So You Think You Can Meow?

If there is one thing anyone who knows me could say about me, it's that I have such a heart for animals. I've had pets all my life, and I am sure that has contributed to why I love them so much - they have literally always been a part of my family, and I genuinely cannot recall a single period of my life where we did not have pets.

CiCi and MuChi say, "Hello, everyone!"

There is little in the world to match the joy your heart feels when you come home from a long day at work to little faces who are literally dying to see you!  Wagging tails, spinning in circles, happily barking and jumping - that's what Dusty and I come home to, and there is just nothing better. 

On the flip side of this coin, though, lies a deep passion in my heart for fighting animal cruelty.  Because I have raised animals from babies to adulthood and I know the endless love they have for their humans, I simply cannot tolerate animal cruelty and I genuinely have no idea how someone could do it.  It makes me ill.  In fact, our local news has covered multiple stories lately about dogs that were found so neglected that their collars had never been adjusted from when they were puppies and were so embedded into their necks that the collars almost severed their trachea!  I mean, come on!!!!  These poor animals did not deserve this type of treatment, and I just cannot comprehend why someone would get a pet just to treat it like that.  (The same lack of comprehension goes for parents who choose to have children and then refuse to take care of them, but that's another story for another day).

This post is actually a happy one though, and it falls in the middle of the road between the joy of pets and the horrors that pets can experience.  This past weekend, Dusty and I were on a mission to "fall" for our home.  What this means for me is that I needed mums and a pumpkin for around our mailbox.  We stopped at a local nursery after church and picked out said mums and pumpkin and went to check out.  In the greenhouse, there was this little box or crate made of wood and metal.  Inside, there was the tiniest fluffy kitten!

I commented to the woman running the business that I loved that she brought her kitten to work and that it was so adorable, and she told us that it actually wasn't her kitten.  She said that on her farm, cats have kittens in her barns all the time and just leave them there, and that this particular kitten was rescued that morning.  When I asked her what she meant by rescued, she informed me that she has two pit bulls that do not do well with small animals, and often times, they are the ones who discover the left kittens in the barns.  She told us a long and drawn out story, but the bottom line was this:  she had to find a customer to take this kitten by the end of the day, or unfortunately, the kitten would have to be put down.

Obviously, I was horrified, but I am seriously not a cat person and I was thinking of who we could call that could take in this little baby when I heard Dusty say, "Well, okay, we'll take her."

Wait, WHAT?????

So that was that.  We brought home mums, a pumpkin, and a kitten.  Happy Fall, y'all!

I will say this with the utmost sincerity.  She has been such a little love.  While CiCi doesn't really know what to make of her and typically ignores her most of the time, MuChi is obsessed with her!  He thinks she's his baby, and even though it took him a few days to realize her purring was not her growling at me, he just loves her to pieces.  (Sidebar: MuChi also doesn't understand why "Aww, she wants to play with me!" ends up being, "Mom, why does she keep hurting me?" but every day is getting better than the last).  It's been really interesting to see how they learn to deal with each other and figure each other out.

Also, while I generally love the more predictable temperament of dogs over cats, this little princess royally whooped up on both of my precious pups in the potty-training department. 

Oh, you think I'm kidding?  I'm not.

So, the only obstacle we had to overcome now that everyone was getting along is - what to name her?  At first, I thought about naming her Kelly Clarkson, because let's face it, she is Miss Independent.  But, that was too cumbersome.  Then, I thought about naming her MiMi after one of my favorite characters in the Broadway musical RENT.  But Dusty vetoed that after trying to say, "CiCi, MuChi, and MiMi" in sequence (heck, even I couldn't do it more than twice).  Then, genius struck.

What's my favorite show? 

You KNOW this!

Who happens to be the host of my favorite show (who I also happen to adore)?

So pretty! (And I love her British accent!)

Do you see where I'm going with this?  If not, I'll be happy to help you along.  Meet the newest, purr-fect addition to our happy farm home, Little Cat Deeley!

Pretty much the story of her life at our house so far.

Clearly, there has been lots of catnaps. Dognaps? Okay, just naps.

Dogs with bones for being good to her? Cat with dogs.

The way kittens sleep absolutely cracks me up!

Is this not the cutest face???

Welcome to the family, Deeley!  In the few short days you've been with us, you have already stolen our hearts, and we are so happy to have you!  We went to a nursery to buy mums and a pumpkin, and we came home with the best fall addition to our home of all!  We love you, little girl!

Your Momma,

Ribs