Ned

So this is what a normal cat is like. Longtime readers will recall that my beloved psychotic, vicious, mentally unstable cat Maurice died a few years ago. This last week we finally got a new kitten. He is really too good to be true. It all started when I took my four year old to the zoo. Across the street from the zoo is an animal shelter, and we had just gotten into the car to go home, when she said she had to potty. So we went into the shelter to use the facilities. Since we were there, I figured we could look at kittens and puppies.

When we went into the cattery, they had many cute kittens. My daughter, on the whole, preferred the puppies. But this one kitten caught my eye. First, he was beautiful. Secondly, he seemed really relaxed. I took him out of the cage and he was great. Cuddly, but also playful when you grabbed a cat toy.

A couple of days later we returned to the zoo (It's summer. She loves the zoo). Again, she had to go potty once we got in the car, so we went back to the shelter. And again we looked at animals and again I looked at this kitten. The wife said it was OK. So for a full five dollars I bought the kitten (they had overflow, and so really wanted to sell some kittens). My daughter was not all that excited at first, she wanted a puppy.

But once we got home, she fell in love. She went from being disappointed that we didn't come home with a puppy (a puppy is probably on the way too, though) to repeatedly stating that "I'm a cat person now." This cat is amazing. I was apprehensive due to my experiences with Maurice, but this cat is completely different. He is so affectionate and patient. My four year old cannot keep her hands off him, always picking him up and carrying him around the house. He lets her carry him in all sorts of positions with no complaint. My one year old lets out gleeful screams when she sees him and gets in his face. He just sits there patiently (or runs away). I taught the one year old how to gently pet a cat, and she has stopped grabbing his ears. He loves to play and loves to snuggle. Considering the new home, two excited children...he has taken it all in stride.

We named him Ned, after Lord Ned Stark from "Game of Thrones." That can be a totally separate topic, but we are addicted to "Game of Thrones." Last weekend the four year old spent the night with grandma and my wife and I watched eight hours of Thrones. We are just starting Season Three, so no spoilers in the comments!

ABOVE: Ned's namesake. Hopefully our Ned can be as honorable as Lord Stark

Welcome to the family, Ned.