I’ve mentioned previously that I volunteer at Harmony House for Cats in Chicago, IL. This, of course, means that I have the pleasure of meeting and interacting with a lot of cats on a regular basis. Now, I love all cats and think they’re all cute, but occasionally, I cross paths with one that is just beyond words. This has happened with a handful of cats over my 2.5 years of volunteering and to be honest, if I had a larger living space, I’d have adopted at least one of them already.
Such was the case when I first met little Gregor earlier this year when he was taken into Harmony House. Surely, every kitten is adorable, but there was something a little extra spunky about this tiny guy, despite his initial shyness. The day I met him, I was told the story of how he was found, which was in the yard of a woman who has adopted from Harmony House in the past. I laughed when I heard about how he was seen stealing a biscuit from a bunch of birds. It took a bit to trap him, but thankfully, it finally happened.
To say that Gregor quickly became a Harmony House superstar is an understatement; how stardom was instantaneous. He was pretty shy at first, but could easily be bribed to play with a few swishes of a string toy and then allow you to sneak in a pet or two before running back under cover to hide. And, as you can see, he was certainly not camera-shy, seizing any opportunity to ham it up for his continuously growing social media fanbase.
There was about a 5 week period where I hadn’t made it into Harmony House. Upon my return, I walked into one of the rooms and was petting another cat when I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, a little tabby creeping up next to me. I didn’t think much of it until the cat jumped right up on me, walked across my chest and settled onto one of my shoulders, begging for pets and purring like a motorcycle. I said out loud to no one in particular, "Who is this cat?!". I finally got a glimpse of the face and was shocked and delighted to see it was Gregor. He’d surely come a long way since I’d last seen him! Gregor’s shyness was no more.
So many people asked over the last couple of months, “Why is he still there? Why hasn’t he been adopted yet?” The reason was simply that he was too young to be adopted. There was already a long line of interested people just waiting for that moment, though. The last time I went to Harmony House, last week, I learned that the time had come and Gregor went to his new home this past weekend. My decision to visit last week was a last-minute one and I am very grateful that I did, as it gave me a chance to bid farewell. Happy forever after, Gregor! You will be missed!
**I’d also like to give a special shout-out to one of my own, Betty Gooch, who turned the big 13 on the 21st. Happy birthday, Betty!!
