Kinka-WHAT??? A New Addition

So, we've got some pretty exciting news about a new addition to our family....

Wait for it.....

We got another kitty! Sorry if you were expecting an announcement that didn't involve a four-legged furry friend, but that's eons away... For now, we're expanding a family by one... or, more appropriately, by one half of one.

Meet Lieu Lieu! She is a half Munchkin, half American Curl, which we later found out is an actual recognized rare breed called a Kinkalow. As you can see, she's not your average cat: She's got stubby little legs and her ears curl backwards. Essentially, she is the wiener dog of the cat world. Her full name is Lieutenant Dan (for obvious reasons), but will call her Lieu Lieu for short!

We spotted Lieu Lieu yesterday on the Wisconsin Humane Society web site. I knew Eric would flip over her, so I sent him her picture. He freaked out and pleaded with me to bring her home. Now, I have been very firm on my stance on keeping our house at one cat only. Mr. Pancakes is spoiled, we are aware of this, and he is very special and I just didn't want to bring another cat into our home and hurt his feelings. Plus, I just didn't want to open the floodgates so that in 10 years we're swimming around in a home filled with felines. But Eric has wanted a second cat since we moved into our house, so I told him we could check her out just to see how her personality was.

Turns out, she's one of the sweetest cats I've ever met. As soon as our adoption counselor opened her carrier, she happily walked out and walked around to greet all of us and ask us for head scratches. She even flopped over on her side for belly rubs! She wasn't skiddish or hyper or scared. She was so sweet I just couldn't say "no." So she was ours.

Lieu Lieu is five years old, but is small like a kitten! She is probably a third of the size of Mr. Pancakes. Speaking of P-Cakes.... we are introducing him to Lieu Lieu VERY slowly. I don't think I have to tell you he's a diva, and when we brought Lieu Lieu home, Mr. Pancakes let out the most guttural, unpleasant sound imaginable when he saw her. My heart breaks when I think about hurting Mr. Pancakes' feelings by bringing another cat home, but I know in time he'll love having a playmate around all day/night. After we took Lieu Lieu upstairs, I made sure to let P-Cakes know he's still the #1 cat and that he is very special and beautiful (he is vain, and responds well to flattery...).

For now, Lieu Lieu is staying upstairs in our bedroom. Last night I rubbed a towel on her and brought it downstairs for P-Cakes to smell and investigate. We'll bring Lieu Lieu to a room downstairs in the next couple days so she and Mr. Pancakes will be able to smell one another and feel each other's presence, and then finally we'll open them up to being around each other freely.

Although I never wanted two cats, I'm so happy we brought Lieu Lieu home. She is so incredibly unique (Eric said he saw a breeder selling Kinkalows for $800!) and I can't wait until she and Mr. Pancakes become friends.

So there it is! Our spontaneous adoption and new member of the family. Lieutenant Dan may be short on stature, but she's big on sweetness!