The Saga of Selkie

Selkie

So, yesterday, Otis wanted to Do the Right Thing regarding the cat-we-don't-have. The kitty was obviously a stray from somewhere and had been a house cat before; it knows the protocols for getting water from a faucet and asking to go out and all that sort of stuff. We needed to make a good faith effort to find its original home. In this high-tech dot-com world, that means checking for a microchip.

So into the cat carrier went the cat, and down the street to Animal Talk went I, while Otis waited at home and fretted. The walk to the pet store/rescue shelter was a bumpy one, as the kitty kept shifting around and making the box rock like a rowboat on choppy seas. Even after the red wand was waved and beeped and displayed the secret code number buried in the kitty's neck, indicating there was indeed a microchip and a caring previoius owner, it was still bumpy for a while. It took several phone calls, but the story was finally sorted out. Here's the upshot:

Most of you are familiar with the currently unoccupied house next door. The former resident had a number of cats (and also volunteered at Animal Talk and fed the feral cats in the neighborhood). She moved out sometime before we moved in here back in April, but took care of all her animals before she did; this particular cat, named Selkie, was re-homed with a family in Lake City.

Selkie seems to have a very strong sense of place; he apparently made his way back to the house all the way from north of 145th Street on the shore of Lake Washington. It is easy to imagine his displeasure at finding the place abandoned upon his arrival, especially after such a long trip. I can assure you that complained loudly; those complaints were heard by Otis, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It turns out that the people on the lake, presuming Selkie to be lost forever, took in another kitten, and are full up catwise. The owner of the house next door is now in a no-cat zone (which necessitated her relinquishing her cats in the first place). So, it looks like the cat-we-don't-have will be a part of the household from here on in.

Selkie is a neutered male about four years old, with all shots current. I let him in a few minutes ago, and I'm sure he's upstairs with Otis right now, discussing plans for name tags and cat doors and and all sorts of accoutrement.