UPDATE: Cats names are now Nutmeg and Ginger, not Mango and Pumpkin
One promise we made to the kids before moving the Spain was that we would get a pet. The kiddo’s have been ready for a while, and after fostering kitties in Korea they wanted their own!
So we visited El Arca de Noe shelter when Bethany was here and tried another time, but were turned away for not be pre-approved. So I spent a long afternoon translating and filling out the adoption application and questionnaire. Then, another couple weeks later, I started getting texts about potential kitties. I guess the ones at the shelter are either feral, mostly feral, new, or sick. So, not ideal for our situation…. we needed a couple cats who get along and have known temperaments. The shelter has 70% of their cats in foster, so I got lots of text options, and questions about kid interaction, etc…. we finally hit the mark with a family of cats that were born last spring and none adopted out yet.
We packed up the kids Tuesday afternoon to go see the cats at their foster house about an hour out of town. They were staying at a shelter volunteer’s mom and dad’s summer house. It was incredible: like this little mansion right in town. We walked through the gate with an “Aaaahhhhh” at their beautiful oasis courtyard. Then they let out the kitties to play and interact. We let the kids get approached by them and the one orange and white one was obviously Avi’s. This little boy, they called Mago, let Avi carry him around and play and pet. They were inseparable. Two of the 5 little ones – teens if you will – were skiddish and nervous of the kids, so that made an easy choice. The last two were both super fond of Zoe. They played and played, and it was hard to choose. She wanted to call her kitty Boom Mic, and so originally wanted the black and white one. But, then it seemed a bit wild and would not calm to let her pet him or pick him up. The other orange kitty was a gigantic purr machine, and played, and loved. So, she chose him (they called him Merlin) after a long afternoon of deciding. The family told us the two oranges also seemed to be best friends.
The family were so nice! They brought out drinks and snacks and we all sat on their veranda and chilled out while the kids picked out kitties. There were an adult daughter and son, who spoke English (and went the CEDES, the school Zoe will attend), and their parents all living out in this fancy place for the summer. After decisions were made, the dad invited us in to check out the house and his antiques; he likes British stuff and thought we were from the UK at first. His house was amazing! The foundation was built during Muslim occupation times… so about 600 years ago. In the basement there was an original tunnel opening that used to lead to the church. I guess all the town people had their own underground passage to church during that time period. His family built the current house on top of that in the 1700’s. It was amazingly ornate and formal in layout, plus his antiques and collection were awesome. Anyway, once he learned we were Americans he said he liked us better….thats a new one!
After that we were invited to take the kitties!! I did not think it would be just like that; I figured all the paperwork and stuff would have to happen first. But, this is a trial adoption period. We will meet in a few days downtown to finalize everything. I’m so excited!!! So are the kids. It has taken a couple days of having the cats around to choose names. Zoe landed on Ginger pretty quickly, though I did like Boom Mic she said it wasn’t appropriate on a non-black fuzzy cat. Avi has gone through a lot of names (Crescent Moon, Orange Peel, Tulip), but I think Pumpkin will stick…. nope, it’s now Ginger.
These two cats have been a joy to have at home. They wander around with us and love petting and purring, but they also play and hang out in the yard while we garden. So far, they have been sleeping in the big bathroom where their litter pan is. They’ve been quiet at night in there, but at bedtime are meowish and playing so thats why we put them in. Hopefully they get the hint that if they are calm they can sleep with the kiddos, though they do seem to like sleeping together so maybe its best to have them in their own space.
In the morning Nutmeg goes looking for Zoe while Ginger comes into my room where Avi has usually joined me in bed. So much love!!
