The Search for Merv

[Beebs52]

I need me a cat. And Jeff has even quietly agreed and not balked. I miss my Lucky, but I need another cat. I shall name him Merv. I will be going to the animal shelter to hogtie me another feline. I may take a long lunch tomorrow to scope stuff out. Oh boy.

[PlacentiaSoccerMom]

I need me a cat. And Jeff has even quietly agreed and not balked. I miss my Lucky, but I need another cat. I shall name him Merv. I will be going to the animal shelter to hogtie me another feline. I may take a long lunch tomorrow to scope stuff out. Oh boy.

I hope that you find a Merv. Maybe you can find a Merv and an Eva to fall in love with.

[Beebs52]

I need me a cat. And Jeff has even quietly agreed and not balked. I miss my Lucky, but I need another cat. I shall name him Merv. I will be going to the animal shelter to hogtie me another feline. I may take a long lunch tomorrow to scope stuff out. Oh boy.

I hope that you find a Merv. Maybe you can find a Merv and an Eva to fall in love with.

I don't think I can do two. It's a good idea, but not right now. I feel like Christmas. I want to go NOW.

[silvercamaro]

Merv is there waiting for you! The spirit of Lucky told him that you would be coming. He will act as if he's cool, because he's a cat, but deep down inside he is so excited!

Merv will be one happy kitty tomorrow night. I predict much purring.

[a1mamacat]

I need me a cat. And Jeff has even quietly agreed and not balked. I miss my Lucky, but I need another cat. I shall name him Merv. I will be going to the animal shelter to hogtie me another feline. I may take a long lunch tomorrow to scope stuff out. Oh boy.

Merv is probably already planning his assault on your affections. Cats know these things.

We expect pictures, promptly

[T_Bone0806]

Most excellent. Another furry friend finding a home tomorrow.

We have three. Which means a "No Vacancy" sign for pets at this time. I wish to stay married, y'see.

[christie1111]

Lucky Merv!

[kayrharris]

Yep, you will find THE one and will know it the minute you see it.

Have fun! Post photos when you can. We can't wait.

[hermillion]

March 1976, Raleigh, NC. I was working on a campaign and would be on the road for at least the next six months. I decided I needed a cat companion and headed for the local SPCA. My mission was to find a smallish, shorthair female.

So, I'm standing in the kitty area with two sweet s/h females, trying to decide which one to take home. Suddenly I feel a swipe on the back of my head, and turn to see a beautiful face peering through the bars of a cage. The face belonged to a LONG haired MALE, who was stretching as far as possible to touch me. I had been selected. I handed back the two girls, and told the attendant, "I'll take that one." Filled out the necessary paperwork, paid the fees, and took what turned out to be my best buddy home.

Herbert traveled the country with me for 6 months, then lived with me through several moves and roommates, one husband, and two children. Herbert would run to the door to greet company. His favorite spot was on top of the TV, lying on his back with his head hanging down in front of the screen (just on the off chance we hadn't noticed him). He came when I called him, and delighted in carrying his aluminum/plastic/jingly-ball toy to the top of the wooden stairs and rolling it down -- at 2:00 a.m.! At one point in his life he "adopted" two sweet little old ladies who lived on the street behind me. He would drop over to their house for a mid-day snack of sauted chicken livers and fresh cream, take a little nap on their dining room chairs, and then wander back home. When Darling Daughter came along Herbert appointed himself babysitter. He would position himself just beyond her reach, and keep her company for hours. He began to fail in 1992, but kept his loving personality until the end. He's still the best cat with whom I was blessed to share space.

I know the right kitty will choose you, too!

[kayrharris]

I love your story, Nancy! We've gotten every kitty from the shelter and they've all been wonderful animals (I'm not really a cat person, but they tolerate me nicely).

Herbert was definitely an important member of your family.

[Bob Juch]

I was living in Raleigh, NC in 1984 and went to the shelter to find a cat. While I had my back to his cage, a pure black one with bright yellow eyes stuck both front legs through the wire and hugged my arm (no claws). Ace came home with me of course.

[peacock2121]

March 1976, Raleigh, NC. I was working on a campaign and would be on the road for at least the next six months. I decided I needed a cat companion and headed for the local SPCA. My mission was to find a smallish, shorthair female.

So, I'm standing in the kitty area with two sweet s/h females, trying to decide which one to take home. Suddenly I feel a swipe on the back of my head, and turn to see a beautiful face peering through the bars of a cage. The face belonged to a LONG haired MALE, who was stretching as far as possible to touch me. I had been selected. I handed back the two girls, and told the attendant, "I'll take that one." Filled out the necessary paperwork, paid the fees, and took what turned out to be my best buddy home.

Herbert traveled the country with me for 6 months, then lived with me through several moves and roommates, one husband, and two children. Herbert would run to the door to greet company. His favorite spot was on top of the TV, lying on his back with his head hanging down in front of the screen (just on the off chance we hadn't noticed him). He came when I called him, and delighted in carrying his aluminum/plastic/jingly-ball toy to the top of the wooden stairs and rolling it down -- at 2:00 a.m.! At one point in his life he "adopted" two sweet little old ladies who lived on the street behind me. He would drop over to their house for a mid-day snack of sauted chicken livers and fresh cream, take a little nap on their dining room chairs, and then wander back home. When Darling Daughter came along Herbert appointed himself babysitter. He would position himself just beyond her reach, and keep her company for hours. He began to fail in 1992, but kept his loving personality until the end. He's still the best cat with whom I was blessed to share space.

I know the right kitty will choose you, too!

I am in love with Herbert.

I feel like I know him.

He is still alive in my heart.

Thank you for letting me know him.

[peacock2121]

I need me a cat. And Jeff has even quietly agreed and not balked. I miss my Lucky, but I need another cat. I shall name him Merv. I will be going to the animal shelter to hogtie me another feline. I may take a long lunch tomorrow to scope stuff out. Oh boy.

I hope you go in and just whisper his name. He will know and identify himself.

[Beebs52]

March 1976, Raleigh, NC. I was working on a campaign and would be on the road for at least the next six months. I decided I needed a cat companion and headed for the local SPCA. My mission was to find a smallish, shorthair female.

So, I'm standing in the kitty area with two sweet s/h females, trying to decide which one to take home. Suddenly I feel a swipe on the back of my head, and turn to see a beautiful face peering through the bars of a cage. The face belonged to a LONG haired MALE, who was stretching as far as possible to touch me. I had been selected. I handed back the two girls, and told the attendant, "I'll take that one." Filled out the necessary paperwork, paid the fees, and took what turned out to be my best buddy home.

Herbert traveled the country with me for 6 months, then lived with me through several moves and roommates, one husband, and two children. Herbert would run to the door to greet company. His favorite spot was on top of the TV, lying on his back with his head hanging down in front of the screen (just on the off chance we hadn't noticed him). He came when I called him, and delighted in carrying his aluminum/plastic/jingly-ball toy to the top of the wooden stairs and rolling it down -- at 2:00 a.m.! At one point in his life he "adopted" two sweet little old ladies who lived on the street behind me. He would drop over to their house for a mid-day snack of sauted chicken livers and fresh cream, take a little nap on their dining room chairs, and then wander back home. When Darling Daughter came along Herbert appointed himself babysitter. He would position himself just beyond her reach, and keep her company for hours. He began to fail in 1992, but kept his loving personality until the end. He's still the best cat with whom I was blessed to share space.

I know the right kitty will choose you, too!

I am in love with Herbert.

I feel like I know him.

He is still alive in my heart.

Thank you for letting me know him.

This is a great, great story. Pea's right-I can see him lolling about on the dining room chairs conversing with the neighbors. I love this. Maybe I'll get swiped or hugged, too.

[T_Bone0806]

He's still the best cat with whom I was blessed to share space.

Thank you for sharing this story with us. It touched my heart.

I have loved all of my furfaced friends, but I too must cop to having had a favorite.

Perhaps your Herbert and my Clyde are hanging out somewhere cool. Herbert sounds like Clyde's kinda guy.

[mellytu74]

I like to think that Herbert and Clyde have met up with my Norman (and Tina and Peanut and Moped -- Boonie's cats before he met me) and are all having a fine time.

[KillerTomato]

Since we're sharing kitty stories...

When I moved to Las Vegas, I felt that moving so far from friends and family, I should get a pet. I really wanted a dog (since that's what we grew up with), but realized that it would be cruel, since I traveled quite a bit, and couldn't give a dog the attention he or she would deserve. So I bit the bullet and went looking for a cat.

I had no idea what to look for, other than the fact that I knew I'd prefer a short-haired kitty to a long-haired one. I went to an adoption day at a local pet store. All of the kittens were cute, but for the most part, they were very passive and just sort of sat there in their cages. Sure, they were probably bored to tears, but there was one that was, as Sesame Street said, "not like the others." She was a dark gray tuxedo cat, short-haired and tiny (only about 6 weeks old), but she was up and at 'em, curious, and the only one that came to the front of the cage and stuck her paw out at me. I immediately fell in love.

I didn't name her for a few days...I wanted her personality to tell me what to call her. T.S. Eliot wrote that a cat has three different names (the name that the family uses daily, the name that's more particular and never belongs to more than one cat, and the one that no human can discover but the Cat himself knows and will never confess), and I wanted to make sure that my new kitty fit all of her names, including the first. What I learned in those first few days was that she was, in a word, nuts. Bonkers. Over the deep end. And so I named her Psycho Kitty, or P(ee)K for short. It was some time later, when I went out of town and left her in the care of some friends who already had a cat of their own, that she got renamed with her REAL first name. My friends told me that, while she truly was psycho, perhaps she would be better off with another name...so lo and behold, I named her after Sally Field's multiple personality role, and she's been Sybil ever since. 14 separate personalities, and only 2 of them like me....but those 2 are the best.

The odd part is that, as I started to write this post, Sybil decided to get out of my bed (where she sleeps when I'm not in it), and grace me with her presence, as if she KNEW I was talking about her. She looked up at me, snuck a P(ee)K at the screen, saw I was saying nice things, yawned, and went back in the bedroom. You can't tell me she doesn't know things no other being knows.

So enjoy Merv, and give him kitty kisses from Sybil.