Barnes & Noble & Foster Moms

Strange things really do happen some times and they may be coincidences or fate. Coming back to the apartment today from the doctor's office, I was following the GPS directions and turned down some other roads just to listen to it "recalculate". I caught a PetSmart out of the corner of my eye and since I knew I needed a few things, I moved over to the turn lane to go into the shopping center.

In the store, I am just wandering around looking at cages and food and such and trying to remember why I needed to come. Then I had it, I needed a kitty litter mat, some Petromalt, and some weight management food for the cats. I notice a shorter lady, someone actually older than me, muscling a large bag of cat food and a large bag of kitty litter into her cart but I really didn't pay any attention to her. I get my stuff and go to pay and she is in line ahead of me. I am still not really looking at her until I see that she has a bunch of paperwork to present and then signs a "tax exempt" receipt. I figure she is a volunteer for something to do with cats. So I pay attention.

I recognize her immediately. She is the foster mother who took care of our Puff after he had been rescued as a little kitten. She recognized me that she knew my face but couldn't place me. To be sure, I asked a couple of questions on where she goes to volunteer and yep, it was here. I said the magic words: "Barnes and Noble". She dissolved into the biggest smile as she realized who I was.

Let me explain the "Barnes and Noble". All the rescue volunteers with this organization, HOPE, name their kitties and cats and give them loving care at home. Sometimes it is hard for them to part with the cats when they take them to the pet stores for adoption. Puff's foster mom had two tabby kitties who were brothers and litter mates. She had named them Barnes and Noble. We had already adopted Godiva when we saw Puff and decided we had to have him as well. So we adopted him and took him away from his brother but gave him his "sister", Godiva. His name at the time we adopted him was Noble. We changed it to Puff after he started puffing up his fur at every little thing. He is a big scared-y cat. Dolores, his foster mom, really had a hard time letting go of him.

Puff's, or Noble's, foster mom was delighted to hear that he is doing well and happy and having a good life. She made me promise to write to the HOPE organization and let them know that he is good. I shall do that. But I wonder, what are the chances that I would happen upon this particular lady 7 years after I first met her and 5 + years after I left this city. Makes you wonder about some cosmic karma out there, doesn't it.