Lamar

I picked up an Ohio State men's basketball schedule this morning and noticed that the nationally ranked Buckeyes played an early-season nonconference game against Lamar on December 20. By coincidence - if there is such a thing - the next day my thoughtful wife Gven Golly mysteriously invited me to ride along with her to beautiful Hilliard, Ohio, across town from our Methodistville home, to do some "holiday shopping." We ended up at the Capital Area Human Society, where I picked out my Christmas present, an eight-month-old black cat named Lamar.

The Humane Society is an amazing and well-organized place that performs an impressive set of services. Animals are well cared for, and every surface was clean. Staff and customers are asked to wash their hands every time they handle an animal. Everyone we encountered seemed, well, humane.

Gven and Jessi and I wandered from cage to cage checking out first the younger and then the older cats, and I quickly developed a fondness for the slinky little black guy who liked a lot of contact. I took my time looking around at others but came back to Lamar. I filled out the application, and Gven paid the fee (holiday special - $15 - included shots, neutering, tag, records, everything) and made an appointment for Lamar's surgery the following Tuesday.

The day after he was "fixed" our new cat was ready to come home. His upstairs loft was prepared, with litterbox, food and water bowls, and plenty of closets, dressers, and baskets to explore. Which he did, immediately and incessantly. The first week we kept the stairway door closed, so Lamar had the run of the upstairs while Ruby, the big rambunctious dog, stayed downstairs. Lamar made himself at home and continued to spend most of his time upstairs.

By the time the next weekend rolled around, we were ready to introduce the cat and the dog under controlled conditions. They were wary of each other, to put it mildly, and the process of getting acquainted will continue for a while, punctuated by some hissing when Ruby gets too close and an occasional wild chase when Lamar suddenly darts into the room. Most of the time each has his/her own space - Ruby on the couch, a big cushion, or the living room rug, Lamar in the two upstairs rooms and an increasing range of shadowy spaces downstairs - so this could take some time.

Meanwhile, Ruby spends a lot of time out in the yard, which is her domain, and Lamar scampers around inside getting his nose into every nook and cranny of every room inside. He likes to sit in my lap when I get home at night and stays close by when I sit down to meditate. So far, that's been our routine. I take my shoes off and plop down on the cushion, and he's right there by my feet. I think we're going to get along.