LeCat is a Lap Cat

I picked up my new foster cat, LeCat, last night and he is a cuddler! I'm keeping him in the bathroom for the quaruntine period and he is already trying to break free.

I have a routine when introducing a new cat to my home where I bring the carrier into the bathroom, close the door on curious Toby, and sit on the floor with the carrier open. I prefer to let the cat decide when to come out of the carrier and when to say hi to me. LeCat quickly climbed out of the carrier and began exploring. He found his litter box, drank some water, sniffed the garbage (thankfully didn't tear it apart because it's full of allergy tissues), and then proceeded to explore the new human who was sitting and watching him. I had my back to the door and my legs curled up to take up as little space as possible (it's a tiny bathroom) and he started sniffing next to me and trying to push behind the small of my back. Within a few moments he had climbed into my lap and was head butting for pets with a noticible happy purr. LeCat's eyes were half closed and his body relaxed. I stayed in there for about 30 minutes and was reluctant to leave when I did but my dinner was knocking on my door and I knew Toby needed to see me. Toby had meowed at the door a little in confusion.

I went back to visit with LeCat a few times before I turned in and he was delightfully cuddly every time. Surprisingly so when I sat down to brush my hair and he jumped into my lap! I'll need to give him some good brushings because he's still shedding a lot from shelter nerves, but his coat is lovely and soft. He's mostly a grey and white tabby but the fur is tinged with dark brown on the tips and the stripes on his tail are almost black instead of white. A good pile of his fur is now in my garbage and more scattered around the bathroom tile. Once he calms down he won't shed as much, but last night hair was coming up with almost every pat.

When I left the shelter with LeCat, our coordinator said thank you and joked that I'm their "Pathetic Cat Lady." She then stopped, realized how it could be misconstrued, and started explaining "Not that you're pathetic, you just do so well with the more pathetic cats." I laughed and assured her that I'd understood. The thing is, yes, Nikolai's story was sad and pathetic, and having a 14 year old cat end up in a shelter is awful. But these are the cats who need love and patience to show their incredible natures. LeCat seems like he'll be pretty easy once I get Toby not to be jealous (he had his jealous stance last night every time I came out of the bathroom). For a 14 year old, he's still beautiful and quite affectionate. I don't understand how he came to be in the shelter, but I'm so happy I can share my home with him until his forever home arrives.

Let me know if you're interested and please, pass the word to any friends who want an easy going, super affectionate little cat. I'll try to post a photo by the week's end. I thought about it last night when he was being cute, but figured a flash photograph on his first night might be a bit much.