Fri. Sep 20th, 2024

This is Summer

To understand how Summer came into my human’s life, you have to know about one of her deepest wishes. She has always dreamed of having a cat she could take places, and after she learned about therapy dogs, she wanted a therapy cat. As a passionate cat person, she knew that if she were ever in a hospital or nursing home, she would only be disappointed by dog visits. She was certain there were other people out there like herself, so she swore that one day she would have a cat she could take visiting. She considered having a therapy cat an act of good karma.

So her whole life, she searched for a kitty that could be that cat and failed miserably. She tested out several cats, including the cat before the cat before me and Binga, and it never worked out. They were never happy going places. Binga is outgoing and friendly (and a little crazy) at home, but she was never comfortable outside of her element.

When my human brought me home from Temecula, I cried pitifully for the whole two-hour drive home, and a couple of days later, when she took me for my first vet visit, I cried miserably for the whole 20-minute drive — and continued to cry for the whole time I was at the clinic. So she did not even try to take me anywhere else. But she still dreamed of having a therapy cat.

A couple of years ago, my human visited with my breeder at a cat show in San Diego, and she met this girl. At only six months old, she was so perfect and so poised — and she was already spoken for. So my human asked my breeder to let her know if she ever had another kitten with that type of personality, because that is what it took to have therapy cat potential.

Then just this past July, my human saw my breeder at another cat show and she had two kittens with her that had the same parents as the kitten she had seen before. One, the male, was adorable but had a “home cat” temperament — he was okay in the show rings, but he didn’t have that extra added poise and cool. The girl did — she pranced on the table when she was being judged, was even tempered and happy and loved people. Plus she was beautiful. Naturally, the breeder wanted to keep her for herself. You may even remember that kitty from this blog post.

I think she is actually smiling here

Well, that was Summer, and my human was already a little bit in love with her. My human visited with her at a couple more cat shows and the breeder began to waver because she had to admit to herself that she really did not have room in her cattery for another girl, even as special as this one was. And she could tell my human adored her already. Summer is barely 5 months old, but she already acts like a pro in the ring. She is a joy and happy to meet everyone. And sometimes she is just a silly kitten too.

I think she was teething

My human’s boyfriend came to see her, and can you believe she actually liked him?

Finally, my breeder said my human could have Summer under certain conditions, one being that she continued to show her. Which my human would have done anyway, as part of her training as a therapy cat. Cat shows are organized insanity, with people running around carrying cats, and attendees staring at and talking to kitties in show cages. Summer actually thrives in this type of environment and would probably miss it if it stopped. She will have lots of other types of adventures too, after she comes home to my human — and you’ll get to hear all about them from her.

It might be a coincidence that my human found Summer just as I was getting ready to leave her. Or maybe it was not a coincidence at all.

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SOURCE: Sparkle the Designer Cat – Read entire story here.