Kitty Cat Week Two

Lol! You thought something else cool was going to happen this week and I would be updating with something other than cat--but no. All cat, all the time. That's where we're at these days :)

Ha! Well, the kitty did have a big week . . . he became more snuggly . . . 

. . . more adventurous (he also took up bird watching and piano) . . . 

. . . and continues to prove he was raised by a pack of dogs at his first home (have you ever met a cat obsessed with pencils who also carries them around in his mouth like a dog bone?).

Sorry for the blurry photos--cats are surprisingly difficult to photograph. He also regularly gets called Spax, so it only seemed appropriate that he and his mixed-up namesake meet! Gabby brought her kitties over to play--Spax was not impressed, tiny Geely was carefree as always :)

Pretty great pic of all three cats together, right? :)

Two cat stories: Graysen and Brennen wrote papers for school. I noticed they spelled one character's name differently. Turns out, G$'s paper needed correcting, so I told him I'd show him how to find the "search and replace" tool on his laptop. I looked and looked; he looked and looked. IDK where the tool went. Barclay, the IT cat, stepped one paw onto the keyboard--the search and replace box instantly appeared on the screen, and he walked away as if to say, "Amateurs." Graysen and I laughed for a full five minutes!!

Remember that cute Love Box that Buck gave me for Christmas? Well, I was putting some laundry away in our room and noticed the cat obsessively stalking the corner of the room. I couldn't figure out what was intriguing him, until I noticed (well after he did) that the heart was spinning! I decided to take a video and here's what happened next . . .

We have real concerns this clumsy kitten is either visually or spatially impaired--he face plants . . . a lot. Ironically, the message from Buck included a little cat character who said, "I cat wait to see you!" So perhaps Barclay thought the messages was for him :) Maybe he's really a genius! And maybe he comes into our room at night, not to walk on our legs and wake us from a deep sleep, but to check on his message box? 

Kitty Cat Week One

For the first couple days we thought we'd rescued an invisible pet . . . Barclay B certainly seemed shy. He hid behind the dryer (fixed that with a white board), he hid under the guest bed (fixed that with my sister's "boards of education"--yup we still use them!), he hid behind the furnace, on the furnace, and around the furnace. When we tried to take him upstairs, he hid under the couch.

Eventually, Caelan and I just sat on the floor in the laundry room and played with him. He was afraid of every sound, every voice, every door opening or closing--back to hiding! It was kind of frustrating. He also wasn't eating or drinking. I was wondering how to phrase, "Ummm, the cat we leased is broken--is there a warranty or something?"

But each day BB got a little bit braver, a little bit more friendly, and a little bit more playful and adventurous. By Day 4, he started making friends with Buck. He hopped up on the couch while Buck was napping and sniffed his head, lol! I saw it happening and decided to just take pictures. Barclay's whiskers brushed up against Buck's forehead and jolted him awake. But after that, the kitty settled in next to Buck and even took a nap during the football game! (I don't know why this text is centered, but I can't fix it :)

When BB started eating, it seemed to help to have us take turns feeding him. Then we'd play with toys in his claimed laundry room space. Then we'd slowly back ourselves out of the room and play with toys in the living room. One afternoon, I was the only one home and without unexpected noises (you never realize how many weird sounds your house makes that you DON'T hear anymore, until you start listening with a freaked-out cat). Barclay and I broke down some cat trust barrier and he let me pick him up without fighting, he let me hold him without resisting, and he even started purring. Last night he, astonishingly, climbed into my lap and took a mini nap, wha???? So different than Gabby's immediately affectionate kitties, but we're getting there :)

Today was a big day, too! It's been almost a week and now Buck and Caelan can also hold him. Barclay spent the morning roaming around the classroom and playing with Graysen (super cute!) When we went upstairs, the cat actually got lonely and came to find us!! He's never once explored upstairs on his own before.

So, I think just Brennen and Noah (who have tried and keep trying :) are left to win his affections. I'm glad things are improving. Hopefully, the next report will be even more glowing! And hopefully his growing curiosity is manageable--I looked up just in time to see Barclay jump out of the top bunk, over my head, and onto the classroom bench four feet below . . . yikes!! Steady there, Adventure Cat.

Bridesmaids Day Out

Caelan excitedly discovered that each of her bridesmaids shared a day free of other plans! She made arrangements for Noah's mom and sisters to meet us at a bridal shop in the middle. She chose a place for lunch, for plant shopping, for coffee, and then back to our house for charcuterie and coloring wedding flowers pink. Such a fun plan!

However, with crazy Covid timing (recall Noah's older sister's husband tested positive for wedding dress shopping day), Noah's younger sister tested positive the morning of bridesmaid dress shopping day! Drat! But we made the best of it. Gabby rode over to the bridal shop with us and we met bridesmaid two in the snowy parking lot. 

Inside the store was kind of chaotic as brides, flower girls, bridesmaids, prom shoppers, and their support crews filled every mirrored dressing room. When a bride chose to say yes to a dress, a cowbell clanked loudly and the whole store cheered (we were SUPER thankful Caelan found her dress in a much more personalized, her-focused boutique without the distractions and pressure of the big store!)

The bridesmaids tried on a variety of styles and sizes (not all of which had in-store samples of the desert pink Caelan selected), but both found a dress they feel comfortable in--actually, Gabby's was exactly what she was hoping for, pockets and all! Caelan sent a picture to Noah's sister of another style that she thinks would look pretty on her (but hopes to go to their local store and recreate a bit of the trying on fun she missed, when she's feeling better). In the meantime, two pretty dresses are measured and ordered and due to arrive in February, hooray!

Next, we stopped at the mall to check out another dress store (more for dances than wedding apparel, we saw one of the prom shoppers there, too :) We grabbed smoothies and chai, then headed home for a downscaled rest of the day.

Here is my first attempt at charcuterie--a "meal" plate and a dessert plate . . . I got some feedback from a friend who knows about these things. She said I covered all the basics but agreed that I should add some jams or dips. I think my artistry could use a boost. I should have had Gabby design it! Buck bought the cute heart-shaped macarons, but I've decided I don't like how they taste :) I know they are super popular right now but, not for me!

It was Buck's day off, so I headed downstairs to spend time with him while the girls went to work upstairs on the flowers. They accomplished quite a lot--four cookie sheets worth!

Let's see, other wedding updates! Caelan brought her wedding dress home and started doing some alterations. She removed about an acre of tulle from under the top skirts; I tried to get a picture of the resulting poof pile, but there was no way to properly show the scale of it :)

Engagement pictures took place last week, and Caelan is soooooo looking forward to seeing them! Noah's wedding ring arrived today, and it fits perfectly--he wants to wear it now and not wait but is willing to safely store it away for a little longer :) Tomorrow is the floral appointment to look at fresh bouquet options. I feel like we need a cake taste-testing on the schedule . . . why don't we have one of those set up yet? Or two! Who is in charge of this calendar, anyway? Heehee :)

This 'n That

Hey, it's everybody's favorite this n' that post! First up, I took advantage of the tail end of school break to put together some puzzles--gifts from my Crew (and I still have more!) Technically Caelan helped with the Ark puzzle, but she wasn't home when I was ready to put it away, so she missed the photo. Also, that puzzle took forever to disassemble! The pieces snapped together like they were never letting go; I usually just roll and fold puzzles into the box, but this one wouldn't even do that! I had to take it apart, piece by piece, until the final section was small enough to stow flat within the confines of the box. I've never met another puzzle like it.

The boys headed out to a movie with Gabby and Chase--both looking very cool in a small selection of Chase's rehomed leather jackets. Brennen came back with matching aviators from a gas station stop. Buck and I keep commenting on how grown they look, G$ especially!

My chickens started making eggs again, woohoo! Most of them we can get to before they freeze and crack open (eggs, not chickens). Hooray for protein! I hear the price of eggs has gone up so much these things are just about worth the weight of their golden yolks.

Recent snows and fogs left a bit of sparkle on the back hill surrounding the chicken coop. It was nice to see some sunshine hitting the frosted hills, making the trees simply dazzling!

Kitty the Third

So, it turns out--being pet empty nesters is not a happy situation for the Crew! Caelan is constantly checking out puppies online and looking for opportunities to jump back in with the service dog training group. Buck can hardly wait for kitten playdates from Gabby, and the boys just go to Gabby's apartment and stay the night to snuggle Spax (okay, once :) Buck is not ready for another dog, and neither am I, but he really does miss having something small and furry to cuddle.

And so . . .

I've done some research online, looked at hundreds of cat pictures and descriptions, and I came across this one cute little fella fostered with a local rescue group. I sent an exploratory message last Saturday--we'll call that day 0.

Day 0: Two different emails, sent by me . . . "Is this little guy still available?" By that evening, two responses! "Yes, he is, but there are two applications ahead of you." Me, "Is there any way to speed up the expected 7-to-10-day process?" Them, "Well, you could submit the application." Right. 

I present the idea to Buck, show him the kitten, and he is excited!

Day 1: Sunday morning 9 a.m.  Online application took an extensive 25 minutes, answering more questions than one should have to to potentially gain a cat . . . past vet history for 10 years (plus contact), types, ages, demise of all pets you've cared for in the past 10 years, birthdates and ages of everyone living in the house, do you own your house, do you have a fence, can you submit a sample of your DNA? (Ha, just kidding on the last one :) But, we did have to have a reference outside of our family who doesn't live here and a reference within our family who doesn't live here, and I needed to release our records from our vet clinic. Okay.

Buck walked through the door with a cat tower, which he proceeded to build with enthusiasm; mentioning that there is also squishy food and cat litter in the garage which he also purchased for our not-yet-cat :)

Day 2: Monday morning, 9 a.m. I called our vet clinic and spoke to a lady who is a fan of our family--Buck said she was teary-eyed, too, when he brought Chauncey in for the last time last month. I said, "We're missing having a critter in our house, so we're looking to adopt one with this organization. They should be calling you this week to check us out. Her response, to my astonishment, "They already did! I told them you're a wonderful family and to give you anything you want!!" (I'm now hoping for a giraffe ;) Later that same day another volunteer contacted Buck to set up our virtual home visit (no joke).

We spent the evening brainstorming cat names that go well with a tuxedo-coloring; not Jeeves :)

Day 3: Tuesday, Buck orders all the things from an Amazon "cat list" that I built from 3:30-5:30 a.m. when I couldn't sleep the previous night. So far, all purchases fit within the gift card amount his mom sent us for Christmas :) I bet she didn't think this is what we'd use it for!

Gabby and neighbor confirm they have received and completed their reference forms. I feel like we are flying through this process! We buy natural cat treats at Trader Joes.

Day 4: Wednesday, afternoon. I am stressed to the max all morning, envisioning a similar foster home study like we had to prepare for when I was in high school! I'm cleaning all the things, making sure there's no coins on the floor (choking hazards), considering hiding our poisonous-to-cats plants (they are up on the mantel). Buck dials in to the video call and we all smile and wave to the inspection lady--they required everyone who would be living in the house with the cat to be present . . . I think we're getting a cat; but maybe I clicked the wrong button, and we are interviewing for a human baby?

Although there was a bit of kerfuffle about the chickens (which we didn't mention--but Gabby later said she did), my understanding is that we passed the home visit portion of our testing. The lady texted Buck later to say that our kitten's foster mom had to take another cat to have emergency surgery, so it might be a couple days before she contacted us to set up a meeting. That is correct, we have never actually seen this kitten other than in a picture and written description.

Day 5: Crickets. Crickets.

Day 6: Crickets. Crickets.

So much for our quick progress through the steps! Friday evening, I asked Buck to send me the third lady's contact info to see if she would reach out to the cat foster again (since we can't contact that person directly). She texted me back and said she would try again. I also asked how visits work and had the other two applicants already met the kitten? It was a relief when she texted back that one applicant didn't return her call for the home visit, and the other adopted another kitten before it met the one we are interested in. That means it's just us . . . and that we have to wait for this other cat lady to invite us to her house to meet the kitten. Once she does, she observes our interaction with the cat and decides if it likes us and we like it. Then she reports this to the people who have the application, references, and home study. They collectively decide if we are qualified to take care of a six-month-old (or maybe six-year-old by the time all of this happens) cat, then notify us by email with an adoption contract we have to sign. 

After that--I have no idea how long it takes to actually receive the cat. But I know all the gear for our not yet cat is arriving this afternoon :)

Day 7: Saturday, late afternoon . . . Buck sent me a text saying he had an address (not in our town like we thought) and two options for kitten meeting. We set it up for 7 PM Sunday.

Day 8: Sunday--Buck finished up work early--like 5:30. All the kids wanted to meet the kitten--well, Brennen had to work (bummed), Graysen was concerned he'd like the cat and we won't get it and he'll be sad, and Noah was sort of assumed into the kitten meeting party by his enthusiastic fiancé, ha! So, the guys decided to stay home and play video games on the elaborate system Graysen is collecting/building. Caelan, in the car and along for the ride! 

We drove the dark streets of another state looking for a big house with interior lights turned on (our best clue since there weren't house numbers). We chose a place to park, hoping it belonged to the correct house (sidewalk parking was apparently another option given the white, unplated Escalade's example a few houses down). A girl about Caelan's age opened the door holding a panther. Oh wait, that's our gigantic interview kitten!!

The house was full of barking dogs behind closed doors. The cat gave us a "Who are you and what are you doing here riling up the canines?" look, reminiscent of Brennen's babyhood thunder brow :) But, he wasn't fighting to get away, just looking wary. He has super soft fur, white back legs, white eye and nose whiskers, and pretty green eyes. I got to hold him, then Buck. Caelan, like all of us, was expecting an itty-bitty kitten, like Gabby's two. I double-checked, and yup, just six months old!

His mom cat was really just a kitten when this first litter came to be. At 3.5 months old, she appeared on the foster cat mom's porch, and the owners (three doors down) didn't want her back. Five kittens were born in the foster cat mom's care and have been raised at her home since July. So, he's not exactly a stray. He's got his shots, he's neutered, and passed his genetic health tests. The other kittens (including his mom kitten) were adopted quickly, but we were the first to meet him.

Buck decided that giant baby cat's chill response, and description of cuddliness and excitement to see the foster cat mom when she comes home, was a good fit for his future feline friend--who may grow to Muriel proportions with similar fur length ;)

Day 9: Buck left super early for work, so I sent him a message to confirm the decision after a night's sleep. He still felt the same, so I texted the home visit lady and said, "We'll take him!" (Apparently another application came in two days ago for yon kitty. . . not sure where that leaves us?) The house visit lady said she would review the input from all the sources and decide if we are "approved to adopt." Then in the next day or two she will send us a contract to sign. We were told by the foster cat lady that "this won't take long." So, we'll see . . .

Also Day 9--second guessed the first name pick--Darby Remington--so toasted my cell phone charge by noon searching for cat names online :) Wonder of wonders, late in the evening we received email approval and a lengthy contract that basically states we are leasing this cat and if for any reason we don't keep up our end of the bargain they are coming to repo it. Lol, kidding, not kidding! We also are contractually not allowed to ever rehome or adopt it out or give it away; it must be returned to the original organization. Whew! We attempted to pay our required "donation" in two different ways, were unable to find the contact info in either app, then circled back around to finally find a link that allowed payment. Whew x 2!

Day 10: Tuesday Buck is home from work, but busy attending various appointments around town. He receives a text that we can claim our kitty that day! Actually, the foster cat lady offered to drop him off at our house after work. Around 9 PM she arrived with our giant kitten. She had a stack of paperwork, a bag of treats and toys, and the kitty's bed. We posed for the "adoption photo" and away she went.

Unlike Gabby's outgoing, playful kittens--this guy immediately hid behind the first large thing he could find: the toilet. When I pulled him out from behind there, he opted for behind the dryer. Graysen lured him out with a toy, and we blocked off that entrance. He doesn't fight or scratch, and he doesn't make a sound; he just watches warily, startling at every creak in the floor, new voice, cell phone ping, all the noises that will eventually become commonplace. I guess when you live in a house full of dogs for six months, you are always ready for attack?

He did decide to let me hold him last night, or at least he pretended I was a toilet/dryer and hid behind me on the couch :) Eventually, he started purring, and even stretched out so I could pet his belly--which is a sign of trust, usually. He also put his front paws on Buck's leg, so that seemed like a positive gesture! Before bed, we introduced him to his cat tower, and I'm not sure he left it all night, because he was still hiding in it when we checked on him this morning.

So, what is his new name? Well, we're thinking Barclay Birchard, Barclay B, BB :) Chauncey was second-hand named after an NBA player, so it makes sense to continue that tradition. Buck's favorite player is Charles Barkley, so boom, first name! When I was researching names online, I discovered that President Rutherford B. Hayes was the first Siamese cat owner in America when he received such as a gift from a foreign ambassador. I looked up what his middle B stands for and it is Birchard :) So, there you go! (We're saving Cronk and Master Chief--the boys' suggestions--for their future dogs).

Alright, I'm off to remove the prince from his tower and remind him where his water, food, and necessities are located. I'm sure by next week, we'll be missing the kitty's quiet side, as we pluck him off of shelves and high places. Lol, I'll keep you posted! My mom loves seeing cat pictures on the blog!! ;)