Introducing Bucky and Boots

The dive kitty family has recently expanded. Dive buddy (and talented cat-sitter) Ted recently got two kittens to keep his daughter, Liz, entertained. Liz has always been a big fan of our cats. In fact, I think she might be Pepper's biggest fan. And Pepper is a huge Liz fan -- Liz is the only person we know who can outlast Pepper on a playdate. After a rigorous candidate search (okay, I think it was more like two trips to Petsmart), they found Boots and Bucky (short for Buckwheat, I guess). They are two boys, littermates, 3 to 4 months old. Two days after they brought the kitties home, Rob and I went over to meet them. We came armed with a variety of different toys, so the cats could figure out what kind of toys they like. Boots was fabled to be the shy one (the "Oreo") while Bucky was the "Pepper" of the house.

They were both hiding under the vanity in the bathroom when we arrived, but when I poked my head down there to get a look, Bucky came right out to greet me. I picked him up and he started purring immediately. He is definitely a people-lover! I was surprised by how tiny they are -- I thought by this age they would be a little bigger. Boots wouldn't come out to say hello at first. Then we started playing with Bucky, got him out into the hallway, chasing around the laser pointer, and all of a sudden Boots appeared in the doorway, wanting to know what his brother was up to. By the end of the night, Boots was going crazy with a mylar teaser stick -- just like Pepper, they were both jumping and flipping for it. He was still pretty skittish about being pet though. Once we were able to get a better look at Boots, we saw what a pretty cat he is. He looks like a little leopard, with these really pretty markings on his body and face.

Here they are in portrait form (Boots left, Bucky right):