Since moving in with us on December 6, and being christened "C.S. Lewis,"
this “little man” has quickly taken on so many household chores that we wonder how we ever managed without him.

He folds towels, rearranges curtains, removes lace tablecloths, supervises litter box cleaning and recalibrates my IPad (by tossing it on the floor) – yes, he keeps us all “on our toes.”

We don’t know much about his history as he was “just another stray” who landed at Hamilton Animal Services (HAS) – possibly having gotten lost, possibly having been abandoned or dumped. We’ll never know but we do know that he was one of the lucky ones. He got rescued soon after his arrival by a volunteer with Forever Home Cat Rescue (FHCR) and, by the time we met him, he (whose name at that time was Spenny) was safe in a foster home - just hanging out with the dogs and the resident cats there and waiting to get adopted.

We had decided to visit him because we’d seen his photo on the FHCR web site but we honestly had not expected to instantly decide to adopt him. We were just at the stage of thinking about adopting a 4th cat and had agreed not to rush into it because this cat had to be “the right one” which meant that we both had to know (in our hearts) that we’d love him forever AND be pretty certain that the three cats who owned our house would come to love him too.

The next day we returned, a little startled by, but happy with, our choice and this 6 month old bundle of energy, after saying his fond good-byes to his foster mom, took off with us and, arriving at our house, began to make himself at home.

Within minutes, Topaz, our excessively friendly male cat who is the senior feline member of the family, had walked up to him, had a sniff, rubbed his nose, and said “Hi, welcome to my house – let me show you around.” The two of them became instant buddies. They spent the day chasing balls or each other, laughing, and chatting, with Topaz explaining to CS Lewis “the lay of the land” and many of the household “rules” such as:

• “This is where our people sleep; you can jump up any time – it’s a good place to spend the night.”
  
• “These are the litter boxes; mom cleans them often so just wait till she’s cleaned one: then jump in & check it out.”
  
• “The food here is pretty good – but, wow, wait till you’ve tried the shaved meat and cheese whiz (my favorite) that are the end-of-day treats.”
  
• “Ya – that’s a Christmas tree – you arrived at a good time – soon we’ll get presents; I’ll tell you more about Christmas later."

The girls watched CS Lewis. They were curious about him but not too sure what to make of this speedy, bouncy young thing. Neither of them hissed or looked upset but, for the first few days, they kept their distance.

Sophie, who is very tiny and has a congenitally deformed front leg, isn’t as mobile as she’d like to be and, probably she was fretting about not being able to run as fast as CS Lewis. But she noticed how cute he was and soon decided that she’d just try getting close to him when he was sitting still. She’s pretty relaxed with him now. She loves to watch he and Topaz race and quite often she and CS Lewis can be found having quiet moments together during which they’re washing or snuggling each other.

Whiska, our little grey tabby, was worried for a while that CS Lewis might steal her treasured treats (especially her temptations) but we’ve made sure that doesn’t happen too often so she’s mellowing. She was also concerned that she might lose the special relationship she has with Topaz because “the boys” are spending so much time together but Topaz understands. He’s making sure to spend time playing with her too – and washing her – and purring “sweet nothings” in her ear.

As Christmas drew nearer, CS Lewis became a beloved member of the family; still spending much of his time with Topaz, he was also enjoying the company of his girlfriends. And he was getting caught up in the excitement and magic of Christmas.

Just before the big day, Topaz told him not only about Santa but also about his older brother – a wonderful cat named Galileo who had owned this house when Topaz arrived and shown him around and told him all about the magic of Christmas. Topaz explained to CS Lewis that Galileo, while no longer here in body, would always be with us in Spirit (and, of course, CS Lewis understood.) He felt a special warmth when we read (as we do in this household every year) the “Night Before Christmas” poem that Topaz had written one Christmas eve back when Galileo was still alive.

And on Christmas Day, CS Lewis and all his siblings opened presents, played with their toys, tore up tissue paper, and enjoyed a turkey dinner.