Our Babies!

Well I am not mom to a human baby, but I have my two fur babies! Kitty and Hercules.

First there was Kitty. He was part of a package deal, I got the cat, and Keith together! A great 2-fer deal! :)
Kitty moved into my apartment in 2000, and that was before Keith 'officially' moved in :) Keith and Kitty had already been together for a few years. Keith was spending a bit of time at my place, and not so much time at his house, so he decided to bring Kitty over to my apartment.

Well just a short time after that, Keith was headed out of town for the weekend (I think he was going to Texas to see his Dad and Sister, but my memory could be off). Anyway, I was in charge of Kitty... so about 2 hours after Keith left... I couldn't find the cat. Seriously! I had a TINY one bedroom apartment... and the cat was no where. I started thinking that he may have snuck out the door somehow, he was a fast, agile cat after all. So I walked the neighborhood looking... I couldn't find him anywere. I went back to the apartment and again looked every where for him.. no luck. I was dreading calling Keith to tell him I lost his cat... when I heard noise in the cupboards above the washing machine. There he was, he had somehow gotten into the cupboard above the machine... and was napping on a stack of towels! I thought I had looked everywhere for him... I didn't think to open the cupboards to look.. crazy cat! I am still not sure how he managed it... but he was there.

About a year after that, I was moving to a new apartment, and Keith decided to take Kitty back to his house. I quickly realized I needed that love that a cat can give... enter Hercules!

I've had Hercules since 2001, I adopted him at 6 weeks old from the Pet Smart parking lot. They were having an adoption fair, or something. There were tents out front, and shelters from all over the valley were there to try to match up us pet lovers with our new fur babies. He was so tiny he fit in the palm of my hand! I remember being scared he would hurt himself if he jumped off the bed, so I would put him up there at bedtime, then in the morning, I would let him down... I guess he has been spoiled since the begining.

I ended up with my little bundle of spastic joy! He started out as the calmest cat! It was about a week of calm cat... then he started sneezing... and I realized he was sick... after a week of antibiotics, I got to know the real Hercules! My little spaz! :) I do believe he is afraid of the dark, he sleeps in the hall way near a night light we have put out for him. If there are no lights on he tends to meow loudly into the corner of the room, so that it amplifies his voice. Smart cat!

It was in 2002, when Keith and I moved to Boise, and 'officially' moved in together, that the cats got to meet eachother. Let me tell you, it was a tough car ride, from Salt Lake city, to Boise Idaho, with a LOUD cat in the car! :) I had Hercules in my car, and Keith was with Kitty in the truck.
After tormenting them with a long car ride, we introduced them to eachother... At first it was as if they didn't like eachother, they would hiss, scratch, and show their teeth to eachother. They continued this 'fighting' sharade until one day we walked into the apartment and found them cuddled together on the couch! The door opened, we saw them, they saw us, looked at eachother, hissed at eachother, and Kitty ran off to the other room... but the charade was over. We realized we had been played by the cats. They were actaully getting along but must have realized they got more treats and such, if we were worried about them. I guess they do rule the house!

Well here we are years later, there are a few grey hairs, a bit of a wider mid section, and I suppose I am not only talking about the cats here :) We have had a great... almost 10 years together for me and Kitty, and it's been longer for Kitty and Keith... I will not forget the good times... Kitty was a lap cat.. he liked to be on your lap when you were reading, he liked to stick his head between you and the book, so that it made it hard to read :) seems like so long ago... He's been sick for a while... one thing leads to another, and yet another. He's been a trooper!