For the first time in many years, Joan Ball and her husband, Roger, were without a cat or dog. Their cat of 17 years had passed away in August, and coming home to a house without pets felt empty.
Over the past 30 years, the Town and Country couple had adopted cats and dogs from rescue organizations, especially the Humane Society of Missouri. So, when they found themselves seeking a four-legged companion or two, the Humane Society was the first place they looked.
When their children were home for Thanksgiving, the four of them went to look for a new pet. That’s when a 4-month-old kitten named Tristan caught their hearts.
“He was just so cute, running around and playing,” Joan Ball says. “He was and is so sociable.”
After they fell in love with Tristan, the Balls wanted him to have a friend, so they adopted Isolde the same day.
“She’s just this tiny, sweet little thing,” Joan Ball says.
At the time LN talked to Joan Ball, the family had had the kittens for only about a week.
“We’re getting used to having kittens again,” she says. “I forgot how much they get into everything.”
She worried about having a house full of people for the holidays with such tiny new family members, but she says Tristan and Isolde were “so good.”
“They wandered around and ended up in everyone’s laps. It was very cute,” she says.
Initially, the Balls tried to ban the kittens from a part of the house with a child gate. That plan failed almost immediately.
“It took about three minutes for them to figure out how to climb up over it,” Joan Ball says. “Now they have free reign of the house.”
Overall, Ball says the kittens just make her smile. They leap and play and curl up in her lap. She says she loves watching them chase after jingly ball toys. Both kitties love watching the birds in the bird feeders outside, especially the cardinals.
“I have a fur collar now named Tristan,” she notes with a laugh. “He purrs at 6 a.m. to wake me up. They’re settling in just fine.”
The Christmas decorations were a big hit with the kittens, and Joan Ball says she would regularly find the kittens in the boxes. She notes that they also love hiding in houseplants.
“Hopefully they won’t eat my chives!” she jokes.
This story was originally published at laduenews.com. Read it on LN’s website here.
Robyn Elizabeth Dexter 