Life on Sunbury: Clearance cat...two for the price of one!

For those that don't know our cats Duke and Daisy, they are probably two of the most lovable and easy-going cats on the planet. Here they are on the day we picked them out at Lee County Animal Services. Funny thing was, we only went there for one cat, but somehow came home with two.

It all started with a relatively innocent visit to the animal shelter by me, Betsy, Rachel and Kristen back in December 2008. We wanted to adopt an adult cat because we felt that it was easier to predict the disposition of the cat. Kittens are cute, but they are only kittens for so long. Then, they become cats with random personalities. They have the potential to become a scaredy-cat, a scratcher, a sprayer, or any number of other unpleasant possibilities? Plus, everyone always seems to want to adopt a kitten, sadly leaving the adult cats waiting for there time to run out.

Upon entering the cat area, a kind volunteer at the shelter named Leslie who steered us in the direction of a cute brown tiger female. Her name was Luna and Leslie said she was just the sweetest cat she has ever seen come to the shelter. She said her heart was breaking because if Luna was not adopted soon, she would...well you know what happens. Let's just say they can't keep cats there forever. She continued, saying Luna was on special clearance price because her time was so short. How could someone not adopt this cat after learning this?

In any case, the girls all found Luna to be just as lovable and pleasant as Leslie said. We were sold. But, then I noticed another cute tiger with slightly more grey coloring in a cage nearby. The tag said his name was Cooper. He was doing a cute playful thing with his paw through the cage and when I reach over to touch it, he carefully pulled his claws back so as not to scratch me...clever little guy! I asked Leslie what she knew about this cat, and she said, "not much...he just came in".

I asked to see him and she opened the cage revealing a long, skinny cat with big paws and a large head. His markings were gorgeous and he was friendly as could be. After holding him for a bit, listening to his little motor purr, Betsy and I looked at eachother and we knew what we had to do.

Leslie had not picked up on our plan yet and she seemed a bit unsettled at our newfound interest in this newer cat Cooper. She started to reiterate all of Luna's great qualities when I stopped her and asked if it would be okay for us to adopt both cats. Her eyes brightened, and she looked like she wanted to hug me. Needless to say, we were very popular with the staff at the shelter that day. They were all so relieved and happy to hear that someone was taking Luna home. To add Cooper to the list of adopted cats that day was a bonus.

Anyhow, Daisy Luna and Duke Cooper as we call them on the rare occasion they need scolding, are now a part of our family. They both have all their claws and not a child has been scratched nor a piece of furniture shredded. They act like brother and sister, though Daisy is supposed to be around 5 yrs old and Duke between 1 and 2. Duke has gained 6 pounds and weighs in at a very healthy 16 lbs. He is a true little tiger. Daisy has a much smaller frame, but has her share of padding at 11 lbs.

Here are some recent shots.