You can call him Al

Last year we welcomed a new member to our family...Alexander. You can call him Al.

I had a crazy idea in my head that we needed to adopt another cat. But I knew that the old house wasn't big enough for two adults, two kids, a dog, and three cats. When we moved to the new house we certainly had the room. My sister volunteers with Fancy Cats Rescue Team at our local Petsmart taking care of the too many cats who need forever homes. I never paid attention to them really until we would visit Molly during her cleaning and feeding of the cats. Many touched my heart. And Alexander was one of them. He had been in the "cage" for WAY TO LONG. And he needed a family.

We started making the preparations and in June 2011 we made the adoption. He lived in Jaime's room for about a week during the transition. After which we swapped Ben and Roosie and Al between the basement and the first and the second floors to allow additional time for Al to become familiar with the house and Ben and Roosie's scents (and vice versa). After three weeks or so we opened up the doors for all the animals to move freely. It didn't go over so well. Not at all. Let's just say some of the best advice I can give is not to go into a cat fight without gloves. I have the scars and phone calls from Fairfax County public health services to prove it.

Roosie constantly freaked out, Ben will always howl with the most heart wrenching cries, and Al just appears to want to play. Al sleeps in the basement at night with the door closed to allow Ben and Roosie the "freedom" of the second and the first floor. During the day the doors are all opened. However, Ben and Rooise stick to the second floor and our bedroom and under our bed.

However, when I got back from a short grocery store run this past weekend, my niece Makayla comes rushing out of the house to tell me that Al and Ben were on Joe's bed and they weren't hissing or howling at each other. I saw it with my own eyes. Ben looked slightly panicked but he wasn't about to move. Al had his front legs stretched out in front of him napping. Perhaps we have turned a corner and a truce, or at least an understanding, is emerging.