In October of 2013, I lost my tabby cat, Mr. Boots, to CHF. My other cat, Bella, was devastated by the loss of her friend and was not coping well to the change. A few weeks later, I decided it was finally time to find Bella a new friend.
As I walked through the shelter, a little tortoiseshell kitten stuck her peanut butter colored paw out at me through one of the cages. The staff told me she had been rescued from a high-kill shelter in Chicago and had just recently been able to go up for adoption. As I took her into a small room to get to know her, she just played with me like we'd been old friends. I knew she would be the perfect friend for Bella.
As I drove home, I called my soon to be husband and asked him what we should name this pretty girl. We went through a bunch of names, but Lottie seemed to fit best.
In the days to come, Lottie and Bella would bond faster than I could have imagined, but I still wasn't sure if I could love her like my Mr. Boots. Then one night, she jumped in bed with me, looked at me with her orange-green eyes, and meowed the tiniest meow you've ever heard. As she snuggled with me, my heart began to fill with love for this beautiful little tortie.
Nowadays Lottie spends her days watching bird tv, waiting to play in the bathtub or zooming around the house! She gets along with Bella and our other cat Ellie and plays peacemaker from time to time. When she's not perched up high to watch the humans, you can find her snuggled up next to you in a little nook. Lottie taught me it was okay to love again in my time of grief. She has filled our home with so much happiness and joy and on that day I didn't just rescue her, she rescued me too.
Chicago, IL
