Guess We Are Gonna Keep Horatio the Cat

Horatio the cat loves his new leopard Mondo condo.

Horatio the cat just grows on you. At first you might think, oh, he’s kind of cute in an odd sort of way. Like some drunk person fired paintballs at him. After a few days, you begin to think of him as a treasured work of art, worthy of a portrait hung in the Louvre. He purrs, he follows two-legged individuals everywhere. He talks. And I knew today that when I put a collar around his neck, with a reward tag, that he’s hanging out with the Weintraubs for the rest of his life. That’s a really good feeling. Even better than placing in the 3 top agents at Lyon Real Estate.

He is no ordinary cat, this Horatio the cat. I suspected it from the moment I laid eyes on him online. We decided to adopt a rescue cat, a mutt cat who needs a home. Not a purebred. But not one of those cats who lost a leg or was abused or found on the side of the road because some jerk threw him out of the car — because introducing a cat to our two other cats would be difficult enough. We were not ready to tackle other issues. Bless those people who do. We just wanted a cat who needed a nice home where people would dote on him. Horatio was born and raised at the sanctuary. I can’t believe he was there a year before he found his forever home.

At first I was a little worried, maybe because the sisters who run Sisters Animal Sanctuary in Elk Grove seemed a bit hesitant. They screen all the possible adopters who want a cat to make sure the cats are well matched. They kept telling me we could bring him back if he didn’t work out and they checked in regularly to see how Horatio the cat was faring with us. I’ve gotta hand it to those two, Julie Lindsey and Kathy Monahan, they invest a lot of money and effort into the Sisters Animal Sanctuary. They are thoughtful, caring and simply lovely people.

What a fun place to visit, too, 50 cats live there, and they all seem so happy. But they don’t have a human to cuddle with at night, no comfy bed where they can spread out, no place to truly call their own where they don’t have to share toys or attention. Not like Horatio the cat. We even transitioned Horatio from the World’s Best Cat Litter to our preferred Tidy Cats Breeze Pellets without a hitch.

We are not renaming him, either. My sister wants us to. But let me tell you, she is a person who babysat for her neighbor’s chickens last fall and she renamed everyone of those chickens. Just gave them new names! Without permission. I still don’t think the owners know she renamed their pets. No wonder she wants us to rename Horatio.

Following are a few photos I thought you might enjoy. You can support the Sisters Animal Sanctuary, a 501(c)3 , by making a tax deductible donation on their website, or mailing a check of $1.00 or more to the address below:

Sisters Animal Sanctuary
11480 Fogg Road
Elk Grove, CA 95757

Kathy Monahan and Julie Lindsey, Sisters Animal Sanctuary, posed on my front steps.

Horatio the cat is day dreaming about his future.

Horatio hangs over the edge of the top condo to taunt Tessa.