Animal Care and Control had an adoption event in Carmel at Club Canine last month. We took cats and dogs in an attempt to get them out in public and hopefully adopted to loving homes.
We had 20 volunteers. Two of them happened to be some old friends of mine. The first thing both of them said to me in an e-mail response was they would gladly help me but that they absolutely would NOT be adopting anything.
They couldn’t adopt any more animals. For me not to even mention it. I promised them that I would not ... and I didn’t.
Both friends chose to work with the cats. Lisa transported all the cats which were in carriers in a van. She was behind me in the caravan to Indianapolis and when I looked in the rearview mirror I saw an orange cat’s head poking over the steering wheel. There’s always an escape artist in the bunch.
We got everyone unloaded and settled. The cats were remarkably calm for being cats and in a new place. The dogs got to run their little hearts out and chew on rawhides.
The event ran from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., both friends stayed with the cats the entire time. Every time I checked Constance had Jack, a big black male cat in her lap. I didn’t say a word. Lisa had become fixated on Butterball, a big orange guy. Finally Lisa asked what I knew about him. I gave her the medical records and went away. When I came back she told me that she’d probably adopt him ... but not today. She had to check with her husband. One down.
Constance, who had been the most vehement of the two, simply said, “I want to adopt Jack.” That’s two ... I said, “Really oh, I’m so glad.” In my head I was doing a happy dance; we’d had both cats for months.
Of course, Lisa’s husband said yes and she picked him up a few days later. She had a dinner party that same evening and Butterball charmed everyone. Including her other cat.
Constance drove from Brownsburg to pick up Jack a week later. Both of these cats got great homes and I had enough sense to keep my mouth shut and let them adopt themselves. These are the best kind of adoptions. The kind that sneak up on you and steal your heart leaving little doubt that the animal has chosen you and decided they are going home with you. By the time you’ve come to your senses they’re in your home and imbedded in your heart.
We have lots of beautiful adoptable animals at Animal Care and Controlt — they just need you to come see them — who knows, an animal might just pick you leaving you with little choice but to take them home.
Remember to check out the March issue of Cat Fancy. The 9 Lives shelter cat prison program through Animal Care and Control is a featured article on page 32.
Maleah Stringer, program director of Anderson Animal Care and Control, is also president of the Animal Protection League. She can be reached at maleah stringer@aol.com.
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Maleah Stringer: From 'no way' to going home
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