“Good afternoon. I’m Dubai, and I’m a cat, not a country. I am warm and rather desert-colored, but, beyond that, I’m not rich, and I don’t have a lot of tall buildings. Actually, I have no tall buildings, but I do have a nice cardboard box for a window seat. I’m sitting in it and intend to continue sitting in it until my true and forever people find me here.”

“Yes, my face probably tells you that I lived in the streets and alleys, but I choose not to do so any more. I won most of the fights, but I’m not as film-star handsome as I was when I was a kitten. And, yes, I once was a kitten. But I’m still cuddly, and there’s more of me to cuddle than there used to be. I must have had some people way back when, too, because I so like being petted and hearing sweet nothings whispered in my large ears. Come stop below my perch and whisper to me. The name’s Dubai – and I don’t know why! OK, a little silliness every now and then.”

“Cat and person, cats and people. Better people than all those other cats – especially the girl cats. That big black girl – and the little black one on the other side of the door? They brawl as if they’re in roller derby. Maybe they are. Dubai doesn’t know. Dubai does not want to know. He wants to sit up here and watch the world go by. I want to purr and meditate and watch for my people. My people will come.”

“Think of me as your own personal desert prince. I have dignity and royal presence – and yet I’m cuddly – with people and with my box. I’m told that some human left me here with a note on my head that said I needed a home. You know what? That’s true. Dubai needs a home – with his people. Please be my people. Please bring $120 and close the deal. In the meantime, I’m watching for you – and hoping.”