The last couple weeks have been pretty busy. Partially for my own self and partially to keep Sam from being lonely, I decided to adopt a kitten from a local shelter (through a nearby PetSmart). Two weeks ago Saturday, Pippin joined our family.

The first week was shaky. Sam was a bit frightened by this little bundle of energy that had come into his life. He'd gotten used to the quiet companionship of his older "brother". After the first night, I decided it was best to just let them both work out the living situation. In spite of all recommendations to the contrary, Pippin did not want to be locked up in isolation from Sam. She wanted to be out: exploring and playing and meeting her new big brother. It took three days before Sam felt secure enough to venture out of the bedroom, where he'd taken refuge.

By the end of that first shaky week, Sam had decided that Pippin was all right. By the end of last week, as we start on week three with our new family member, he's completely devoted to her. He plays with her - either wrestling as cat's are wont to do or playing cat tag or finding one of the many toys to share with her. While they don't quite sleep together, he does let her nuzzle him. Typically, this results in him licking the top of her head a time or two. Then his ears drop a bit and he pauses as if to say, "OMG! That's why Odie used to do that!" I haven't managed to get pictures of those moments yet.

In the end, while I loved Odie and I think I'll always miss him, Pippin was just what I needed in order to recover from losing him.