Over the past month, I've learned that, as much as I hoped and prayed for a happy ending, that doesn't always happen. Instead, we have a bittersweet start and move forward.
The reality of the situation is as such - in our neighborhood, seven cats have gone missing since mid May. We've lived here ten years and have never had any issues with cats being taken. But the rabbit population is way down and there have been sightings of a coyote. We received word that seven foxes were rounded up and destroyed just to the south of our neighborhood - due to the unusually high fox population.
It's now been five weeks since Sam went missing. We are fairly certain he was killed by the coyote or large fox. Our other cat, Hannah, is no longer allowed to go outside unsupervised - we go outside with her and make sure she doesn't leave the boundaries of the yard. She only goes out to chew on some grass before heading back inside. She's only insisted on going outside since Sam disappeared, and I am certain she misses him, too.
With the loss of our Sam, I started the process of finding a new cat. The house felt empty and I needed another cat. I specifically sought out another Siamese cat because I knew that breed would bring with it many of the traits I loved in Sam, namely friendliness and loyalty. Ideally, I would have preferred an adult Siamese whose owners were seeking a family to adopt. I found such a cat on Craigslist, but the person running the ad never responded to my inquiry and I assumed the cat had already been adopted. So I started looking for kittens. Oh my, there were quite a few to choose from - such cute and adorable photos that melted my heart. I was ready to drive four hours to visit one breeder when a new ad popped up on Craigslist - one for a 6 month male, a seal point Siamese, whose family could no longer afford him. I responded to the ad and within an hour, the owner, Jane, had emailed and texted me. We arranged to meet the next day.
I took Brian with me and we met Jane at her house, about an hour away. Louie, the Siamese was sleeping on the couch. Jane explained that she was going back to school and could not afford to keep Louie. He had his first set of shots, but needed rounds two and three, including a rabies shot and finally, he needed to be neutered. Jane obtained Louie from an inexperienced breeder who was dealing with too many litters - quote - "I got him out of a bad situation". Even so, it was clear that he was well cared for and loved in his current situation. When Jane placed that droopy cat in my arms, I knew he was the right one. We took him home with us.
Meet Louie. Taken a couple hours after we first brought him home. He spent a little time hidden under the bed, but finally emerged after some coaxing.
We decided to keep the name his previous owners called him. Scott looked up the meaning of the name and Louie means "famous warrior". We think it fits.
No, he'll never replace Sam. I've told the kids that I would love it if Sam showed up on our doorstep tonight, or 6 months from now - having Louie doesn't change anything about the love we have for Sam and we still miss him.
In the two weeks we've had Louie, he's progressed from being contained to the basement to having free reign of the house. Hannah no longer hisses at him and they seem to be getting along, interacting more with each passing day. We're learning more about his personality - what toys he prefers, where he likes to sleep, how he likes people food (not much of a shocker there!). He's certainly a part of the family.
I am thankful we have Louie in our lives.
