A couple of months ago... - a photo on Flickriver

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...we fostered a little black kitty. She was in dire need of a safe place to stay for a few days before going to her forever home, so we took the little black furball in.

At first, she and Ben didn't get along, but a day or so before she went to her new home, she and Ben were sleeping on the floor together, the little black kitty leaning up against Ben's tummy.

When she left, Ben was actually a bit mopey. Of course, I understood, and promised Ben we'd get him a kitty of his own someday, but Mommy wasn't ready.

Well, you know I've been helping out at the local animal welfare league. I had to run up there last weekend to get some paperwork, and while there, of course there was no way to resist cuddling all of these kitties needing homes (someone has to do that dirty work, y'all).

Kitty after kitty, cage after cage, sharing a little love to tide them over...and then I picked up this tiny little kitten and...well, let's just say he picked me, as Gossamer predicted would happen.

Honestly, I wanted a girl, after what happened to our dear Rem (and still would like a girl). This kitty, who we've christened "Buckley", is joyfully energetic, nosy, playful, and extremely silly. It was a big shock, but I just knew he was the right kitty for us right now.

In a way, it's good his personality is so different than Rem's. Not sure I could handle one so like my true heart forever kitty at this point...

Best of all, Ben and Buckley (no more B's, Buckley just "fit" despite the list of other names we tried for him, trust me!) get along famously. They play together and beg together (no, really); Ben gives Buckley baths after meals (it's hilarious), and they curl up with each other for naps (and a respite I welcome, to tell the truth).

Buckley likes getting pats from Hubby and I, but...he really is Ben's cat! We get the words of our mouth, eh? Buckley runs out of his 'room' to find Ben almost as soon as we open the door, and after nose-to-nose "good mornings", THEN he visits with me or Hubby. It's quite funny and very wonderful; they've become buddies. It's perfectly fine, though; Ben is my buddy, and we're just tickled that these two babies get along so wonderfully.

Interestingly, Ben has gotten notably more protective of the household since the arrival of Buckley. As my mom said...he has a real job now, other than looking really, really cute and sweet. Of course, collies are quite protective of their own, something that belies those precious collie faces and strikes fear into anyone dumb enough to actually mess with a collie's "people" (believe me on that one; I remember our childhood collie, Lad, and the way he'd go from gentle and lamblike to eyetooth-baringly vicious when someone appeared to threaten my sister or myself).

Also, if you've never seen a 50-pound collie play with a three-ounce kitten, you are really missing out.

So, this is Buckley and his big brother Ben. And yes, they've already coordinated a few "incidents" together.

Little girl kitty to arrive, God willing, someday later. Nevertheless, it's so nice having another feline in the house! Rem was super-special but there is something about the cat, isn't there? It's nice, being able to scoop up something soft and furry and cuddle it again.

Buckley does everything at warp speed, so it's hard to get pictures of him. Soon, soon. :)

Taken on: June 19, 2008

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Camera: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi, f/4.0, 1/5 sec, 25mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.2 sec (1/5)
Focal Length:	25mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	QuickTime 7.4.1
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