The Delusion of Stability
Over the course of 12 months, we “accidentally” acquired six cats through a series of conscious choices, Cat Distribution System designations, and deeply questionable decisions. You can read the full story of the six cats in How We Ended Up With 10 Cats: Part 1. With humans in the house outnumbered by cats, we were confident we were done.
We were wrong.
The Missing Calico
My husband grew up with a calico cat that he adored. He mentioned multiple times throughout our cat adoption adventures that he wanted another calico. We did not find one. Cleopatra was close but wasn’t what he pictured. He accepted that we weren’t going to find a calico cat.
One fateful day before a Tampa Bay Lightning hockey game, we stopped at a local mall to do some shopping. While wandering in the mall, I happened across an adoption event for kittens. A small calico kitten was staring at me through the window. She was adorable.
So was her brother.
These two kittens were the only kittens in the shop.
Exhibiting a severe lack of judgment, I texted a picture of the kitten to my husband.
That was my downfall.
Once my husband picked her up, she curled up on his chest and started purring. As though she had found her home. At that stage, there was no doubt Callie was coming home. And if Callie was coming home, Thunder was coming too.
As I mentioned earlier, we were on our way to a game. No cats allowed.
We paid the adoption fees and arranged to pick them up the next morning.
So, we’ve officially transitioned into “Crazy Cat Lady” territory now, according to my vet. And we’ve got eight cats.
Eight.
We’re done. There is absolutely NO reason to get additional cats.
Where is Juliet?
We held strong at eight cats. We stayed there for over a year.
We had finally achieved a fragile equilibrium.
Then, one October day in 2021, one of my daughter’s friends came over for the first time. And asked Romeo where his Juliet was.
My husband heard this.
The next thing I know, we’re all loaded into the car and heading to a pet store adoption event to look at kittens. Romeo needs a white cat named Juliet. A yin and yang kind of thing.
The first store didn’t have kittens. I took this as a sign from the universe that we should go home.
My husband took it as a sign that he should open his phone and locate more kittens.
I was driving, so I’m partially responsible. He, however, was navigating and actively seeking out events, so he has to share the responsibility.
We found a beautiful, partially white kitten. And two orange kittens. My daughter fell in love with an orange kitten. And we were doomed. Again, I can’t leave one kitten alone.
Another family at the event was interested in the white kitten, so Juliet had a potential home. But if we took one orange kitten, his brother was coming too. These kittens were named by the foster-owner as Cheddar and Colby – but the kids didn’t like the names. So Pie and Pumpkin (it was Halloween, after all), came home.
And that, Reader, brings us to 10. Ten.
10 cats. 180 claws. 0 common sense.
Reader? Do you see the problem?
We still don’t have Juliet.