Perfect little Pippin

Pippin is the perfect second cat for us*. We were pretty confident that whatever the kitten we’d reserved was like, he’d be a good cat because Sylvia has been fantastic, and the breeder has an approach with her cats that suits us well: they are part of the family, and their health and well-being always come first. Her house is incredibly calm and chillax for the number of cats (plus a German Shepherd).

But we really couldn’t have found a better fit than Pippin.

He’s the right cat for my husband, who completely underestimated the speed at which he could fall in love with a cat. When we brought home Sylvia in March 2019, I was ecstatic. I’d waited for years to have a cat of my own again, and I adored her from the first. However, she was his first experience owning a cat, and it took a bit longer for them to figure each other out. Pippin’s happy-go-lucky, leap-before-looking personality charmed both of us, but in particular my husband had found a kitten he loved immensely and helplessly from the very first.

Having never had a kitten before, he was completely defenseless to the little guys charms. And he is quite the charmer.

Sylvia put up only slightly more defense (ok – Pippin thinks there’s work to be done yet on cuddling), but quickly discovered she has a great new playmate, and maybe having a little brother wasn’t so bad.

The benefits of his presence far outweigh the minuses (such as somebody who chases every toy she wants, butts his head in to examine every treat, and is generally all the things a little sibling is). Overall, she is just a much happier cat. We thought she was generally a happy cat with two humans to love her, toys, a balcony, and daily walks. And I still think she was… but she is just that much happier with a little brother around. They say the breed is generally more social, and while this can’t predict any one individuals’ personality, she fits the breed in this respect.

But I also think Pippin is the right little brother for her. She’s a planner, and while very sweet, she often has very clear ideas about what she wants to do and when. But while he’s a bundle of personality, it’s an easy going one. Sure, he knows when he wants to play or when he wants to sleep. But generally he’s up for whatever game suites others. He is absolutely a cat who wants to have other cat friends, but he’s pretty chill about letting them lead the way. Just don’t leave him out of the fun.

And me? Of course I love him too. In the first couple weeks, I think I had a little resistance to his charm simply because my energies were focused on integrating him into the household and ensuring big sister knew she was still loved and wanted – that he was an addition, not a replacement. But now he’s fully part of the family. Sure, it’s complete with the usual sibling spats, but they obviously both love each other. And so I’m free to cuddle him as much as his purring snuggle-bug nature wants:

*ahem… If about here you’re thinking “wait, didn’t I read you planned on delivering a cat to your brother and sister-in law as a wedding gift?” Ah yes…. it’s just not this cat. No clue where on earth you got that idea. Clearly, anybody who thought that plan would work was quite mad…

More seriously… given all the above and that we won’t be back in the States until sometime in spring now, it seems clear he would never be anything but our cat. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law will be bringing home an adorable little fluff ball of a Ragdoll kitty in October. Their transition to new-kitten parents will not be delayed or deferred, and they will get to enjoy every single possible day of kitten mahem.