A cat family again

Last Saturday we became a cat family again.

D's sister's cat had a litter of five, and we took two of them.

N wanted to name them Puff and Dory.  D and I liked Narf as a name.  By the time we arrived at my SIL's house to meet them, we had landed on Fozzie and Finny.  

By the time we were in the car heading home, we had decided on Slippers for the one with white paws.  Once we got home and saw how skittish the other one was, we opted for Skits.  And those have stuck for a week.  

They have adjusted very well.  For the time being, we are keeping them in the main part of the basement, but once they have been front de-clawed we will allow them to have the run of the house during daytime hours.  

I had a bit of an ethical dilemma about the front de-clawing.  I am of the mind that if I am offering a home to an animal that might otherwise not have a home, de-clawing is just a part of the trade-off (for the cat). We front de-clawed Gonzo and Shanks and never let them outside.  Slippers and Skits will be the same.  (I very strongly feel that it is wrong to declaw a cat and then let them outside where they cannot protect themselves).  

A friend of mine is a vet, so I when the cats were still gestating I asked her about it.  It had been 17 years since we had declawed Gonzo and Shanks.  Maybe vets no longer declawed cats as a general rule?  Given D's reluctance to even get these cats and G's sensory issues/worries, she felt like declawing would be a good idea for our family.  I trust her opinion.  

Plus, she said, technically, neutering and spaying an animal is not "natural" but we do that, so the whole "leaving animals in their natural state" is a slippery slope argument anyway.  

(I also rationalized to myself how many people circumcise their sons, which could be tantamount to declawing cats.  I opted to avoid circumcision for my sons, so I'm putting away any cat-related guilt.)

It has been enjoyable for the kids to see how much fun kittens can be.  After having very old cats, you forget how hilarious little ones are.  They are chaotic and in the process of destroying all of my artificial plants, but I'm used to beings smaller than me who mess my stuff up.  

Parenting makes cat ownership a walk in the park.  

Slippers

Skits

G playing with Skits