Jupiter

I was serious when I said I never wanted another pet after Marley's passing.

I had no interest in getting that attached to something that I know will most likely pass in my lifetime.

Yet, despite my own personal feelings, my mom helped me see that maybe I shouldn't shut down the idea completely. Especially since my wife is open to another pet.

There is a very long story here with several twists and turns, but I'm going to try skip over the beginning and summarize this as quickly as possible, so please excuse the brevity.

We adopted a seven-month-old Siamese kitten from the SPCA named Jupiter. We had no intention of adopting her so soon, but we found out that some of the breeds of cats that folks with allergies tend to have less issues with are the most expensive. Our research led us to year long waiting lists and $2,000 price tags. Then we saw Jupiter's posting on the SPCA's website, but she was pending adoption. The following day she wasn't, so we went to see her and see how my wife's allergies would hold up.

She actually did better with the cat than she did with our dog Marley. Jupiter was so friendly my wife instantly fell in love, so we came back the next morning to bring her home.

Jupiter was part of a cat colony found behind a restaurant where someone was poisoning them. She was one of the lucky ones. She has a clipped ear where she had been captured and spade prior and has a cornea scar on her eye. She suffers from feline herpes and has some discharge from her scarred eye, but it seems to be doing a bit better.

She was extremely warm and friendly from the moment we met her. We are both still amazed she was an outdoor cat, because she's been extremely well behaved, super cuddly, and just an absolute joy to be around.

We were advised to keep her in a closet or a bedroom for a few days/weeks, but there is no way Jupiter was having that. She wasn't scared or stressed, and she just made herself at home. We, of course, had to spend some time and money buying supplies and kitten proofing the apartment, but things have gone well.

The only concern we have right now is a lump I found on her leg. The vet is concerned its injection sarcoma, which would mean her leg would need to be amputated. For the first time in my life, I signed up for pet insurance, but of course, I noticed this within the first fourteen days, so it won't be covered. We go back next week and will hopefully have the lump biopsied/removed and tested and will go from there. I'm hoping it's not anything bad, because she is a fun-loving cat that loves to play and jump around and I'd hate to see her slowed down, not to mention the huge financial cost that I'm not prepared for.

So, here I am, admitting to adopting another animal, much sooner than expected. We did go look and play with some puppies prior to visiting the SPCA, but my wife's allergies didn't do quite so well with them, and I think we both knew that another dog this soon or maybe ever is not going to work. So, say a little prayer or send some positive thoughts for Jupiter's leg.
Jupiter and me during her first vet visit.