New Kitty Updates and a Bittersweet Anniversary

The new kitties are settling in well (you know, other than being completely crazy and destroying my house). I'm taking all three of them to my vet next week for a general look-over and to get all their info into the system. I'm curious to have weights on them (especially Koshka, who might end up getting large) and to see if my vet has an opinion about whether Koshka is a Maine Coon or a Norwegian Forest Cat.

They're mostly lovely, albeit still kitten wild. Harry often sleeps with me, sometimes Koshka does too. Ember doesn't seem to like the waterbed for some reason, and rarely stays up there for long. Koshka sometimes sits on my lap while I eat, although that means spending most of my time shoving his face away from my food. They're all very sweet.

But it's not the same.

It wasn't going to be, of course, and I knew that, but some days, like today, it is hard. Today is an anniversary that is important enough that it was written on my calendar every year: 16 years ago today, I brought home two kittens and their scared, sickly mother from the shelter. 16 years ago, my life became so much brighter because of Minerva, Mystic, and most especially Magic the Cat, Queen of the Universe, with whom I had a relationship unlike any other in my loooong history of cat-being-owned-by. I have missed Magic and Mystic every day since I lost them in January, but today was tougher than most.

They were so darned cute.

It's hard to believe they were ever that little. Especially Mystic.

But look at the size of his paws. I should have known he'd get huge.

The family together, Magic, Minerva, and look-alike son Mystic

They used to curl up together a lot. I was so glad I kept them together.

Having Ember, Koshka, and Harry Dresden is definitely helping--don't get me wrong. At least the house doesn't have that horrible empty feeling anymore and they really are adorable little cats. Even Angus doesn't seem to mind them much. But it is going to take time for me to stop mourning the old cats and get attached to the new ones.

Still, in the meanwhile, they're pretty cute too.

Koshka is trying to figure out if there are any good cat shows on

Harry's probably exhausted from all that running and romping.

Ember was running and romping with him, obviously.

All four cats on the couch. A lovely sight.

I'll let you know what the vet says after we go on Wednesday. In the meantime, I'm going to be a little sad today, but I'm sure someone cute will come cheer me up later.

Meet Ember and Koshka

I'm still recovering from the loss of Magic and Mystic last month, but little Harry Dresden has settled in well and he and Angus are already pals. So yesterday I added two more (the last two, really) to the household. Ember (the little gray and orange girl) and Koshka (the long-haired lion-cat boy, named after the dragon-cat in Wickedly Powerful) were rescued from a 25 cat hoarding situation, so no one is completely sure of their ages or if they are brother and sister, although that's probable. It's thought they are about 7-8 months old, so not that much older that Harry, who is 5 months old. For now they are hanging out in the kitchen, but I hope to integrate them all soon...

Aren't they gorgeous? I hadn't intended to get three more--just two to take the places of Magic and Mystic. But up until a couple of years ago, I'd had five for a long time, and when I saw Koshka when I went to visit Ember, and could see that they were attached to each other, I just had to take him too. I wanted to give Harry and Angus a chance to bond (which they have) and didn't want to overwhelm Angus with three new kitties at once, besides, Ember still had to be neutered (and the cat sanctuary woman who had taken her in was willing to pay to get it done), so I've been waiting to bring them home.

But now they're here, and my house is full again. I'm still grieving for Magic and Mystic, but I'm pretty sure Magic sent me all three of the new kitties, as I asked her to, and that really helps.

Now we just have to get everyone settled in...

Ember. Look at that sweet face!

Koshka. Can you tell he'd been crawling behind the cookbooks?

Ember. I suspect she's going to stay pretty small.

This one, I'm not so sure about!

Apparently they call this coloring a blue tortie or a dilute tortie or calico.

Fluffy!