We just got a new cat this past weekend. A lot of people may not have chosen this particular cat. You see, she's 7 years old with long fur that sheds everywhere. She's also very shy. I, however, just knew she was meant to be our cat. Here's the backstory.

The kids and I fought a hard battle with my husband a couple years ago to get a cat. He didn't necessarily want the added responsibility or cost of a pet. But we wanted a furry friend we could hold and love. Ultimately, we won. I got in touch with an old friend who runs an animal rescue, and we were able to bring a very nice cat home for only a $25 donation to the rescue. Her name was Minnie. I've written about my writing buddy here before.

Unfortunatley, we didn't have her in our lives for very long. After about a year and a half, she stopped eating and lost a great deal of weight. I took her to the vet and learned that she had a pretty advanced kidney problem. We chose to put her to sleep, rather than deal with the possibility of putting her through various treatments on a regular basis. The kids were devastated. I promised them we'd get another kitty someday.

Bill and I decided not to get a cat right away. We wanted to give the kids some time to grieve. We also knew we'd need to wait until we had a bit of a financial cushion put away in case of another pet health issue. It can cost quite a bit of money to care for a sick animal even for a short while, as we learned. So we made the decision to wait.

It's been about six months since we lost Minnie, and the kids and I started to become antsy. We miss watching our kitty's antics and enjoying her company, when she chose to give it to us. So I started looking at the shelter websites and talking to friends. Long story short, I ended up inquiring about a "sweet, long haired kitty" for adoption through a private owner. Something told me it couldn't hurt to ask about this sweet kitty.

So after some preliminary online back and forth, I asked for a photo of the kitty in question. This is the text I received.

The screen shot is a little small. It says, "Meet Minnie." I almost fell over. What are the chances that we would be looking at adopting another cat named Minnie? After taking a closer look, I realized this cat was a tortoiseshell. Another unbelievable coincidence. When I was in college, my first husband and I had a tortoiseshell kitty that we loved very much. In fact, I had just been admiring my online friend Cindi's tortoiseshell kitty on Facebook and telling her that I'd like to look into getting one myself!

Long story short, Minnie came home with us on Saturday. I surprised the kids, and they're completely in love with her. She's adapting quite well. Initially, she came out to visit us only in the morning and at night. Today, she's been out and about all day long. In fact, she's made herself at home in my office chair, which is where predecessor used to love to sit. So far, she hasn't made any attempt to balance on the back of the chair!