Monday 18 January 2010

Things are looking up

We were planning to have a very lazy, non-eventful Sunday. Pot of coffee, reading the papers online, playing a bit of Word Twist for intellectual stimulation. The boys, however, had other ideas. They had decided it was time to consider acquiring a successor to Schieffer, our late lamented cat and wanted to at least go and check out the local cat rescue shelter. Husband and I agreed and started to get ourselves ready to go out (though not nearly quickly enough for the boys' liking.) The two of them hopped from foot to foot, desparate to go and see some furry things. SB suggested we take our cat carrier with us, you know, just in case.....

I pointed out that:
  1. We were only going to get some information, check out the set-up at the shelter and so on. We were not going to get a cat.
  2. Even if we decided to go ahead, there was no guarantee they would have a cat to suit us, and
  3. Even if we decided to go ahead, and there was a cat to suit us, we would not be able to just take it away there and then. There would be procedures and checks and stuff to be gone through. No need for a cat carrier today. Definitely not. (You can see where this is going, can't you?)
We had a nice wander around the shelter, chatting to the volunteer on duty. She asked us a bit about our house, working routine and so on and then showed us some very lovely cats looking for a home. Then she walked us over to the pens containing pairs of cats looking to be re-homed together. Taking two cats might be a good idea, she suggested, as they would be company for each other during the time they were in the house alone. We nodded sagely and followed her into the pens, where we met lots of very nice cats, including Robbie and Fluffy. A quick family conference later and we found ourselves advising the nice lady that we wanted to adopt Robbie and Fluffy.

"Great!" she said. "Do you want to take them home now?" In the background, First Born and Second Born did a little victory jig. And thus it came to pass that we arrived home with two new members of the family. And here they are:


On top, that is the Artist Formerly Known as Fluffy. She is about 4 or 5 months old, boisterous as anything and I although I assume that she sleeps sometimes, I have no eyewitness evidence to back this up. Anything less suited to the name "Fluffy" I can't imagine. What you can't see from that photo is that on the right side of her face, she has a couple of little black splodges which look for all the world like someone has started drawing a Laughing Cavalier-style moustache and beard on her and then given up halfway through. Makes me giggle every time I look at it.

Below her is Robbie-as-was. (And half a bottle of Pimms. Please ignore that.) Male, about 8 months old and much quieter than his pal (which is not difficult). It is great fun having cats around again although, since Schieffer was so old, we had forgotten how curious cats are, how every gap is a challenge and every shelf and surface a vantage point to be conquered. And then used to ambush your co-feline.

We had to come up with names, of course and after some very detailed and lengthy discussions, we were in agreement. Robbie and Fluffy are now Bellus and Zyra. And if anyone out there can identify where we got those names from, well then you are precisely the sort of geeky individual that this family would like to have tea with. Call us.

11 comments:

  1. Alas, I have no idea. Does that mean I'm not geeky enough to have coffee with you any more? Sigh.

    Kirsten will know, though.

    Glad you have become cat slaves again. B and Z look lovely!

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  2. Congratulations! They're beautiful :D Are the boys absolutely over the moon?

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  3. Hee! I started to read in my reader and clicked over once I got to your list....to see the new pictures, because OF COURSE you were bringing a cat home!

    Good for y'all! I can't wait to hear stories!

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  4. That's a shame. We're geeks, and we'd love to have tea, but Mr Coffee is allergic to cats so won't come anywhere near your house now.

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  5. They are gorgeous! I love them! They boys must be so happy. I pure love your family!

    x

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  6. Ah, rescue shelters are dangerous places.

    (Mine's called Colin.)

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  7. I'm sorry, I'm only in the Monty Python/Lord of the Rings category of geeky, but I'd still have tea with your family, given the opportunity.

    Lovely cats! I keep wondering if I should get another kitty to keep Max company, but the way he reacts when other cats peer in the windows at him (full-on fury) dissuades me.

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  8. When Cats Collide!That's so hilarious that you went to get no cats and came back with 2. I don't really understand why these 2 cats are inseperable since the longest they could have been together is maybe 2 months?? The tuxedo cat looks a lot like my Bazel. I guarantee he's only being quiet while he assesses the situation. Tuxedo cats are quite notorious. Congratulations Lothians!

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  9. Was-Robbie looks like our Sox although was-Fluffy sounds more like her personality. Alas, even though I'm a geek, I have no idea pre-Googling where their names come from. Perhaps you mean a Nerd would know?

    Congratulations on your new family members, nothing brings happiness to a cat lover like a new cat (or cats)

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  10. Ooooo! Kittens!! I love kitties. My three cats are 16, 15, and 13, so I know what you mean about forgetting how curious, playful, & destructive kittens acn be. Hmm, maybe I haven't forgotten. Enjoy!

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  11. HA HA HA, you REALLY thought you could go to the shelter with your boys and NOT come back with a cat? No, you didn't really think that!

    Great to see the pictures of the new family members: very handsome they are too.

    Erm, I did have to Google the names. And I'm not much the wiser even now, it has to be said ;-)

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