An Affair of the Heart

Love knows no boundaries…even love of the interspecies variety. That’s what Dale and Wendy found out when they fell for a cat named Scuttlebutt.

Suffering from an upper respiratory infection, this 4-year-old orange tabby arrived at the Washington Animal Rescue League in December from a partner shelter after being picked up as a stray in a neighboring county. Following medical treatment at the League’s clinic, Scuttlebutt settled into comfortable digs there while waiting for true love to find him.

And find him it did, thanks to a video clip posted on the League’s Facebook page.

More than 1,300 miles away, Puerto Rico residents Dale and Wendy saw Scuttlebutt online…and were smitten. Wendy submitted an application, talked to League adoption counselors on the phone, and flew to Washington in March to pick up the new man in her life.

As with all love stories, however, there were a few “bumps” along the way. An airport security guard wanted to remove Scuttlebutt—now renamed Crockett—from his travel case and carry him through the screening device while the case was x-rayed. Concerned about potential stress on Crockett, Wendy politely declined and asked for a private screening. “I knew they would have to get a female agent to pat me down in a private room and we could deal with Crockett’s bag at the same time,” she explains. Fortunately, the assigned agent has three cats of her own and everything went well with a minimum of trauma for all concerned.

Now happily ensconced in his new tropical home, Crockett is quickly adjusting to the good life, which includes a house to explore, a new kitty “jungle gym” to climb, and two new feline family members to play with.

Can you say, “final feliz”*?

*happy ending