A Bittersweet Kitty Story

This was a hard week at our house.  We knew our Diego was getting older, but nothing can prepare you for the moment of loss.  Our hearts broke, and Boo and Jean also grieved for their buddy.  People were so kind in the aftermath it made me cry all over again.  I cannot tell you how many messages and stories I got through my site and Facebook.  My coworkers had a card signed with wonderful things the very next day.  I was overcome with hugs and surprise candy and just people being awesome.  Yes, my heart broke.  But I wouldn't trade our fifteen years with him for anything, not even to avoid that much pain.

RIP Diego, aka Fatbot, Mr. Fancypants and Baby D

A few days after we lost Diego, Boo Boo Louise had to go in to be spayed.  Through an incredible long chain of coincidences, everything went down just right in a perfect storm of karma.  While picking up our Boo, Bart saw two kittens in a small box up front.  They were brother and sister, and are absolutely identical to Cartman and Katy, the ones we lost in 2012 that we miss so much.  The boy is a ginger tabby, and the girl is a tortoiseshell.  Her face is rounder than Katy's, but the markings are so similar it stopped him in his tracks.  He went out to the car and made me come in.  I saw them and asked him if we could have them and he said yes. Right on the spot.  And just like that, we took them.  The vet's office gave them both half-price care for life because we adopted them (and maybe just a little to get the crying crazy cat lady out of their lobby).  

On the car ride home, they were terrified.  We let them out into the den and they immediately began to play.  It's been so long since we had kittens that weren't wild, we forgot just how much fun it can be.  They romped and fell and shook their fat little kitten butts, and we spent all weekend just loving them.  We both cried a few tears, especially when the boy picked up the ball just like Cartman did, and the little girl flopped down on Bart's cheek and snuggled in for sleep.  The resemblance is just uncanny.

Folks, meet Gilligan Cartman Tindle and Lucille Katherine Tindle.  For maximum cuteness, here they are snuggled on Bart's chest for a big nap, with little Gilligan hugging his sister.  They are inseparable, and so full of love.  

Gilligan is a boy in every regard, he runs so fast it is difficult to get a picture of him sitting still.  But if you look closely, in this picture you can see Lucy's handlebar mustache and "frowny eyebrows" that are completely untouched in this photo.

Once I noticed those and Bart got a good look, we can't not see them.  She looks like a ticked off villain at all times.  Heart melted.

So that's our bittersweet kitty story.  We're still sad and mourning, but we could not have passed on this in a million years.  Too many things went right that day for us to say no, and now we have young babies who will be with us for many years to come.

You can bet more pictures are coming soon, but for now I wanted to tell everyone our great news, so we can celebrate the good that came out of the sad.