I took a taxi to Barranquilla this morning to the shopping center Buena Vista where they have a very nice hardware store. I needed some new kitchen hardware and plastic storage boxes for my clothes and electronics. After two weeks out the house was filled with trash and disorganized. I picked up a new coffee mug with Frida Khalo on it and payed off my phone bill which had been inactive for 47 days.
On the return trip I decided to finally adopt a cat since it is normal to find some wild ones on the way to the beach. Last night there was rain and the blue crabs came out in droves, one of them kept running away while looking at me and like a drunk man, stumbled into a wall and fell into a small ditch that led to the beach. I asked the cab driver where to find a pet store, and the average price of a kitten. His answer was an average of $600,000 to $800,000 COP for a pure bred cat. Once I returned home I asked the local veterinarian who works down the street and he told me of the existence of an animal shelter in Puerto Salgar, about 8 minutes from home and a $3,000 COP motorcycle ride.
I immediately walked to the corner and asked my neighbor who also has a moto-taxi business to take me to the animal shelter. The lady at the place was very nice and offered me to come inside right away. It was an informal but sweet experience and it felt like a trip to my grandmother's house in Central Cuba. There was a backyard facility with a veterinary office, a few dogs and cats many of which come from the streets. The staff receive them, feed and treat them and spay and neuter them on site. There is a local program for taking care of strays I believe, and I offered the lady in charge to volunteer or come help once in a while.
She took me to where they keep the cats and out of a dozen animals I selected a beautiful gray (blue) kitten with perfect yellow-green eyes. The lady told me she is a Russian Blue cat of about 6 months and that I could take her home right away. She said donations were appreciated including food and pet supplies so I left her some $20,000 COP and took missy with me. The two way bike trip was $8,000 COP and I safely arrived with her at my home in Puerto. (I recommend to take an appropriate pet container especially if you are taking a moto-taxi)
After playing and socializing with her for a couple hours I decided on a name and made a badge on Keynote with her data. I named her (Admiral) Seshat after an Egyptian goddess like my dog Anuket, and Marina as a secondary name. The second name is officially her name and it's also a simpler way to call her, and as a means for me to experiment with her cognition. She is the perfect companion for this campaign, not to mention low maintenance and a beautiful looking cat. I looked at flights for her and she may ride in the cabin for $100-$200 USD according to an article in Google.
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
-Arthur Conan Doyle "The Sign of Four".
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