Please welcome the newest addition to the family, Carlos Del Gato.

He needed a home, and Mike really wanted a cat. He was about 6 months old when we picked him up in the parking lot of a BBQ joint, stuffed him in a cat carrier we just bought and drove him 2 hours back home. By the time we got back to DFW he was out of his carrier eating the treats we got him and looking pretty content.

The first few weeks were a little dicey – he was scared of the dogs, and they were very curious about him. They chased him, and he ran and hid. We spent the first week shuffling pets around and moving baby gates trying to keep cats and dogs separated while letting him explore and get used to things. The vet assured us that he was going to be a big boy and his personality showed that he would be just fine with the dogs and would let them know when they could be friends (he had been friends with the dogs in his previous home). Tug lost interest and quit trying to sniff him first, and soon Carlos would stand near Tug. Eddie took a week or two longer, and of course, it was much much later before Minnie could remain calm at the sight of the cat. Those first few weeks I couldn’t imagine ever getting to a point where things could be calm, but almost overnight Minnie relaxed and Carlos got braver and realized that none of them would ever hurt him. Today they play together and even share beds sometimes, although the dogs get a paw slap to the head when Carlos feels like they have crossed a line.

Carlos has a great personality and seems to think that he’s a dog and lines up for treats, runs toward the back door to go outside when the dogs go, and eats Tug’s food while Tug sits next to him and watches. He will usually run to the door to greet you, likes to snuggle for a while at night, and is very mischievous. Although pets outnumber people two to one in this house, I am very glad we have him.