So we finally got ourselves a new cat. And he’s totally the handsomest guy, ever. Hannah said to me, “Do you know how handsome our cat is?” I answered, “no. How handsome?” “He’s as handsome as a knight,” she told me.

You’ve gotta know that’s pretty handsome.

I was still actually pretty against the idea of another cat. It was pure laziness and selfishness on my part for sure. I’d be sewing and we’d have to go somewhere, and I’d be able to sew right up until we had to leave the house and as I threw down my fabric across the couch to race out the door I’d say, “Ian, look how I can just leave my sewing anywhere without worrying about it!”

Also, we’re still trying to be super-frugal and pay off debts, etc. And it’s not that cats cost a lot. But to be a responsible pet owner, you have to be prepared for them to cost something. I mean, we need to be sure that there’s room in our budget for emergency vet visits and treats and occasional toys.

However, I gotta say, I’ve probably turned out to be his biggest fan. And, given how thrilled the kids are to finally have another cat, that’s really saying something.

Look at that handsome dude.

We named him after Gordon Downie, with additional honorifics and middle names that pay tribute to his polydactyly, Hannah’s love of wild cats, the Beastie Boys and whatever else. Primarily, though, we call him Gordy. (Also, Gordy-Baby, Gordo-Gord-Gord Gordon, Captain Handsome and Gorgeous Gord.)

He’s a talker. On the drive home from the pound, he didn’t cry, whimper or cower. He sat on my lap, head up high and gave us a strong earful regarding his doubts about our character. He has a customary, “I have entered the room, here I am!” yowl, and a “I see you there in the kitchen preparing food,” yowl. Additionally, I think he might have a “Where have you BEEN, human,” yowl that he particularly gives me if I have slept in or went out somewhere.

“Oh look, it’s totally appropriate that we named him after Gord Downie,” I told Ian, “he’s prone to monologuing.”

There was one evening, Ian and I were having a piece of chocolate mousse together. Gordy sat on the couch next to Ian pointedly sniffing up at his plate and when Ian didn’t share, Gordy sat down on the next couch cushion over with his back to Ian and stayed there, perfectly motionless until the food was gone. Subtle, but clear.

Bizarrely, though, for all that personality, he’s the mellowest little thing. Our last cat was a little neurotic. At bed-time I wouldn’t dare pet her because I knew it would set off a 45 minute session of excitedly walking around me nuzzling and purring. Gordy, when you pet him, goes limp. When you pick him up, he goes limp. When he’s sleeping on your lap, if you pet him a little, he slumps so far down that his head rests on the tip of his nose.

And when the kids pick him up to carry him around, he just folds right in half, looking the soul of patience, and waits for the whole thing to be over – a trait which Hannah already exploits to the fullest.