My cat, Simon

Since the engagement I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out what parts of my single life will stay the same when I get married and which parts I will need to change when I pair my life with Brandon's.  Two of the things that will change are CrossFit and my job.  I'll also be moving from Tallahassee to a town that doesn't have a stoplight.  However, I will continue running and lifting, I will continue teaching history to college students, and I will continue to spend as much time with my best friend as I can.

But there will a significant change and I'm trying to do the best with it now that I can.

I won't be taking my three cats, Idget, Simon, and Baxter, with me to Norman Park.  I have a lot of reasons for not doing so and while this is a difficult decision it is not one I took on lightly.  I have made tentative but promising arrangements for Baxter and Idget but nothing yet is looking good for my cat, Simon.

So, dear friends and readers, please consider helping my cat by making room for him in your home.  He's a 9 year old neutered male.  He's a real cuddler and will want to be near you if not right next to you.  This is a picture of him in my lap.

When I first got Simon he was meant to be a companion cat to Idget.  Nine years ago I moved into my first apartment and between school and work I spent a lot of time gone and Idget was clearly bored and bothered by my absence.  I found an ad for a kitten in the music building on UF's campus and knew this was a good choice.  It turns out the person who found him found Simon in a trash bag inside a trash can.  The kitten's howling drew attention and he was rescued.  

For years he and Idget were clearly best friends but in the past nine months Simon's status in the house has changed.  I don't know if it is because of his age or a change in his behavior but when once Simon's position in the house was as a firm alpha, he is now bullied by my other two cats and excluded by them.  He is very unhappy and it is in his best interest that he find another home even if I wasn't getting married.

He would be a good match for someone who either does not have a cat or who has only one other cat.  As an older cat he would not be a fifteen or twenty year commitment like a kitten is and has the maturity to not be destructive like a younger cat could be.  But don't let his age fool you- he is a fiend for a laser, stuffed toy on a string, and loves to chase and pop bubbles!  

If you're interested in adopting Simon I will make this a no-hassle experience for you.  He will be up-to-date on vaccinations and I'll send you home with a litter box, some litter, some flea treatments, and a couple of weeks worth of cat food.  

Please consider giving this genuinely sweet cat a place in your home.  My home is no longer best for him and I need to consider what may make him happier and that may be your family.