Weddingbee Blog

A few weeks ago, the lovely Miss Prairie Dog blogged about how adopting pets made her and Mr. PD feel like a family instead of just a couple. This was the case for Mr. Panther and me, too. I’m sure that if/when we have kids, it’ll take things to a completely different level, but for now, we couldn’t ask for more than the little family we’ve built over the past couple years.

I’m not going to lie to you guys—it’s pretty ridiculous how in love with our two cats we are. We sing to Bela and Josie (usually rewrites of pop hits with their names infused into every line), wonder what they’re doing when we’re not at home, buy them gifts almost every time we go out, and pretty much cater to them in every decision we make. A little sad? Eh. Maybe. Too bad, though! When Mr. Panther started his own company, I suggested “BelaJose Productions,” and I think he would have seriously considered it if he hadn’t had to share the decision with his business partner.

So, without further ado, I’d like to interrupt my own regularly-scheduled wedding blogging to introduce Bela and Josie.

Look at those precious babies! That’s photo is old, and Bela is much, much bigger now. In fact, she’s quite massive, but very beautiful. But let’s start with our first-born.

We adopted Josie right after I moved to Atlanta, when she was eight weeks old. I found her at a shelter, and she was really, really sick. She had pneumonia, intestinal parasites, conjunctivitis, feline acne, you name it. We called her our little lemon. Luckily, I didn’t start my new job until a few weeks later, so I was able to stay home and nurse her back to health.

Aw, little gremlin.

A year later, shortly after moving into our new apartment, I got a special surprise. It was 2 AM on the early morning of my birthday, and when I shut off the TV, I heard a weird noise coming from our (outdoor) hallway. It was kind of like an incessant squeaking, and I couldn’t quite tell what it was, but I knew I had to follow the sound. Mr. Panther wasn’t home and I don’t usually go out by myself in the middle of the night, but I threw on some flip flops and went straight out. I’d already taken out my contacts, so everything was a little on the blurry side, and when I saw a tiny white fluffball, my overtired brain honestly wasn’t sure if it was a kitten or a rat. Operating under the assumption that we didn’t have any white rats in our area, I crouched down and made some “c’mere” kissy sounds, and the little white fluffball ran right up to me.

She was pretty dirty, but other than that, she was perfect. We brought her to the vet the next day and found out that she was a totally healthy eight-week old girl. It had been two months since my dad died, and my mom was 100% convinced that he had sent her to me for a birthday gift. I’m not sure if I believe that, but when I’m really missing him and Bela’s at my side, I like to think that it’s true.

Bela and Josie are best friends now.

OK, so I’d like to point out a weird phenomenon that has always seemed crazy to me. How is it that when a family has two children, there’s almost always one that looks like each parent? But when a family has only one child, he/she is a mix of the parents? How does the mother’s body know what’s coming up in the future when it’s creating the baby’s facial features?! It blows my mind. But anyway, this is sort of the case with our girls (except with personalities instead of looks). Josie is just like Mr. Panther, and Bela is just like me.

Josie is thoughtful, sensitive and a total lovebug. She loves snuggling and kisses, and if you let her, she’ll drool right into your mouth.

Bela, on the other hand, is a total spaz. She’ll let you pick her up and give her a big hug, but she’ll wriggle free pretty quickly. She’s got places to go! She also has a tendency to eat herself into a food coma, just like Mommy.

She also really likes to sit on the couch and watch TV.

Bela and Josie also have a half-brother named Wylie who lives on the patio. He came inside long enough to get neutered and vaccinated, but wouldn’t stay. Now that it’s cold, he sleeps on an outdoor kitty heating pad, but we think he’ll come inside to officially join the family eventually, when he’s ready. Fun fact: he’s the exact same age as Bela (according to the vet) and both came from outside our apartment, so they might be real brother and sister!

So that’s our little family! It’s so sad to us that the girls (and Wylie) won’t be with us for the day of our wedding. We’re hoping that at some point in the next seven months, we can teach them how to Skype. Any tips, anyone?

Hive, are any of you as obsessed with your pets as we are? Do you think they act like you or resemble you? Are you finding a way to incorporate them into your wedding?