Introducing...

August 2009, Keith received the following email:

Dear Dad,

We, your wonderful, sweet, loving catless daugthers, submit the following:

10 Reasons Why We Should Get a Cat Now!!!

1. Potty-training a cat is easier in the summer when it's warm.

2. We're used to having cats and we love them and miss having them to play with.

3. We’ll take care of it, PROMISE. You won’t have to do a thing, except clean up an occasional hairball.

4. We win 5 to 1 in a family vote.

5. If us kids wanted to spoil the cat we could pay our own money for toys, treats, and soft food.

6. We need something to play with. You have the Wii to play with and now we need a kitty.

7. Cats aren't that much trouble. We could be asking for ferrets or a chipmunk, maybe even a raccoon.

8. The place in our hearts for loving dogs is OVERFLOWING but our place for loving kitties is EMPTY.

9. We are all old enough to be responsible and mature with this cat and take the burden off your shoulders.

10. Children normally like animals more than adults do.

Signed,

Your hopeful cat-loving daughters,

Erica, Anna, Amy, and Lani

P.S. The dogs said they don’t mind

So after weeks of negotiations, Dad gave the okay.

First the girls had to pick from five kittens.

Call me crazy, but I'm a firm believer that cats are part of the whole happy childhood thing.

They chose a sweet good-natured black and white kitten.

We took a week to decide on the proper name. A family vote decided the name "Inky." The girls (and the dog) loved Inky and thoroughly enjoyed him.

Unfortunately Inky died two weeks after we brought him home. The girls were hugely disappointed so it was back to the drawing board and back to our friend's house to pick out another cat.

After losing one kitten, they didn't want to take any chances. They wanted a backup cat so this time we brought home two of the cutest kittens ever. We named them Stubby and Chubby. Stubby doesn't have a tail, hence the name. Chubby was bigger, only now Stubby is, but he's stuck with the name anyway. We've had them since they were little kittens but they're lots bigger now.

So now the pets are one big happy family.

We have two golden retrievers, one short and fat with a tail, and one tall and skinny without a tail. Now we have two black cats, one chubby with a tail, and one without a tail. Do you notice a pattern here?

I saw when I got up this morning, that they'd pulled down one of my dining room curtains. They are a bit rambunctious but we all enjoy them. Even Keith. We are satisfied customers.