just a year old herself, before the rescue group spayed her. She let me pet her, and loved to have her cheeks and chin rubbed. I couldn't adopt her that day, as the group must verify that my rental agreement allowed pets, and since I can't lay my hands on my lease, they needed to talk with the apartment manager. So I bought the kind of food she had been eating and the litter she was used to there at the Pet Smart.

She is a sweet and gentle creature, so I was thinking of naming her Quan Yin (or Kwan Yin) after the Goddess of Compassion (Mercy). But she chose a different one. My Cats for Dummies book *strongly* recommended creating a safe room where a new cat can get comfortable in the new home, so she won't be overwhelmed. The adoption volunteer agreed. So the bedroom had a litter box (I had taken some of her used litter in a zip lock bag to add, so it would smell like her), and a food station.

The new kitty did not slip under the bed, as my niece Katie did at first when I kittysat for her. In fact she slipped out once, and when she made it clear she wanted out again, I relented, and off she went exploring the apartment. That's when she became Dora, after the cartoon "Explorer." Plus I think she's pretty aDORAble, or 'Dorable.

She's not much of a lap cat, but she sure enjoys sitting on the back of my recliner while I read. And she's always ready for a head or cheek rub. Her taste in toys and play is different from Kenny's. We are still discovering and exploring together. The teddy bears that were my snuggle buddies after Kenny passed are ready to go back on the shelf, with thanks. I am a contented kitty mommy again.