The woman who was adopting out the cats just called. Apparently, when the time came to pack up the cat and bring him over here, she got very emotional... she's decided that he's part of the family, and she can't give him up. She knows 7 cats is a lot to take care of, but she can't bear to part with any of them.
So, no cat for me.
It is probably just as well. DH's allergy shots are nowhere near full strength yet, and I would hate to get attached to the cat only to have to give him up.
So the new plan is to wait a few months, and then get a shorthair kitten that's a few weeks old (old enough to be separated from mommy cat, old enough to be trained to use the litterbox
but young enough to still be a kitten).