Toulouse.
Anderson Toulouse, to be exact. He came to us as a four month old kitten, small, lonely, and with sharp teeth. Actually he was the neighbor’s cat but since the neighbor didn’t want to be bothered with him, he became ours.
I’ve always had a soft spot for New Orleans and in the winter of 2004 I went back for the first time since I was two years old. Gerald and I spent our 7th wedding anniversary there and it was definitely memorable. From the stabbing that took place two blocks from the haunted B&B we were staying in, to the fortune teller who read my palm at Jackson’s Square, to the dirtiest and best place I’ve ever eaten, I’ll never forget what “my” N.O. was like.
Eight months later, Hurricane Katrina hit and the city I identified with was gone. Then one night after two weeks of watching CNN non-stop, Gerald called me out to the patio. There sat a little striped kitty with no tail. He opened his mouth and let out the most pitiful cry – he sounded so alone and so sad. When I gave him some food he was so excited to eat, he allowed me to pet him. I think it was at that moment Gerald knew we were about to have another cat.
For two weeks I fed him twice a day, left water out for him, and made him a place to go when the evenings got too chilly. I was battling with myself (and kind of with Gerald) as to whether or not we ‘needed’ a fifth cat. On October 4th, that battle ended and Toulouse came in the house. We quarantined him in the bathroom for the night and the next day he went to the vet for a check up, shots and neutering. Our house has not been the same since! This is our Toulouse:
Anderson Toulouse, to be exact. He came to us as a four month old kitten, small, lonely, and with sharp teeth. Actually he was the neighbor’s cat but since the neighbor didn’t want to be bothered with him, he became ours.
I’ve always had a soft spot for New Orleans and in the winter of 2004 I went back for the first time since I was two years old. Gerald and I spent our 7th wedding anniversary there and it was definitely memorable. From the stabbing that took place two blocks from the haunted B&B we were staying in, to the fortune teller who read my palm at Jackson’s Square, to the dirtiest and best place I’ve ever eaten, I’ll never forget what “my” N.O. was like.
Eight months later, Hurricane Katrina hit and the city I identified with was gone. Then one night after two weeks of watching CNN non-stop, Gerald called me out to the patio. There sat a little striped kitty with no tail. He opened his mouth and let out the most pitiful cry – he sounded so alone and so sad. When I gave him some food he was so excited to eat, he allowed me to pet him. I think it was at that moment Gerald knew we were about to have another cat.
For two weeks I fed him twice a day, left water out for him, and made him a place to go when the evenings got too chilly. I was battling with myself (and kind of with Gerald) as to whether or not we ‘needed’ a fifth cat. On October 4th, that battle ended and Toulouse came in the house. We quarantined him in the bathroom for the night and the next day he went to the vet for a check up, shots and neutering. Our house has not been the same since! This is our Toulouse:
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