Two Kitty’s, Darryl and his other brother Darryl

Bride and I are cat people, I never in a million years thought I would be that but I am, and I like it! We got our first cat, Zappa, when we were just dating in 1989. His face was all white with, well you can guess I bet, he had a black patch under his chin. It looked like a kitty version of Frank Zappa’s little soul patch thing he had going on. We have had at least one cat ever since then, until in November when we lost Sybok. We had lost Pike a couple of years before him and a couple of years before that we lost Junior and a Zappa died of pneumonia a few of years before that. Most of the times we had two at a time, all of them were boys and all of them were always about 4-6 years apart. We enjoy the company and entertainment that they each brought into our lives. Each was unique in their own way, Zappa had us as owners for a little over 5 years as the shortest lived. Pike was the longest lived at 14 and while losing each was hard in its own way Pike was especially hard for me. He slept with me every night and came in to talk to me each morning when I went into the bathroom for teeth brushing and my shower.

So in November we became cat-less for the first time in over 20 years, it seemed really weird – for Bride and I both. We still have Newton, our one and only dog, a gigantic Boston Terrier that is a pansy, he has been afraid of every cat we have ever had, dare I say he is a Nancy Boy. We started our search for some new kitty’s at the Humane Society, I was happy to learn that they are now a no kill shelter. That means all the animals there stay until they are adopted and that is a good thing. When we were talking with our adoption agent Cindi, we learned that nearly 140 animals move through this shelter every week. They are open 7 days a week as well and have a huge selection of kitty’s, puppies, cats and dogs. We made 6 trips, I think it was 6 or 7, and when we walked in this day, Darryl and Darryl looked at both of us and we knew, they were the ones. We could not hold them because they were like 2 hours post op, a neutering. We immediately put a hold on them and planned our trip back the next day, a Saturday, they are open 10am to 4pm. We stopped at the pet store to get approximately $1987.27 worth of food and litter and toys and all the other things we were going to need and were waiting in the parking lot of the Human Society by 9:25. We were the first in line but there were several folks right behind us.

So we get to hold them for the first time, the volunteer, brought them out of the cage and handed Darryl to me and Darryl to Bride. They were still a bit sluggish, I am not sure if they just woke up or if they were still recovering from surgery. We were right, they were the ones and we started the adoption paperwork. At close to 11 we had completed our work, the brothers Darryl had their adoption paperwork complete and the exit checkups finished. They were also fitted with their RFID tag and their new collars, with nametags attached - in different fonts of course to differentiate Darryl from Darryl. Darryl was a talker, all the way home he talked to us and we talked back. Darryl on the other hand was just sleeping, he would be the laid back one, or so I thought.

As we were adopting the boys Cindi told us we should pick a room and leave them in there for a few days, in order to adjust to the changes in their lives. We have always just brought new animals home and threw them in the mix, I mean right away they had to figure it out. Darryl and Darryl had had a bit rougher early life and were just neutered the previous day so I was thinking that might not be a bad idea. We brought them home and setup a blanket and toys in the bathroom and put them in there. I noticed that they appeared scared and hid behind the toilet all balled up together, poor boys I remember thinking. We left them in there for a bit over an hour, I actually went in with a pillow and took a nap with them. We decided to move them to the laundry room, it was a little bigger and there was no toilet to hide behind. Bride is telling me the whole time, let’s just throw them out here and they will figure it out, it is what we have done with every other pet we brought home over the years.

We settled in to watch some stupid TV (any time it is on it is stupid TV) and we agreed that we would each go and get one of them and hold them in our laps. They sat with us for about a minute, and then the kitty’s went CRAZY I tell ya, they have not slowed down since. Their first order of business was to make the 40 pound dog, Newton, their bitch. It was funny to watch because it only took them about 2 minutes to do it. Two kitty’s, less 3 pounds apiece, immediately subjugate a 40 pound dog. I am somewhat embarrassed to actually claim that mongrel as my own. It is very disappointing to have pansy dog who is afraid of a kitty that is a magnitude of order smaller than him. Newton was Pike and Sybok’s bitch as well, I was hoping this time it would be different though. I was hoping that Newton could muster his inner dog and be the alpha male of the house. It was not to be, it is my shame to bear and I will carry it without further complaint.

We have gotten all of our kitty’s as small kittens but we have never had 2 small kitty’s at the same time, and they are litter mates. Darryl and Darryl went berserk, I am not sure if it is all related to being a kitty or being brothers or the cat nip we laced their toys with but they were running around this house like they were hoped up on crystal meth! Non-stop they were and then when I got the laser pointer out it was like we stepped up the meth dosage. We both wanted to hold our new kitty’s, to bond, but they were having none of it. I was able to catch Darryl by the door, he was staring out the door into the backyard and I was able to sneak up and grab him. It scared the bejesus out of him when I grabbed him and I was immediately glad that they had nubbed his nails. I was able to hold him long enough to get the collar off of him. The collars we thought should have a bell so we know where they are Bride said. Well, I could tell we would have NO problems with that so I took that collar right off. The other Darryl was able to somehow remove his by himself, I can tell which one will be the smart one. The collars were of the safety type that break away and were a requirement by the Humane Society for adoption.

So they wore us out last night, we never did catch one of them other than that time by the door, they are fast learners though and I suspect they will not make that mistake a second time. They were more entertaining than the music videos we had running on the TV. We have not had any kitten for almost 10 years and I guess I had forgotten just how rambunctious they are. We love that they are the brothers Darryl and that they picked us out. People may think they pick out cats but they would be mistaken, they pick us. They seem to love their new home and all the surroundings. It must seem like the Taj Mahal to them, I am talking about the one in India not the one in Atlantic City. They are indoor kitty’s, none of our cats have ever been outdoor cats and only once did one get out. There are too many scary things out there for our boys. As indoor kitty’s they will be getting the front claws removed, as two of our cats have had done. Some folks do not like the idea but we are OK with it and they are our cats so they will be going under the knife. Next Monday, they wanted to wait because they had just had the neuter surgery.

We love the new adopted additions to our family, Darryl and the other brother Darryl, I am sure there is another Oratory about them coming soon.