A Birthday Walk Down Memory Lane

I got a card in the mail yesterday...addressed to Mabel Chaffee. My mom sent my cat, Mabel, a birthday card and a PetSmart gift card, just in time for my baby girl's 3rd birthday!! I love that my mom plays along and feeds into my unhealthy attachment to my pets. :)

I thought I'd do a quick blog post about the day I picked Mabel out from a litter of adorable kittens and brought her home.

So it was 3 years ago, and I had had Jakers for a little more than 4 months. I was still having guilt about leaving him alone all day when I was at work, knowing he had separation anxiety (aka my dog's a hot mess), so was thinking about heading back to the Humane Society to check out the kitten selection. Then, my friend from work, Jamie, mentioned that her sister found a cat and her litter of kittens - that appeared to be strays - in a barn in Farmington (a southern suburb of Mpls). This seemed like the perfect opportunity to find Jakers a sibling, so I asked her if I could take a peek at them before her sister brought them to a shelter, as the weather was getting colder. So I drove down and saw the cutest, hungriest (Jamie's sister was their only source of food, so they LOVED to see her!) litter of kittens imagineable.

After some heartbreaking decision making (I wanted to take them all), I decided on the little tuxedo kitten - those teeny white paws were just too cute to pass up. I also liked the idea of Jakers having a little sister. So we loaded her in the car and off we went!
The original introduction went pretty well. Jakers seemed to be interested in this strange little creature, and Mabel certainly wasn't shy.

Jakers continue to molest - er, I mean - get to know Mabel, still a bit wary.

I think he was nervous.
But eventually, everyone seemed to warm right up.

And Mabel made herself comfortable.

But just as she was at ease, I decided that she needed a bath - she wasn't exactly living in the cleanest of conditions when I found her. I tried to soften the blow with some food, but she was not amused.

But, in time, we fell right into place and formed a happy little family. I'm thankful everyday for my amazing pets -- I know people think I'm over the top with my comparisons to them as children, but I really do love them more than I can explain. I think you're either born a pet lover, or not. And I got my dad's genes when it comes to loving animals. For that, I'm grateful. :)Happy Birthday, Mabel!