However, to misuse a quote: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Todd and I recently began talking about another pet, which led to perusing local shelters online. It was all very casual until Thanksgiving, which was held this year at my brother's house.
After lunch, the cat race clearly sent their little cat ambassador - a catassador, if you will, in the form of my brother's cat - on a deadly mission of endearment. Armed with only the cold resolve of a killer and a warm, vibrating love bomb strong enough to wipe out the population of an entire 7-11, the cat zeroed in on its target and detonated it's payload right in my lap...by curling up and purring itself to sleep.
That's when shit got real.
So we started to verbally weigh the pros and cons of a new cat or dog while stepping up our online shelter search, but it was clear the battle had already been lost. After ruling out a dog, it was just a matter of when, not if, we would get a cat. Then it happened: