In fairness to the cat.

He only gives us the evil eye when we give him a bath. :) Most of the time, he's the sweetest kitty you've ever met. He hasn't torn up our furniture, he hasn't bitten or scratched anyone, and he puts up with the boys (oh-so-loving!) manhandling!



All the boys enjoy Raskol, but Thomas seems to have a special love for him. If he could, I think he'd carry Raskol around with him all day.

I still have some allergic reactions to him, but even so? Adopting Raskol was a really good decision.

Here, kitty kitty...

We gave Raskol a bath on Sunday afternoon. I think Gabe kind of enjoyed it.



Raskol, not so much. You've just never seen "pathetic" until you've seen a cat in a bath tub.



Ooh, if looks could kill!

Meet Raskol

He's home and recovering nicely after his surgery. He's doing his darndest to scratch his bandage off, though. I think the healing must be itchy.



It looks like the vet cut his head off and then sewed it back on, doesn't it?

I still kind of wish that Raskol was Hermione, but boy or girl, this is one sweet kitten. I'm still in love. I'm so in love that I'm not even complaining about the fact that he has to stay inside until his stitches come out. Sure am sneezing a lot, though!



He is a little rascal.

Oh, and the name? Gabe came up with it (of course). Any guesses as to where it comes from? :)

So much for having another girl in the family...

Hermione is a BOY. So says the veterinarian, anyway, but I don't believe her. I'm attached to my little girly kitten!

The vet also let us know that we got more than we bargained for in adopting her. I mean him. It turns out that the "scar" on her neck is actually a rubber band with skin growing over it. It is restricting her breathing, and the vet said that it is surprising how well she's doing under the circumstances. I am very, very angry with whomever had this cat before we did.

Fixing this mess is costing a lot of money. Far more than I'd ever pay for a cat! (Or a dog, or any pet for that matter!) But...we love this animal now and we can't exactly not help her. So please pray for successful surgery and a quick recovery for our very expensive new pet.

Our newest addition

Isn't she sweet?



She showed up at our front door a few nights ago, and when we opened it to investigate, she walked right in. I'm allergic to cats, so (like an idiot) I spent the next 45 minutes cuddling her while talking to neighbors and trying to discover who she belonged to.



No one knew, of course, although most of us thought she was probably abandoned, because she has some icky scarring on her neck that looks like the result of abuse.



But she loved the kids, and we all loved her. And we just couldn't dump her back outside and go to bed. But...we can't keep a cat! I'm allergic to cats! (At least, I was expecting to get violently allergic...any minute now...) Eventually a cat-loving neighbor came home, and she agreed to keep the kitten for a couple of days until we could either find an owner or find a new home for her.



Well, we found a new home for her. She's living in our back yard, and apparently I'm only slightly allergic to her. The boys are thrilled with their new pet, and frankly, I'm a little bit in love.

What shall we name her?