The big news is that I am once again a pet owner. Stray cats are unfortunately endemic in the Kingdom. A colleague of mine, the local cat rescue guru, introduced me to a local expat woman who has taken in literally hundreds of strays over time. She spays and neuters them all, gets them vet care, feeds and cares for them, and tries to find good homes. She's quite amazing. There were dozens of beautiful cats to choose from, but I fell in love with a pair of adolescent kittens. These two cats came in at different times but were hand-raised in the house and have become best friends. One is a medium-hair white male with a gray V on his head; the other is a long-hair gray male with deep amber eyes. They are roughly 6 months and 8 months old, respectively. I took them to the vet last night and got a pronouncement of good health, aside from the expected ear mites.
These two little guys are cuddly, playful, affectionate, and curious. Everything cats should be. They do not, however, have names yet. I have spent almost a week scouring baby name sites, newspapers, film synopses, and books, and picking the brains of friends, family, and colleagues, but nothing quite works. Everyone laughs at me, but the right names will come along. I've tried out and discarded literally hundreds of names for each of them. The vet laughed but agreed that I didn't need to rush it.
So, I have two balls of fur to come home to every day. They do not come close to replacing Hattie, but they represent a new chapter of life, and I love and adore them. I thought that having them would help with the grieving process, but it's actually set me back a bit. It may have been a bit soon, but I wouldn't trade these little guys for anything. At least now if I need to cry, I can hug a kitten while doing it. They have adapted to life in the apartment; they even have their own room. The white one likes to hang out in the bathtub, and the gray one has claimed the top of the refrigerator. It's nice to have these bundles of energy to play with.
I'm off to bed after a long, full day. I have friends coming in from another Saudi city for the weekend (which starts after work tomorrow), so it'll be a lot of fun to hang out, catch up, go to the beach, and see the sights. I love three-day weekends!
