New cat soon to arrive here
<p>Cathy and I signed papers to adopt a cat from a rescue network last night.  It would be here already, but it&#8217;s being treated for a mild ear infection picked up at the pet store.</p>
<p>&#8220;It&#8221; is actually a he, a golden-eyed ginger-and-cream Maine Coon about two years old.  The name is &#8220;Gorgonzola&#8221;, which we&#8217;ll probably shorten to &#8220;Zola&#8221;.</p>
<p>Why this cat?  Because we&#8217;re of the school of thought that believes you should let a cat choose you rather than trying to choose a cat. Of all the ones we met, it seemed to take to Cathy the most strongly, and we viewed this as the more important compatibility check because we both know I have stronger cat-fu than she does. If a cat doesn&#8217;t take an active dislike to me (which is so unusual I can&#8217;t remember when it last happened) I will charm it eventually; this one likes me well enough to begin with that I&#8217;m sure we&#8217;ll do just fine.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s hard to avoid making comparisons with Sugar.  First impression is that Zola is almost as human-friendly as Sugar was (which sounds like faint praise but is really like saying &#8220;almost as deep as the Pacific Ocean&#8221;) with a more placid, less active temperament.  I&#8217;m not expecting him to be quite as outgoing with our houseguests, but I don&#8217;t think he&#8217;ll hide behind the furniture either.  Likely he&#8217;ll just hang out nearby being mellow and making nice at anyone who approaches him. That&#8217;s typical behavior for Coon toms and he seems quite typical that way.  He seems to be very gentle and un-clawful even by Coon standards, which is going some.  I&#8217;d bet he&#8217;s great with small children.</p>
<p>We&#8217;re a little nervous, for all the obvious reasons.  What if Zola has un-obvious behavior problems? Ill health?  But it&#8217;s time.  Our home feels a bit empty without a cat in it. Not for much longer!</p>
