ME + QUINCY + LINDSAY MAKES THREE...?

Quincy, 2 mos. "How pink is my nose?"

Q-Ball, head over heels with her hedgehog!

You know that "stupid heart" of mine I wrote of earlier this week? Well, Dunce-Heart has kicked in again, leaving me wide open to my poor little Quincy's loneliness after losing her older sister Ollie a few weeks ago.

Q's not even a year old yet, and is still very much a kitten. And although Ollie was many years her senior and never a playful cat, they did enjoy a special but short-lived relationship of hilarious cat interaction, something Quincy sorely misses.

Contrary to what many people think, cats are not "loners" ~ they are very social animals and require attention and companionship. With cats, the more you give, the more you get in return. It just has to be on their terms, which is perfectly acceptable to me.

Quincy arrived here at six weeks of age. Ollie was, by cat years, already in her 70s but she gave it the old cat college try and did seem to be amused, if slightly annoyed, by this winsome little creature who only wanted to PLAY-PLAY-PLAY.

When Ollie got pissed off, Q-Ball would immediately go belly-up, little paws in the air, clearly saying, "Don't kill me, I'm playing, I'm only a baby!" at which point Ollie would *sniff* her annoyance and stalk off to my bedroom closet, her sleeping place, shaking her head. The moment she emerged, hours later, Quincy would JUMP her and Ollie seemed less and less annoyed as time wore on.

My vet, Dr. Leno Cedeno ~ a wonderful person who rescues cats and keeps them in his office while trying to find them good homes ~ saw my sadness when I had to let Ollie go. He eagerly introduced me to "Linda" a  one-year old orange tabby he recently took in, and urged me to take her. At the time, I was too distraught to think straight and said no. But as the weeks passed, and Quincy continues to sit by the bedroom door, peering inside, wondering when her old friend will come back out, I had to make a tough decision.

Add another cat (and more expense) and make Quincy (and myself) happy again? Or be practical and hard-nosed about it, and hope that Quincy will "get used to it." But how does one "get used" to loneliness, be it animal or human?

I now await a call back from Dr. Cedeno. Linda (soon to be Lindsay) is still there, and still waiting for a forever home.

And I think Quincy and I will be very, very happy to welcome her...