While it is always good to consult our intuition, this cannot be the final decision maker when there might be other considerations which must influence our choice.
But it is an excellent start.
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As a precaution, there is the tale known as “the little gray ear.” I found kitten Ordell under a pile of other kittens. All that showed was one little gray ear; which I could not resist.
I had come to get an Ordell, and I got an Ordell, just as Mr WayofCats, laid up and unable to come, had asked. I should not have agreed to an Ordell, though; not in a small apartment with someone ill. He was capital-A Alpha; as much as we loved him, we could not make him happy.
A friend agreed to foster him, there was mutual falling-in-love, and it had a very happy ending.
Ordell is all grown up now, with a kitten of his own.
It’s not that my intuition steered me wrong. We both adored Ordell, who loved us back. We easily made connections. I knew he was an Alpha, but I didn’t know how much of one he would be.
Puffy had gotten along with many Alpha cats in the past, but when Puffy was only one of three, there was cat friction between them. Mr. Bond played with Ordell at such a big volume he was getting in trouble. Mr. Bond never gets in trouble!
So Ordell was a good fit for me. But he wasn’t for the rest of the house. When I found a bigger house, more compatible cats, and a person who also took a shine to him, Ordell was even happier.
So while a connection must be there, it alone is not enough. We can do many things for our cats, by either giving them a home or finding them a home.
We just need to be clear about the kinds of fit both are offering.
For more on choosing with our emotions, see my posts Feeling the Connection, and The Cat of Destiny.
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There’s more to choosing a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CHOOSING A CAT.
we kept Monkey the Uber Alpha much to the chagrin of the 2 coon cat girls…. He is a very intense ‘little boy’… but so very entertaining…. He is a fit for the humans but not for the girls…Vidalia and Pickle say that ”boys stink”.. we gave Monkey a room with a cat door and his own bathroom… it helps…
….kinda….. he is a challenge
We are going through the initial adjustment phase of a new addition to our cat world. That includes elderly girl Sophie, Leo and Zena age 6; and the Gang of 4 – an entire litter that we took in 3 years ago. Two of our cats had passed on in their late teens recently, and Husband, still heartbroken, was firm. No more cats, period. Little Esme, the small malnourished orphan coon kitty abandoned down the block, was going to be checked out for health, attractively photographed, and given to some colleague at work who was looking for a sweet beast. (We’ve found homes for 3 other kitties that way.) Esme was just another transient. Until. Spouse announced suddenly “Don’t take Esme’s picture. We’re keeping her!” She won his heart in about 5 minutes of purring, curled up on his chest, nose to nose.
Instant love.