Our new kittens

Meet the new kittens. I know I said they were named Merry and Pippin but we [Tim] saw problems we hadn't though of. We have now decided they are Clouseau (orange and white) and Cato, in honor of the old classic Pink Panther movies. They are always "fighting" and sneaking up on eachother and it made us think of their classic fight scenes. This time it should stick, but with Tim. . .no promises. He has way too much fun picking out names and he doesn't have the permancance of a birth certificate to tie him down.

Twice Smitten

Ok. so maybe we are crazy and cruel. We got new kittens. Why did I do this? I guess I am sold on cats. I really missed the other kittens. I am already addicted to their calming effets.
We are taking a lot of precautions to avoid exposing these kittnes to the others germs. The last kittens were in our top floor bathroom and a little in the upstairs hallway. These kittens are in the basement, in the sewing room. The other cats traveled in our laps on the way home, these ones traveled in a new carrier the other ones never came close to. I disinfected the bathroom with bleach and the car with disinfectant spray. We aren't using the dishes and blankets the others used until they are all immuned. Can you tell I feel a little nervous and guilty for taking the chance of exposing these ones?

We didn't get these ones from the shelter, I didn't want to take that particular risk again. We went through classifieds (KSL). They come from someone that seemed to be taking very good care of them and they still hung out with their mom a little. This time when we left with our kitties, we felt more like we were being mean rather than merciful. Not to mention we took them straight to the vet to get shots before we took them home. I am sure they loved that. They have to get 3 rounds of shots before they are completely immune to the thing the others got (a.k.a Distemper) so we are going to be overly careful this time not letting little kids from the neighborhood pet them in case they could spread this disease after petting other animals and always washing our hands before we play with them. Have I convinced you yet that we are going to be VERY careful? I am not sure I have convinced myself.

These two are boys and one is orange and white and the other a tuxedo cat (black with white tummy and paws) As of now they are named Merry and Pippin. That is subject to change though. Tim is having WAY too much fun coming up with names and probably wont give up this easy. They love to wrestle with eachother. Very cute little guys! Lets hope everything goes ok this time. We will take some pictures later today and post them later.

My kids dealt with the loss very well. I am sure it didn't hurt that they didn't get a chance to get too attached in one and a half days.

The cats have "it" indeed!

Unfortunatly the "it" the cats have (had) is called Panleukopenia. An illness often deadly and very contagious among cats. I am sad to announce that we found the white cat had passed away in the night. We noticed it didn't seem to be eating when we brought it home. We did one last way to see if he was eating at all and the next morning he was dead and now his sister wasn't eating either. We brought them both back to the shelter. Now the bathroom that was perfect for starting the cats off is contaminated too. Of course we will clean and disinfect it but if we get other cats they will have to start in a different room and that is where we would want to put the upstairs litterbox. Now I have to convince myself I want cats AGAIN. They almost had me convinced until this morning. I will probably do it again though. Wish us luck this time. A friend tells me that shelter kittens are notorious for dying. Perhaps we will have to try another rout next time. Perhaps we will be gluttons for punishment and try a shelter again. At least they died feeling loved and cared for.

And the Cats have it!

Today we adopted two very cute little kittens from the animal shelter. One is a white male and the other a tabby female. They are about 2 1/2 months old. Very adorable. When I saw them I was immedietly smitten. We will update you on the names.

Cats vs Dogs

We are looking into buying a cat or dog. Tim grew up with both and I grew up with neither. We are having a hard time deciding. I am having a hard time being convinced I really want either. They are a lot of work and I am not used to having animals in the house. What little experience we have had (rats) did not endear me to the idea of a pet either. I could see myself warming up more to a cat than a rat though.

Tim and many other sources tell me pets are very good for children's emotional health. I know my kids would benefit from having a pet too. I wanted to wait 'til my kids were a little older but we have been told that now is the time to get a pet so they can grow up with the kids and die about the time they move out. I know there are going to be people of many opinions on the subject and passionnate opinions for that matter. I know it is a matter of personal taste. But what are the benefits and disadvantages to each kind? Can anyone tell me anything that will actually make me exited about the prospect of animals in the house. Pets seem like just a hassle to me.

I am leaning toward a cat, possibly two if anything because they seem to be much less work. That doesn't seem like a good reason to get a pet but it isn't just me getting it. A smaller dog would be fun too...but I am not sure we are up for the work they take. . . yet. . if you know Lincoln, you know he would do great and maybe better with a dog. I believe I could be converted to life with a pet and some day when I am a lonely widow I am pretty sure I would want a pet but I am hesitant about getting one while I still have small kids in the house.

Decisions Decisions