The Chai Master

On January 12th I mentioned that the adoption coordinator from Best Friends had called to tell me about a cat up for adoption named “Derek”.  We did arrange to go see Derek on Saturday just as a courtesy, and because I really wanted to meet some of the staff from Best Friends (a place I’d love to work for them one day).  As luck would have it, I met Derek and it was love at first site.  He is a beautiful, short-haired blend of tan and grey, with little white accents on his feet, head, and the bridge of his nose.  His eyes are the most gorgeous pale blue.  What sold me on him was how he purred with ecstacy when I massaged his feet—my cat Sweet Pea only let me touch her feet when she was literally moments from dying.  I was never able to touch Sweet Pea’s stomach at all, but Derek rolls on his back for belly scratches.  When I picked him up to hold him for the first time, he grabbed on to me with his paws and that was it—I knew he had to come home with us.

The adoption representatives from Best Friends were very friendly, and the whole adoption process was fairly quick but thorough.  I have to say that their adoption policies are great, so if you have the chance to adopt from them, I’d highly recommend it.  Their policy is to allow us to return Derek if we can’t care for him for any reason at any point in his life, and they’ll also provide assistance with medical expenses above and beyond basic care.  Derek came home in an almost-new kennel carrier with blankets, toys, a big packet of information about his background and general cat care, and a month of free pet health insurance.  He also had recently had all his shots, been neutered, microchipped, and had a dental cleaning.  It was a great start to what I hope will be many long and happy years with Derek, who may be 7 or may be 13, depending on who you talk to.  He was rather chatty in the car on the way home as he apparently doesn’t enjoy travelling, but once in the house he settled in like he owns the place.  He strolled downstairs, had some face-to-face time with the big and little dogs, browsed the bird room, and has toured most of the upstairs furniture.  So far he enjoys climbing on the cat tree, looking out the window, and sleeping under the chair.  He’s been completely comfortable with us from the moment of his arrival, and I once again have a cat who will sit on my lap while I watch TV.  He’s an absolute sweetheart.  His background report said that he was found as a stray in Kanab, Utah.  I have no idea where he spent the first years of his life, but he must have been happy to have developed such a nice disposition.  Oh, he was given the name “Derek” at Best Friends, but the person who originally took him in as a stray called him “Chai”.  We thought “Chai” was a nice name, but it seemed too feminine, so we decided to stick with “Derek”.  As an acknowledgement of his roots, and a tribute to his zen-like qualities, we now refer to him as Derek the Chai Master.  Photos will follow eventually, once our camera is out of the repair shop.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/16 at 09:24 PM

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What is the sum of 7 and 1?

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