Charlene D’Avanzo:

A month or so ago my husband John and I said our last goodbye to Rudy – our feline friend of over thirty years and very good buddy. Rudy was ill with kidney failure and deteriorating very quickly when we carried him to our vet and held him as he passed on. We buried him in the back yard. Guarding the grave are his “friends” – statues of a baby and mama deer.

Our home is now graced with a new kitty we found at Midcoast Humane,
a very impressive animal shelter in Brunswick. All cats and dogs adopted from the
facility are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and have received rabies and distemper vaccinations, flea, tick and de-worming treatments and other care as needed. I certainly recommend the place.

We named our kitty Harvey after a female character in my mysteries. Her nickname is Squeaky because, well, she kind of squeaks. Squeaky promptly claimed her favorite posts in the house – the big soft chair outside our bedroom and the tall stool in the bathroom where she watches birds at our feeder.

I’m amazed how quickly this cat settled into her new home. There’s a 3-3-3- rule for new cats – three days to decompress, three weeks to learn your routine, and three months to start feeling at home. Maybe I’m reading her wrong, but Squeaky sure acts like she’s pretty comfortable.