Willie and Baxter Find a Home - Rural Thursday

I need to start off with a confession.  Remember that sweet little cat we tried to adopt last spring as a barn kitty?  Well, after her 3 week transition, we let her loose outside, and she ran away.  We never saw her again.  I felt really badly about this.  So after some time, we decided to try adopting from Barn Cat Buddies again, only this time we wanted to look for friendly cats, who could be enjoyed by the whole family and might become attached to us.  I emailed Diane from Barn Cat Buddies to let her know we were interested in trying again, so she could be on the lookout for some cats that might fit well with us.  Last week she took me to visit some, and the boys and I found two that we loved. 

The trip home proved to be quite interesting.  One of the cats, who we renamed Willie, completely freaked out in the carrier on the drive home.  He actually tore apart the carrier and busted out.  The boys were all "MOM!!!  Mom, he's getting out!!!"  I had to pull over and reassemble the carrier, and I moved Willie to the front seat so I could hold the carrier together, as it was now busted on one side.  Well he pushed and clawed and yowled.  Fur was flying out of the carrier, and claws were flying around too.  He was panting rapidly and then all the sudden he rolled onto his back, put all four feet up in the air, and closed his eyes.  I was all, "OMG, he's having a heart attack!"  I pulled over again, but then he jumped up and started clawing to get out again.  He tricked me!  I have never seen a cat act like this before!  We went through this routine one more time before getting home forty-five days minutes later.  My front seat was covered in claw sheddings and fur, and poor Willie had bloodied up several of his claws thoroughly.

Thankfully, Willie was just fine once he was out of the carrier and happily installed in the master bathroom.  And Baxter did just fine the whole way - he seems very laid back and has even been sleeping with me at night.  This is Pierce with Baxter.  He seems to love all three boys already, and relishes the attention they give him.

And this is the crazy Willie, who is also very affectionate with the boys, and extra playful - he loves when the boys toss his ball and enjoys giving chase.  Word is that he is a very efficient mouser, so after his transition I'll be eagerly awaiting my first gift of death on my doormat.  Better Willie catch the mice before they climb into my minivan, right?

We're already attached to these two cats and they already seem to be a great fit for our family.  I'm so excited that we found such sweet kitties!  If you're in the Roanoke region and are looking for a cat, definitely check out Barn Cat Buddies - they are a great resource for rehoming cats and kittens in this area. 

It's Rural Thursday, so time to link up with Nancy from A Rural Journal and myself with your blog posts relating to the rural life!  Just grab the code below the button and paste it into your post.  Then come back and add your url to the linky.  Please be sure to visit and comment on the blogs of at least 5 other participants!  Looking forward to reading your posts today!