Bernice, Bernice, Bernice.

Who knew we'd have this much fun with a cat?

Our first go-round with pets didn't turn out in our favor. Remember Gage? He's much happier being a cattle dog in a small feedyard than being couped up in our little apartment. Strike out for us.

Since we decided to take the plunge into home ownership - we thought we'd give this thing called "pets" another try. It just so happened that my Aunt Angie wanted to re-home this 'ole-gal.


She has a previous name, but I wanted to reserve the right to name an un-born child a version of that name - so we (mostly I) picked a new one.

Meet Bernice. You're not misreading it. I said Bernice. It's purrrrfect!

In this first photo, Ben is NOT choking her......I promise. She likes to barrel-roll her way around the living room in search of a hand, foot, leg or furniture piece to rub up against. This picture was actually "mid-scratch".


This photo actually is a better depiction of her favorite dance move. It didn't take too long for her to become my buddy. Ten hours in the car and one good round with the fur-minator and we were life-long companions. Ben was another story.

She has spent the better part of this first week home in the confines of our bedroom. Under the bed. While I'm more familiar with kitties - Ben is not. So while I ignore her when she's hissing at me when I try to DRAG her out from underneath the bed - Ben quickly gives up. It's not his fault. Normally hissing animals should be left alone. But this girl, who has no claws, begs for her supper and has lived inside her entire 3-year life? - there's little threat of major physical damage or contracting some weird feral cat disease from this furball.


After I convinced Ben that she was more-or-less a harmless piece of fur, we convinced her that he wasn't such a bad guy by bribing her with tons of treats. Which of course, she loves. I think it's because she hasn't found her food bowl yet. It took all of five minutes for her to realize "These two giants aren't as scary as I thought. Ugly, but definitely not scary."

Now, she's this......all over the place. And there's hair.....ALL over the place.

I didn't realize that cats shedded this much. Mom's cat didn't shed this much. Or so I thought.

So now, as I blog - Bernice is alternating between:

a) barrel-rolling,

b) wandering around claiming her domain and

c) laying in her new favorite spot in the living room - beside the couch, hidden under the blanket that drapes over the arm of the couch.

She's already provided us with alot of entertainment. It's fun to watch Ben, a self proclaimed "cat hater" get down on the floor and play with her and talk quietly saying, "I'm not such a bad guy, am I?"

That's about it for the Bernice introduction. I need to get out of the living room because she has taken to sleeping on the couch once we go to bed.


I'll leave you with one more photo.