Adopting Zoe 1 10/10/20
Very difficult to adopt a cat in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Felt like a cross between ordering a mail-order bride and scoring drugs in a clandestine NYC park. When I got up to pee at 5A July 2, I found my 20 year-old cat Lembus dead in the bathtub and immediately went into shock! Felt so stone cold alone, completely crushed by the Corona Virus. Thankfully, my two parakeets, Eli and Nyssa, still thrived if only mostly in their cage. After a week of mourning, I picked up the phone and dialed the old Elmsford Animal Shelter where I adopted Lembus 18 years ago. Welcome to another excerpt from my memoirs, "Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician."
My call to the shelter netted me an answering machine referring me to the web site of Paws Crossed Animal Rescue, the succesor home. I Googled the link, then navigated to a very rough site filled with lots of coding errors. I tried to look at cats available for adoption, but they first required me to fill out an adoption form. Wow! So what the heck. Felt just like applying for a job, LOL! When finished, I dialed the shelter again, this time during "phone hours," and spoke to a very nice volunteer. Told her I had just submitted my adoption form and asked when I could view some pets. She said they had to vet my references before I could see anything and that would take about four days.
So I waited patiently and four days later gave them a shout. The volunteer told me that a couple of references hadn't gotten back to them and asked me to reach out. So I did. Finally I got an email with a link to available cats. But when I clicked, it came up empty! So I called again and they told me that they currently had no pets ready for adoption. WTF? Evidently, all the animals got scooped up early on in the pandemic. Lots of lonely people out there...
A couple of days later I got another email with a link to one cat -- Zoe, a good looking Tabby found on the street after giving birth to a litter. Her well written, bubbly description contained one major red flag. She didn't like people picking her up. As usual, in virtually all my relationships with females, I glossed right over it and asked when I could come and meet her! "We can't do that because of the Corona Virus." What? "We don't want you to pick up a cat just touched by someone else who might carry Covid-19. So sorry, it's take her or leave it." Never one to let a female slip away, I said, "Let's do it!" More next entry.
So on this sunny, cool, gorgeous Autumn Covid-19 Apocalypse Saturday, I give Zoe a scootch as she sleeps atop the refrigerator. Then put on Jeff Beck's classic 1968 album, "Truth" featuring the great Rod Stewart on vocals and Rolling Stone's Ron Wood on bass and go figure out all the bass lines. One <3
YouTube - I Ain't Superstitious - Jeff Beck Group
©2020 Roger Zee