Say Hello To George Washington Edwards

“Can we get a cat?”

This has been a discussion around here for quite some time around here and you know the story of the reason why the answer has usually been no. When your Dad and I were first married we had two cats (Jack and Everest) until we learned, right after you were born, that he had an allergy to them (along with dust mites & molds) which required surgery to remove polyps in his sinuses. Our beloved cats found new homes (it was tremendously sad but the right thing at the time considering your Dad’s health) and we went on with our new life with you.

Fast forward just about 10 years. With the change in our family situation the possibility of getting a cat became a reality. You’ve always loved cats and you’ve always disliked dogs (you’re definitely okay with Lily as our family dog, but you’re not much of a dog fan in general). Over the last few months you and Anna and I went on a couple outings to Greenhill Humane Society and Petsmart (rescues) to visit the cats. The way you interacted with the cats each time was a great indication that you would be a really wonderful cat owner.

As the calendar turned to 2012 I felt like it was a good time to make this real.

Anna, Katie, you, Daddy, and I ventured out to Greenhill on Monday, January 2nd with the intent of letting you choose a new family member. The experience was magic. Watching you interact with the cats & kittens was magic. You were beaming and smiling and giggling and singing lullabies to the kittens as they fell asleep on your lap. You played with a bunch of different cats before narrowing it down to 9-month old “Chance” (George's name before you changed it). He was playful but would also sit happily with you in your lap. You walked up to me and said, “Can we adopt Chance?”

It was so cool to have Katie and Daddy there too. The three of us loved watching you interact with all the cats - there were many teared-up-eye moments as we saw you begin to narrow down the choices and chat with the cats and just shine in that space.

We talked with the volunteers about “Chance” and read about him in their book. I wanted to make sure that whoever came home with us could be both a fun, playful cat and a really good lounger. He sure seemed to be the one.

So we said yes. Let’s do it. And one more time, “Simon, is this who you want to bring home.” It was a very big yes all around.

The whole experience was just awesome. We had stopped at Petsmart on the way out to Greenhill and picked up all the necessities so we’d be ready if we found the right cat. Once you decided on Chance your Dad went out to the car to bring in the carrier and I started on the paperwork for the adoption. You were so, so excited.

On the way home from Greenhill you held Chance in your lap in his carrier and talked to him. He was amazing in the car - almost no meowing.

It was in the car that you decided on his new name. You had been thinking about it previously (you’d told us so) and at first you said you wanted to name him “Furry.” Katie and Daddy and I all laughed and you laughed and then we suggested some other names saying that we like to name our pets with “people” names. Daddy suggested a few and one of them was George. A few seconds later you said, “I know! I know! His name is George.” Later that night you would call Dad and tell him that his full name is now “George Washington Edwards.”

When we arrived home we took George up to your room in his carrier and gave the two of you some private time to get acquainted while we made lunch. When lunch was ready I came up to you room and you had him out of his carrier and he was sniffing around you are were just plain giddy.

We did a gentle introduction to the rest of the house and to Lily. Lily pretty much went the other way when she saw him. It’s now a week later and they seem to be just fine (I’m pretty sure they will be cuddling up together soon).

George is an amazing cat. He is a people cat. He wants to hang out with you while you play legos and sit with you while you watch tv. When you are at school he follows me around as I work and go from room to room (just like Lily - the two of them are never far from me). He slept on your bed that first night (and took a nap with you on my bed) and the second night you got a little nervous when he was being really playful under your bed (he gets playful right before bed - kinda like your sister). He slept with me the second night and since then has gone back and forth between our rooms.

He fits right in. I’m so happy that he’s a part of our family and love that you have a new special friend. This is just the beginning of a whole new story.