waylon & millie moon
Calypso, gone but never forgotten
December 8th
Today marks 4 months since we said our final goodbye to Calypso. In Calypso's honor today, it seems like a good day to share that we will be welcoming two kitties to our family next week.
We only started, tentatively, to talk about adopting again a few weeks ago. We knew we wanted two. We always pick the less adoptable kitties, so we were open to pretty much anything: senior kitties, a bonded pair, special needs kitties, kitties with FIV, kitties that had been in the shelter for a really long time, whatever. We were just starting to feel our way around the conversation, getting used to the idea.
This weekend, we decided it was time to start looking. The adoption process is all virtual now, so Sal spent time perusing local sites to get a feel for what kitties needed us most. He found a bonded pair at our county shelter, one of which is a special needs senior kitty, and both of which have been in foster care for over a year. We knew from their descriptions that they needed to come home with us and we put our applications in for them on Sunday. After an interview on Tuesday, we were approved. We pick them up on the 17th.
We've seen pictures but won't actually meet them until we pick them up. Here's what we know:
The older kitty, an 8 year old big boy named Waylon, was surrendered to the shelter after his owner died. He's had tumors removed due to a condition that has to be monitored, and has teeth issues and a long medical history in the year he's been in foster care. He's described as laid back and content to just be loved, loved, loved.
In foster care, he bonded with a kitten named Millie Moon, who was a 4 month stray when she arrived, weighing just 1.5 lbs. She had hook worms and fleas, but she's thriving now and when she was deemed ready for adoption, the shelter stipulated that she and Waylon would only be adopted together.
We're incredibly excited to bring them home and get to know them and make a good home for them. And grateful to all the beloved kitties who've come before, who each each made it possible for us to make room, in our home and hearts, for more.
first good picture of Waylon
glimpse of Millie Moon
December 17th
Whew, it's been a long but good day. I've been doing updates in Instagram Stories as things unfold. So far, no sighting of Millie other than a brief glimpse of her in the carrier. (Sal got to meet her when the transfer happened inside the shelter.) We brought 2 carriers but their foster dad thought we probably wouldn't get her into our carrier without Waylon, and he was right. So we ended up with one very heavy carrier full of 2 cats.
Sal got to meet their foster parents, who are *amazing*. They not only brought their cat beds and toys, but also delightful hand drawn diagrams illustrating how each kitty likes to be petted, played with, etc, what their favorite toys are, and favorite shows to watch. We have each other's emails, too. So incredibly grateful.
A few things we learned from their foster parents:
Yes, Waylon is his original name and yes, he was named after Waylon Jennings.
Millie was abandoned in a box next to garbage cans, which is where she was found.
They were in foster care for 10 months. (They were at the shelter for 2+months before that, getting care.) That's the longest their foster parents had had kitties. Usually, it's about a month or so before they're adopted out.
Our new family members have been completely silent and mostly invisible since arriving at Hall House. We originally had half the house closed off to just the main rooms (living room, dining room, kitchen) so they wouldn't be overwhelmed. But Millie never came out of the carrier, and although Waylon came out right away to explore, he disappeared behind the stove and didn't leave.
So we decided to move them and all their needful things into the studio to make things cozier and hopefully help them feel safer. Waylon went back into the carrier with her for awhile, then finally came out to investigate the whole room. After letting them be for awhile, we've just checked on them and he's managed to coax her out of the carrier and they're now hiding behind the futon.
So it's going to take time. And that's ok. We thought it probably would. We'll get there.