Patience

"You know", said the woman at the Union County, Ohio animal shelter, "even though you want a kitten there are some nice older cats who also need homes. Some of them have been here for quite a while."
We had gone to the shelter expressly to find a kitten for me. I had had a cat previously and knew how great they are. Jim, a professed cat hater, was definitely not there in his own interests. They introduced us to Patience, who had been sadly but appropriately named. She had been in the shelter most of her life- over a year waiting for her forever home. And so Patience and little kitten Nell left the shelter with us. Poor Patience had no idea that things were going to get better; she just knew that she was leaving a place she had become familiar with. As soon as she was brought into the house, she made for the upstairs to hide under a futon, and there she stayed, except to eat and use her litter pan. A little at a time she ventured out, first sitting at the top of the stairs (where no dogs are allowed) and gradually coming down a bit at a time. And whose lap did she choose as her own? Jim's!! Patience, the wildly colored calico that couldn't find a home, had been waiting for us so she could show Jim how wonderful a cat friend is. She completely won him over and has remained "his" cat. She paved the way for the 4 others who now live with us and who all have Jim (and me) totally under their control. Patience (or PK for Patience kitty) is a queen. She has never had any use for any of the other animals in the house, although she does grudgingly accept Nell at times- perhaps due to their early shelter experience. Mostly she is happiest lying about upstairs, which is still her favorite place to be until Jim comes home.