Introducing Two New Members of the Pride

[fivecats]

Max & Jacques
September 2010 Outside Raleighwood, NC
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Additional gratuitous cute kitten pictures ahead.

Should you be interested,

Two Saturdays ago we were driving back from the Farmer's Market, taking the back route that passes by the turnoff to the local SPCA.

"Bet you can't go look at the cats and not come home with one," Bonn challenged.

"I bet I have no intention of not coming home with one," I replied.

The next several minutes were spent listening to my wide-eyed wife telling me she couldn't believe I was doing this and how this wasn't a good idea and we really shouldn't even be thinking about this and...

I would have expected, after twenty years of being together, that she would have better sense than to say anything like that to me. Especially when I've been telling her for months that with only four cats in the house a part of me keeps wanting to look for number five. ("We've got to get our numbers back up," is what I've been saying)

Our local SPCA is really an impressive building. The main foyer has a huge cathedral ceiling that lets in lots of natural light. It looks clean, smells clean and is staffed by very eager, knowledgeable people who want to do the best for the animals in their care. They've also gone completely no-kill, which make them even better in my book. As an added bonus, that weekend they were having a half-off adoption fee sale on cats.

We walked around, looking at both young and old cats. In one of the cat rooms, Bonn looked through a window into the hallway and pointed.

"That's the cat I want!"



Max
September 2010 Outside Raleighwood, NC
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There were four of them in the cage. Two were already claimed and Bonn picked out the sweetest, sleepiest one, thinking he would be able to unobtrusively fit in with the rest of the pride at home. We went out to the foyer, worked with Leigh, a staff member, to get all of the paperwork taken care of. Money changed hands. Leigh took a cardboard temporary cat carrier to the back to put the quiet little kitten inside so we could take him home.



Max
September 2010 Outside Raleighwood, NC
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That's when the kitten went completely ap$hi† on us.

He howled, screeched and thrashed around in the carrier. People were laughing at us as we left.

I had been given naming rights over this kitten and by the time we got to the car I had named him Max, for the main character in "Where the Wild Things Are." ("Let the wild rumpus begin!")

He calmed down only after we let him out of the carrier in the living room. He started exploring and checking out his new home.

The other cats were less than impressed. In fact, most of them were downright hostile. Soree, the youngest of the cats, was particularly mean. We had hoped he would take to a new cat quickly, seeing in the kitten someone he could play with. Instead, he saw Max as a Replacement and has expressed this opinion ever since.

After a week of the other cats all but shunning Max, Bonn came out this past Saturday and said:

"Bad news: the SPCA is having an even better sale: $30 for cats. And I've found the one I want to get for Max."

So off we went, back to the SPCA.



François Jacques Duvall
September 2010 Outside Raleighwood, NC
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Leigh, the staff person who helped us out with Max last week, was working at the reception desk when we walked in. Instead of eyeing us suspiciously like the cat hoarders I feared we might be coming across as, she simply smiled and asked if we were back for more.

Bonn told her the name of the cat she had seen online and Leigh put an immediate hold on him for us.

The room he was in was for kittens and had a posted occupancy of five. When we got there I counted nine people (including a family of four and the SCPA staffer who was looking somewhat panicked at the number of people around her. I stayed outside and watched as she located a small black cat with a white mustache for Bonn.

Through the glass Bonn was all smiles. "Isn't he great?!" she mouthed.

I watched as he squirmed in her arms, trying to rip the flesh off of her arms with his teeth and claws.




François Jacques Duvall
September 2010 Outside Raleighwood, NC
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Shortly after getting him out of that crowded, crazed room, the cat settled down. Bonn's had plenty of experience with biting kittens and she got him under control quickly. When I checked on her while the paperwork was going through, he seemed like a completely different cat. He was calm, almost happy to be out of the madhouse that had been the viewing room.

Bonn had in mind a French name for him. She started with François but somehow I had it in mind that was Jacques. Right now, it's leaning towards Jacques, but it may take another week to figure out what it really is.




Max & Jacques
September 2010 Outside Raleighwood, NC
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Now these two spend their mornings playing. Playing hard. Luckily, they also sleep hard.

Today they were sleeping together on the same chair for the first time.

In time, we're hopeful that the other cats will accept them into the pride. It will likely be a slow process over the months, but we've done this before and just have to remember patience.

Meanwhile, Max is being quite the happy and contented cat.




Max
September 2010 Outside Raleighwood, NC
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Comments

[kylecassidy.livejournal.com]

are you now called sevencats??

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

technically, it should be sixcats if we're only counting the indoor cats.

counting our one outdoor cat, yes, it should be sevencats.

however, for consistency's sake, i'm keeping the fivecats moniker.

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[yes-rhade.livejournal.com]

You capture the essence of cat personalities so well. I should post more pics of the two boys here - this is definitely their home now, and they do feel that they are entitled to every comfy blanket and pillow that we own.

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

the interwebs can never have too many good cat pictures. you should be posting them!

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[zyzyly.livejournal.com]

hello new cats--you've found a good home!

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

i think they know this. it's quite something, really.

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[basefinder.livejournal.com]

Adorable!

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

they certainly think so, yes. : )

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[smileyfish.livejournal.com]

You area a crazy cat hoarder, but I like you anyway. =o)

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

well, thanks. someone has to make up for the cats per household deficiencies you two keep posting.

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[abendstille.livejournal.com]

those lucky cat boys! thanks so much for sharing the story and showing the pics!

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

i think we're all sharing equally in the luck.

best to you and much happiness.

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[nalsa.livejournal.com]

Hah. Crazy cat hoarder. Made me laugh; love the last shot of Max, too.

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

we only play cat horders on TV. in reality, we have things quite under control.

i mean, we can stop whenever we want to. no problem.

really.

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[amlaped.livejournal.com]

The bottom book in the last photo is The Idiot's Guide to Cat Hoarding, isn't it?

Congrats!

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

Idiots Guide to Getting Published, actually. :)

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[zeppo-marx.livejournal.com]

Wonderful to hear that the pride is growing again.

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

i think we're going to hold at six + one outdoor for the time being.

but, yes, it's good to see our numbers back up. : )

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[vavaverity.livejournal.com]

omg they are too freakin' cute. congrats!

[fivecats.livejournal.com]

aren't they, though? (they're even cuter in person!)

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