I’ve been keeping this mute because…well, I don’t know. I’m an odd type I guess.

When we lost Pez, we lost a member of the family. I was torn between missing having a cat around and not wanting to “replace” him. The husband had threatened to bring home a cat to get rid of the mice that moved in the second that Pez was gone, but he wouldn’t really do that until he knew I was ready. Even if I was ready, I didn’t want to rush Phoenix into another cat situation until he was ready as well. Then the day came when he said he wanted another cat, so I decided to entertain the idea. I’ve heard some people go years without getting another pet after losing one, and others who get one immediately to help with the healing process. I tend to gravitate towards the latter, but not so immediately. I need a bit of time to get my bearings first.

My friend Emily let me know that she had some kittens available for adoption. We took the family up to an adoption event that weekend to possibly pick one out. Note that I said one and yet the title of this post is “members“. Yep.

We met two kittens - litter-mates, brother and sister. Phoenix picked up the boy, Colt, and said he made his choice. Peanut picked up the girl, Fawn – later to be renamed Zoey, and said he wanted her. I stood there like a deer in headlights. Both kids had lost a cat just 2 months early; how could I possibly say which one was going to be their new cat and risk the other one feeling cheated? One of the volunteers mentioned at that moment that there is a discount with 2 cats. The husband was for it immediately, but all I could think of was “I’m already at my pet limit. How the HELL do I hide two cats??” Eventually, I yielded and decided not to separate the two. They needed each other as much as we needed them.

The integration into the family was almost seamless. Bella, while interested in the new creatures in her house, essentially shrugged it off. She’ll cuddle with them on her bed, but growl if they get too close to whatever she’s chewing on. Juliet on the other hand is enamored by the kittens. She spent that first day with her head under the couch, tail wagging, just staring at them. She plays with them and they with her. Zoey will cuddle with her and Colt will rub up against her. I’m almost certain that Juliet thinks the cats are hers. The first time I’ve heard Juliet growl at Bella involved Juliet standing by the cats. She’s not the alpha dog, so even she looked shocked that the growl came from her, but she loves those cats!