Rocket & Pebble

Oh goodness what have we done? In our defence it wasn’t a rash decision, we were planning to add another cat to our family. It just happened that we got two.

It all started out simply enough. We talked about adding an extra cat to the family and the impact it would have on Inkie and Jessie. With Derek now working from home permanently and lots of cat towers and toys scattered around the house we felt sure we had the time and space for a new arrival. Our initial plan was a little boy seeing as we had two girls. A laid back boy would fit in perfectly and three cats wasn’t too crazy was it?

Rocket and Pebble in their RSPCA photo

Well, that was the plan. Things started to go astray when we visited the website for our local RSCPA shelter. They had the saddest two little kittens I’d ever seen looking for a home. It was love at first sight, so much so I even named them!

Their story wasn’t the happiest. This brother and sister were born into what the RSPCA kindly call a multi-cat household. In this case it was a flat with 19 cats! None the cats were vaccinated, so most of them had cat flu, including our little Rocket and Pebble. We were not deterred though, both Inkie and Jessie are fully vaccinated and I felt confident that once settled into their new home, Rocket and Pebble would soon shake their remaining symptoms.

With our hearts set, the next step was to call the RSCPA and find out if four cats would be too many for our home. It turns out the RSPCA work on a cat per-bedroom policy, and fortunately we have four bedrooms. Everything was looking perfect, so the next step was to fill in the adoption forms. Due to Covid the RSCPA shelter is closed to the public, so unlike our previous adoptions when we popped in and visited our cats, everything was being processed by email. We completed the forms and sent them back as fast as we could. Unfortunately it was not fast enough and another family who had been interested in the kittens had reserved them.

It was a bit of a blow to be honest, but it was good that the kittens had found a home. So we carried on our search elsewhere. We did find other kittens, but none of them were ready for rehoming, but that was okay, we were happy to wait.

Then we got a phone call…

About a week after we applied to adopt Rocket and Pebble, the RSPCA called because the previous adoption of the kittens had not gone through and they wanted to know of we were we still interested. You bet we were.

Of course there could be no home visit, so a video was required to show off our super cat friendly home. We got right on with preparing our video, showing off all our cat posts, toys, cat flap, garden and of course Jessie and Inkie. Super excited by our chance to adopt we sent our video straight off. Even though we have adopted three cats from the RSPCA before, we were still nervous about being approved. There was no need to worry though as we got the call the next day, Rocket and Pebble were ours if we wanted to go ahead.

With everything approved for the adoption we were able to visit the little kittens. We had to wear masks while at the RSCPA centre to help protect the staff and animals, but it was a small price to pay to meet our newest family members.

Rocket lived up to his name and came straight to meet us. He’s a bit smaller than his sister, Pebble, but what he lacks in size he more than makes up for in confidence. Pebble was a little more reserved, but she did come to see us and happily lay in Derek’s arms while I held Rocket.

Visiting Rocket and Pebble at the RSCPA

If I thought I loved those little cats before, meeting them just made it all the more real and both Derek and I knew it was meant to be. We had to wait a few more days to bring them home as the RSPCA like to give adopters plenty of time to make 100% sure they want to adopt. Even though there was no way Derek and I were going to change our minds, we were more than happy to wait and prove how committed we were to our little kittens.

We collected Rocket and Pebble yesterday (Sunday) and it was a very happy day for us. There are still a few concerns with the kittens health due to their cat flu. Unfortunately they may never fully recover, being left with a high risk of runny eyes and nose, but Derek and I are prepared for that and we’ll deal with whatever comes. For the next few days Pebble also needs eyes drops three times a day, but so far she is being very patient with us while we administer them. Hopefully that won’t be for too long and we can get on with introducing Rocket and Pebble to the rest of the family.

Rocket and Pebble are siblings, both born in May, but the size difference between them is huge. Pebble, while still a kitten, is starting to look like a little cat. Her features are very cat like and her fur is getting all sleek, even her tail is getting long and swishy. Little Rocket on the other hand still looks like a tiny kitten, a kitten with rather chunky legs!

Pebble and her little brother, Rocket

We noticed the size difference when we saw them on the RSPCA website and in person when we first got to meet them. Nothing prepared us for living with him. Honestly every time we see him it is a surprise, he’s so tiny. I’m also sure Pebble has grown a bit since we got her, but Rocket is still tiny. While in the care of the RSPCA they named them Melon (Pebble) and Lemon (Rocket), because of their size difference.

Sweet little Rocket doesn’t know he’s a mini cat and he gets up to far more mischief than his more reserved sister. Only time will tell if he’ll catch up and goodness knows he has the appetite of a cat twice his size. Not that we mind either way, Rocket is ours and perfect whatever size he ends up.

Poor little Rocket, he’s so very tiny. I know we shouldn’t laugh at him, but sometimes his size is so cute its funny. No that our little guy lets his size get in the way of doing things his sister does.

Pebble and her \'little\' brother, Rocket, showing off their size difference

Rocket and Pebble have been with us two weeks today! To make it extra special little Rocket came downstairs for the first time this morning.

Yep, for the past two weeks Rocket has confined himself to the upstairs. Pebble being much more adventurous, started coming down last week, leaving Rocket behind. The poor little guy would find himself without his sister and sometimes cry for her. Of course this got Derek and I running to his aid, which he thought was rather wonderful. However today he came all the way downstairs and immediately discovered the two huge cat posts we have in the lounge and climbed straight up them.

Having Rocket with her also gave Pebble extra confidence and she was much more adventurous in her exploration. They were so happy to be downstairs together they settled down on one of the cat posts in the sunshine. They are both curled up asleep as I write this.

In other very exciting news, Inkie and Jessie are happy and relaxed in the kittens presence. It is always a worry when you bring any new animal into the house that everyone will get on, especially with new cats. Jessie was a little flustered at first by the rather excitable kittens, as she is a rather sedate cat, choosing to spend her days relaxing round the house rather than going outside. Our senior cat, Inkie, isn’t really bothered, she’d seen it all before when Jessie came along and provided nothing interrupts her garden snoozes she’s happy.

We do have a couple of Feliway defusers in the house. A Feliway Classic in the room the kittens were originally kept in, to help them relax and a Feliway Friends on the landing just to help ease any tension between everyone. I’m a firm believer in the effectiveness of Feliway after the effect it had on Inkie, so I like to have them plugged in and ready before there are any problems.

Our little kittens have their booster vaccinations tomorrow, so hopefully they will cope well with that and continue to grow and explore their new home.

One of the main reasons we decided to expand our feline family was Derek’s new working from home status. It seems little Pebble agrees it was a good decision. She likes to spend a lot of time helping Derek at his desk, making sure he doesn’t overdo it (or forget how cute she is).

Pebble working hard

Anything Pebble can do little Rocket likes to do too. He may be smaller, he may not do things quite as well as his more graceful sister, but if she’s going to help Derek work then so is he…

I don't think Derek got much work done

Oh my goodness how much little Rocket has grown in the past couple of weeks. He’s caught right up with his sister in size and is actually a little wider than her now. He still has his baby face and acts like a cuddly little baby as well, but he has grown. It’s amazing to see.

Poor Rocket is still a bit sneezy and has trouble with watery eyes, but he’s getting stronger every day and it’s wonderful to see him getting bigger.

It seemed so far away when we first adopted Rocket and Pebble but before we knew it, it was time for them to be neutered and spayed. Not that you would know looking at the size of the sweet little pair.

To make sure there would be availability for their operations we booked their vets appointments a couple of weeks ahead. We figured that we knew when they were due and it would stop us getting nervous and tempted to put it off closer to the time - not that we would as it’s very important especially with them being mixed sexes.

When it came time we had some concern that Rocket was actually mature enough for his operation, but happily he was approved for the procedure.

Thankfully everything went well and to routine. Our two brave little kittens came back sleepy but in good spirits.

Sleepy Rocket and Pebble having a post-op cuddle

Rather than have an undignified collar, which was giving her trouble drinking, we wanted Pebble to have a jump suit as they worked so well for Inkie and especially Jessie. There was some confusion as the one the vets supplied was too large as they didn’t try fitting it first! We had to go and get another one in a rush before Pebble messed about with her surgery wound.

Pebble in her jump suit

While Pebble’s smaller jump suit from the vets did the trick and freed her from a collar, it wasn’t as well fitting as the ones Inkie and Jessie had and was a bit fiddly to get in and out of so we ordered one online that a friend had bought for his kitten recently.

It arrived today and Pebble was much more pleased with her new outfit and it is way more stylish - what a bonus.

Pebble ready for action in her new jump suit

Lindsay passed away suddenly and everyone is heartbroken.

Rocket’s entry:

Everything got very confusing one night and I haven’t seen mummy for a while. Daddy left us on our own for what felt like all day twice and we got very frightened. Even cuddling with Pebble didn’t help me much and we are very confused.

Before we lived here it felt like I’d had a poorly tummy forever but mummy used to say that the more she cuddled me the better I got. Daddy wasn’t always convinced but he cuddled me just in case. It worked but my tummy is upset again and I hope it gets better soon.

Mummy also used to say that one day I’ll have a growth spurt and I’ll grow up big and healthy. I’m not sure what that means but I’m as big as Pebble now. I want to cuddle with mummy again.

Pebble’s entry:

We are scared and don’t know what has happened. Everybody was so happy, Inkie didn’t mind us saying hello, Jessie started getting to know us and mummy and daddy were with us all the time. Then mummy went away one night and hasn’t come back. I remember when Rocket was tiny and very poorly so I try my best to be brave for him.

Mummy was always making up new games for us to play but daddy doesn’t seem to remember them all so I have to help show him. If I keep pretending to play he catches on after a few goes and I like that. Rocket doesn’t seem to mind what we play as long as he gets his tummy rubbed when he rolls over. He acts all brave but I know Rocket is upset.

Mummy loves us so much but we don’t know where she’s gone. Sometimes daddy seems to wonder where mummy is as well. He tells us she would come home if she could.

After a few false starts with the weather being too cold or too windy, Rocket and Pebble made it outside and managed to get to the corner of the house and look out at the garden. Meanwhile Inkie wondered what all the fuss was about.

Yes, Pebble is licking and tasting everything.

Two days later they went out again and Pebble made it to the garden. This time Jessie was supervising.

Rocket and Pebble outside again

Pebble looking out across the new world of the garden

My Australian friend Alison sent me a lovely birthday gift of some Lego flowers. What better time to make a start than on a hot summer afternoon to stay out of the sun. It wasn’t long before Rocket turned up to help as cats do like to join and provide their own unique assistance.

It would be easy to imagine this resulted in chaos with pieces scattered, chewed and stollen. That wasn’t the case with sweet little Rocket, he was actually very careful and gentle.

Rocket wanted to make sure all the pieces were present

Being so helpful was very tiring

It is hard to believe it was a year ago we brought home Rocket and Pebble from the RSPCA. Every day they bring brightness and joy to my life. Over time they have gradually become more independent and sure of themselves. They no longer spend every meal time crammed into my knee which, as much as I miss it, is probably for the best.

Rocket and Pebble all grown up

With the warm weather they found themselves becoming more relaxed out in the garden. Seeing them playing together in the garden is a wonderful experience. Pebble loves being outside and prefers to play with me in the garden to inside. Rocket is still not fully confident outside but happily spends a fair amount of time there. This matches their use of the cat flap, Pebble using it to get in and out, Rocket however only goes outside if the door is left ajar and although he can use the cat flap to get back in, he gets nervous if he hears the back door being closed. Neither of them have shown any interest in climbing the fences or trees so I don’t know if they can even get up them. They seem quite happy as they are, content that the house and back garden are their world.

Rocket never did get his growth spurt and turn into a burly boy but at least he caught up with Pebble and they are roughly the same size. Their proportions are funny, while Pebble looks like a miniature cat, Rocket is somewhere between kitten and cat. I still refer to them as the kittens, maybe I always will.

I am grateful every day that we were accepted for their adoption and for the time Lindsay spent with them. They are a living reminder of her love, kindness and generosity.