Welcome to Week 4 of our 15 week countdown to retirement! (Just click over to HERE if you missed the big announcement.)

We thought it would be super fun to relive the arrival of sweet Ellie. She joined our family in September of 2020 and life has never been the same here in the mountain house. She's still a petite little girl, but oh my...these kitten photos of her are SOOO cute. We can't believe she was ever that small. We hope you enjoy her adoption story and all of her kitteny-cuteness!

Hello ELLIE!

WAFFLES: Wait a minute...who are YOU???

ELLIE: I think my name is Ellie. What's your name?

WAFFLES: I'm confused. Ellie???

ELLIE: Hi confused. It's nice to meet you!

WAFFLES: I mean, I'm, I'm Waffles.

ELLIE: You mean like pancakes? You don't smell like pancakes.

WAFFLES: You really don't smell like pancakes.

Surprise!
Last week we promised you a surprise, and boy do we have a BIG one! ...well, actually she's only three pounds. We're so very happy to introduce you to Ellie, the newest member of our family and our blog. We brought Ellie home on Saturday, September 12. Just like our beloved Katie, Miss Ellie is an anniversary kitty. Glogirly and Gloman celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary and decided it was time. Time to bring a new life into our home, time to share our love, and time to turn Waffles' world upside down!

Ellie has only been with us for 8 days now, and it's safe to say we are ALL in love. Ellie was born on a farm in rural Colorado. A very nice lady who lives on the farm, and who adores cats, knew that she wasn't equipped to care for this tiny kitten and her still-a-kitten mother. She contacted a small, local non-profit organization called The Feline Fix in Commerce City, CO.

For more than two decades, The Feline Fix has championed the welfare of cats by providing a wellness clinic, spay/neuter services, a humane TNR program, and adopting & fostering. They are Colorado's leading spay/neuter source for free-roaming "community" cats and a significant provider of affordable spay/neuter services. They have spayed/neutered over 42,000 cats at their clinic, preventing the births of hundreds of thousands of unwanted cats in Denver and its surrounding areas.

Ellie was living in a foster home when we found her online through Petfinder. (The same website we used to find Waffles almost 8 years ago!) Our adoption experience was a unique one given the precautions so many shelters and clinics have in place due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Glogirly filled out her adoption application online, and once it was approved, a Zoom meet-and-greet was set up for Ellie & her foster mom, Glogirly & Gloman, and Nicole, the adoption coordinator from The Feline Fix.

Before the call, Glogirly was having a very hard time imagining adopting a cat without being able to be with them in person. To hold them, talk to them, and play. She had butterflies in her stomach when the Zoom call started. She and Gloman got to see Ellie interact with her foster mom and play with feathers and red dots. Waffles was sleeping on Gloman's lap during the whole call...it was a family affair!

It took all of 15 seconds for Glogirly to fall in love and whisper to Gloman, "She's the one...we have to adopt her!" And the very next day, Glogirly and Gloman drove to The Feline Fix to pick up Ellie and bring her home, to her new forever home.

You're probably wondering where her name came from. Her foster name was Ella. Such a pretty name which totally suits her sweet and feminine face, with that beautiful eyeliner! She's SO tiny and cute that we decided to call her Ellie. Miss Ellie Belly. Gloman calls her his sweet little bean. ...like Jelly Bellys.

One Week Later...
We had no idea how Waffles would take to a new kitten in the family. He has always had a very hard time with new animal smells. In fact, when Katie would go to the vet, Glogiry would have to separate them for a few days after they returned home. Waffles was so sensitive to the unfamiliar smells, it was as if he didn't even recognize Katie.

So we were ready and had our guest room set up for Ellie. Sure enough, there was a lot of hissing, growling, and moaning those first couple of days. Ellie's whole world had changed too. New people, a new environment, and a new cat. While in her foster home, she didn't have any contact with the resident cats in the home. She needed a little time to acclimate and feel safe. We supervised their contact and Glogirly slept in the guest room with Ellie.

Then something amazing and wonderful and beautiful happened.

As Waffles became more comfortable with this tiny new kitten, Ellie became more confident and began exploring the whole house. Pretty soon, when the feather toy came out, both Ellie and Waffles were playing.

Next, they started chasing each other around the house, wrestling like a couple of kids. Waffles has been incredibly gentle with her. It's as if he's aware of his size and strength, and purposely shows Ellie a gentle touch.

Ellie has discovered a new and SUPER fun toy. An orange striped TAIL!

Waffles' extra-long and wiggly tail is just too much of a temptation for her. But when she chases it, or even catches it, Waffles shows patience and compassion.

Soon, Waffles started sleeping in the guest room. In Ellie's Sleepypod. Usually, while she slept on top of the bed.

And then this happened.

Just eight short days, and they've become BFFs.

Ellie has found her place in the world. She's such a happy kitten. A lover, a cuddler, and a gamer. She watches Waffles closely and is quick to copy. Once she saw Waffles sleeping on Gloman's lap, she did the same. Once she saw that Waffles sleeps every night in bed with Glogirly and Gloman, she was was right there, all night long.

And for Waffles, it's a whole new world too. Already he has a relationship with Ellie that he's never had with another animal. Katie was incredibly loving too, but she was much more independent and enjoyed Waffles from a distance. Now he has a chance to experience life up close and purrsonal with another kitty.

Here we go!

We can't wait to share more of Ellie and Waffles' adventures with you!

You may have noticed a new header image on top of our blog page. Little Ellie is in the driver's seat of the Jeep, though she can barely see over the steering wheel!

Check out our new Meet Us page and our new About page for more!