I just got a giant cat.

My pal Goofrald enjoying a nap.

I have always been a crazy cat-lady at heart. Over the five-or-so years I have lived in Philadelphia I have brought home numerous strays, only to find that they usually end up living with my parents in the country. I have adopted kittens that no one has the time to bottle feed, as well as just picking up hood-cats and running home with them. I really enjoy a good cat.

Recently I have been examining the need for a new pet in my life. I refuse to 'buy' animals, especially when I see so many fine furry friends in need of a good home all over this city. I had been really thinking about getting a dog when out of the blue my girlfriend asked me if I "Wanted a Maine Coon that someone was getting rid of."

I was pretty sure she was joking or mistaken at first, Maine Coon's are extremely expensive cats. A kitten can cost anywhere from several hundred to several thousand dollars. When one comes up for adoption, especially a kitten, it is usually scooped up instantly. As it turned out, my girlfriend (who works at a veterinary hospital) had met a man who was bringing the cat in to get a rabies vaccination before he returned it to the ASPCA. His wife didn't like how the cat jumped up on her lap and wanted to sit on her....... SERIOUSLY!?

To make a somewhat long story short I begged for the cat and that night he was driven down to Philly where I got to meet him. Not only is he a Maine Coon, but his coloring is very unusual. Often the cats are depicted as being white/silver/black, but as I discovered the breed comes in any color imaginable, my guy happens to be white and orange. Besides his unusual coloring he also happens to have the most amazing disposition and personality out of the some 50 cat's I have had in my entire life. "My cat is just like a dog." Is all I can keep thinking to myself. I can't wait to take him for walks in the park all summer long.