Welcome, Dustin

 With Bubba gone, the Farm was a home without a cat

 and as Mark Twain insisted,

“A home without a cat — and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat — may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?”

 So the Farmers headed to Friends of Animals Humane Society on Jan 28 and adopted Dustin

 a handsome 5- or 6-year-old grayish brown Mackerel tabby domestic short-hair.

 His coat is gorgeous enough to make him a natural for a Blackglama ad campaign.

 Dustin had been at the shelter since last April.  Even though he was featured on a local TV news spot in early November, no one had adopted him.

He stayed in a small kennel by himself because, as the FOA website indicated, “he gets nervous around too many cats and bigger dogs scare him.”

Now Dustin has a 3-story house to spread out in and romp through.  He spent his first few days exploring every nook and cranny (probably to make sure that those other cats he smelled weren’t going to jump out at him).

He would come up from the basement, after squeezing behind the furnace, water heater and freezer, with a face full of cobwebs and dust bunnies.  

The Farmers canceled their order for a Roomba robot vacuum because the appropriately named “Dusty” is taking care of the cleaning on his own.

Unlike Julius & Bubba, who vanished at the first hint of visitors and hid in an upstairs closet, Dustin is very friendly and open to people.  He has already greeted and played with guests.

He was used to a lot of noise and commotion at the shelter, with dogs barking from the back kennels and people passing right next to his own kennel at the front entrance.  He’s getting accustomed to the quiet life at the Farm, even if it’s hard to stifle the occasional yawn.

He’s pretty quiet himself, unlike Bubba, who used to howl in the middle of the night for no discernable reason.

Also unlike Bubba, he’s a conscientious bather and scrupulous about his personal hygiene.

Dustin loves to play – especially with a string attached to a stick, which the Farmers are expected to drag along the floor for hours on end so that he can chase it – 

and he’s keeping the population of catnip mice in the house under control.

He was used to warmer temperatures at the shelter than prevail at the Farm (especially in light of a brutally cold winter and propane shortage), but he has already located the toastiest spots in the house and spends each night sunk into the quilts on the bed, so having the thermostat turned down doesn’t bother him.

His favorite spot is Barb’s lap when she’s working on the computer; to get anything done, she has to move him to the back of the chair

from which perch he eyes thirstily a Summit EPA

and decides to check it out.

Although we still miss Bubba – and Julius – we’re delighted to have Dustin on board.