I can literally feel my heart expanding in such a good way that’s probably normal where ginger boys are concerned but also maybe I should call my doctor?

in Random Crap

Y’ALL.

Okay, so I have been in a very deep depression lately so I had an emergency ketamine session and I’ve been following all of my normal tools and they’ve helped but I was still struggling a little and finally I admitted that this house is just too sad after the loss of my two geriatric heart kitties who decided to leave me in a single week. I’ve been putting off looking at cats because grief is hard, but also I was thinking that maybe I could foster a kitten and that would give me a sweet distraction so Victor called a shop that has rescue cats and asked if they had any orange kittens available to foster and the guy was like, “I don’t know what breed they are” and Victor was like, “I don’t think orange is a breed?” and the guy was like, “Oh” and Victor said, “Soooo…could you go check?” and then you could hear the guy yell, “BRO WHAT BREED ARE THOSE KITTENS?” and after some mumbling he came back and said, “They’re a mangled mix” and Victor was like, “THEY’RE MANGLED?” and the guy said, “Yes, sir. They’re a mangled mix” and Victor was like, “I’m just checking again…did you say they’re mangled?” and the guy sighed in frustration and said, “It’s a mangled mix. They’re not full-blooded mangled” like he was letting us down that they were only partially mangled and I whispered “Do people want mangled kittens?” and Victor just shook his head and the pet store guy said, “I don’t know what else to tell you, bro” and then he hung up and we just stood there looking at the phone.

Then Hailey walked in and asked what was happening and I explained and Hailey said that maybe the kittens were “bengal-mixes” and that makes more sense but it still felt questionable. We went to an adoption drive and I held a few babies but none of them felt like they wanted to come home with me. But then Victor was on our neighborhood discussion board and a lady had rescued some very hungry, very flea-ridden feral kittens behind a trash can at a horse farm but couldn’t keep them…and one happened to be an orange boy who needed socializing. And I said no because my heart hurt a little but then the next day she posted again that the orange boy had purred for a few seconds and really needed a home and so…

We went over and I loved on him but he wouldn’t purr for me, which seemed like a sign, and so I said that I’d foster him and socialize him and get him all his shots and then find a good home for him. And he snuggled up in a towel and slept every second other than when he was getting shots and dewormed and checked out by the vet who gave him a clean bill of health other than lots of fleas and a prescription of lots of rest.

He slept in a nest of towels I made in my shower and made tiny hisses when we came near, but then at 3am he settled down and purred so loud I literally cried.

And within about a day this happened:

And now I have a kitty.

But I do not have a name, which is not surprising since every animal I’ve ever had has had multiple names until one fit. (Dorothy Barker was named “Knives” for two full weeks.) We’ve had many fantastic suggestions, including:

The Big Le-meowski

Will Feral

Orange Julius

Olipurr Twist

Wilfur Brimley

Claw-nopin (because he was so laid back when he first arrived we thought he was sedated)

Catrick Swayze

Norman Meowler

Truman Catpote

Freddy Purrcury

Hissy Bordon

Meowrice Sendak

George Purr-nard Claw

Bananas Foster

Lando Catrissian

Catpurrnicus

Mewlius Ceaser

Fur-cules (rhymes with Hercules)

Winston Purr-chill

Atticus Finch

William Shakespurr

But currently we are testing out these top contenders:

Pierre Pawgust Renoir (because Pierre August Renoir was famous for painting with a cat on his lap, so much so that many of his later paintings were identified because of the cat fur mixed into the paint.)

Tanuki (Because tanuki are known in Japanese lore as being mischief makers and also because Victor wants to buy a tanuki statue and so when he said “If you get this cat then I get the tanuki” and I was like, “Deal” but then I was like, “I could just call him ‘Tanuki’ and then you don’t even need the statue.” He disagreed, which is fair.

But the leading favorite is Percy. Because I love a good nickname and Percy can be Purr-cy Bysshe Shelley, or Persimmon because he’s so orange, or Perseus because he has tiny bites on his nose that look like a constellation, or Omicron Persei 8 because Futurama.

Suggestions still accepted.

PS. When I started this post I had to stop a dozen times because Purrsy was furious at the state of my writing desk and decided to clean it by just knocking shit off and eating stray papers I needed:

Deeply disappointed in me.

But then he flopped into my lap and is currently purring so loudly and demanding so much attention that I can’t even finish this properly or go back to fix all the typos.

I mean…

Come on.

Discovered what petting was 48 hours ago. Now cannot stop demanding it.

PS. This is your sign if you are heartsick about a beloved pet who has passed that you may have more room in your grieving heart than you know. I didn’t think I was ready, but this is the best medicine.

55 thoughts on “I can literally feel my heart expanding in such a good way that’s probably normal where ginger boys are concerned but also maybe I should call my doctor?”

Read comments below or add one.

  1. Love this post. When my beloved pit bull Lucy died in 2017, I was shattered. I felt like looking at another dog too soon would be an insult to her. But I also was being crushed by the emptiness of my house without her. So a couple weeks after Lucy’s death, I met a pup from a local rescue. She barked at me the first time we met, but I was SMITTEN. And while Marley never took the place of Lucy, she found her own spot in my heart and is now the very furry, irreplaceable apple of my eye. I wish Percy (or whoever he ends up being) all the mischief and catnip in the world.

  2. He is so cute! Now you’ve got me thinking about adding another cat to our one cat household, and my current cat disapproves.

  4. Percy is an awesome name. 😉 It was barely two weeks after we lost our sweet orange boy that our new rescue kitty came into our lives. She desperately needed a home and we had that and a whole bunch of love. They always come into our lives at exactly the purrfect time. Congratulations!

  7. Miss Picasso was with me for 21 years. A month after she passed, I got a call from my best friend. She wanted me to adopt her three-month-old semi-feral who looked soooo much like your new guy. “He’s mean as shit. Do you want him?” What a sales pitch. And yep, I took him. Perfect guy at the perfect time.

  9. So fucking happy for you both!!!!! Perfect delivery from the CDS. And Purrcy sounds like a most appropriate moniker <3

  11. Congratulations on finding your new love! Gingers are the best! He looks very happy to have found his new home, and he definitely looks like a Percy to me.

  12. This just speaks volumes to me. When my dog passed, (It was August 2024) told my daughter that I was going to wait until the following summer to even entertain the idea of adopting another dog. That lasted two weeks. Itty Bitty Betty is the love of my life.

  13. I’m so happy for Percy, that the Human Distribution System gave him you and Victor, and Hailey when they’re home! He’ll be spoiled rotten and adored, just as he should be, and he’ll take care of your hearts, just as he’s supposed to (and clear your desk with all the disapproving kitten meows). Congratulations to all of you! Hopefully the other furballs in your household adjust, too. 🙂

  17. Just before Easter I unexpectedly lost my collie within 12 hours of the vet telling me what good health she was in – she literally laid down and died. The gaping hole will last, but there’s now a Doberman puppy bringing a very different but welcomed energy to my life. There are always more lives that need a safe place to land. Giving love is healing and I’m glad you’ve found a new being who needs your love.

  19. I lost a beloved calico and didn’t think my heart was ready for another. Then another calico came through the garden and marched up to the door when she saw the sign above our door that only cats can read. It says SUCKERS. Or maybe GOOD EATS.

  20. so our very beloved 18 year old cat died around the same time you lost your kitties. he was the best cat ever…and his name was percy. this little dude seems like a perfect candidate for the next of his name. 💜

  21. You will know when you know (as you know)! For us, we cover it by using first, middle & last names. When we adopted our orange girl (only 20 – 30% of oranges are girls, & they tend to be both feisty & personable) we used our usual practice of giving a first, middle, & last name. So we named her Jinjur (“Jinjur & her All-Girl Army” from the second Oz book), Jeep (from the mysterious strange animal in the Popeye comics) A’ka’ule (Hawaiian for “red shadow”). Like you need any advice on naming!

  23. So glad you found room for this precious baby. And hurrah for emergency ketamine! I just had a small burst of treatment to break the despair. 🫶

  25. I love Percy Persimmon! He’s clearly exactly what you needed, and he needed you right back, you’ve found each other at just the right time. The fates always bring us a new furry friend when we are ready and willing.
    I hope his furry siblings are accepting of him? Sometimes it takes a while to warm up to a feisty new youngster while they’re still mourning their dear departed elderly siblings, but they’ll adapt in time.
    Virtual hugs to the new family member.

  26. The same thing happened when I lost a beloved little girl I raised and bottle-fed to cancer.

    I had my niece and nephew for the summer and all the kids wanted to go to the animal shelter to pet the kitties and puppies; I made my husband take them because I knew that I would fall in love with one and I felt it was too soon. The next day, while he was at work, they begged to go back.

    So, I took them and my daughter wanted to show me a boy that was in a windowed room with a bunch of other male cats. As I stood next to a cat tree, a big white boi jumped up on it and stretched out his arms to me like he was a toddler who wanted to be picked up. I picked him up and he hugged me with one arm on each side of my neck and I was gone. He was coming home with me. I named him Valentine.

  28. You needed each other and this is what happy tales (tails?) are made of.

  30. Because this worked out so well w/Purrcee, your blog has made my heart happy today. ❤️

  32. Awwwww, hi Percy! May your humans give you many snuggles and may you give them many stories. The internet loves you already. <3

  33. I was absolutely devastated when I lost my Willow but I had literally never not had a dog except for like 2 months between the death of the dog my parents had before I was born and the one we got after him. So 2 months later, Willow made sure my Ella came my way and now I don’t know what I would do without her. I totally get how you felt without your kitties and I so glad Purr-cy found his way to you. And that name is the absolute best. 🙂

  34. Our son named his orange boy kitty “Helios” after a Greek sun god. It just fits him. Orange boys have attitudes

  35. SQUEEE!! I have so much love for everything about this. My last purr baby passed away in Feb and it hit me HARD (cause I have no people anymore). I’ve started “window shopping” at my local shelters but I haven’t found The One (or two 😺) yet. I’ve also been drawn to the gingers and I’ve somehow never had one yet.
    I thought Purrcy must be a Weasley, no?
    I’m Harry Potter obsessed and
    I just saw a new litter of kittens being listed online and so far they’re named Harry, Ron, and Neville 😺😁
    Between that clear sign and your P.S., I think I will follow your advice..
    waiting hopefully for some girls from that litter 😻⚡️

  36. Oh! You have been chosen! The Cat Distribution System has worked EXACTLY as it’s meant to!

  39. Kitty Loggins

    We had an Eartha Kitty for a year before she passed. She was 15 years old when she stumbled into our yard.

  40. I did senior/special needs/hospice for many years. The 1 thing I took away from precious soul deaths is that the wound they left in my heart always wept a little and let a new spot for love develop.
    I’m so glad that this spot grew enough for you to accept a new lovely soul in it.

    I’m terrible at naming, but on Bluesky, you might really enjoy Patrick Skinner, who is ruled by MeanCat, an orange tabby, two feral street gangs: the Eastside Orangeys and the Westside Sweeties, plus the orange indoor cats and other lucky felines who found the Skinners’ welcoming home.

    Patrick has a unique naming scheme. You two would make for a very interesting conversation.

    Best to you and the little purr machine!

  41. Ohhh, he definitely looks like a Percy! Congratulations on your little orange.

  42. We unexpectedly lost our little Floof on Monday. She was a feral kitty who literally meowed her way into our home after a rainy weekend a year and a half ago. Seeing your orange Purr-cy has been more comforting than you realize. <3

  45. Purrcy is purrfect but you have to spell it correctly (like the sound he’s just learned to make). Congratulations!!

  46. Just going to drop this idea here- I have 2 taxidermy tanukis that I found on Ebay. They are wearing little tanuki costumes. Victor may deserve one of these. Statues are boring. <3

  48. Joined Foster failure club- love it. I’m a member too. Orange tabbies are the best . He Looks like such a sweetheart

  49. He’s a sweetheart trouble maker. I realike the catrick Swayze name.

  50. My orange boy was named Rory. It means Red King or Red Ruler. It fit him. I think Percy is a wonderful name. But Mangle would be funny, too.

  51. I think Purrcy is a purrfect name! So many applications! He can even be from Percy Jackson. He had the classic markings with the winged eyeliner and the Mother Mary “M” at the top of his head. Soon he’ll be trying to climb the windows to play with Squirreley Jackson. I’m so happy for you, Jenny. Losing furbabies is the suckiest. The sorrow is so deep. Even with my two bundles of Chucklehead Hooligans, I desperately miss my Samwise.

    Enjoy your orange chaos!

  52. Everyone needs to be owned by at least one black cat and one orange cat in their lives. How lucky to experience it more than once. I’m so sorry for your losses, especially during what should be such a happy time for you, but so happy that you found room for this little guy.

    I assume Atticus Finch is supposed to be Catticus Finch, and I would like to throw Purrlock Holmes into the ring. But he’s probably a Percy/Purrcy. Either way, enjoy your time together. As you know, it goes so fast. Too damn fast. They make them cute for a reason at that age, so why not get a friend for him while we’re here…😆😻 Love to you both. 🧡

  55. My Percy was the product of an eviction in my last apartment; as a lean main little teenager he wandered around hustling quite successfully for food until I took him in. Until I left he would still have first breakfast with me and then second breakfast about 2 hours later with his second mother. I like the name of the British Kings for the orange stripey boys as the Kings have often been gingers.. enjoy!

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