Shelby and Jasmine

It was 12 years ago that one of my 3rd grade students approached me with an offer I just couldn't refuse. She had heard that my new husband (of 4 months) and I were looking to start a family, a fur-family that is. All my years growing up we had kitties sharing our home, making life interesting. It was just too quiet in our new house. I knew just what we needed and so began the search for 2 female kittens from the same litter. We checked the Animal Protective League and Stay-A-While Cat Shelter but no such luck. One day a little girl in my class told me her mom had found two kittens behind their garage, shivering in the cold and snow, and she wanted to know if I would like to adopt them. I called her mom to ask if they were male or female. I didn't want a male, even though they are extremely affectionate, they seem to have issues in the potty department, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, one was a girl and the other a boy. I told her no thank you, we were looking for 2 females. She called me back a day or so later to see if I had changed my mind. She said she had offers from people willing to take one or the other but not both. She was hoping they could stay together and wanted to know if I would just stop by to "take a look" at them. I called Steve and told him I was stopping by to just "take a look" on my way home from school. We both knew that meant I was coming home with 2 adorable balls of fur that night. Jasmine is the quiet, gentle, shy, dark, female tabby. She LOVES to have her belly rubbed and cuddle in your lap if the noisy people aren't around. Shelby is the blond male who is the exact opposite of his sister. He hates to have his belly or feet touched but LOVES to get 'toe-love'. That means he likes to lay by your feet and have you pet him with your feet. Every night when everyone is in bed and just about asleep he starts this awful howl that sounds like something is terribly wrong. But not to worry, he's just capturing and delivering all of his toys to my bedside. He's such a good hunter and provider:)
I'm so glad Mrs. Moriarty called me back and asked me to come over and just take a look at them. It would have been very sad if they had been separated. They love each other and still play and snuggle up together. I must say that Shelby will definitely be the last male pet we ever have. He does have his potty issues, as I knew he would. But I love them anyways and couldn't imagine the last 12 years without them. Spoiled little kitties...