Hoping I don't jinx this one....

Have been itching to add a cat or two to my humble home.  There was potential for kittens from a feral mama in Queens.  The home owners went through an organization specializing in feral cats.  They spay and release the mama cat from the original environment, and they board kittens until they can be fixed at 8 weeks and adopted out in pairs or into houses with current cats.  Turns out the shelter is some 40 miles out on Long Island, based out of Massapequa, NY.  It would take some two and a half hours to get there (subway to the Long Island Rail Road and then walking to the location) since I do not have a car and rentals in NYC cost a minimum of $125 per day plus gas.  I was going to visit the kittens and decide a) if I like their vibe, b) if they like my vibe, and c) which ones I actually might want.  Yet I didn't have 3/4 of a day to burn just to decide if I wanted them.

If the kittens didn't work out I had plans to start looking in local shelters for adoptees.  (True local, as in Harlem, thank you very much!)  Friday I went to get preparatory supplies from the East Harlem PetSmart just because I had the time and needed a break from studying for the end-of-year comprehensive exam.  Was looking at the litter boxes, searching for an inexpensive but lidded model, and then I see a cat through a window along the back wall.  This particular PetSmart has a station for Anjellicle Cats, a fantastic city-wide organization that operates largely with volunteers and gives cats regular medical assistance and foster/adoption homes.  There were a dozen or so cats viewable through glass windows inside a closed off adoption area, and I left with strong suspicion of four of them based off their descriptions.

Yesterday they kept itching in the back of my head.  I emailed the kitten shelter again to ask for information, if I could visit (assuming the time worked out), etc.  Still heard nothing as of this morning.  Friends reassured me that kittens are easier to find homes for whereas older cats don't go so easily.  I knew this, but I felt bad because of getting my toe wedged into the door with the kittens.  Yet some of these cats drew me enough that I returned to PetSmart today with no preconceived ideas other than eventually wanting a feline friend.

Aaaaaaaand almost immediately these two stuck out.  Siblings, 3 years old, white and brown tabby mix, green eyes, very well adjusted, get along well with other cats and animals, good mix of cuddle and play.  Currently named Mary Kate and Ashley, which will most likely get changed.  They remind me of Tigger and Tinkerbell, my parents' cats that they got when I was ten.  From three kids handling them since kitten-hood they would soften when lifted and were always calm.  If a cat is okay being picked up then I like to go nose to nose, and each of them turned out to be head butters!  Oh my.  I swooned.  I stayed for almost two hours, talking with the volunteers who know the cats rather well and playing with six of the available cats to be fair and to get a good idea.  These two kept coming over to me.  I knew I'd take at least one of them.  Mark Kate ended up sticking her nose over to watch me fill out the entire adoption form (see below), while Ashley held down the cat tunnel two feet away (again, see below).  I ended up applying for both.

Here's hoping I hear back soon.