Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Day 22

The big news today is that the kitties now have permanent names! The kitty formerly known as "Black" is George and "Blue" will henceforth and forever be called Shadow.

My mother-in-law was concerned that we would be so used to calling them "Black" and "Blue" that they would only answer to that. But, I don't usually use those monikers unless I am talking ABOUT them. When I address the kitties, I say baby, kitty, punkin, sugar, sweetie, or something like that.

I mentioned in a previous post that we had decided to call one of the cats "George" long ago due to the Bugs Bunny cartoon (link here) and my favorite football player. But, the deciding factor in naming Smidgen, aka Black, "George" was that he is a Curious George, with his nose in anything. And he is somewhat wild, so I will often break into a chorus of "George of the Jungle" as he is racing through the house.

Butterball, aka Blue was a harder one to name. We tossed around many names. He was almost a Charles after my hubby's favorite football player. And I kind of liked funny names like "Catty Wompus" or "TOMba Hali," if he must be named after a Chiefs' player. But, they didn't really fit his personality. Shadow had a nice ring to it and since he likes to hide and also follows me around, it fit him.

And so, Smidgen and Butterball, who became Black and Blue (in name only!), have now become George and Shadow!

Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Days 14-21

Thing One and Thing Two (ha ha) are settling into the house nicely. I am the Pied Piper of Hamlin, as the kitties follow me around everywhere I go...as well as weaving around my legs and tripping me as I walk. My husband observed this one night and said, "Man, they are attached to you!" Sometimes I end up with both kitties in my lap or one on my lap and one on my shoulder or around my neck. I have always said that there is something about me that kitties like. My husband was slightly jealous because even with treats, he could not lure them away from me. I have spent lots of time cultivating trust with them. However, he was tickled last night when "Black" jumped up in his lap and stayed a while. Then, later, when he was laying in bed, Black jumped up there and licked his face. Today, "Blue" rubbed all over his legs and stretched his paw up on Scott's legs several times, wanting to be petted. Scott said, "Okay, you both can stay!" Ha, ha!

If Black is not in my lap, he is usually in my office chair, one of our recliners, or our bed. My mother-in-law has a plaque that says, "If you want the best seat in the house, move the cat." Black is proving that to be true. Blue hides behind the couch most of the day, which is better than the bottom of the concrete basement stairs. But, he comes out when the kids aren't home or are asleep and wanders around or sits with me.

Kimberly had a great idea for introducing the cats to Jesse (the border collie). We put up the portable kennel in the dining room and then let the cats approach Jesse without the fear that he could get at them. Black walked right up to the kennel and got nose to nose with Jesse. Jesse averted his eyes at first, but then barked, which scared them and they ran. He calmed down after that and Black boldly walked around the kennel multiple times. Blue would freeze in the kitchen and stare. I finally picked him up and carried him into the bedroom, where he froze and stared at the kennel. Scott went with him and he cautiously went towards the kennel. It was cute--as long as we were there with him, he went close to the kennel. But later, they were playing and got near the kennel and Jesse jumped up suddenly and startled them and they took off. I think Jesse is more afraid of them. He turns his head to avoid eye contact and goes to the back of the kennel. We'll keep trying until they get used to each other. You can't undo thousands of years of species animosity overnight!

Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Days 11-13

We decided to let the kitties in yesterday since the weather is getting colder and they are increasingly curious about the kitchen door. We still haven't cut the hole in the door--correction: my husband hasn't cut the hole in the door. His version is that he hasn't helped ME cut the hole in the door. He doesn't think the garage door being open makes that much difference, but I say it is COLD. Think I will have to turn the heat on later. Door cutting will have to wait until Thursday now, since he has to work tomorrow. Anyways, I digress.

When we opened the door, they cautiously came in. They were checking out the kitchen, but my husband called to me and when I turned to walk in the other room, they scattered. Then we couldn't coax them back in for anything. We left the door open, but they didn't return until that evening when the kids went to bed. Billy had been messing around and I went to check on him. When I came back, I smelled something stinky, so I went to clean the litter box. I saw Black, but not Blue. All of a sudden, he came strolling out of the kitchen like he owned the place. Funny, because he usually leaves it to his brother to check things out and then follows once the coast is clear. They both came in then and checked out the kitchen, living room, dining room, the hall, and our bedroom. They were so funny. I don't think their necks could stretch any farther, their bellies sink any lower, or their eyes get any wider.

Today, they really made themselves at home in the house, until the kids came home, then it was back to the garage. While they were inside exploring, I shot the first video. Black has gotten under our bed twice. The second time, I told my hubby he was there, so he shook the bed because he didn't want him under there. Nothing happened. He shook it again. Still nothing. He said, "He must have sneaked out when you weren't looking." I swore he hadn't. I went looking around the house and couldn't find either of them. I searched twice. No sign of kitties. So, I got my laptop and went to sit on the couch in the living room. As soon as I sat down, I heard the jingling of a kitty collar and a cat scrambling to get out from under the recliner seat I was sitting in, then racing around the back of the couches and out in the open. Blue had apparently climbed under the recliner from the back. Later, we were looking again for Black under the bed. I was peering under the recliner at the end of the bed and saw a shadow, heard my hubby say, "There he is," and then felt kitty paws running across my feet. I screamed because it startled me.

The two boys played for a while today. I have not seen them play together since we got them. They play with us, but not together. Black was playing with the crinkle tunnel when Blue suddenly sprang and jumped on him. It was so out of the blue, I couldn't help but laugh. So, I grabbed the camera and took the second video of them playing. Later, after I had turned the camera off, Black decided to pull a slick one on his brother. Whenever he says, "mow," his brother comes running to check him out. It must be the way that he calls him. So, Black was hiding at the end of the couch and said, "mow." Blue was on the couch, getting petted, but when he heard his brother, he jumped down and cautiously went over. As soon as he was within sight, Black pounced him.

I heard back from the lady at the humane society. She said to try giving them Kit-N-Kaboodle because that was what they were fed exclusively. However, I have not found any kitty puke in about 36 hours, so maybe they are doing better.

They enjoyed a nice moist chunky kitty food treat today. Scott bribed them and they promptly stuck their faces in the bowl. Black hardly came up for air, he enjoyed it so much. I am glad they are happier and more at ease with each passing day.

Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Days 9 & 10

I am now concerned with both kitties' health. Blue is still throwing up and having diarrhea (he threw up in the carrier this morning--at least I am assuming it is him). And we discovered that Black has been scratching at his collar so much that he has left a bald patch with irritated bumps under it. I wondered if he was allergic to it, but I am hoping that he is just unfamiliar with wearing a collar and will get used to it. Going to try a different cat food and see if that helps Blue. If it doesn't, I am going to contact the woman at the Humane Society because she said they would stand behind their pets and help with medical care, if needed.

Blue has decided he sort of likes Arrena. He has become my favorite. He responds best to me, but he is now seeking out Arrena too. I wonder if it is because we look a lot alike or if it's because he can tell that she is calmer than the others.

We've bought them some toys that I am anxious to see them try out. Scott is going to put together the cat jungle gym that I talked about in a previous post. And I found them a "crinkle tunnel". My friend Elizabeth's cats play in one of the kids play tunnels and have a BLAST with it. This one has the crinkle sound that kitties love and is lighted. Oooooh! Not sure why it needs lighting, but oh well, it was on sale. And we had been intrigued by a remote controlled mouse that we saw. It was on sale too, so we bought it and it was so much fun to play with them with it. Here's a video to illustrate my point: (Blue is in the litter box at the beginning of the video, so that is the scratching sound you hear.)

Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Days 7 & 8

Tough crowd, tough crowd.... My mother-in-law is looking into hitmen and rounding up the townsfolk for an angry mob because I still haven't revealed the kitties' new names. Well, prepare to be disappointed. We have still not decided on names. My husband is still saying we may not keep both kitties (even though he went and bought some moist morsel kitty food to bribe them with as well as what can only be described as a kitty jungle gym) and we know we want to name one "George." I know George is a strange choice, but as we were looking up kitty name lists, we ran across George and both of us chorused, "I will call him George! And I will love him and stroke him and pet him and hold him!" Plus, one of my favorite football players is Eddie George. We have tossed around different combinations, but have not arrived at a second name. Since we all seem to have trouble spitting out "Butterball" and "Smidgen", we decided that until we figure out another name, we are going to call him by the color of their collars. It's easy since as you look at them, you know that "Blue" has on a blue collar, instead of trying to remember that he is "Butterball." So, for now, they are "Blue" and "Black." I know, it's dumb, but it's only temporary.

I was beginning to think that "Blue" had a broken purr-motor because I had never heard him purr. Last night I went out to see them and Blue was really lovable. Then he started purring. His purr was so cute--it sounded a bit like chirping--sort of a squeaky purr. While he was in a good mood, I picked him up and put him in my lap. He stayed there for a while, letting me pet him and purring.

Billy was pleased that Black jumped in his lap and rolled around on him for a while. Ignoring him is the trick to getting his attention.

I have been having some trouble with the automatic litter box. It clogs often. We decided to try this other litter we saw at the store, called Feline Pine. It is much lighter weight, so we thought it might help, since the rake sometimes appears to be unable to make it through the litter and resets itself. So, this morning, I dumped out the old litter and put in the new stuff. Now, this is too lightweight. When the rake starts, it pushes everything out. The stuff sticks together. I'm not sure what to do with it now.... Maybe I will look for help on some online forums to get some advice.

We were going to let the kitties into the house tomorrow, but the kids are out of school tomorrow and I'd rather the boys have some quiet to explore the house, instead of kids following them around everywhere. So, we decided to wait until Monday. Boy, they sure try to follow me in!

I'll be glad when they can come in. They are getting used to being with us and seem to want more. And so do I!

Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Days 5 & 6

Butterball has found a new place to lay down. Instead of the bottom of the stairs, he found a few towels that we had folded on the garage shelf and decided that was much more comfortable than the concrete stairs. Smidgen has taken to laying on top of the workbench behind Scott's toolbox.

They are both interested in the kitchen door. And instead of being afraid of the automatic litterbox, Smidgen is very intrigued by it. As soon as it starts, he runs over to check it out.

Scott tried to bribe them both with chicken nuggets the other night. Smidgen took it willingly, but Butterball was really afraid for some reason and would only lick it.

Yesterday morning when I went to check on them, I found some kitty barf on the floor. Smidgen has been acting as though he were hacking up a hairball. After I fed them, Butterball ate a little and then threw it up on the floor. Later when I went out there, there were 3 large piles of barfed up food. I am starting to be concerned about Butterball's health. His one eye still seems to have some goo in it and he squints that eye. We are thinking about calling the humane society we got him from because the lady said that if the boys had any health problems, they would take care of it. The food I got for them is indoor formula, so it is supposed to help with hairballs. I also bought some kitty treats that have hairball meds in it. Smidgen loves them and wanted more then his recommended daily allowance, but I could only get Butterball to eat one, instead of the 5 needed for full treatment.

Both of the boys were extremely lovable and Butterball tried to follow me in the kitchen door. It's odd for him to be so hot on my heels, but it's good that he's coming around.

We gave both of the boys collars. Smidgen has a black one with rhinestones and Butterball has a blue one. That should make it easier for everyone to tell them apart since the brothers look so similar. I can easily tell them apart. Butterball has a round face, whereas Smidgen has a long, thin face. Smidgen's black stripe on his back is wider and longer than Butterball's stripe.

Smidgen actually jumped up in my lap and rolled all over me. I laughed and told him his silly self was going to fall off. Sure enough, he fell off the chair. One thing I find funny about them is that they love to have their bellies rubbed. Scott doesn't find it weird, but I have never had a cat that enjoyed that.

Tune in next time for more adventures in kitty adoptions. Until then....

Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Days 3 & 4

Well, kitty assimilation seems to be going well. Smidgen has no problems coming out to greet us and asking for love. In fact, as soon as we come into the garage, he comes out almost immediately. Butterball is doing better, but is still slow to come out.

Scott went out to visit with them Saturday and put Smidgen in his lap. He was enjoying the petting and rubbed his face on Scott's when out of the blue, he bit Scott right on the nose. I know he doesn't mean to hurt, but we have GOT to break him of this habit. Scott tied a long string to a catnip mouse and used it to "fish" for Smidgen.

I got Smidgen to jump up in my lap twice, but he doesn't stay but a few seconds. Neither of them like being held at this point. If I pick them up and put them in my lap, they immediately get down. Smidgen will struggle if I try to hold him. Butterball will sit if I hold him, but he isn't relaxed and as soon as I let go, he leaves as quick as he can. I usually don't try to force them, but when taking Jesse to and fro the back door and the kitchen for his food, I put them in their carrier to minimize their stress at this juncture. Butterball has a tendency to hide at the bottom of the stairs and since he is slow to come, I have to go down and get him. I try to hold him for a minute and comfort him, but often he is trembling. When he sees me heading towards him, he flattens himself to the ground.

During times when we are not transporting Jesse back and forth, Butterball still hides, but after I sit out there petting Smidgen for a while, he comes investigating. I think he's jealous. He approaches me and arches his back to be petted. Last night, I tried to persuade him to jump in my lap. He stretched his paw up on my leg, but wouldn't jump up. Still, it's progress from the constant hiding. I hate that he seems so fearful most of the time. I'm glad he will eventually come to me and want petted, but I feel bad that when I am standing or coming towards him that he is so afraid. I usually sit on the floor and he apparently finds that less intimidating.

Smidgen has this weird quirk of acting like he's digging before he takes a drink of water. It's quite cute, but I can't figure out why he does it. The first night, he actually put his paw in the water, like he was digging.

Last night, Smidgen was racing around the garage like a maniac. His brother was watching him like he was possessed. I got out the catnip mouse on a string and played with them. Butterball even dared to play and got really into it.

Smidgen is getting really curious about the kitchen door, so we may let them in the house soon, if they continue to do as well as they have been.

Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Day 2

I got up early this morning to see my husband off to work. He broke his ankle a month ago and still requires my help in at least getting his socks and shoe and walking boot on. After he left, I went to the garage to check on the kitties. I was surprised to see that neither was in the carrier. I glanced to the right and saw that someone had used the litter box. Yay! We were afraid that since they had never known kitty litter that we might have problems with them. There were signs that they had nibbled on the food as well. I found Smidgen under the workbench again and Butterball at the bottom of the basement stairs. Butterball was trembling and I figured out that the automatic litter box must have scared them. I comforted him as best I could and then left them alone.

When the kids got up to get ready for school, I checked on them again and found that they were both at the foot of the basement stairs. They were lying side by side, looking like a furry little yin-yang symbol. I put them in their carrier and shut the door so we could take Jesse (the border collie) out. So far, we decided not to introduce them yet. We want to let the kitties acclimate and calm down and gain some confidence first. So, I put them in the carrier, put Jesse on the leash and keep him close by me as I bring him up from his crate in the basement to go outside and to come back in to feed him. Then I let the kitties out again.

I left them alone for the whole morning and then checked on them around lunch time. Butterball was at the bottom of the stairs again and Smidgen was in the carrier. I went down the stairs and sat on the bottom step and petted Butterball. He seemed okay with it, so I picked him up and put him in my lap. He appeared to enjoy the petting. I felt sorry for him because he had a runny nose last night when I put him to bed and in the morning, his left eye was running and goopy. I was worried he may have a cold or be allergic to something at our house. When he wanted down, I allowed him to step off my lap. But, he chose to walk near me and rub against my leg and arm. I petted him and he seemed to like it. When he laid back down, I went to see Smidgen. After a little persuasion, he cautiously crept out of the carrier. I stroked his fur and rubbed his head and he melted. He stalked in circles around me, rubbing against me and arching his back to get the full effect of the petting. He started purring and when I didn't pet him fast enough, he stood on my legs and rubbed his nose and cheek on my face. What a change from the scared kitty that scratched me to get under the workbench yesterday! I was so happy that he was responding to me, I told him we should go get his brother! I went to the bottom of the stairs and picked up Butterball and brought him up. It was like I flipped a light switch! They walked around, curiously investigating the garage. Butterball walked over to the litter box and sat in it. Smidgen was really puzzled and watched him closely. When Butterball got out, he scratched and I saw a wet spot in the litter! I told him what a good boy he was. Smidgen kept going to the litter box and sniffing and checking it out. Even Butterball, who seemed to know what to do with it, was curious about this contraption. He eventually found that he could look out the garage window by standing on Billy's rubbermaid tub of play-doh and ducking his head under the curtain. But, when the litter box motor came on to rake through the litter, they both scattered. One went under the workbench and one to the bottom of the stairs.

I was very encouraged by their progress though. I went out for a few minutes before I picked the kids up from school. Smidgen was in the carrier, Butterball behind a folding table that was leaning against the wall. Smidgen came out almost as soon as I started calling to him. Butterball watched, obviously curious. Smidgen allowed me to pet him thoroughly, then went to the food dish and started eating. That was all Butterball could take. He came out, checked things out, then began nibbling himself. They took turns eating. Then Smidgen went back to the carrier and Butterball gave himself a bath.

When the kids came home, they came out for a visit, one at a time. Smidgen delighted them by coming out and allowing them to pet him and he even played with Kimberly with her homemade cat toy: a feather tied to the end of a string.

Butterball's eye seems clearer tonight, so I am hoping that it was just stress and not an illness. I watched him have diarrhea tonight in the litter box, so I hope that is also from nervousness. On a good note, this time when the litter box motor started up, they didn't run and hide. They were concerned and watched, but they didn't take off. They are very hesitant to get in it and puzzle over it and sniff at it a lot. But, thankfully, they are using it!

I went out and played with them before bed and they were very receptive. They always do better if I get on the floor. When I stand up, they cower. Smidgen welcomed his petting and played for a while and then jealousy must have gotten a hold of Butterball because before I knew it, he came up the stairs and watched us and then came over. He still is not purring when I pet him and neither one will voluntarily get in my lap, but they sure will circle me and rub up against me asking for attention. And Smidgen is often stretching his paws up to my chest/neck to nuzzle my face. Going to have to try to get someone to catch a picture of this. I will have to break him of biting though. He rubs on my hand or licks my finger, then bites. I don't think he is trying to hurt, but sometimes he bites down a little too hard, especially when he does this to my toe. Butterball cracked me up when he discovered that he could see my reflection in part of the workbench. He sat there, swishing his tail, watching raptly, jerking at my every movement. After Smidgen was petted, played, took a long drink, explored a tad, he laid down and relaxed. He stayed on the floor for most of his chill time, but he also tested out the two lawn chairs we left sitting up in the garage for our kitty watching. When I went in the house, they both looked at me like I was abandoning them! I turned off the light tonight, hoping that it will not only help calm them, but get them used to nighttime in our house.

Adventures in Kitty Adoptions, Day 1

My 9-year-old daughter is an animal lover. Many people claim that, but I doubt that they love every kind of animal. My daughter does. I mean, she was mad when I ran over the squirrel as I wrote about in my previous post. Her favorite animal is a snake. She most definitely loves every animal. She is a strange mixture of irony, however. She loves all animals and gets upset if I run over a squirrel, but one of her favorite video games is Cabela's Big Game Hunter. It's very odd to see this little curly-headed animal lover blowing away deer with extreme prejudice. Though she claims she would like to hunt when she is older, I believe with a real gun in her hand, she would not be so quick to pull the trigger when Bambi's dad is on the other end.

I do not claim to be an animal lover. I love certain TYPES of animals. Squirrels, no; dogs, yes; snakes, no; cats, yes; and so on and so forth. However, in my years of pet ownership, I became jaded. I have had 10 cats and 6 dogs pass through my homes. I think of myself as more of a cat person. A couple of the dogs I had were only in my possession briefly, and of those remaining, I only had a strong bond with one of them. As for the cats, after I had 3 die of leukemia, I was heart-broken and didn't want to have a pet I was close to any more. I allowed the kids to keep a stray outside, but was unwilling to let another into my heart.

Two years ago, when my ex-husband and I divorced, I moved into a home with the kids, and a neighborhood cat showed up. At first, I thought he had been left behind by the previous tenants because he had no qualms about coming right in. I eventually learned that he belonged to the people across the street, but he roamed around at will. Sometimes, I would walk through the house and pass Jude as he sauntered along, despite the fact that the doors were all tightly shut and locked. He would find one open window and make himself at home. He never waited for an invitation. I'd sit at the computer and he would jump in my lap and lay there, allowing me to pet him. It was then that I realized how much I had missed having a cat.

My husband had just adopted his border collie when we came along and he wasn't in a hurry to bring in any more pets. Though he had been raised with cats and loved them, he felt we had enough going on in our home and family that we didn't need any cats added to the mix. Eventually he began to think it might be nice to have a puddy tat around, so we began talking about the possibility. I asked for a kitty for my birthday this year and my husband agreed. His mom (a cat lover) bought me a self-cleaning litter box, kitty toys, kitty treats, etc. for my birthday. The plan originally had been for my husband and his mom to go and pick out the kitty for me, but it was agreed by all that I should pick out my own kitty friend. And so the search began....

We started with a shelter near our house, Kansas City Animal Shelter. My husband was asking that I consider adopting an orange tabby, his favorite. I said that I didn't care what it looked like as long as it was a lap cat. We mentioned orange tabbies and they took us to two candidates, Hi-C and Buddy. They were HUGE! Hi-C was very lovable and purring and Buddy was hilarious, laying on his back staring at us with no intention of getting up from his comfy nap position. But, my husband didn't want a kitty quite that big. He said, "I don't want to have to move that thing if I want to sit in my chair!" But, I thought he was a cute fat kitty and probably would have taken Hi-C home, except for the fact that he would never have fit in the cat carrier.

Stop two was PetSmart. We had seen a cat there that we liked a few weeks prior, but we were getting ready to go out of town to our family reunion camping trip, so we felt we shouldn't adopt at that time. When we arrived at PetSmart, there were only 3 cats there and one was already adopted. The other two wouldn't come out of the corner to meet us. I'm sure they would be lovely cats, but it's hard to tell when they don't respond to you.

The next shelter we went to was Independence Animal Control/Shelter. My husband found a little kitten that he liked that was really friendly, but I didn't want a kitten. I found one that I liked that my husband aquiesced to. He was listed as part Bengal, but was a stray and they had just gotten him. When we petted him, we felt a lump. We asked about his health and were told he was so new that he hadn't seen the vet yet. The lady at the front desk went to check it out and thanked us for alerting them because she found an open sore in his skin. They said I could call the next day to check on him after he'd seen the vet.

The next day, we went to the Greater Kansas City Humane Society. The volunteer wanted to show us a cat named Van that she thought would be a good match for us. When we came in the room, I tried to pet Van and pick him up and he scratched my face. Not a good first impression! I looked around and was taken by two cats. One was a black cat and he kept trying to get our attention. He stood on posts and cat beds and reached out his paw to touch us and he jumped in Scott's wheelchair to get his attention. His name was Mercury. But, I was also drawn to a Maine Coon named Stella. She was reaching her paw out to one of the volunteers and looked like she was going to fling herself into the girl's arms. I started petting her and when she decided she enjoyed it, I picked her up. Scott held her too and she snuggled down into both our arms. She slightly twisted so that part of her was laying on her back, which is odd since most cats do not expose their bellies unless they trust you. And she latched onto my shirt with her claws as though she didn't want me to put her down. We filled out an application for her and were told that we would probably hear from someone in 2 days.

I decided not to call back about the other cat since we seemed to have found our match. So, the search ended and we waited. My birthday was the next day and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't have my kitty yet, but excited at the thought of getting her the following day. I was planning to change her name to Bella, possibly. There was even some discussion about also taking Mercury home. The next day, we waited impatiently by the phone. With only 2 hours remaining until the shelter closed, I called them. However, I got voicemail and left a message. The following day, the shelter was closed. The day after that, I called and left another message. Eventually someone called me back. I was told that someone had applied for and been approved for Stella before me. I'm sure the volunteers didn't know this but it would have been nice to know before I waited 4 days for this cat. I asked about Mercury and was told that he too had been adopted.

So, the search renewed. The day was almost over and Scott had to work the next day, so it seemed I would have to wait 2 more days. I was deflated, but I got on petfinder.com and perused. I found 3 kitties that sounded perfect for us, friendly lap cats. One was at a shelter called Wayside Waifs, but they wouldn't be open for 2 days. The other two were at Daviess County Humane Society. I had no idea where this was. I found out it was an hour and a half away. I emailed both and found that all three were still available. The lady from Daviess County said that they often transport kitties to Liberty, which is about 20-30 minutes away from us. Scott wanted to see those, so we made arrangements to meet. And so, yesterday, we brought home Butterball and Smidgen. We are not 100% sure that we are keeping both. Scott never wanted two cats, but it was hard to tell which we wanted so we brought them both home to see. I foresee us all being attached to both and not able to let either go. They are brothers, tiger-striped tabbies. On the website, it said they were born in late June, but they are much bigger than a 3 month old kitten would be, I think. The lady said they were less than a year old. We are going to change their names, but we aren't decided on what yet. We need to do it soon, though, because I keep stumbling over their names.

The kitties had never known anything but their foster mom's house, so this is a big transition for them. First, an hour and a half car ride took them away from their home. Then, they have this new home and new people to get used to. We haven't even introduced our border collie Jesse yet! Another transition was that their foster mom uses shredded newspaper in the litter box, so they have never known kitty litter. We decided that since the litter box and food dishes were going to be in the garage, we would start them off in the garage and let them calm down and get used to things before we let them into the main house. We put down the carriers and let them just breathe for a few minutes without all the jiggling. Then we opened up the crate doors and sat back and watched. After a couple of minutes, Smidgen crept out and went immediately into his brother's carrier. Poor Butterball! His carrier was much smaller and he ended up with his brother on TOP of him! After a while, I took the top off the carrier and tried to pick up Butterball. Smidgen ran and hid under Scott's workbench. Butterball allowed us to hold him and pet him, but wasn't too sure about it. When I picked Smidgen up, he scratched me a little in his attempt to get away. I dug him out of the workbench and tried to block it so he couldn't get under again. They both ended up back in the bigger carrier and didn't budge for hours and later, I found Butterball on top of Smidgen's head, forcing his nose in the corner. Paybacks for earlier, I suppose.

I was a little worried about how scared they are, but I googled it and found that it was common for cats to be afraid when adjusting to a new home. I put on a radio in the garage to get them used to some noise and voices and also to help soothe them with music.

The kids were introduced to them one at a time, quietly. They were so surprised to find that there were TWO kitties in the carrier instead of one.

Since both our moms are interested in how their "grandcats" are doing, I decided to blog about the new fur babies to keep those interested updated. Tune in next time!