Introducing Bear!

Duke and I were debating a new kitten after we lost little Barley.  But I really liked our cat rescue, Friends of Cheatham County, because they are able to save kitties from animal control.  They had a litter of tiny kittens that I went to visit, knowing they'd be ready in about a month or so.

But then I saw this little (okay, big) Maine Coon mix kitten and fell hard.  He latched on to me immediately!  My friend LC has a cat that looks like an adult version of this guy.  I know Maine Coons get to be very large, and they're very involved pets; kind of the dog of cats!  Duke loves Maine Coons.  So when this baby started loving on me and following me around, I just had to take him home!  I couldn't leave without him.

When I got home, I let Cally sniff him through the carrier.  No real reaction.  So I turned kitty loose!  They sniff each other and peacefully coexist.  Duke is ecstatic; he has a cat to roughhouse with.

We decided to name this big baby Bear.  He's rough and tumble, and we tried a zillion other names but they didn't stick.  (A few favorites: Elvis, Duke, Tobias, and Homer.)  I felt like he needed a big name, since he's only 4 months and going to get bigger and bigger!

His full name is WolfBear LionShark.  Because it's a badass name.  But I call him Bear, Baby Bear, Buddy Bear.  Duke is not pleased with these baby nicknames, but I like them!

Bear likes to play with toys a lot, and he is super affectionate.  He also plays fetch!  We had a toy ball Cally never used that he fetched over and over on the first night.  I want to teach him how to shake too.

We are very happy and excited about our new baby cat.

The only thing that I'm having trouble with is that he loves to use his claws on the carpet; I've spent a bunch on different scratchers, but one has yet to stick.  For now, I'm using some Febreze on the spots he scratches to keep him from coming back, and thus far it's working.  We shall see if I can find something good to occupy him!