New Addition - Jasper the Cat

While our dear friend Chiral will always be missed and never be replaced, Kate and I decided that it was time we brought a new feline companion into the house. We knew that odds were against us being as lucky as we were with Chiral, but we hoped that we could find a moderately sociable and playful kitten to join the family.




We visited the Larimer County Humane Society on July 11th after church. Our intention was just to have a look at a few cats and see if any of them caught our eyes. But this skinny little gray stick wowed us with his affection and playfulness. We decided to take him home then and there.




(Incidentally, we did look at a couple other kittens. One was an adorable male named Kenny who was friendly enough but very skittish, especially with Tessa. He would have been great for a single person or an older couple without kids, I think. The third was a cute female named Banshee, which I thought was a great name. She was very affectionate but also a little more nervous than we wanted with Tessa. Too bad - I loved her coloration.)

This gray kitten with an overabundance of scrawn was extremely playful when we were in the visiting room. He purred easily when petted or picked up. But best of all, when Tessa gave out one of her cries (I think she was frustrated that I was holding her and not letting her run around), this kitten came running over to greet her, rubbing up against her! He was not the least bit intimidated by the 7-month old and we knew we had a winner.



The Humane Society had dubbed the kitten Baby Gray...but that wasn't going to fly with us. We knocked around names like Tempest and Pewter...but we finally settled on Jasper - after the gemstone.

At this posting, Jasper has been with us for a little over two weeks and he seems to be adapting very well. He comes across as attention starved, always looking for a pet or a snuggle. He loves to play, especially chasing toys, though he is a bit clumsy as yet. He even knows how to fetch (!) and will retrieve thrown toys for us to throw again.

Jasper has quite a range of volume in his meows. Most of the time, all he does is open his mouth to make a mew noise that's barely audible. Other times, especially when he's hungry or trapped in the closet, he'll make an impressive yowl that can probably be heard by the neighbors!

He doesn't seem to know any fear either. He's not scared of the vacuum cleaner nor about the prospect of going outside. He especially not afraid of Tessa. This unfortunately means that he finds himself grabbed by the ears, tails and paws and dragged by the kid. But is he clever enough to get out of her way? No! He just keeps wandering back over to her, plopping down in front of her, and getting grabbed again.






Jasper has the usual bad habits that we're trying to cure him of, namely chewing on things he shouldn't (like electrical cords) and climbing onto the tables and counters. Fortunately, he doesn't like getting sprayed with water so it should only be a matter of time before he realizes what he's allowed and not allowed to do.



Rune is adjusting slowly. She obviously was not happy with the new addition when he arrived, but after a couple weeks, she starting to tolerate him. Jasper tries to play with her by pouncing, but that only results in an angry growl and hiss from Rune. Jasper does seem smart enough to know that maybe he'd better leave the older (and grouchier) cat alone. But still, whereas in the first few days, Rune didn't want to be in the same room as Jasper, nowadays she'll even nap or eat her meals with him nearby.

So we think Jasper's going to work out with us. He's a lot of fun and very affectionate. He's already managed to win the hearts of anyone who's visited with us.




As always, thanks for reading...and I hope you're having a great day!

Oh, and Jasper hopes so too!

Welcome to the World - Fletcher Atticus

Kate and I got to meet our newborn nephew down in Denver last night. Jason and Emily's son Fletcher Atticus Anderson was born at 11:24pm on July 5th. He weighed in a tiny 6lbs .04oz and measured 19.25" long. Parents and baby returned home yesterday afternoon and are doing quite well.












Kate and Emily's Dad Brendan was also able to visit for the week and got to spend some time with both his grandchildren.






For her part Tessa was alternately dubious...



...and overjoyed...



...at the prospect of a new cousin nearby.

Congratulations to Emily and Jason on the new arrival. And welcome to the world, Fletcher!

Thanks for reading...I hope you're having a good day!

In Memorium - Chiral

This is dedicated to Chiral - a beloved member of our family - who has had to leave us far too soon.



After much soul-searching, Kate and I made the decision to let Chiral go rather than see her suffer any longer. She had not been interested in food or water for almost a week. She was lethargic and weak, spending the weekend lying very still and rarely moving more than a couple feet at a time. She was virtually unresponsive when we said her name or even touched her - we got at most a twitch of the tail or a flick of her ears.

When we took her in to our vet yesterday, she told us that Chiral was holding herself very tensely and her breathing was unnaturally heavy. These were indications that Chiral was in far more pain than the vet had expected. And if she was hurting too much to eat or drink or use the litter box, than it was looking like a short, painful few days left to her.

Anyone who knew Chiral would know that she was a fantastically energetic and socializing cat. She was quick to greet people and always talked back when you spoke her name or just talked in her general direction. So to see her like this broke our hearts. We didn't want to let her go, but we couldn't let her suffer like she was.

After it was done, we buried Chiral in a shady spot at a nearby natural area called Prospect Ponds. Though we kept her an exclusively indoor cat, Chiral loved the outdoors. So we thought she might enjoy resting in a beautiful setting like this, under the trees, beneath the overgrowth, and next to a burbling stream. It felt right to us.

This loss has been very, very hard on both me and Kate. Little things trigger memories and I find myself breaking into tears. Even looking through the pictures I'm posting below are enough to make me have to fight against falling apart. Chiral was just a loving, lively animal - it hurts to think that she won't be a part of our lives anymore.

I want very much to hold her once more. I want to hear her whine for her dinner and pounce on the bed in the morning for breakfast. I want her to try chewing on my shirt buttons and thrust her nose into my face. I want her to jump on my shoulders or clonk her knees as she chases Rune up the stairs. I want to see her curled up on her scratching tower or on the rocking chair. I want to see her share her boundless love with our friends and family...and I wanted to see Tessa grow up with Chiral as a companion.

But I know that we made the right decision. With the pain that Chiral was in, she wouldn't have been the same cat even if we had kept her with us. It would have just led to a long, agonizing ordeal as we watched her fade away by degrees. Sometimes I feel like I was selfish, wanting to spare myself the pain of seeing her in that state, but she must be happier now, her spirit free to play wherever she wishes.

And God willing, she'll be standing on the shoulders of St. Peter when we arrive in Heaven.

I'd like to share some memories of our friend Chiral...
























I want to thank all the friends and family who have given us their heartfelt sympathies and prayers during this time of loss. It's your love and support that helps us keep going.

Good bye, sweet girl. Thank you for all the years of joy and affection and companionship that you gave us. We love you so much and we are going to miss you forever. Rest in peace.