handsful

Yes, we’re still surprised we have cats, too.  We’re NOT cat people.  We never have been.  Several of us are allergic to them, after all.

But, living out here in these wide open spaces made us think having an outdoor cat would be….appropriate.  A barn cat, per say.  He would wander around our property, pouncing on bugs and tiny varmints…earning his keep.

So, we went to the local pet store where a foster/adopt animal group was set and told them what we were looking for.  As we talked, it became clear that having two cats would be ideal.  They could keep each other company.

Good grief, were we really doing this?

We went back about a week later, when they had a bunch of their available cats on “display”.  They had a pair of orange tabbys that had been in the same foster home, so they were buds.  They were each just shy of a year old (give or take their best guess), and seemed pretty even-tempered.

So, we took them home.  The people with the group were so happy that Professor (found by a professor at a local college) and Miracle (attacked by a dog as a kitten, and survived) were being adopted together.  Professor became Chipper (after our fav baseball player, Chipper Jones) and Chili (Marley’s choice).

We kept them in our downstairs garage while they got used to their new people and place.  They were very skittish about everything.  They hated being outside.  They ran from us.  It wasn’t looking too promising.

But, we gave it time and little by little, they became our outdoor cats.  They now love it here…they’ve each found their favorite outdoor hang-out spots, and Chipper especially loves to roam in the woods.  So far, they’ve left us three”gifts”…in the form of a dead mouse and 2 dead moles. (earning their keep, remember?)  They come to us now when we call them, but only when they want to.  They ARE cats.  It helps a lot if we have treats.

Even though we NEVER saw ourselves having cats, we’re really enjoying our new family members.  And, I think they like their new digs.