A New Family Member

Say hello to Waveland, the latest addition to our little family.



We picked up Waveland today at Paws, a no-kill shelter here in Chicago. He got his name from the animal rescue shelter in Waveland, Mississippi, where he found a home after Hurricane Gustav. The folks at Paws named him, not us, but because a booming home run at Wrigley Field lands up on Waveland Avenue, so far we haven't changed the name.

"Adopting" a cat is sure a more complicated business than taking in a stray. We had to sit though 45 minutes of cat counseling, during which I promised not to eat Waveland until he was at least 12 pounds. Nobody laughed. Then we had to sign a contract, which signed away our Fourth Amendment rights. I think there was something about a college fund in there, too. And they're going to follow up on Waveland, to make sure he gets his shots, I guess.

You may have seen something about this shelter on TV. Oprah has been there; there's even a room named after her. Oh, I didn't mention the rooms. The cats are kept in rooms that are as good as any Super 8 you've ever stayed at. But they all have glass windows and doors so you can see the cats kept in each room. Other rooms and areas are named after some of the richest people in Chicago, so the place is nicely supported.

And this is very likely the place that's going to supply the puppy for the Obama girls. They're looking for a noodle-poodle, or something like that.

So far Waveland either runs around like a crazy man, or naps. He'll fit right in.

Update: You're probably wondering, "Why do they have to go all the way to Mississippi to get kittens? Doesn't Chicago have enough stray cats? Or is this yet another example of the blue states bailing out the red states?"

Well, the story I heard was that Paws used to offer Chicago cats for adoption, but the cats kept flashing gang signs, and that unnerved folks.