Meet Bourbon!

We have a new kitten!  I know, it must seem like I have a zillion cats.  But I swear, people, I now officially have TWO.  We lost dear Barley and Cally last year, leaving Bear all by his lonesome.  While we thought initially that he might be an "only child" type of cat, his boundless energy and friskiness made us reconsider a new addition.

Bourbon's kitten photo, he was rescued around Christmas and called "Jolly"

We went back to Friends of Cheatham County, the same foster rescue where we got Bear. I highly recommend them to anyone in the Nashville area.  You see, over the weekend when we adopted Bourbon, we initially started out with a different kitten, one that just wasn't a good match for Bear.  The little one was the most loving people-cat I'd ever met, but she didn't like Bear at all, and I had a bit of an ordeal.  (I also personally found it very heartbreaking that I couldn't adopt ALL the kittens!)  Kathy, Bear's foster mother who lives very close by, brought over another kitten that we'd met at the adoption day, and he was PERFECT.  She knew how important it was to find the best fit for cats and people.  We had all three cats for an entire day, trying to see how Bear did with them.  Despite people saying it takes a week for cats to get acquainted, Bear and Bourbon were friends from the first sniff.

I feel like we really lucked out.  Bear loved meeting both new cats and immediately wanted to play with them.  Bourbon, 15 weeks old (about 8 months younger than Bear) was immediately up for the challenge.  Within the first hour, they were sharing the cat tree.  Within 24 hours, they were wrestling and playing happily.  Within 48 hours, they were cuddling on top of me while I slept.

We couldn't have asked for a better match!  I love that Bear and Bourbon can grow up together, and that Bear is no longer alone all day.  I've already noticed that he is less restless and destructive now that he has an outlet for his energy.  I get plenty of love from them both.

One thing about Bourbon... he's such a little baby that he likes to suckle your clothes!  He leaves little wet spots on my PJs.  I don't really mind it, though we think he may grow out of it.  He likes to curl up in your lap, and he sleeps by our heads!

We're a two-cat household once again.  It was surprisingly emotional for me to go through this process.  We adopted Bear when I still had my old girl Cally...  Bourbon is the first new cat since that tough loss for me.  I was a nervous, anxious wreck over the adoption process, but I'm already feeling so much better about it.  We love little Bourbon!