Meeting Dewey

Meet the newest member of our family: Dewey the Cat. Dewey was rescued as a tiny kitten by my brother-in-law, a veterinarian, and his staff. They found him in a field behind their public library (thus the name, for the Dewey Decimal system), covered in fleas and barely alive. What a lucky boy Dewey is! For several weeks, he was cared for as a resident cat at the State Road Animal Hospital, until at about 14 weeks, it was decided that he would become a part of our crazy, chaotic family. So last weekend, Operation Dewey Drop was implemented, whereby Dewey traveled across two state lines to become part of our distracted family.

I, my husband and our four kids knew we would love Dewey, but we were not so sure about Ruby, our lovable 8 year-old chocolate lab. For a day, we kept them separate; Ruby in her kennel while Dewey pounced all over our area rug; then Dewey, sequestered to his portable kitty tent while Ruby was released to suspiciously sniff every surface where Dewey had padded.

In the end, their ultimate meeting was quite peaceable. Sure, Dewey cowered, backing up and raising the fur high up on his back. But then he advanced, hissed, and swatted his paw squarely on Ruby's nose. Ruby got the message. Now, the two of them still sniff each other interestedly, but there is a mutual fear and respect that seems to have taken hold.

If you want to read a great true story about another Dewey the Cat, check out this book by Vicki Myron. It's one of my favorites.