7/26/12

Trouble's Brewing

You knew I would be writing a picture-heavy post about the new little man of the house, didn't you?

So here's what happened:  I was driving home, when I drove past a PetSmart.  I happen to know that they often have rescue cats at PetSmart, and so I stopped.  I had no intention of getting a kitten.  In fact, we had specifically talked about getting an older cat.  

And then I saw his face. 
Now I'm a believer  
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love, Oooooooh
I'm a believer 
I couldn't leave him if I tried.

My apologies to Mickey Dolenz and the rest of the Monkees, but honestly, what would you have done?


I love that pink nose.

He's a very active little guy, running around the house at the speed of sound, at the very least.  And he's been awake for hours.  I would expect him to be tired by now and wanting a nap, but no.  He's 14 weeks old.  The organization Oregon Friends of Shelter Animals (OFOSA) provides cats and dogs to PetSmart.  PetSmart, for its part, donates the space to house them while they await adoption.

The OFOSA folks told me that his name is Shiro, but I think that's the wrong name for him, so we're calling him Smitty.  Smitty the kitty.


If you don't think Gracie's nose is out of joint, then you would think wrong.


Smitty, hmph!  Replace that "m" in his name with another letter, and that will tell you what Gracie thinks of this whole situation.


She has not behaved aggressively toward him, but she grrrrrrrrs at the sight of him, and she's completely offended at this intruder being in her home.  If George were here, he'd take care of this little pipsqueak.


He'll need to grow into his ears . . . and his tail.  He has interesting markings.  Stripes on his legs and tail, and spots on his back, like a Savannah, but his coloration is gray, black and white.



He's captured our hearts already, and he's only been here about an hour.  He has a lot of purrsonality.  The next few weeks are going to be a lot of fun.

25 comments:

Judy1522 said...

He is so cute. You gotta love those ears.

The Thimblemouse of Country Crossroads said...

Love Smitty! What a cutie pie.

Linda Coleman said...

Barbara, what a beautiful kitten. He has such a curious face, full of mischief and wonderment. I am sure he will bring you a lot of happiness.

kc said...

Nope, don't think I could have resisted either. Good job!

Hard to say who's rescuing whom in some cases, isn't it? I have a puppy like that. She's much better off now, but I'm WAAAAY better off for having her in my life. And I tell her that every chance I get!

JLVerde said...

He is so adorable. And so is Gracie. She has the cutest markings and her face! Her eyes are so big on her sweet round face!

Smitty's nose may be his downfall. I've noticed that the pink noses get very red when the kitten starts getting up to trouble (giving them away if they act innocent after the fact).

sandyb said...

Oh, I am in love!!!!!! I love his name too. We had a cat named OK kitty. He looked just like Smitty. The reason for his name was, well ready for this - we had vanessa who we just called Kitty and she was strictly an indoor kitty. One day OK adopted us but he was an outdoor kitty. LOL get it OK - outdoor kitty. He was a sweetie and he did come in and out but OK was the sweetest cat.

I am happy for you and Gracie even though she doesn't know it yet.

My daughter is going to Petco to get a friend for her boy Terk who is 5. She sometimes isn't home a lot and she thinks Terk needs a friend and she hope Terk thinks he needs one too.

Have fun with Smitty. Charlie approves!

Diane Wild said...

Oh the dynamics of the cat world. Gracie will get over it in about a week..or ten.

Dana Gaffney said...

Oh, I'm so happy for all of you. He's purrrfect, but it is 3 cats ranch, why didn't you get two so they could play together and make you lose every bit of sanity you have left? Congratulations!

Snoodles said...

Oh my gosh, I bet you could hear me squealing all the way across the US...he is ADORABLE!! Love the pink nose (my Moses has one too) and I think you are right on the money about him possibly having a smidge of Savannah in him....the coloring is gorgeous, and the ears tell the tale, too. Oh, how much fun you must be having! Gotta snuggle Gracie extra, tho. :)

Mommarock said...

To be quite honest, I'm not a cat person, but gosh Smitty is a cutie, I do love his face, and have to say AWWWW!! He is a darling and has my heart melting.

Needled Mom said...

Awwww...what a cutie! There is nothing quite like the activity of a kitty.

LethargicLass said...

Welcome Smitty!! Hugs and kisses :) And don't worry about Gracie, she just needs some time, but you'll fall in love with her because she is a wonderful cat as well :)

Teresa in Music City said...

"Shiro" - what kind of name is THAT for a cute little kitty like him? I bet he'll love you forever just for giving him a decent name :*) Smitty and Gracie looks like they could be related - hopefully they will become fast friends. That's usually what happens after a few skirmishes to establish Top Cat.

Oh yes, and PS - Thanks for the flash-back to my beloved Monkees!!!

Winona said...

Oh my goodness, he is adorable! Gracie is a beauty too. You have me wanting another kitten. Hmm, I think that would be vetoed by my hubby, cats, Callie and Aeris, and little Pom, Buddy. LOL I guess I will just have to get my kitten fix through pictures of your Smitty.

Lee said...

What a sweet kitty!

Julianne said...

Oh! Smitty is so handsome! Wherever you live, I just want to thank you for adopting a rescued kitten. Many of my family members and I work with rescue organizations to help all these cats and dogs. Its such a blessing to see another one go to a great home, so once again...THANK YOU!! Hes a lucky little guy!

Junebug613 said...

Smitty is adorable. I often visit with the kitties at our local Petsmart. Since I already have 7, all I can do is make nice with them for a bit. :0) I think his markings would be classified as ticked (or spotted) tabby with white or ticked tabby tuxedo. I was just looking up the markings for my tabbies as a curiosity. I have two Classic tabbies (swirls) and two Mackeral tabbies (stripes) and three Torties. Anyway, Smitty is beautiful and a very lucky boy. Tell him not to feel too bad about Gracie growling. Multi still hisses and growls at Bob and Riley too.

Lee said...

What a beautiful kitty - and Smitty fits him to a Tee. He's very bright-eyed and intelligent looking. 14 wks is a great age - fun and into everything. I expect we should be seeing many Smitty posts...and updates on Gracie's acceptance of him ;) They come into our lives when we least expect it, that's how Raven came, by a neighbor who rescued her from a road at night when she was only about 5 or 6 weeks old! We were still determining if it was time to say goodbye to Fanner and "our plan" was to wait several months after before even thinking of getting another kitty. Hah, like that happened.

ytsmom said...

He is a handsome fellow! And kittens are sooo, sooo fun. Enjoy!

Barbara said...

I think he looks like an Egyptian Mau. They have large ears and that combination of stripes and spots. My Angel (1983-1998) looked like that and one of her vets thought she might be at least part Egyptian Mau. One of the cat magazines had one on the cover once and it looked exactly like Angel.

Anonymous said...

Yesterday when I posted I almost said I hoped he was a rescue cat, but thought better of that. Dana's comment made me laugh. We've most all the time had two cats at a time, and they never got along well. I found out eventually that was not unusual. The first time we lost a cat, we waited nine months to get another. The next time, we had another a month and a day later. He sure helped fill a hole in our hearts, even though we will never forget the others. With so many cats needing rescuing, it's good to not wait. Thanks for rescuing Smitty. Sharon-ssauser@dishmail.net

quiltzyx said...

The PetSmart just down the street from me had their "Cat Adoption" sign out today....I forced myself to step on the gas rather than the brake. Until I'm once again gainfully employed, I must resist.

That said, I think Smitty is one LUCKY kitty!! He's gorgeous & I know he'll win Gracie over eventually. Congratulations on your new roomie!

Ranch Wife said...

Oh, he's darling - a heart-stealer for sure! I'm sure it won't be long before even Gracie is smitten with him. She's just playing hard to get.

Mrs.Pickles said...

oh my he is too cute!! What a welcome new addition to you home

Linda said...

Congrats on your new little guy. I love tabby-and-white kitties, and this one is certainly adorable. When my beloved cat, Gremlin, died 18 months ago, I wanted to wait a few months to adopt, and I did not want another gray cat. five weeks later, I had to go to Petsmart, and wound up adopting a big, beautiful 2 year old gray cat!