Tamanya visit

As feared when I left her with a six-week babysit, there’s no way I can take Tamanya back now. I went tonight to visit her.

First, her babysitter adores her and wants to keep her. She’s a cat-worshipping recent retiree with limitless time on her hands, and a professional colleague of mine with impeccable credentials as a pet caretaker.

Second, Tamanya doesn’t remember me at all. That may seem like ungrateful repayment to her savior from the streets, especially since I bottle-fed her by hand for several weeks. But a six-week absence is a long time for a kitten only 4.5 months old, and I don’t blame her in the least for having no idea who I am. (She didn’t even remember me after the weeklong Oxford trip in early May.)

Third, she’s the unchallenged princess at her new place. She has three adult male cat playmates there. All are “fixed,” so there’s no ulterior motive. The reason they can’t stop licking her is simply because she’s the cutest and sweetest entity one could imagine.

Fourth, she loves the apartment in Ma’adi.

So there she goes. I played my angel role in the early days, but now I have to let her go. I will visit her often, but can’t match the paradise of a home she has now. It’s sad on one level, but not even a close decision. I can’t yank her out of that near-perfect environment that I saw tonight.

I took some pictures, but can’t figure out yet how to get them off my Blackberry. Will post later if I can.