I finally did it

I got a cat. After two years of stalling (partly because I'm selfish and partly because I was half waiting for when I get a 'real' house and have a family), I walked into an adoption event last weekend at a local rescue shelter and picked the best one out. I was sort of leaning toward kitten (looked at 3 different ones before I even got to the full-grown cats), but ultimately decided to let my selfishness prevail: kittens require far more maintenance.

My cat is a girl cat. She's 2 (or so they say), very small, and is just about the sweetest thing. She loves attention, but doesn't demand it. Every time I pet her it's like she remembers it's the best thing ever. My two concerns after bringing her home were 1) why does even the calmest and most chill of cats still feel the need to scratch everything in sight? OK, she's not that bad. But I've never had an indoor cat before, and I guess I didn't realize how prevalent a role their claws play. 2) Will she actually use the litter box? This is always a concern. Even though they know HOW, WILL they? And so great was my relief when she did her business in just the right place a few hours after arriving.

Naming her proved a challenge indeed. So great was my wrestle (because I just didn't want to pick something and have it be wrong or not fit) that a co-worker of mine even told me that I need therapy for my commitment issues. I wanted to disagree, but thought she actually had the better case. It was my sister who saved the day. I told her I wanted a C name (to have a 'so-and-so the cat' alliteration thing going on), and she ran down the list of her current C/K girl names. The last one was the jackpot: Clementine. I confess this has also been on my short list of favorite girl names, but assuming I will not marry a cowboy, I've given up the dream. Moral of the story: If you want to do something, just do it. Don't wait for perfect conditions. And also: People who have recently named a child and are preparing to name another can be incredibly valuable resources.