Snuggles for Stress Relief

Today is a big day for our family. After a year or two of promising our children that, when the family was ready, we'd consider adding cats and a dog to the family, today we made good.

My mother-in-law breeds Siamese cats and German Shepherds. One of her cats escaped into the neighborhood some months ago, and met a fella. The resulting litter of kittens are a mixed bunch, and all adorable. There were some short hairs, some long. Some striped, some solid colored. All with the characteristic Siamese large ears. Years and years ago, my wife and I had adopted two brothers of similar origin from my mother-in-law. Those cats (Jackson and Mogwai) were our companions and beloved friends for a long, long time.

Today, we brought home another pair of brothers. Here they are, snuggling together in the back of the carrier we brought them home in. I was, frankly, amazed by the ride home. I've never been on a car ride with cats that didn't have the kitties constantly meowing, stressed out by the odd motions. These two just cuddled up together, and rode it out like they'd been on the road for years. Of course, they probably just don't know any better yet...we'll see.

The little black one is Loki, named for the Norse god of mischief. He's curious and active, and we expect that, of the two of them, he'll be the one getting into trouble more. His striped brother is Thor. We played around with all kinds of names. Bert and Ernie. Wall-E and Mo. Jet-adiah (for Loki) and Malachi(te) (for Thor...he's striped, see?). But, in the end, we liked these simple names, that harkened back to our family's Viking ancestry. There are actually quite a few Thors, Olis and such in my family tree, I'm told. :-)


After a few hours huddled in their carrier, the two little guys are getting a little more comfortable here. A little. Here's Loki, cuddling with our younger daughter. Of the two, he seems to be the more comfortable around humans right now.


I'm sure Thor will get over the shock of transplantation to a new home and a new family soon. For now, though, he prefers the safety of his carrier, or the litter box. Hey, if I got to PICK the place a new kitten likes to hang out, the litter box would top the list. :-)


We're all thrilled to have these little guys join the family. I've missed the companionship of cats over the years since our previous pair of brothers passed on. I remember very fondly the feeling of a little ball of warm fur cuddled up on a cold winter night. The sense of calm they transmit when they settle down in your lap, wanting nothing but a little love and affection. My kids were too young to really remember these parts of having a cat. Mogwai and Jackson passed on when our eldest was still very young, and our middle child had just been born. We're all looking forward to getting to know these two little guys.