Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby

Elizabeth absolutely loves cats. She has since she was a baby:



Although my old cat, Scarlet, was never that fond of her:



That may be why Scarlet ran away about 2 years ago.

I was really saddened by Scarlet's sudden departure, however we quickly realized it was one less thing to worry about (and clean up after) in our very busy household. So, David and I decided we didn't want to get another indoor cat to replace her. Instead, we kept our outdoor cat, Scar, and even picked up another stray outdoor cat, Smokey, hoping it would satisfy Elizabeth's yearning for the feline species.

It didn't work. Elizabeth sleeps with her favorite stuffed animals, or "friends" every night. And that collection has slowly grown to a pile of stuffed cats (and a few dogs) that is bigger than she is. Here's a picture of the current gang:



And, though she loves her stuffed cat friends, they still haven't successfully substituted for the real thing. Elizabeth has kept asking for an indoor cat for some time. This week, David and I each confided to each other that Elizabeth had sweetly, and sadly, told us that she wished one of her stuffed cats, Mittens, was real. I have to admit, I caved first. I reminded David that Jonathan has his own indoor pet (our dog, Lyra), and suggested that perhaps if we caved on the indoor cat desire, she might drop the other one she occasionally mentions as well (a sister, which is NOT going to happen).

So, this morning, we told her we were going to take her to look for a kitten. I have to tell you, the excitement on that little girl's face was absolutely priceless. After breakfast, we headed to the Humane Society's adoption center at our local mega pet store, and she immediately latched onto a sweet little orange and white kitten, who does bear a striking resemblance to Mittens, her stuffed cat. In keeping with our family tradition of unimaginative names, our new real live, indoor kitten's name is....you got it...Mittens.

Here are some pictures:





And, of course, Mittens with her namesake:



The surprising part of the day is that Jonathan also seems to be really enjoying having the new kitten in the house. In fact, he actually got out of bed before noon on a Saturday to meet her. And, the kitten is now down watching Jonathan play videogames while Elizabeth sleeps. Shhh...don't tell Elizabeth!