Apollo

On Saturday, I ventured forth to the Utah Humane Society and brought home . . . a kitten!

A Kitten

But first, I shall regale you with the tale of my journey.

Seth had work, so I was flying this mission solo. I was a little nervous, because I have seldom ever touched a cat, let alone picked one out to call my very own. I was worried about getting one with a nice personality without my Cat Whisperer, Seth, by my side.

There were kittens everywhere. And the setup is pretty informal. I figured I would get a little helper to get each kitty I wanted to hold out of the cage for me, like selecting a lobster at the supermarket. Instead, they told me to take out any one I liked and to spend some time with him or her.

I was a bit worried about how to get one cat out of the cage without the rest escaping, but that only happened twice, so no sweat, right?

The first cat I picked up climbed me and immediately started sucking on my earlobes. It was rather disconcerting. I decided "No" on that one.

Two hours and six trial kittens later, I decided to take home a playful little 3-month-old orange fellow.

Attacking the Camera

Chillin' in the Sunshine

And he is the rompin'-est kitten of them all. We bought him some little ball toys that have feathers. He thinks those are just the greatest. He like to play hunter. He'll bat them like they are getting away, and then catch them in midair. Yes, kitty, you are the craftiest hunter. You show that feathered ball who's boss.

He is also the purrin'-est cat there ever was. He purrs when you pick him up. He purrs when hold him. He purrs when he stares at you while you're sleeping. He purrs when he struts around, exploring the house. As Seth put it, "He's in a constant state of euphoria."

He plays aggressively, and then when he's tired he snuggles like there's no tomorrow. We have a very happy, sweet-tempered kitty, and we love him very much.

Naming him was quite the task. Alas, Hot Waffles was only a contender for a moment. The first afternoon, he cycled through more names than I can count. Mondo, Gibbins, Monster, Sylvester, Paco, Jafar, Eiko, Jasper . . . none of them stuck. Finally, we came up with Apollo. Which seems to fit. He's an orange cat, after all, and he'll grow into the name as he learns that, as a cat, he's pretty much the ruler of everything.