How My Life Has Changed Since Adopting My Furbabies

As many of you know back in August I become a cat mom to 3

adorable little terrorists kittens, Figaro, Bailey, and Granger.

After that wonderful August day there has been a LOT of learning

done on my end and since this time of year a lot of people think

gifting a new pet is a grand idea I wanted to share with y’all life after

the newest additions because I’m going to warn you…it’s not all sunshine

and rainbows all the time. Owning a pet is a big commitment so be sure

you are actually ready before taking the plunge.

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Growing up I ALWAYS had cats. ALWAYS. And when I moved

away from home to go to college that was the first time in my

life I didn’t have at least one. To try and fill the void that not

having a cat had created inside of me, I began volunteering at my

local humane society (and have been volunteering there ever since).

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You can check out their Facebook page here!

I know I am kind of biased, but this is honestly one of the best cat shelters you will find. It is so obvious that the people who run the shelter are extremely passionate about the cats and do everything they can to provide them with the absolute best care before they find their forever homes. You won't regret adopting a cat from here I can guarantee that!

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It was here at the shelter that I got my weekly dose of cats

as I patiently waited for the time when I would be able to bring

one home. (One…not three….lol) Then finally on August 27th, my

lil bro's birthday and the day I closed on my house I also brought

three adorable little fluffs home from the shelter. Honestly that was

one of the happiest days of my life.

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So how did we get from one to three? Well…you see here… lol This

litter of three kittens came into the shelter one day with their

mom…so all were siblings…and it was at this time I had actually

begun looking for a kitten to bring home since I knew I was going

to be closing on my house soon. One night volunteering I was sitting

in their pen and just fell in love with this crazy but friendly

little black and white kitten.

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So freakin' cute!

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So the next day I asked our shelter director to put a hold on

him (who’s name was Brody at the time) for me. Not even two

hours later I asked her to put a hold on the little gray and white

one in there as well (whose name is the only one that didn’t change - Granger)

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and then when I received these pictures from Erin (our amazing shelter director)

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I knew I had to take home the little calico too (who was named Bristo).

And that is how we went from one to three. I mean…I just had to do it

you know! One isn’t enough because it needs a playmate and you can’t

leave one behind…at least that is what I tell myself to justify it. Lol

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Eeeek! Now named Bailey, Granger, and Figaro.

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I signed the papers on my house and then went directly to the

humane society to pick up my littles. I was so gosh dang

excited! Honestly maybe more excited for the kittens than for the

house. Lol I brought them home and they have been running

things ever since. Lol

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Giving these adorable fluffs a home actually helped me cross something off my bucket list!

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At first they were perfect little angels and spent the majority

of their time either exploring or sleeping. You barely even

knew they were there most of the time! However, as they got

older and more used to the house they began to get brave and

that is when things for me really started to change.

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New Routines

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Since the kittens are well…kittens…they like to get into

EVERYTHING so that meant I had some new habits to learn.

The first one being not leaving food unattended anywhere in

the house even on the kitchen counters. Those little stinkers will

find it and start eating to their heart’s content…even if it is covered!

I had a partial pan of cinnamon rolls sitting on the counter, wrapped

in aluminum foil, and they ripped off the foil and just helped

themselves! I mean, I don’t blame them, my cinnamon rolls are pretty

good (recipe here), but I certainly wasn’t planning on sharing them with the babies. Lol

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Guard your food at all times. Look at these beggars. I swear they get fed well! Lol

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Another thing I have had to start doing is cleaning all the dishes

before going to bed. I don’t know what it is, but the babies see a

sink full of dishes and they think they just have to jump up there

and check it out. Which usually leads to a mess and dishes on the

floor. I know they probably just want to help mom and wash them, but

I think I do a little bit better job than them. Lol

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Bailey is the worst offender when it comes to messing with dishes in the sink.

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Oh and speaking of cleaning….I have never in my life had to

sweep and vacuum so frequently if I want to keep a semi clean

home. I am usually sweeping at least 2-3 times a day and vacuuming

my one and only rug at least twice a week as well because I find their

litter and hair all over the place.

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Sweeping and vacuuming also helps with smells which brings

me to the next new habit…cleaning out litter boxes. Since automatic

litter boxes are about $500 too expensive I use the old fashioned ones

which means I have to do a lot of poop scooping. I usually do it once

in the morning before leaving for work, once when I get home from

work, and then again right before bed (sometimes more depending

on when my bedtime actually is). One thing with cats is that they

won’t use the litter box if it is dirty so making sure it is clean is a

must to keep them from ruining my rug…even more.

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Another thing I have had to do is keep the door to bedrooms

and the main bathroom closed. The babies LOVE going into these

rooms, but have a tendency to cause some destruction when they

do. I have had them tip over trash cans and drag trash all

throughout the house, rip up important documents, tear down or

break decorations (they definitely let you know how they want to

decorate things! lol), put holes in my hanging clothes, and even

rip up my shower curtain with their claws. So biggest lesson learned

in all of this is hanging things = bad when you have cats. Lol

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He loves to sit here inside the shower curtain. Peek at the claw marks already in the curtain. Lol

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Bailey in the tree trying to get the ornaments.

And then of course along came Figaro. In the tree just to be in the tree. Lol

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Finally, the newest habit I have had to learn is probably one people

struggle with the most and that is folding and putting away laundry

as soon as it is done. Anytime my cats see a basket of clothes

they make a beeline right for it and proceed to lay on everything

inside getting their hair all over whatever is in the basket and

sometimes, depending on what it is, I have caught them dragging

it around the house or just playing with it. I am not a fan of

doing laundry and I definitely don’t enjoy having to wash things

twice so now we fold and put things away immediately.

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It’s No Longer Just You

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I have gotten VERY used to living alone and being able

to go off on whatever adventure I want whenever I want.

Now, things are a little bit different. Before I can go anywhere

I have to think about what to do with my babies. Whether it be

for a weekend or longer, the kittens can’t take care of themselves

so I need to make sure I have a wellness plan in place for them before I leave.

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Mama Loves You Babies So Much

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Phew! Now I think it is time we get into the reasons why these cats

are hands down the best things to have ever happened to me.

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They bring so much joy into my life and give me a reason to

live and work hard. Sure they do things that they shouldn’t, but

no matter how hard I try I cannot ever stay mad at them. One

look at their wittle faces and I just can’t help but smile. And

absolutely nothing beats coming home to these little fur balls.

It is the one thing I can look forward to every day and I missed

them so much when I left on my vacation. I can’t imagine being away

from them for that long again. Just seeing them all pile out of the

bathroom after I get home from work and start meowing up at me

and rubbing up all over my legs puts the biggest smile on my face.

Oh and they say that dogs are the ones that get excited to see you

when you get home, but my kittens are always pretty excited to see

me (probably just because they get to finally be let out of the bathroom

to roam the rest of the house, but I’m going to pretend it is because

they are happy just to see me again. lol).

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They also bring me a lot of comfort. I live alone and am very

single, both things that I am more than okay with and don’t want

to change any time soon, but it is still really nice to have other

living beings here with me. Other living beings that I don’t have to

compromise with on what to watch or eat for dinner. Other living

beings I know love me. Other living beings that I can talk to without

being told to shut up or feel like I am boring them which is honestly

one thing I am not used to and love the most. These cats are great

listeners and I find myself talking to them a lot as if they could actually

understand what I am saying. It is amazing. lol

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Oh and nothing beats hearing them purr or sitting together while

I work on the blog or watch TV. Those times when we are all just

chilling together are some of my absolute favorites and the times

I feel the most relaxed. (Weekends and days off are the best

because we get more of these times.) Overall, I feel like these cats

have been such a blessing and have also really helped with my mental

health, which is something I have deeply struggled with for many years.

I know a lot of people will say I rescued them from the shelter or say

that I saved them, but honestly (and I know this is gonna sound cheesy)

they are the ones that saved me.

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I also love watching them play. They are so nutty and it is honestly

the best form of free entertainment out there.

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I absolutely love being these kittens' moms. (How many

times can I say love in an article? lol) You know I have

never before understood how people could love pets so much, but

now I definitely do. Every time I look at them, even when they are

doing something bad, I can’t help but feel my heart squeeze because

I love them so so so much. Maybe that makes me the crazy cat lady, but

I don’t care. They are my fur babies.

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I have loved watching them grow up and develop their own little personalities.

Figaro is 1000% the leader of the crew always getting his way and always needing to be the center of attention.

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Granger is suuuuper chill and laid back and kind of just goes with the flow, but definitely likes to stay close to mom and isn't a fan of her leaving him (my 3 week vacation was definitely hard on the poor little guy 😢).

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And Bailey is definitely a prissy princess. You have to run on her schedule which means you can only pet her or hold her when she says it is okay and you have to do it right or else she is done with you, but at the same time she isn't afraid to get rough with the boys and causes most of the destruction around the house. Lol.

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Now with that said a part of me still wishes they could have stayed small forever….