Introductions

I took Eli to the Pet Refuge (a no-kill animal shelter) to look at the cats up for adoption this evening. When asked by a volunteer if we were looking for a specific kind/color of cat, I opened my mouth to speak...and Eli beat me to it!

"We want a black cat," he stated very matter-of-factly.

(You may remember that his original color preference was green.)

**NOTE: I did explain to him that just because Puck (our cat that passed away in February at the age of nearly 16) was black doesn't mean that we HAVE to choose another black cat. He continued to approach primarily black cats anyway...)

Anyhoo, we had a nice time looking at all of the cats available for adoption. Many of them were in the main cat room, able to roam around and approach us if they felt like it.

Eli insisted on introducing himself formally to each cat he saw, which took quite a while. I enjoyed observing the "conversation" firsthand. The kid is just SO stinkin' sweet sometimes.

"Hi, kitty. My name's Eli." Then, while the cat was staring at him (most likely sizing up the strange but oddly polite 3-year old boy in front of him/her), Eli would say to me, "What's the cat's name? (pause) I think the cat is trying to figure out MY name." :) Ah, to be inside the mind of Eli.

The lesson to be learned? Always introduce yourself politely when meeting a cat for the first time.