Truth be told, this story begins back before Thanksgiving, when my indoor/outcoor cat companion Clive (a very large tabby) went missing. Around that time I had two dreams: I was clearing out a tunnel system which allowed two former black cat companions (Castor and Pollux) 
to go in and out without me opening a door for them; I was about to leave my house and heard a noise which, when I opened the closet door, turned out to be an emaciated cat who was a different color than Clive.
Eventually I determined that Clive had passed into the spirit realm, and I began my grieving process. I also knew that I would look for another cat, perhaps a reincarnated Clive, very soon. It began to be imperative when my house became overrun by mice. I looked at one shelter and found a cat who was nearly the spitting image of Clive. This cat, named Boogie, 
came immediately to me the first two times I went to visit, but did not budge on the third visit, and I left him there.
On New Year’s Eve, I got the message from a friend that the Asheville Humane Society was running a special on adoptionsâ$12. I had about 2 hours to get there before they closed.
Once again there was a cat who looked almost exactly like Clive, but he was unhappy and wouldn’t greet me. Given the lateness of my arrival, most of the cats had already been adopted, and it took several turns through the shelter before I really noticed Trip
âthe spitting image of my two black cats, Castor and Pollux. And, at age 4 months, he seems very small and emaciated compared to Clive. My two dreams were being played out before my eyes.
Those dreams, his color (my favorite), and his name, all led me to decide to bring him home with me.
It’s quite a change to have kitten energy in the house again after about twenty years with adults. He is lively, playful, energetic, enthusiasticâa true delight; just the kind of Trip I want to be on myself in this new year. And he seems to be quite happy to be a part of it.
