Checking In One Year Later... The Kitty Chronicles

I can hardly believe it's been almost a whole year since I began the mad search for the two kitties I didn't know I wanted. Sure, we had a bit of a rough start with The Black Beast Trouble #3 using me for a scratching post and teething toy. She also claimed Mr. Snoots as the sole person she would allow to show love to her. I was a mere toy in her Kingdom of Many Toys.

Upon the advice of others I started my second search for a young female cat or kitten that would fit with us. I had to drive many miles (okay just 30) at night to pick up our new girl. She's a Manx Rumpy and she is such a love. The woman I got her from demanded $100.00 for meeting me halfway, which completely freaked me out so I just gave her the cash, jumped in the SUV and drove off before she tried to rob me. Oh wait. She basically did rob me. Even though I had new kitty in the carrier she was scared all the way back. Once she got inside our house she found her way back to the master bedroom and stayed under the bed for 5 days. We named her Pepper. I know. We're idiots with no imagination.


I finally removed all of my cookbooks from the kitchen windowsill shelf so the girls would have a place to watch birds, flies, anything that moves, really - whatever - while they bask in the morning sun. It has been more than a success in spite of the fact we seem to have cat hair everywhere. Yes, we both brush them nearly every day.

Finally, T-3 brought Pepper out of her shell and she slowly adjusted to the sounds and goings on of our lives. Pepper and Trouble were getting acquainted and life was good. Then something unusual happened. It became very apparent that T-3 was no longer being a brat. The two romped and played together and all the biting and scratching came to a sudden halt. It was also revealed that Pepper was the dominant (or alpha) female and I think Trouble was more surprised than we were. Pepper rules the roost. The reason it's funny is because she's much smaller. Go figure

When the holidays rolled in and out they were in awe of everything so doors had to be closed and locked. Thanksgiving and Christmas brought our kids who always come in like whirlwinds, with dogs in tow. It was immediately decided by *The Girls* that dogs weren't their cup of tea so they both hid under the bed until the holidays were over.

After surviving the holidays things settled down and we all fell into an easy pace and comfortable existence, learning to live with 2 indoor cats for the first time. Believe me, it is a huge adjustment for us since we've always had outside kitties. I honestly have to stop and think before I move to let one of them outside. Then I remember. I've also had to adjust to not yelling at kitties when I hear scratching that sounds like rips in the universe. All of our other cats have always scratched the furniture but these two love their scratching posts.

Pepper likes to play fetch with her many mousies and is better than most dogs because she brings it back to your feet. If you don't notice, she'll let you know. She also loves to play soccer/golf balls in the living room with Trouble. Yes. The ones we use for putting.

Trouble is a master soccer player with golf balls. Nothing has been broken yet but she can really wallop those balls and she picks them up with both front paws to hurl them across the room.  She also caught a mouse in the house that was alive. Good girl. Save mommy.

Then came April. That's when we made the decision to replace the 60 year old brass faucet and stopper in the guest bathroom sink. Anyway, it took the plumber 3 long hours just to get the damned faucet out, while we suffered through the loudest removal ever. Loud. Loud. Loud. Both kitties stayed under the bed almost a whole week. They were clearly traumatized by the incredible amount of noise for an unbelievable amount of time.

As traumatizing as that ordeal was, the guy had to come back the next day for a couple of hours, making new loud noises before charging us an eye popping $900.00. The faucet set itself was only like $150 so the rest was labor which traumatized me. That was two months ago and the girls are still scared and they run when the doorbell rings. They still are slow to warm to strangers so they hide.

List of Scary People Who Come To Our House & Ring Doorbell:

Mail Carrier (who is always talking on her phone)
Housekeeper (who is always talking on her phone every Wednesday)
Wednesday Night Dinner Delivery (usually the same guy)
Lawn Guy (comes early every Thursday)
Friends (sometimes we have friends over for dinner)
2 Grown Children (one with a dog)

I swear the girls were fine before the blasted plumber came.... I've now noticed that The Black Beast is shedding profusely and has signs of dandruff. WTH? Maybe it's just easier to see because she's so black. I'll keep telling myself that. Right.

Meet Our Two New Family Members....Trouble and Pepper

Our 20 year old black & white tuxedo cat was diagnosed with kidney failure after the first of the year so skiing in New Mexico was the only trip we took until August. After all the good years she gave us we felt it was important to stay close to her until she got close to the end. No, we didn't spend thousands of dollars to put her on cat dialysis. I don't believe in that for an elderly cat. There is no cure for elderly cat kidney failure so we were not going that direction no matter what. The vet did give us some powders to mix in her food which helped for a while. Yet, it was quite painful to watch her go steadily downhill over 3 months time. Eventually, she wouldn't eat or drink and stayed in the same spot 24/7. R.I.P. Miss Trouble. We loved you well and we'll meet up with you someday.

At first, we weren't going to get another pet. Really. Then I found myself thinking I'd see her in all the old familiar places, heard her meow. You get the picture. I knew then that I needed a new baby to love on. My life just wasn't as good without a furry baby. So the search began.

After looking at all of the animal rescues and PetSmart (also rescues) I became exasperated that I couldn't find *the one* that I was looking for. There has to be an immediate bond for me and the kitten, which I wasn't finding. A friend told me to check Craig's List but every time I'd call they had already found forever homes.

Finally, in late June, I found one that needed a new home. A lady had been driving down the street, saw a bag making wild moves, stopped her car and discovered that it was a little kitten. I almost died over the story so I felt that I was lucky to fetch her & bring her home. The lady was afraid to take her to the pound for fear of her getting put to sleep. I immediately bought a cat carrier, some kitty food, and new toys on my way to pick her up. Meet Trouble (#3) when we first brought her home....

Yes, we ended up calling her the same name as our previous cat because we're getting old & couldn't remember any of the names we came up with. Our daughter thinks we're idiots.

And this is what Trouble #3 looks like at 4 months old....

The more comfortable she became with us, the more I became her *toy* and major teething source. My hands, arms, and feet were totally scratched and bitten. I was miserable and she had decided Mr. Snoots was her favorite. Tired of the condition of my hands, I went on a new quest to find her a little friend. She just looks like a little stinker trouble, doesn't she?

Oddly enough, it was Craig's List once again. I found the most adorable Manx *Rumpy*, which is a Manx with absolutely no tail. A total opposite of the Black Beast - Trouble, little Pepper was sweet and at first so very shy. She spent the first 5 days under my bed so I put out food , water and a litter box for her, and she was obviously eating, drinking, and using the box. So, I gave her time to adjust at her own level of comfort. Less than a week later I had to ban the two new best friends from my bedroom just so we could get some sleep. Their romping up & down the halls was keeping us awake. This was Pepper when she first came to us....

This is my little cupcake Pepper now. She's quite the social butterfly and the perfect addition to our family. She is a total angel and Trouble finally quit biting and scratching me....

I guess she really just needed a little buddy. They romp and play together constantly and you don't ever really see them apart. At first I felt sorry for Pepper but quickly noticed she could hold her own with The Black Beast. They have so much fun together as well as provide us with countless hours of sheer entertainment. It's actually been difficult to get decent pictures of them because they are always tearing through the house at warp speed.

I think we'll keep these two characters. Only love can break a heart and only love can mend it again....