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Adoption Stories [Grant Passes the Test]

Grant waited a long time for a permanent home. Now he has a wonderful home, a kind "Mom" and a new job! He now works as a pet visitor to cheer people up. Rita Lynn writes a funny update telling PAWS about Grant's new life:

"The home for which Grant waited 4 years is in Cedar Falls. He lives with a cat-friendly mixed breed dog, Dinah andd two other cats. One of the cats was a stray that a friend found, and the other was born on a farm. Miss Marple,the
older of the two other cats, is less than pleased with Grant's arrival,but the two of them are slowly coming to terms. Grant follows in the footsteps of my former black cat, Simon, who I adopted from our Humane Society as a kitten. I soon found that I missed having a cat who could do visits with me. (Dinah loves to visit, but some of the kids I visit prefer cats.) So I was looking for a cat about the same age as my youngest cat, and one that had to temperament to tolerate, and maybe even enjoy, visiting.

I checked our local shelter, but they didn't have any cats that old at all. So I went to Petfinder and found several whose descriptions suggested that they would be suitable. Grant has made himself completely at home (he is sitting on my lap at the moment - his usual place when I am at the computer). The other cats' noses were totally out of joint, but he seemed to regard that as their problem and went about trying to desensitize them.

To prepare him for visiting, I took him on several "outings." He went to Petco, rode around in the cart like a toddler, and climbed onto the check-out counter when I was ready to leave. He visited a couple of my elderly friends, striding around their apartments and rubbing up against their legs. On our second visit to one of them, he ended up sprawled on the hassock in the middle of the den, obviously quite comfortable. He has a soft-sided travel bag that I use just for visits (I use the regular hard-sided one for the dreaded vet visits...), and he is allowing me to put him in it more willingly each time. His temperament test for our pet visiting group (P.E.T. P.A.L.S.) was June 27. The test involves being handled by the three testers, being petted, having loud sounds made around them, having them approached with a wheelchair, being in the presence of another animal (big deal for a cat that spent 4 years in a shelter, huh!), and other such events that might happen during a visit. He did his leg-rubbing/leaning thing and won them all over.Then they put him on an over-the-bed table, and he thought that was just a fine perch. He passed with flying colors. And, of course, they thought he was terribly handsome. (So does he....)

We haven't yet gone on an official visit. One might come as soon as this next Sunday, depending on the children who will be at the Respite program that day. I think he will find the extra attention quite to his liking. He is the most playful of any of the cats I have had - just about anything becomes a toy - even actual cat toys that my other cats have taken little interest in. Milk jug lids are great, and who knows where he batted a cat toy I gave him that had feathers and sparkly ribbons on it."