Monday, April 11, 2011

your heart grows back bigger

I love the line in the movie Must Love Dogs where John Cusack's character says that once it breaks, your heart grows back bigger...

My first Hopalong kitty was the love of my life. Buddy Stone maxed out at 17 pounds, he was a big, beautiful boy who my friend Suzanne always called my 'starter marriage.' Starting with the day I fell in love with him in the window of Your Basic Bird, we had a dozen wonderful years together, and when he passed in October it felt like the end of everything good in my life. Little did I know that two crazy, high-jumping littermates called Carmello and Zephyr were waiting to move in and take care of me, proving that your heart really does grow back bigger when you make room in it.

My new Hopalong kitties love to play and are perfect foils in terms of style and energy, complementing each other as siblings tend to. They love to climb on top of everything, wrestle at the foot of my bed and compete for lap space when I watch movies. Having two is great: I know they have each other for company while I'm at work, and it was nice to keep the kids together.

It took me a while to be ready, but the rush of kitten energy was just what I needed to start a new chapter in life. Everyone at Hopalong was great, and I always recommend the organization to folks who ask or are looking to adopt a pet. I'm so grateful to have my sweet boys, though I can't believe how much they've grown just since the picture below was taken (!)

Hopalong, thanks for helping my heart expand : )

Friday, April 8, 2011

Our Little Diesel Engine

When we adopted five-month-old Diesel in February, we prepared ourselves for weeks of slow, careful training to acclimate him to our home. He was incredibly sweet, but very nervous and skittish. Just 36 hours after arriving, he was tearing up and down the house, entertaining himself with countless toys, romping with our other cat, talking up a storm, and sidling up to us for regular cuddle sessions. He insists on sleeping on my face at night, and he routinely wakes us up with his loud purring.

Diesel is a wonderful addition to our home!