Here kitty kitty kitty.

Lula Belle today.










Lula Belle the day we brought her home.










Lula Belle helping Tom at the computer.






My sweet hubby travels about 2 weeks out of every 4. While most people would think it would be difficult to be away from the family...I believe that Tom is always in fear of what he will come home to.

I tend to use that time to paint rooms, rearrange furniture, stencil corny sayings all over the walls, experiment with new recipes (thank the lord Ben still thinks I am the best cook ever)....and bring home new animals. My BFF once told me "It is better to ask for forgiveness than permission".

Cats do not have the best track record in the Caplinger house. I believe that the moment they cross the threshold they are minus 2 or 3 of the 9 lives they started out with. This is a family that LOVES cats, well most do. Nick and Tom may be hold outs...but the rest of us adore the purr of a kitten and laying with them while they make bread on your leg.

In November while Tom was traveling I went to pick up Dallas at daycare and they had just brought in 2 Rag Doll kittens. Now I am sure at this point you see a trend...picking up Dallas..bring home an animal. This kitten was the most beautiful fluffy hunk of love I had ever seen. I quickly emailed my Aunt Donna who is the leading cat authority in our family. She said that this was a breed she had always wanted....SCORE! Knowing I would need reinforcements I brought the kids in to see her. As only kids can do, they convinced me that my sweet hubby would think this would be a great idea (okay so I knew this was stretching it a little but I really wanted the cat). Sooooooo I brought the cat home. We gave her a sounthern name to fit a queen "Lula Belle" . We didn't know a thing about rag dolls but heck it was a cat.

Fast forward a couple of days. The kids and I google "rag doll"...the following is what we found "If you want a large cat which is non-aggressive, loves to be with people, and is very placid, you may want to consider a Ragdoll. Also, if you love the look of a long-haired cat, but do not want the constant grooming associated with breeds such as the Persian, a Ragdoll would be a good choice. The gentle Ragdoll is also good with children and is easy to introduce into a multi-pet household." OH MY she will be perfect....then we read this..."Ragdolls are large, heavy cats, with broad chests and large hindquarters. They are slow-maturing, and do not reach full maturity until approximately three years of age. Females are smaller than males, weighing about 10-15 pounds on average. Males weigh an average of 12-20 pounds as adults, although some may grow to be larger." OH MY!

Well we are 3 1/2 months into loving Lula Belle...according to the vet she may not be full blooded, we don't care she is perfect...and at 5 1/2 months old she is already topping the scales at 12 pounds, still perfect.

Meow
It may never be easy but it will always be worth it.
Babs