I’m currently on the hunt for a second cat to keep Moose and me company. There’s an amazing organization here in Atlanta called FurKids that’s a network of no-kill shelters and foster homes. They take excellent care of every cat in their possession—young and old, healthy and sick—until he’s adopted, however long it takes. I went to their main shelter two weeks ago and spent 3 1/2 hours wandering from room to room, playing with all of the dozens and dozens of cats. (I spent over an hour in the kitten room alone, because time ceases to exist when you are sitting cross-legged on the floor, covered in purring kittens.)

It’s a decision I’m bound to agonize over for a little longer but I hope to bring someone home next weekend. I wish I could adopt all of them. Deep down I’m just a crazy cat lady trapped in a gay man’s body.

Meet Moose.

If you know me you’ve probably already met Moose, or at least heard me talk about him. He’s a purebred mitted blue point Ragdoll, which means nothing to me but sounds very fancy. All my previous pets have been mutts but my then-partner and I thought the breed’s relaxed and sociable disposition would be a good fit for our home. I picked him up on Valentine’s Day 2009 when he was a tiny white poof that fit in your hand. Now he’s a huge clumsy adult that sheds more fur in a day than should be scientifically possible. He likes to eat baby spinach, loves people’s feet, and occasionally runs into furniture. And he’s a big part of my life, so you’ll be seeing him around here again.

So the contest just ended, and…

Hi Aaron,
Congratulations! Your excellent Keyboard Cat costume won first prize in Urlesque’s HallowMeme costume contest! As outlined on the voting page, you are the lucky recipient of a computer key seat from Great Big Stuff (and other assorted Urlesque goodies).

Send your mailing address to me (Kelly!) at [email] and I will get the prize-fulfilling wheels in motion.

Thanks for entering and reading Urlesque! We love you!

Kelly

The best comments I received while dressed as Keyboard Cat for Halloween:

1. “That’s a really big keyboard!”
2. “What are you, Satan playing a keyboard?”
3. “Are you like my cat that falls asleep on a keyboard? My cat does that at like 2 a.m. when I really need to type something.”

(For those of you who have no idea who this is: the original YouTube video, the background info, and the meme it inspired.)

I actually first wore this costume for Halloween 2009, when I made the entire costume start to finish on the day of Halloween with the help of some awesome friends. I enjoyed it so much that I brought it out again this year. The coolest part by far was the keyboard, into which I carved several hidden recesses that would hold an mp3 player, portable speakers and the connecting wires. This allowed me to actually play people off with the Keyboard Cat song. It was a huge hit and I had a blast!

This year I went back to Athens to hang out and walk around downtown with my friends there and won the Best Costume award at 283, one of our favorite bars. It’s silly, but it actually meant a lot to me that people enjoyed the costume so much. I even got a trophy.

I also entered myself into Urlesque.com’s 2010 HallowMeme Costume Contest. We’ll see how it goes.