Another Summer Surprise! Wednesday - NAILED THIS ONE!

Does a surprise get any better than a new kitten, I ask you?  NO, it does not!  Last Tuesday I was absent-mindedly looking around Craigslist in the pet section.  Because those of you who know us know that we need more pets, right?  RIGHT!  (I not-so-secretly want to be a cat lady when I grow up.)

I wasn't really serious about a new pet right now (and we did just adopt 7 more fish last week), but nonetheless I was commenting to Mark that I really wanted a fluffy cat again and Mark replied that he really liked calico cats.  And the VERY next Craiglist listing was…..a fluffy calico kitten!  It was meant to be!

So, right on time for my next summer Surprise! Wednesday schedule, Wednesday morning found us all piled into our car heading out to retrieve our newest family member - FLUFFERBALL!

 

Yeah, about the name.  After the boys named our black cat Meatball and I was outvoted on our dog's name Tiki (I was even outvoted on Shelby's name, now that I think about it!) I swore that the next pet's name would be MINE.  But lo and behold, I went blank on a name for this one.  The only names I had in my current "Pet Names Idea" list (yes I really keep a list like this) were Mayhem and Rene-Angelil (I'm saving this one for a goat, it's such a goat's name, don't you think?  Yes, I want goats someday, too.).   Anyway, at the time, she was too cute to be a Mayhem.

I love the name Memphis for a pet, but we already have a lovebird named Memphis.  I didn't think naming another pet with the same name was a big deal, but evidently it WAS.  After much screaming (adults included), I decided pure diplomacy was the only way to go, so we each submitted a name in a bowl.  Here were the contenders:

And viola - Mark announces the winning name, Flufferball! 

ugggggg.  I couldn't come up with anything better than Squee, but still...  Noah, naturally, was overjoyed that his name was chosen. Noah, the kid whose stuffed animals have names like Otter-Wotter, Carebear, Pink Monkey, and Monkey Doo.  I hissed at Mark later, "WHYYYYYYYYYY didn't you sneak a peek first and pick any name but THAT ONE???????!!!!!!"

Flufferball was switched to Fluffernutter at some point.  I'm not saying that was a good thing.  Mark didn't believe me when I said Fluffernutter was a food, but I proved him wrong.  Again.  Hee hee.  I love it when that happens.  Proving Mark wrong, that is, NOT having a dumb pet name.

Yep, can't wait to register her at the vet with that name.  I was more than a little of envious of my friend Carrie, a fellow cat aficionado, who gets to name her own cats and has uber cool names like Frodo and Zeddicus.  Is there a cooler name than Zeddicus?!?   Me, I have to show up with a Meatball.  And now a Fluffernutter. uggggggggg.  "Why yes, I have small children, thank you for asking, because at least you know that *I* would NEVER give a pet those stupid, embarrassing names!!"

And you can definitely bet that my Pet Names Ideas list is going to get fleshed out nicely so that the next pet to join our family has a COOL name.

Here's Connor and Shelby introducing Fluffernutter to two of the hundreds of stuffed animals that also reside with us:

The kids make sure she's never lonely, even when sleeping.  There IS a live kitten in this photo, I promise.

Shelby and Connor are usually sort of disinterested in the pets (so very woe is me over that), so having them go gaga over this kitten is sooooo heartwarming.  It's hilariously (to me) frustrating to Shelby, though, that Fluffernutter is NOT an obedient toy.  Look at FN's face here - she is soooo over Shelby's diva behavior.  Whatevs.

And so far, Fluffernutter is a people cat.  WOO. HOO.  She actually seeks the kids out and wants to be with them!  Unlike our other two cats, who without fail spend every single day lounging upstairs in the master bedroom, and then at 8:00pm at night like clockwork, come downstairs after the kids go to bed.

I just love Connor's face here.  He NEVER does this with animals.  *sigh* It makes my mommy heart all warm and fuzzy.

Fluffernutter plays with everything that she should.  But, in true cat form, plays mostly with things that she should NOT!

Dog toys…

Curtains!….  Bad cat!

Cute little pink toes!…

Clawing on my favorite rug.  Ugggggg!  As if it weren't already clawed enough by the other cats!

But gave a polite "No thanks" to the Rubik's cube. Sorry Connor.

Basically, this little half-pound sassy cat has taken over the Ritchie household and loves to sit right here in the middle of it all.   (Yes, that's Dance Moms on TV in the background.  HEY! This blog is a no-judging zone!!!!)

She's ferociously putting the dogs in their place - cats rule, dogs drool, got it??

Bullies Tiki out of the way to eat her dog food... (notice Tiki looking at me to help her!)

Is taking over the library books basket….

And has even taken over the coveted top tier of the kitty condo next to the birdcage, previously ruled by big black (but tragically wimpy) Meatball.

That does have its perils - she got stuck like this one day.  Look at her sitting on her little tushie like a person!!  Squeeeeeee!

Sometimes she still lets Noah sit there, though.

So, welcome to little feisty Fluffernutter Ritchie.  In retrospect, I think the name Mayhem would have suited her just fine.  But no matter what I try to bribe Noah with, he refuses to allow her to be renamed.

Meatball's remarks - Bah humbug.

And guess what?  YOU just read an entire blog article and looked at like 20 photos about Estelle's new cat.  10 minutes of your life you'll never get back AND that you'll never admit to, so I'll do you a favor and won't expect any comments on this one.  :)

** In memoriam to our recently passed family members, Indiana and Pequop, both of whom were with us for 15 years each.  And notice their cool names??  That *I* picked.  BC.  Before Children.