At nine weeks and one day, fully weaned, but having never spent a single night away from his mother, Theo came to visit his two older brothers, Alvin and Simon.
It was quite an adventure, having a full complement of chipmunk-colored tabbies romping endlessly throughout the house over the long 4th of July weekend, and I’m not quite sure I’ve recovered from the experience.
When he first arrived, Theo was a little tentative about exploring his new surroundings. Three-year-old Alvin just gave him a look and pretty much ignored him, but Simon, at a year and a half, felt rather threatened with a younger model in the house.
There was a lot of hissing and spitting the first two days, and Simon got in a couple good swats before Theo started standing up for himself. I was a little nervous about the intensity of their fisticuffs, but by the third night it was clear that boundaries had been established and they were all going to be just fine.
Theo is back in Hillsboro now, and I think Simon kind of misses having someone to pick on—I mean play with. Alvin doesn’t “do” rough and tumble the way Theo does.
Next month, when the three of them get together for a second time, Theo will be much bigger, and we’ll see if the dynamic, a.k.a. pecking order, has changed.
It was a fabulous weekend, and at the end of the day, it’s good to have someone warm and fuzzy to cuddle with—right Theo?