It all began on a typical Saturday afternoon. I had worked at my part-time job during the day at a local winery after which I headed to my boyfriend’s house for date night. Upon arrival, we chatted about our days and Dave shared that he had someone he would like me to meet. As a lover of animals, he would often purchase supplies at the grocery store and drop them off at the local animal shelter. That day he had met a kitty named Honey. Dave’s family enjoyed dogs and cats as pets growing up and he had been thinking about adopting a shelter cat for some time. So, the next day we made a trip to the shelter for me to meet Honey. She was a beautiful gray and white short haired cat. She had a beauty mark beside her nose that reminded me of a starlet.

I had never known a cat before. Growing up, I had a pet dog named Amy. When I was about three years old, my dad brought a tiny puppy home from work one day. He worked at a local bank and a lady had come in with puppies looking for homes. The puppies were a Pekingese Dachshund mix and my dad indicated he had a daughter at home who would love one. He chose the runt of the litter and I named her Amy. She was so tiny and would often crawl behind the refrigerator for warmth. In those days, my mom would often wear smock type tops with pockets and when she vacuumed, she would put Amy in a pocket for safe keeping. I grew up with Amy and loved her very much. She was a big part of my life, so when the time came for her to leave this earth, I was devastated. My heart hurt in a way I had not experienced before. I was so sad that I decided I would not open my heart to another animal in an effort to avoid feeling that type of pain again. I had kept that promise to myself and was nervous about the prospect of Honey. My understanding of cats at the time was that they were often aloof and not very affectionate. So, naively I thought there was very little risk of Honey capturing my heart.

Honey seemed nice enough to me, so I gave Dave my okay should he want to proceed with the adoption. He completed the necessary paperwork and then came time for his photo with Honey. Apparently, she wasn’t a fan of being held and in the photo appears to be jumping from Dave’s arms. After the photo, Honey was put into a cardboard carrier and we were on our way back to Dave’s house.

He had already purchased the necessary supplies to welcome a new kitty into the home: food, litter box and a few toys. Upon returning home, we let Honey out of her carrier. Needless to say, she was nervous in her new surroundings and seeked out a place to hide. Dave set up the litter box in the basement, so the basement door was open. He had indicated that there was one small area on the side of the steps going down to the basement where it was open under the house that he couldn’t close off. It was the one space Honey could get to in the house where we couldn’t get to her, so naturally that’s where she went.

In our excitement on the way home, we called Dave’s mom and dad and invited them over to the house to meet Honey. During their visit, Honey remained in her space under the house with no sign of ever coming out. As we chatted, Dave’s mom commented on his flower beds in full bloom and how lovely they were. That’s when the idea for Honey’s new name came. While Honey is a sweet name, it didn’t fit her. She was a Daisy. My favorite flower was a daisy and I had read somewhere that daisies often represent new beginnings, so it seemed perfect.