Meet Mr. Ripley

This is Ripley, the cat Blog Widow and I adopted this past Saturday. Cat-blogging has never been a regular feature of this blog. I promise this won't become a cat blog.

He's led an interesting life so far. He was born in August 2000, so he's not quite 8 years old. He lived in a shelter on Long Island the first year of his life. He spent about another year as a companion animal at a nursing home with a few other cats. He's lived the past few years with his most recent human here in Brooklyn. They had to give him up because they're moving to a co-op which doesn't allow pets.



We're biased, but we think he's very handsome. It's hard to tell from these photos, but he's huge. He weighs 19 pounds, and it's nearly all muscle. With his size and markings - black spots on white - he reminds us of a Holstein. Or a panther.

We're all still getting to know each other. He's already comfortable enough in his new environment to jump up onto the couch next to us. He's extremely affectionate, loves petting and especially brushing. He's starting to come when we call.

I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.