David--

Wow, man! 22 is like 104 human years! That's fabulous.

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I made the plunge. Saturday I adopted a long-haired cat. First long-hair who has lived with me. (Cat, anyway.) She was born April 21.

Aside from being a spayed female who likes her tummy rubbed, she has nothing in common with Ingrid. That's good. It would be unfair to compare them.

It was just way too lonesome around my place without Ingrid. I'm always going to miss her, and I'll never know anyone else like her, but the pain is beginning to ease, and that is as it should be.

This cat is very timid. Still prefers to spend most of her time under the bed. But if I lie on the carpet down there, she'll usually come over & venture out. When she gets petted, she purrs really loud and does the kneading thing (without putting out her claws--and she has huge paws) and rolls over repeatedly.

She cannot settle down on the bed. I adopted her from my vet's office, and it may be that in the past when she was up on a prominent exposed and flat area, it usually involved a procedure. She won't fight or hiss or growl, but she'd rather be elsewhere.

She was the very last of the batches of kittens they had up for adoption at my vet's from the summer (which lasts well into the fall down here in Texas). So she has spent lots of time in cages, I think, and getting used to big open spaces, carpet, and the absence of sounds from other pets of all kinds in nearby rooms is kind of a mind-blower. Very different. I'm going to wait a few days or more before I open the two larger bedrooms.

Her brother was adopted out within the last few days. Otherwise she might be kinda nutty.

She had never seen a television before yesterday. Sorta flipped her out. It doesn't scare her any more, but when the sound is on it's too much to handle and she has to go hide.

Also she had never seen a mirror before. I wish I had the dance she did there on videotape. The other cat was really fast in matching her every movement. But it didn't growl at her or hiss or try to fight.

I got her on the bed a little last night before lights-out, and she purred, but she had to get down. She even jumped up once or twice, but got down immediately. This morning when I turned on the light, she was beside the bed looking up at me, and her first reaction was to run back under the bed & peek out at me. Then as I showered up before I left for work, she dashed up & down the hall.

Wonder what she'll be up to today?

I know she can speak, because she cried real softly when I was carrying her from the vet's office out to my car, but other than that she hasn't said a word. Purrs really loud, and when I was patting the bed trying to get her to jump up there, she looked up at me and mouthed a meow but no sound came out.

She sneezes a lot. And wheezes. It doesn't slow her down, but I've gotta find out what's up with that. Maybe an asthmatic.

Unless you see her in direct sunlight, she's all gray topside, white on the bottom of her tail & her tummy. Copper eyes.

Her name will be Matilda. Lends itself to "Mattie" or "Millie" or "Tilly." Her coat makes her an easy "Fluffy."

Ingrid will always be my one and only Sweetie.

It sure will be nice to have somebody waiting for me when I get home.