I've been considering getting a second cat as a companion to Mademoiselle Ondine Le Chat, my black and white kitty who shows up on the NDN pics rotation. She's fallen into some behavior that makes me think she would benefit from the challenges and comfort of a companion. As I understand cat psychology, they're happier if they have companions.

At the same time I've been thinking about adopting another cat, and discussing this potential new family member with my husband, I'm going through quite a lot of stress at work as a consequence of downsizing and restructuring. Yesterday was a day from hell, with staff melt-downs and pushback from Human Resources.

So immediately after work I went to the cat shelter, which is called Cat Welfare. They have late hours on Wednesdays where you can just hang out with dozens of cats in a big room. I talked to the shelter workers about what sort of cat would fit with a shy, hidey cat like Ondine. They told me to just hang out and interact with the shelter cats to get a feel for their personalities.

Well. There is this big white male--pure white--his name is Caspar (as in the Friendly Ghost). He's about 4-5 years old, a very chill guy. He took to me and "marked" me as his. But he's not real territorial or aggressive--I think he's been declawed, and he is a cool cat--not looking for any fights, but able to stand his ground. He gave the other cats in the room their space--he didn't hiss back or get pissy when other cats told him to back off--he just chilled.

I decided I couldn't take on the responsibility of adopting Caspar this week. I'm still thinking about it, talking with the original, number one big white male in my life about how this might work. I'm going out of town on Friday and Saturday--not a good time to bring home a new baby.

Here's the good news: Hanging out with all those kitties was the best de-stressing therapy I've had in ages. There's nothing like an animal to get me focused in the small pleasures of the moment. And that chillin' big white male--he's won my heart.