we've already lost them a few times so we're great cat parents

Back when we were living in Tennessee, we made an unusual discovery one Saturday.

Something had pooped on our stairs. Not the outside stairs. Not the deck stairs. The stairs inside the house.

We didn't own a pet. Annabelle was months old so obviously, it wasn't her. Needless to say, but I'll say it anyway, it was not me or Christopher. The babysitter said she hadn't let any animals in. We never figured out the culprit, but I choose to believe it was a cat. I can't bear to think about a stray squirrel in our house.

This evening we had another unfortunate situation with an animal using my laundry basket as a bathroom. Unlike last time, we can narrow it down to one of these cute faces.

 

We went to the mall for a jacket and came back with kittens.

We'd like to get a rabbit or dog but we can't have either in our current home. We've discussed getting a cat for a while but it never seemed like the right time. We are frequent window shoppers at the pet store and when we were there today they had a litter of kittens. Christopher instantly started campaigning that today be The Day. I had several reservations.
1. How much work would they be?
2. What do we do with them when we travel?
3.  I'm not much of a cat person. I'd prefer them in a perpetual kitten stage but news flash! that's not a thing.
4. What if we ended up with a snooty, prissy cat who did nothing but stare at us while sitting in the windowsill? What kind of pet is that? Cats are like kids. You never know what kind of personality they'll have.
5. I'd prefer a rabbit.

Christopher wore me down convinced me that there is no time like the present and while we're at it, let's get two kittens! Because they're cheap and need a friend! And they're so cute! And he wanted the orange one but he'd let us pick out the other. So that's how we ended up buying kittens today. Considering how many times I've asked if we can permanently borrow someone's baby only to have him shot the idea down, I think I was very generous to agree to his idea. 

As I carried the box of kittens out of the mall I had instant buyers regret. Maybe we hadn't thought it through enough. What if it was a curtain climber? What if they got out of the house when we were leaving for school? What if they ruin my precious throw pillows? When I was five, we had a cat for two weeks. I adored Snowball. I remember falling asleep with him. I snuggled him. I was devastated when we got rid of him. Mom had just had the twins and the cat that to me was a dream come true was to her a menace to her household. Snowball would climb up the curtains and run along the curtain rod. He constantly got out of the house and we'd have to chase him down. He scratched everything. It was too much. All these years later I understood why Mom decided to get rid of Snowball and I had just agreed to take my family down that same path.

Then we got to the car and I took the first kitten out of the box. I was like the Grinch. My heart grew three sizes.

I was a smitten kitten.

They are so cute. SO CUTE. 

I brought the following names to the table:
Ross and Rachel

Luke and Lorelai
Albert and Victoria
Fred and Ginger
George and Barbara
Jim and Pam
Johnny and June
Philip and Elizabeth

Christopher suggested:

Odin and Frigga (Thor's parents)
Arthur and Molly (a couple from Harry Potter)
Others names I don't remember but made me roll my eyes
Linus and Lucy

We agreed on two- Fred and Ginger and Linus and Lucy. I was really going for Fred and Ginger but Linus and Lucy won. 

So far they've spent a considerable amount of time wrestling, hiding under beds and in the bathroom, and exploring. They took naps snuggled in our arms. We refer to Linus as Christopher's cat because he was head of the whole buying operation and really wanted the orange cat. He's more skittish (aka a scaredy cat) and into arching his back. He bats at Lucy and picks fights. Lucy is the girls cat and she's more into cuddling and sitting on AB's bed while Linus cowers underneath. 

OMG I JUST WROTE A WHOLE PARAGRAPH ABOUT CATS. I'M TURNING INTO A CRAZY CAT LADY.