Last year we started off with our beloved cat Thakoon and sadly had to put her down after a battle with Kidney Disease. A couple of months after we put Thakoon down, a stray cat showed up at our front door. We took Orion in and after a few weeks of unsuccessfully trying to find his humans, we kept him as ours. Sadly, Orion had some underlying health issues that led to a detrimental stroke and we subsequently had to put him down as well. After so much loss I am so excited to share that we are getting a kitten!

Meet Anthony Bourdain our Polydactyl Maine Coon. We haven’t met him in person yet but our breeder says he’s incredibly sweet and social. We get to take him home in a couple of weeks.

Neither my husband nor I have ever bought a cat before, we have always adopted. I will always favor adopting instead of shopping with the exception of a few instances. We felt like we were robbed of time with Thakoon and especially with Orion. Since we felt like we were robbed of time we knew we wanted to get a kitten. Some shelters have kittens but the ones near us rarely do. Selfishly, I have a few dream breeds of cats I’d like to have someday and a Maine Coon is at the top of the list. I’ve wanted a Maine Coon since I was 15 so I’m over the moon excited for this chapter. Shortly before Thakoon’s health took a turn for the worse, I got diagnosed with LADA. At the time, doing everything I could to keep myself alive and doing everything to make sure Thakoon was as comfortable as possible didn’t phase me. After we put Thakoon down I realized how much of a toll all the health issues in our house took on my husband and I. You can certainly find healthy cats in shelters but it is a risk. I fully accept that buying a cat is still a risk, but it is a bit less risky. Our breeder does extensive genetic testing before breeding and I find comfort knowing our kitten is unlikely to develop health issues until later in life. Even if he does develop health issues early on, I’m emotionally prepared to take that on and do whatever is best for him knowing I did what I could to mitigate the risk.

Over the last month I have basically started nesting for the cat. Below is everything I’ve bought for him.

Brush Drinking Fountain Placemat Set Cat Bowl Clipper Set Dino Nugget Catnip Toys Fish Oil Bowl Set Comb