We Have Kittens!

I pass a store on my commute home every day that has a big banner with the words "We Have Kittens!" I must say, this sign and the store have tormented me for quite some time, as I am an unabashed cat lover. Especially now that we have a house, I find myself thinking that there's no reason we can't add a pet to the family. We certainly have plenty of space. There are time and financial costs, of course, but these are manageable.

So, after months of driving past the sign, I finally decided to stop by last week. Just to check out the place... or so I told myself. But the cats and kittens were all adorable! I felt attached to a certain white, Siamese kitten. His name was Bear.

So I went home and told my Bear all about the little kitten named Bear. I wasn't trying to get anywhere with it - I was just telling N8 about the kitten. To my surprise, however, N8 was agreeable to adding a feline family member!

I went out the very next day to get a litter box and food. Then back to the pet place for Bear...

except that the kitten was already adopted! I could have cried! Despite visiting with the other cats and a trip to the Humane Society, there were no other siamese kittens available, and so I was not content.

Now, before you get to thinking I'm being overly picky, let me explain: N8 has allergies. This has been the big delay in our ability to get a pet. Recent headlines about the Obamas and their dog, however, have shown the world that people with dog allergies have ways around the problem, so I did a little research to see if the same was true for cats. Sure enough, there were some tips on the internet. One was to start with a kitten because they have less fur and the allergic person (N8) is more able to adapt. Siamese also tend to cause allergic people fewer problems. Thus I developed specific parameters for my feline search.

I learned last Thursday that the cat store expected new kittens on Friday, so I stopped by Friday. They had not arrived yet but they knew what was coming in: four siamese! I asked them to call me the moment they arrived.

Two hours later, I was back in the cat store, purchasing a pair of siamese kittens, who I've named Abigail and Quinn Jackson...

...or just Abby and Jack.

Abby (who is a little whiter and whose coat is nearly pure) is on the left. Jack (who has some light stripes in his fur) is on the right.