Welcome Home, Skitz Lowry!

Yes, that's right, there's a new baby in the house! No, I didn't procreate...we have a new kitten! We adopted him from the Robertson County Animal Shelter, and he is just the sweetest little addition to the family! His paperwork from the shelter said that he and his 4 siblings were dropped off without their mother, so they were little orphans. One by one, the other kittens were adopted, and the day we brought Skitz home, he had one brother remaining in the shelter, who we affectionately named Wipe-Out, for his tendency to bash his head into the bars of the cage in his efforts to steal all the attention for himself. We didn't think Swisher would take well to that, so we went with the more playfully subdued kitten. He decided for us that his name is Skitz...I'm not sure I've ever seen a kitten with more energy than this one! He's got SO much personality for such a little fella and well...just look at him! How could you NOT love a little face like that?! Unless you're Nanny, but I never entirely understood her aversion to cats... At any rate, he's taken to the house rather well - he knows where the litter box, food and water are - and he has acquainted himself with all the kittey toys to be found. His big brother, Swish, was not too pleased with his arrival at first. In fact, Swish was bapped on the head several times for hissing at the baby. Skitz would get up to Swish and scent him, then hold still to let Swish scent him in return, and after a thorough sniffing, Swish would flatten his ears, hiss and draw back to strike Skitz. Sibling rivalry is one thing, but we worried a little at first that Swish would honestly maim the poor little thing. Part of the problem, we realized, was that Skitz just didn't smell like the house. He had a very different scent...quite a pungent one, actually. Poor little fluffball smelled like the butt-end of a kennel! So, what else was there to do but scrub him down? I think he resents me a little for what I did to him today, but he was in desperate need of a make-over. Today after I work, I sat down with Skitz and purred to him quietly while I trimmed his little kitty-razors (not too close to the pad, I didn't want to hurt him...just keep him from hurting us), and then we had a moment or two of snuggle time before The Big Plunge.
First of all, let me say that I love angled bathtubs - they make things like this SO much easier! Second - thank Heaven slippery paws can't get much traction, otherwise we'd have had a drowned rat streaking through the house! A little tear-free baby shampoo and some warm water...and SPLASH! In he went! As you can see, it was a less-then dignified ending... But it did a world of good for the smelly little bugger! He now smells rather like a human baby (no, I didn't put powder on him...for one thing, I don't have any, and BJ probably would have shot me for it...). The only traces of kennel smell are in his ears, and even there it's not bad. Mostly, he smells like Addison, because it was a drop of her shampoo I borrowed to bathe Skitz.
The best part about his dunking is that Swish's attitude toward the kitten has changed drastically! They played for the first time tonight, it was so adorable! Swisher had stationed himself in the Kitty City hut we bought for them, and was giving Skitz one monster of a "look". You know the one I'm talking about...the one that just screams, "Try it, and you'll be a snack..." Apparently, Skitz has some gumption - he reared up in a hump and charged sideways at Swish! Swish looked him up and down, then raised a paw and whapped him on the head gently. Skitz, in true fighting form, swung at the air playfully, and Swish rewarded him with a bop to the hiney that sent him spinning on the hardwood floor. After that, it was all-out warplay! Skitz would charge and swing, then Swish would take a few jabs. Their playtime lasted for about 15 solid minutes, while BJ and I watched (BJ laughed, I squealed with joy because my boys are getting along). Another thing I think helped was that earlier tonight, Swish drew back at Skitz, who reared up and jumped at him, as if to say "I'm not runnin' this time, big boy! BRING IT!!" Skitz wants a friend, and will not be deterred!
We also learned last night that he is an avid TV-watcher! BJ and I usually fall asleep with a movie playing for background noise and ambient light in the bedroom, and we chose Constantine last night. Skitz made himself a nest next to BJ's legs and lay there for a good hour's worth of the movie, watching the screen intently. Swish, who was still hesitant about the fluffy newcomer, waited until we all fell asleep before he slunk up under the bad and stationed himself on the other side, under the covers and curled in the crook of my knees.
So, there you are! The first photos of our new little man! I'll keep you posted on the progress he and Swish make, and on how he reacts with Addison.