and we have added to our family once again.

this handsome fellow,

a flyweight

weighing in at just 8 pounds

and 8 years old

has lived a hard life

first on his own

surviving

on the mean streets

with scars, and cuts, and ruffled fur

then with a family

who may not have fully appreciated his charms

and he was sent away

to spend his days in a small cage

 with nothing but an uncertain future

and a short timeline ahead

but he has persevered

against all odds.

–

and when we walked into the shelter

and he reached

with

a tiny ginger paw

out of his cell

to wave to us

and called out

with a little voice

we knew

he had been waiting a long time

to meet us

just as

we had been waiting a long time

to meet him.

and when

we carried him into the cottage

he

was instantly transformed

into

the most affectionate and gentle cat

we have ever met

and knew that he was home at last.

(he has been lovingly named nacho, and he is the furry one with the orange hair.)