Our Latest Additions - Xerxes and Coal,

The Kitties!

(Click on any picture to see it enlarged)

Ms. Debby (day care provider extraordinaire) recently had a slew of brand new kittens running around her house - and, our kids being OUR kids, we were badgered and annoyed an haunted for weeks on end until one of them was destined to come home with us.  When we arrived at Ms. Debby's to pick the selected kitten up, I actually spotted an all black girl kitten that was more to my liking, but the kids had already set their sights on the little guy that is now known as Xerxes (YES - Xerxes!!  Libby picked out his name.  hee hee hee).  I think it was the white "socks" and chest plate...but a any rate - he's here with us now.  He seems to favor MY company, which is TOTALLY cool because he's not at all easy to sidle up next to.  He mews incessantly if left alone, is fairly aloof, but once he's comfy with his surroundings - he's an awfully cool buddy to hang around with.  Down below are pictures from his first day with us.  But hold your hats..

A few days later, we were contacted by Ms. Debby and informed one of the all black boy kittens was no longer claimed by any party and was free to come home with us if we'd like.  I was actually very happy with one kitty by then and Xerxes and I had already formed a very strong bond.  But the meow of a lonely black cat a few streets down could not be stifled even with that much space between us.  So, we bit the bullet and made a 2nd road trip to pick up the kitty now known simply as Coal..yes..cause he's all black.  The next few pictures below are from their first day together.  They were very happy to see each other again.

All of this did NOT go without incident.  See, Libby left the cellar door open when she went to do some laundry and Xerxes followed her.  He got down a few  stairs and then found he could get into the dropped ceiling for the living area downstairs via a tiny crawlspace near the cellar stairs leading to the laundry room.  SO!  A short while later, we heard desperate mewing from WITHIN THE WALLS!!!!  I don't mind telling you how incensed I was at that point.  I knew immediately this wasn't gonna be easy and it WAS going to be a very expensive fix...VERY expensive.  Anyway, the long and the short of it was - I was faced with two possibilities.  #1 - leave Xerxes where he was and let nature take its course (yeah, like that was gonna happen) and #2 - well, just look for yourselves.  Before you start judging me and tell me all of the ways I could have avoided this, FORGET IT.  We tried..it failed..and this was the ONLY way to get my poor little guy out of the wall.  I didn't have a camera when his little head peeked out of the dust and paper.  I think I cried but I'll never admit that to YOU!!  LOL.

Immediately after coming through the front door, he bolted under the computer table and refused to come out.	After all, why check out the rest of the new digs when there's cool wires and cords to be clawed at and chewed!	He finally calmed down a bit and started checking us out.	Now, cool as a cucumber, he found a spot to curl up and relax for a bit.
Then it was nap time and my hat seemed as good a place as any to curl up and catch a few winks.	Then, fresh as a daisy, it was time to check out the cat toys.	I was particularly pleased that he took immediately to clawing at the cat toys rather than the furniture.	This is now his most favorite toy...although he has yet to check out the dozens left by visitors checking out the new family member.  THANK YOU EVERYONE!
Got a little kitty condo for them.  As you can see, they hated it.  *giggle*	The hide n seek began instantly.  Coal is the bigger of the two...and has GIANT PAWS already.  He's going to be a HUGE cat...Xerxes hasn't figure this out yet.	Despite being thrown downstairs in the kitty condo repeatedly.  hee hee hee	So yeah...mewing began inside wall.  Using cup to ear technique, we (meaning I) determined Xerxes was somewhere in here.  Right hole made first.
Not finding Xerxes in right hole, we aimed lower so that, perhaps, Xerxes could get further down and crawl out.  Instead...Libby crawled IN.	Now inside crawl space, Libby indicates I should try poking here and there...which I did...to no avail.	Then it was suggested he was actually inside the stairs themselves...he wasn't...BUT now with sufficient light, Libby spotted him in the LEFT part of the stairs, so I poked the left hole in the location I started in (and should have stayed in) and Xerxes came flying out.	And I can now GUARANTEE that Xerxes will NEVER, EVER, EVER cause us that level of grief again.  Nor will Coal for that matter as they're both relegated to the upstairs until they're too big for the tiny crawl space, when they will be relegated to the downstairs FOREVER!!!