Emmy's Little Brother

Our cat, Emmy, got a little brother this weekend. A woman I know from school works in a pet store and realized that one of their kittens was getting sick. She called the Humane Society, which is currently overcrowded, and they said if the cat was returned to them he would probably be put to sleep. This woman decided to "save" the kitten, so she took him to the vet to be treated. Already having a full house herself, she looked for someone who would adopt him.

And so, on Saturday we brought home a seven month old cat named Noah. He really does look like Emmy's little brother, with the same long fur and orange tabby coloring. The problem is, they look a little too much alike. From behind, you can't tell which cat is which. Personally, I look for the collar, because Emmy wears one and Noah doesn't yet have one.

We have had Noah for a few days now, but Alyssa still calls Noah "boy." This morning I asked her what his name was. "Noah," she said without hesitation.

"Well," I said, "why do you keep calling him boy?"

"Because it's easier," she gushed, in her excited four-year-old fashion. "They kind of look the same, except Noah has white paws and his tail is lighter, but Emmy's tail is darker. And they both have white under their chin."

Now, mind you, she gave this speech over a span of about five seconds. In fact, I am not even sure how I caught everything she said, must be my perfect memory. ;)

Here I was, thinking "Poor thing, she's too little to remember the new cat's name." Turns out she knows more about the cat than I do. She just uses the term "boy" to keep the cats straight in her mind. Boy has white paws and needs lots of love, girl needs to be chastened often for being mean to boy (because she still likes to hiss at him). Yep, makes perfect sense to her!