Hagar

Louise moved in next door last July.

Not because she wanted to but because she needed care.

That’s the situation her mom was facing as well. Lynn has suffered a series of health strikes and had to face what we all dread — she could no longer live alone in her charming 1947 bungalow.

With the help of family, Lynn changed her address to that of a care facility. Meaning her pets had to move, too. Including Louise, a beautiful calico kitty if ever there was one.

This is when I added “matchmaker” to my resumé.

I know what it means to gather up a beloved pet from someone who can no longer keep it. It’s how Gracie came into my life.

It was April 2021, and I was basically living in my home office, reporting on a pandemic that continued to rule my days. I’d spent another lonely lunchtime scrolling through pages of adoptable pets when I saw a feature on Blue Mountain Humane Society’s page — “Home to Home.”

With a click I discovered a new world, where folks could seek homes for their pets without first surrendering them to a shelter.

There was Gracie, a 10-year-old Russian blue, needing immediate rehoming. Her mom, Jeanne, had moved from her Pendleton house into assisted living.

With a few emails, Jeanne’s son, Tim, and his wife Amy delivered the glowering cat and her dowry, including litter box, toys and drinking fountain. Human brides should be so lucky.

Although she stayed invisible for weeks, Gracie and I eventually began the next chapter of our lives, which turned into a tale of mutual devotion.

Amy has received more photos of this cat than any new baby she’s known. She’s kind enough to respond that Gracie appears to be living a queen’s life.

“We felt so good about getting her the best home she could ever be in,” Amy said recently. “It’s really a blessing.”

Agreed. Three years later I can’t imagine a Gracie-less existence.

I wanted the same for Kay, my friend and neighbor of 30 years.

Kay is an outstanding pet parent. She gets her animals to the vet, pays their license fees and makes sure all are thoroughly spoiled.

She became the chosen parent of Boots, the orangest of cats, when he moved into her home — uninvited but not unwelcome.

Mayor Boots, we called him, became such a part of our neighborhood that passersby would inquire of his whereabouts if they didn’t spy his vibrant coat or hear his loud greeting.

One sad day Boots disappeared; we never saw him again. We’d like to think he’s frolicking elsewhere but the truth is Boots would’ve never voluntarily left Kay.

I’d been searching for her next cat even if she wasn’t sure she wanted one again. When I saw a post about Louise’s need for a new home, I knew this was my chance.

Kay, with some bullish encouragement from me, accompanied me to Lynn’s home to meet the contender. Louise was a shy flash of calico, mostly, yet she meowed at Kay just enough that a relationship seemed possible.

“Plus, I knew her previous owner and that was a small thing I could do to help her,” Kay said.

That’s the theme here. Gracie came to me and that helped Jeanne. Louise lives with Kay — Lynn knows her kitty has a wonderful home. Plus, I recently learned, Lynn herself had adopted Cheever, a West Highland terrier, from the previous owner of her house when that woman went into nursing care.

None of these pets suffered the stress of an animal shelter due to circumstances out of everyone’s control.

This, I think, is part of a cycle of love for one another and acknowledgment that pets are important. If we, as Kay said, can do this small thing, let’s do it more.

Louise? After three months of hiding in Kay’s basement, she wandered upstairs to claim her new ZIP code. She’s the absolute boss of Sophie-the-lab, especially when they share a bed.

Louise is wildly vocal — Kay thinks she gets that from the not-shy Lynn — and she loudly stomps up the stairs if things are not right in her world.

Drive by Kay’s house and you might spy the calico ruler peering out the window on her neighborhood watch shift.

If you’ve adopted a Louise, fantastic. Send me all the pet pictures.

If you haven’t, be like Kay.