Tessie - The Real Story

Since I rarely am able to blog without someone under the age of 11 looking over my shoulder, I couldn't tell the *real* story of Tessie last week.
Tessie has a brother.  He was named Duke at the shelter.
We knew that Tess was the cat for us right away.
After we initiated the adoption process, Jim brought up also adopting Duke.
He seemed cute, shy, very mellow and looked like he was continuously coming off a bender because whenever we went into see Tessie, Duke was passed out in the litter box.
Our kind of cat.
So we asked about him.
The people at the shelter were pleased, because they had been hoping to keep them together.
BUT.
We didn't tell the kids about it.
Partly because we didn't want this poor cat to have 16 names and partly because we wanted it to be a surprise.

We went in for our Adoption Interview on Saturday.  We all sat down with a very nice lady and talked for almost an hour about how to care for a kitten and how to best introduce Tess to Herkimer.
Then the Volunteer said, "Wow!  Looks here like Duke is getting adopted today, too!" and held up a paper.
Caroline responded, "Yes, he got his boy parts cut off yesterday so he can't help make babies and now he's going to a nice family."
In which the boys all gasped, held onto their crotches and croaked, "They cut off his penis?!?!?!?!"
I think the poor Volunteer might be scarred for life.  It took her a good five minutes to recover and stop laughing.
When adequately recovered, she explained that, yes, Duke had been "altered", but his penis was still there and that he was was going home with his sister.
THEN they figured it out and the shrieks of joy commenced.

The kitties are still sequestered in the bathroom.
Herkimer is becoming more accepting of their smell.  We've been leaving blankets that they have slept on in different parts of the house and putting blankets with Herkie's smell in the kitty area.
Last night we let them roam around the blue room a bit to get them accustomed to the smells and to let Herkimer get used to to the idea that they were there.
Herkie and the kitties have not met face to face yet.
Probably later this week.  Herkimer seems to be getting more comfortably walking in front of the bathroom where they are.  We're going to try to put some treats and some food near it, as eating in front of a foreign cat is a sign of acceptance.
It's a slow process, but since these muttonheads are in it for the long haul, we might as well go slowly.
We have been taking a fair amount of ribbing that not only are we the crazy kid people, we are now also the crazy cat people.
I can take that.

Here is Tessie:

Tessie is outgoing and ready to play.

Little Miss Jumps-a-Lot has figured out how to scale not one but TWO baby gates.  She enjoyed the view.

Here is Pheidippedes Duke.
Jim and I named him that  because Pheidippedes ran the first marathon and we could keep his shelter name, Duke, as a middle name and call him PD.
PD is shy, timid, purrs like an engine and just wants to cuddle once he is comfortable with you.

I have the day off from teaching Catechism today and we will be catching up with things around the house.
I hope.
I"m thinking a fair amount of time will be used for cat wrangling.
I'm cool with that.