See, Charles! I Told You Everything was Going to Be Just Fine.

OH, wow.  I got an update from Aimee and things are going even greater than I expected they might for dear Charles!   Hooray!!

Hi Laurie! 


 Here's an update for DAY ONE: The Tussling 


 The meeting between the boys went great. Viggo was fascinated by the new baby. We set carrier down and let them smell each other through the sides, then unpacked Charles into the Safe Room (bathroom). Viggo camped outside the Safe Room, asked lots of questions, and after 15 minutes of smelling under the door, attempted to dig his way in to free Charles from captivity. The carpet flew, paws (from both sides) tried to touch. 


 We decided to let them meet whisker-to-whisker. They touched noses, Charles rubbed up against Viggo, and the rumpus began. No fussing, no hissing, no flattened ears! We kept a close watch on them to make sure Charles wasn't squished to a pulp. He definitely let Viggo know when he didn't want to be held down any longer. After a couple hours of play, it was time for bed. 


Charles cried a bit, then quieted down, and was quiet through the night. Viggo woke up at 5:30 and insisted Charles be sprung from kitten jail. I think that Viggo thinks that Charles is just for him! Charles often moves too quickly to find out exactly what he thinks. The boys played for a couple of hours. Viggo had Charles in a headlock for a good deal of time, then Charles would mew, Viggo would sit up, and Charles would bite Viggo on the leg or pop him on the tush, and run, or roll over, or corral a toy. Charles showed Viggo that the pull string on the lamp is actually a toy, and taunted Viggo into chasing him all over the apartment. Charles may be tiny, but he's fast and he is scooting into spaces that Viggo takes much longer to maneuver into. They both zonked out for a multiple-hour nap this afternoon. Viggo is so happy, and seems much cuddlier than usual. Charles is perky, absolutely confident in his new space, isn't afraid of anyone or anything, is purring constantly, is eating and drinking like a champ, and is using (and playing in) every litter box he can find. 


 In keeping with our Scandinavian naming theme (Erik's father's side is Scandinavian), we deliberated and decided to re-name Charles as Finne. Finne can mean "fair" (he is very light and very pretty), but Finne can also mean "the wanderer". We thought the latter was particularly appropriate as he was supposed to be with another family first, and we are so so happy that he decided to wander over to our family instead. His middle name, depending on how we want to pronounce it, is Aamir or Amir. Aamir in Urdu is "civilized" and Amir is "prince"; I think we'll go with the latter, since he definitely will be the commander of our hearts, and who wants to be particularly civilized anyway? 


Viggo is just exhausted and is crashed out next to me. Charles/Finne Amir is snacking in the Safe Room/kitten jail and crawling on Erik's head. I haven't done much work today, but it's well worth the distraction to have this new little charmer in the family to keep us on our toes. 


We're so happy to have him! 
Thank you, thank you, thank you, Laurie!




And then after I replied to her sweet update, she sent this little gem....

I've kept an open kitty travel crate under my desk, thinking that Viggo would be interested in napping in it, but he's never checked it out. This afternoon, Charles/Finne discovered it and crawled inside for a secluded nap. A little while later, I looked down to find Viggo also inside, curled up around Charles/Finne, and cleaning his new little friend. Heart melts!


This is such wonderful news, Aimee!  Thank you so much for sharing it.  I couldn't be happier for our boy, and all of you!!!