A New Addition to Our Family

Meet the kitten. Brent's new favorite baby.

He's been hinting of his desire for his very own kitten for a while now, ever since he determined that my cat, P-Dub, will simply never have the kind of relationship with him that P-Dub has with me. Unless I'm not home, Brent's will never be P-Dub's first choice of lap to sit on, and even when I'm away it's iffy. P-Dub will never act happy when Brent picks him up and strokes him (even though his purring gives him away).

Brent wants a kitten, a GIRL kitten, that will fall in love with him and choose him FIRST as a snuggly bed. So I got one for him, for Christmas.

I know it's early for Christmas presents, even early Christmas presents, but the first day I did research on available kittens I found one that I thought might just be perfect. A visit to meet her the next day confirmed my suspicion, so I snatched her up as quickly as I could. The Burbank Animal Shelter and it's pet adoption program made everything so easy (and extremely easy on the wallet)!

Coming home from work last night to a new baby kitten was a bit of a surprise for Brent. Although he knew that I was getting him a kitten for Christmas, I had led him to believe that I was going to be a stickler to the old-fashioned notion of giving Christmas presents to their receivers on Christmas DAY (I usually am). But when God made this kitten available to me so early, I just couldn't wait. So after I picked her up from the animal shelter I took her home and sat with her in the bathroom until Brent got home about an hour and a half later.

The doll baby spent about ten minutes exploring every nook and cranny of our little bathroom before she climbed up onto my lap and got all cozy to fall asleep. Eventually I had to get up to prepare for Brent's arrival, and when I was finished I discovered P-Dub and the kitten having a very awkward moment of introduction from opposite sides of the bathroom door.

Then Brent came home.

Brent fell in love with her right away, and over the course of the evening melted away into nothingness. We spent the remainder of the evening crooning over our new baby girl and loving her easy going nature and her uninhibited habit of crawling into comfy looking and available laps.

P-Dub and the kitten did eventually meet face to face. We let P-Dub into the bathroom while the kitten was curled contentedly on Brent's lap. P-Dub charged right past Brent and the baby and spent about ten minutes "looking" for the kitten, even though we all knew HE knew exactly where she was. He played dumb, though, searching empty corners, mirrors and perfume bottles for her, and then finally ended up again next to Brent and the kitten. (Brent and I think he didn't WANT to find the kitten...he was SO in total denial.) When P-Dub finally allowed himself to lock eyes on our girlie, you could see the severe hatred in his eyes. He hissed gallons of tuna breath with all of the might of his body toward her, leaving Brent quite faint and kitty extremely dazed and confused. (Our kitty has spent all of her young life in the home of a nice woman who had two full-grown cats, a medium-sized dog and another foster kitten her age...all animals that loved our girl to pieces and probably never hissed at her once.) Not quite the introduction I was hoping for.

After that introduction, and a whack to the face from a livid P-Dub that sent her flying, our kitty didn't want to be anywhere in our house except for on one of our bodies or hidden away in some dark alcove. At least she feels safe in our arms. :) Nothing worse than a cat who stays away from people at all costs.

This is the most CUDDLY girl you have ever seen. She has a playful side, I know because it was the only side I saw of her the day that I visited her in her foster parent's home. But I think because of the trauma of yesterday, all she wants to do is stay safe and close to one of our warm bodies. As I write, she lies inside my zip-up sweatshirt in a deep sleep, making suckling noises; she's pooped after having a playful session of poking her head out of my sweatshirt at my neck and trying with all her might to snatch the string of my hoodie. Aw. :)

Can't wait for my love to get home from work tonight so that we can get back to enjoying her TOGETHER.

And in case you were wondering, a name is in the works.