Miss Bitha

The decision to adopt a cat took at least six months to make. My life was starting and having a cat would limit some of my choices. For me, pet adoption is for life. Going through the motions of adopting and then giving it all up sometime down the road wasn’t something I could see myself doing. I either committed wholeheartedly, or not at all. I’ve never been good with people, so a pet was the only way I could guarantee I’d have something to come home to and it would force me to take on some much needed responsibility.

I decided to adopt from the local Humane Society and the process was grueling. Being a student, I had to provide proof that I was an independent adult who wouldn’t be going ‘back home’ at the end of the semester. I had to show that I could financially provide for a pet. There was a background and reference check and even a home inspection! Oh, and my landlady had to provide a letter saying that it was okay to get a cat. It was definitely not a process to take lightly!

After all that, I brought home Peggy in October of 2000. I didn’t bond with her at all and took her out of a sense of duty. She was older, obese, and had some health issues. As it turns out, she had feline leukemia and she died about eight weeks after I took her in, at home, in my arms. I saw it as a sign to rethink my decision; I’d been given an out. I didn’t take it and I contacted the Humane Society to let them know what happened.

The background check must have turned out okay because they didn’t question the fact that Peggy had died under my care. Instead, they offered me another cat at no charge. They had a two year old they considered unadoptable, but felt would be a good match for me. What did I think about black cats? The superstition didn’t even come to mind, I was just so excited that they had another cat for me. I promptly left for the shelter and along the way the name Tabitha popped into my mind. It was the weirdest thing. I just knew that was to be her name.

When I entered the cat room, she was sitting on a ledge watching the snow fall outside. I whispered her at-the-time name and she turned, assessed me, and jumped into my arms. Tabitha latched on to me with a loyalty I have only ever experienced with dogs. I am her Person, there is no doubt of that. She has warmed to a few other individuals in the ten years I’ve had her, but it takes time. Our bond was instantaneous.

I know Tabitha is a cat, but I have a relationship with her that I’ve never experienced with the other cats in my life, and I’ve had a lot of them! It’s like she is more than just a cat, like we understand each other on a different plane. She’s so much more than just a pet to me.

My baby girl is an old lady now at twelve, and this boggles me. I know that we’re at, or past, the halfway point in our relationship. I can’t even think beyond her lifetime right now and I enjoy each precious day we have together. She had a health scare just before I hit the road that reminded me of just how ephemeral are relationships. Savour each moment together.

Tabitha has been with me through six moves, a college program, three jobs, two additions to the family, and the transition to the RVing lifestyle. She has adapted to the changes with the grace and dignity of a crone, needing as her only constant a place in my bed at night. She is a very special soul indeed and I am glad that I chose to walk this path with her.