The Boys



At the food bowl together



When the decision to move back to the States came up this year and we decided it was time, one of the first things I said to H was “And when we get back we’re getting a cat”. I’ve been missing having one so much. But after we arrived back in the States and rented this furnished house with a large leather couch, the idea of a cat clawing it up and paying the damages seemed less appealing. A. however, did not give up on her quest for a pet. For her birthday in August she kept saying a cat was all she wanted and all she would accept. When H would say he didn’t want a pet because then if you go somewhere you have to worry about what to do with them her rather vocal response was always the same, “WE DON’T GO ANYWHERE!” In this economy, she’s on to something…

Cats do make naps look like a good idea

Finally H starts thinking that getting a pet might be a good idea so we waited until A had a sleepover and went over to the Humane Society thinking we’d adopt a kitten. H decides, not one but two! There were lots of kittens and many cute but none of them really jumped out at either of us. While H was looking at one of the kittens, in the cage above there were two full grown longhaired cats, exactly what we didn’t want. They were brothers, Michael and Josh and they were marked down pricewise which scared me for them. Michael was standing close to the door of the cage and being very playful. I noticed they were neutered, micro-chipped and completely declawed and had been brought in because the owner was allergic. I took Michael out of the cage and he was so friendly and sweet immediately. As we got to know him I looked over at one of the cages that had four kittens in it and at that moment one of them was hanging off the door while another was pouncing on another kitten’s head. It reminded me what a handful kittens could be. H said, “Well I guess he’s coming home with us, what about the other one”. In the end we brought them both home. When we went to the counter to say we wanted to adopt them, the woman behind the counter excitedly exclaimed, “You’re adopting the big boys!” One of the volunteers also said that we’d made her night. It’s easy to place the kittens but the full grown cats are a bit harder.



Looking at himself in the mirror



A. was none the wiser that we now had cats. So Saturday morning I go and pick her up from her friend’s and we walk in the house. I had accidentally left a bag of cat treats on the table so when A walked in she asked what those were for. Just then Michael walked in the room and A burst into tears. She hugged me so tight and just kept saying thank you so much. We had to go downstairs and peek under the bed to see Josh. She was still crying and couldn’t believe it. She is such an animal lover that I fear when she’s older we will come to visit her and she will have fifteen cats and nine dogs. The potential is there!



Pulling his Salinger pose



Next task, naming them. A. decided on Sebastian and Clive, which I love. They are much too fabulous for ordinary names! They’ve been with us for two weeks and their personalities have certainly emerged. Sebastian is a bit mischievous and Clive is a little nervous and less social. I had suggested to A that she name Clive Salinger after JD Salinger because of his reclusive nature. She didn’t get it.  For the first week they barely associated with each other which I thought was quite odd since our two cats used to love on each other and sleep together.  I joked with A that maybe for the past two years Clive has been wanting to get away from his brother and was relieved when this strange man came and took him out of their shared cage at the shelter.  Then here comes that strange man to get him.

They are definitely her cats. H often says, “I thought we had cats” because they are never with us, but always hanging out with her. This morning I walked into her room to wake her up because we had to take them to the vet for their boosters and they were both at her feet looking very happy to be there.

Clive, he is a beauty