Dachi Finds His Forever Home, by Sally Mentzer

Maine Coons are exceptionally large cats with long hair, big paws, and outsized personalities. Dachi is a Maine Coon mix, and I found him on Petfinders.com soon after I had lost my previous cat. I saw his ad, which said he had another home but was in danger of being euthanized because he didn't get along with other cats. He was described as "a love bug" and I was immediately drawn to him.

When I got to the shelter, they took us both into a small room so we could meet each other. I was given a little wand to wave and he came right over to me to say hello. Then he kept coming back, rubbing, purring, and being very affectionate. He seemed to be telling me that I was his person and he wanted to go home with me. I thought that was very special and I decided to adopt him on the spot.

Adoption Day

On the appointed day, I had visited my brother in Larkspur for lunch. Just as I was supposed to head over to the shelter, my sister-in-law decided she wanted to go to Costco on the way home and suddenly started driving us there. I could see the clock ticking and when I finally got to my car, which was low on gas, I raced over to the shelter and made it on fumes with only 15 minutes to spare. Definitely a nail bitter, but we had just enough time to complete the adoption before they closed. When we were about to leave, they looked at Dachi and said, "You've made it!" I guess they knew it was a big win for both of us, and we were going to have many happy years together.

Coming Home

As soon as we walked into my living room, Dachi seemed immediately comfortable with me and his new surroundings.

Many cats hide for days, only coming out at night to explore their new territory until they feel safe enough to venture out. He came right in, plopped down on an oriental rug, and acted as if this had been his home all along. I didn’t much like the name they had given him at the shelter (Jax), so I looked down at him and said, “We’re going to be great friends, so why don’t we call you Dachi,” which is short for tomodachi (友達) meaning "friend" in Japanese.

He is so trusting and affectionate, purring constantly and telling me that he loves me every day. Each morning, we read the newspapers together with him nestled on my lap. He greets every visitor, walking right up for a pet and a head scratch. And occasionally he will lie on his back with all paws out, which is just another way of saying, “I have the best life!” 

Growing Old Together

We live on a quiet street and have a lovely courtyard where we can sit and watch the birds that often nest there. Dachi is around 13 now (he was 2 when I adopted him) and we love enjoying each other's company. He was recently diagnosed with Diabetes, which means I need to give him shots twice/day. He is such a gentle soul, even good about that. 

I started out as a 3^rd grade teacher in Seattle, then moved to Modesto to work in special ed, and finally moved back to the Bay Area to work at Stanford for 45 years until I retired. Now I am living the good life with my wonderful feline companion, and I can't imagine it any other way.