My Cat is the Real "Garfield"
I sat at our local Humane Society in a little white room with two chairs.
I was looking for a new family cat. Our last cat had passed away a year ago, and we were finally ready to move on.
My requirements:
I wanted an adult cat because there were so many at the shelter. The kittens always went first. I had young kids, so I needed a cat who was patient and could deal with the occasional tail pull or too affectionate hug.
The cats arrived one by one in my "visiting" room as the humane society worker carefully explained each cat's history and personality traits. Nope. Nope. Nope.
Finally she asked what I was really looking for in a cat. I had to think a bit, because I wasn't completely sure. Finally I said, "I like big cats. I like a cat who purrs."
Immediately, she smiled and said "Harry. You'll like Harry."
When she walked through the hallway with this mass of fur in her arms, people stopped and cried, "Wow. That is one big cat." And so he was. Harry immediately jumped into my lap with an audible, "Hmmph", and started to vibrate as his whole body purred like an engine. He lifted his head, presented his chin, ears, neck and told me where to scratch. I was in love.
Fast forward a year, and my whole family is in love. We kept the name "Harry", but we could have named him "Garfield." If Harry had a speech bubble over his head, his thoughts would surely rival Garfield's. In fact, he doesn't really need a speech bubble, because he talks "meow". Harry has a complete cat vocabulary, ranging from sweet hellos to angry expletives. He has ongoing conversations with humans- answering us and making requests. He can ask for a lap, for food, for a scratch, or to go outside. He loves when the TV goes on at night (laptime), and hates when the suitcases come out because he hates being left alone.
People have told us that Harry is probably a Maine Coon Cat, because of his size and personality...but we think Harry is really Garfield reincarnated.
