Maddie's Mommy: Meet Binx

My husband and I had planned on starting our furbaby family just as soon as we moved into our new house. We have been stalking PetFinder ever since our offer was submitted to the Bank, and we have known for months what our future "kids" would look like: at some point, we will have a beagle [named Bailey], a tortoiseshell kitten [Buster], and an all-black kitten [Binx].

The latter was not my idea. Hubby has always dreamed of having an all-black kitten named Binx (inspired by the cat in Hocus Pocus). I do not believe in any of the black cat superstitions, and I loved Hocus Pocus because of Binx, but I never found anything "special" about all-black cats. (I have had three cats over my lifetime: a tabby, a tiger-stripe, and a calico - maybe that will help put my thoughts into perspective.)

But Hubby pouted and made cute faces, so I had to give in. But we compromised. I have always wanted a Hemingway (a cat with extra toes), so we decided to look for an all-black Hemingway to make ensure Binx had a little something special about her.

We fully expected our extensive wish-list to result in a delayed search. Instead, we found a kitten almost instantly. The only hiccup was that the humane society overseeing her adoption wanted a reference list, which was to include the name and contact info for our landlord. Problem: We are not allowed to have pets at our condo unless we pay a $400 pet fee - not something we are willing to do considering we are moving out in about a month. We tried to hit up a friend or two to adopt the kitten for us, but most of the people we know have a similar living situation.

As much as it took to convince me to get Binx, I was beyond disappointed when we realized we would not be able to adopt this kitten. I went to work the next day, and even my students could tell I was upset about something.

Until I got the text from my husband. He decided to put an ad on Craigslist, and within twenty minutes, someone had e-mailed him. It was beyond the best text he has sent in quite a long time.

We ran out last night and picked her up. She is absolutely adorable. Her personality is almost a perfect blend of my husband and I: she is very affectionate and will cuddle and give kitty-kisses, but she will also chase a string, or your toes, or bat at the spider in the corner, for hours. She is, without a doubt, the best kitten I have ever had.

Last night I fell asleep with her on my chest. I woke up in the middle of the night to her cries: she had jumped off the bed and could not get back up. I held her for a while, and then she fell asleep in my lap. It was almost like having a real baby. I loved it.

Anyway, without further ado (because this post was way too long), here are pictures of Binx on her first night home. (She is just shy of eight weeks old in these pictures.)