Kelly’s Unnecessary Blog

Related to things that make me happy are things that make me smile no matter what. My cat Dasie is one of those things. I like to think that all three of my critters are well-adjusted creatures with good mental health, but none of them exudes pure, infectious joy like Dasie does.

I adopted her from Feline Rescue in St. Paul last February. I had previously had two cats who lived to ripe old ages; then I started over with CJ in May of 2008. When CJ and my rabbit Robbin didn’t develop a close relationship, I decided it was time to find a feline companion for her. Robbin at the time had another rabbit, Bibi, but she’s no longer with us.

I met a number of cats, both at Feline Rescue’s shelter and in their foster care system. The front-runner was Pi, a beautiful long-haired white boy with a grey tabby cap, but he was in the middle of diagnosis and treatment for a heart murmur and wasn’t ready to go home yet. From his foster home I went out to human Stacy’s house and met Dasie, who at the time was called Sadie (the anagram is where the unusual spelling of her name originated).

In that environment, she was fairly reserved on the two occasions that I went to see her, but I could tell she was a nice cat. I had kind of thought that if I went black and white, I wanted a tuxedo but, as I learned when Robbin was picking out Bibi (I took him on rabbit dates and he met five or six other bunnies), your preconceived idea is often quickly usurped by the reality of personalities.

I confess that my impatience chose Dasie over waiting for Pi. I was perfectly willing to deal with the meds he’d have to take, having nursed my previous two for the last couple years of both their lives, but I have teeny tiny issues with willpower and instant gratification …

(Stacy, don’t worry, I am not the least disappointed that I did decide to adopt Dasie! Though I do wonder where Pi ended up, and if he did still happen to be available, I have thoughts of still making him Number 3.)

Dasie does everything with enthusiasm and flair. She doesn’t just change direction, she changes direction with a bouncy flourish. She understands that a particular head nod by me means she’s invited up. She doesn’t just jump up into your lap, she jumps up and butts her head into your chin to express affection. She doesn’t just sit in front of the space heater in the bathroom while you’re taking your shower, she sticks her head inside the curtain and is fascination by the water.

I can’t think of anything that she does that doesn’t make me smile and forget everything else for a few special moments.