Frank Fender

So Matt gets a call from his aunt, who says that a lady from work is looking for a home for her Himalayan kitty. An upcoming baby is involved and the family is not going to keep the cat.

Well, let's just say I did extract a promise that no cats will ever be let outside again, no matter what. Also, the cats are really his, so he kind of makes the call on new cats.

The good news is that Frankie (for his beautiful blue eyes) absolutely loves dogs. He's fascinated by them and not at all afraid. He really likes Cyrus.

They are opposite of each other, pale where the other is dark.

He was even comfortable in the middle of the pack, with everyone sniffing him. He's such a steady little guy.


Now if only we can convince Moira to like him. She perches on tall things and hisses when he comes near. He prefers to stay at dog level, so she is currently playing the "ground is lava" game.

Introductions

Oscar and Sarah were abandoned by their owner along with three other siblings and their mother. Fortunately, they lived near a kind-hearted lady who also works for the library and she fed them, made sure they were immunized and altered and found what homes she could. Oscar and Sarah were the last of the bunch and serendipity matched their need for a home with our need for feline company for Moira.

They didn't settle in immediately, since they had been outside kitties and Moira was surprisingly, well, catty. But soon they became part of the crew.

Moira teaches Oscar the fine art of begging in the kitchen (important - never from the counter!)

Sarah investigates the plush surroundings.

So does her brother.

Cyrus and Sasha warn them to behave with their dog-pod laser-eyes.

The cutest thing was Mya's concern for Moira. At the first confirmation that there were strange cats in our house, Mya ran to find her buddy and check her all over, very carefully, to make sure Moira was ok and safe with these strangers.

A New Page

Well, the house appraisal is done. Whew! One more step that we can check off our list. Since we had everything neatened up for the appraiser, I took some pictures. Look how far everything's come!

Living room from the left side.

From the right side...

Kitchen/Dining Room

And some fun stuff. A rare video of Mya and Cyrus playing tug-o'-war. My favorite part? When he pulls it away from her, he stops and holds it still, like, "Oh, grab back on. Got a good hold? Okay!" The growling is all Mya.

So, we did get a second cat for Quincy (and Matt). She's great, too - she'll get her own post a little later. But I wanted to highlight the fabulousness of Q-Ball, the Tailless Wonder. This cat has cajones and I'm so happy he ended up with us. He and Cyrus are great together.

New Arrival at the Animal House

Our newest member of the Zoo Family is Quincy. My cousin Keren found Quincy as a wee black puffball. He was around 4 or 5 weeks old and clearly abused (he had burned off whiskers and we suspect that his tail may have been pulled off rather than naturally manx). Even so, he has a lovely, friendly and brave disposition. My cousin kept him for us around 2 months while we prepped the new house, since we couldn't have a cat in the rental. She raised him well and her tiny chihuahua, Sugar, was Quincy's best buddy. They tousled and chased and Sugar taught Quincy a little about dogs. Now, an older Quincy has joined us. Here he is exploring his new digs.

From the beginning, he had little fear of (although a healthy respect for) the dogs, despite the fact that Cyrus, at least, is an order of magnitude larger than Sugar. We found that this bravery extends equally to a willingness to, say, attack feet carelessly left unattended at the edge of the bed. I hear that's a cat thing.

Here is a video of Quincy and the dogs. He will actually sometimes play with Cyrus (he likes to bat Cyrus' fringed ears), but he persists in swatting Mya. This is because Mya is determined to try and bite him at every opportunity. She's like the dog from Bunnicula, determined that our house is being overrun by the spawn of evil and she's the only one who can defend us...