I’d stumbled upon a meet and greet for internet sensation Lil’ Bub on September 20, 2014 through her Instagram account. I’m not usually one to drive more than 10 miles to meet a cat (on the I-405S, no less) AND pay money to do it, however, a portion of the money was promised to the location it was being held at: Adopt and Shop in Culver City, CA. I should have known what I was getting into, I mean I can barely drag myself into a Petco on a Sunday (adoption day) and I sometimes tear up if I get a peek at the cats that are up for adoption at PetSmart. I drove to Adopt and Shop that day already the proud CatMom to Mr. Fuzzhead, a 9 year old maine coon polydactyl rescue with chronic kidney disease who needs prescription food and blood work on a regular basis and I’d driven there JUST to meet Lil’ Bub. I got there early because I wanted to avoid traffic (everything you’ve heard about Los Angeles traffic is true, it’s horrible; that is, unless you’re going to have to wait in line and look at about a dozen poor cats who desperately need homes). So I stood in line and I video taped Lil’ Bub being adorable. I even got my photo taken with her and introduced myself to Mike Bridavsky!
And then I got stuck looking at ALL the cats that were up for adoption. I kept looking….I mean I think I tortured myself looking at these cats because at that point I hadn’t convinced myself that adopting another cat was something we could or should do…But why not? Mr. Fuzzhead had previously had a “girlfriend,” a smaller female we had adopted named Babylon, back when he and I lived with my Mom, so I knew he was at least okay with other cats. I didn’t think a kitten was a great idea because they always get adopted and Fuzzhead was already considered “senior” so I didn’t want some youngin’ coming in and nagging him, but I wasn’t against him having a companion. So my boyfriend got a text asking him how he felt about me bringing home a friend for Fuzz. His immediate response was that he wanted a kitten and I patiently explained why we should give an adolescent or adult cat a chance.
Adopt and Shop is unique in that it has a small room with cats in the middle of the shop that people can go in and out of. There are chairs for people, cat trees, cat beds, food, water and litter boxes. Basically they live there but you can go in and see them freely. So it came down to three cats whose dispositions appealed greatly to me: a calico, a tortie and a maine coon. 
The maine coon was a male, so he was unfortunately automatically out of the running. I couldn’t bring home a male cat that was bigger than my current cat. The tortie, while so sweet and lovable, had used the litter box several times during the hour or so I was in the room and seemed to strain a bit while doing so. I couldn’t risk bringing home another kidney compromised cat. I informed the people working at the shop that she seemed to be having some potty issues to be sure she was looked after and felt horribly guilty that I let that keep me from giving her a loving home, but it was already quite expensive with one CKD cat. So, it was down to the calico or otherwise it just wasn’t the right time. I hung out with her some more and got to know her. Her name was Tonks and she was a bit over a year old. She wasn’t a kitten anymore, but she was very small for an adult cat and I thought that would appeal to my boyfriend; the one who wanted a kitten. I spoke to one of the people that worked there and they interviewed me. They clearly found me and the situation I described at home to be acceptable and let me take Tonks home that day!
I got her home and situated in our roomy walk in closet, complete with her own litter box, food bowl and water bowl. I gave her a bed with Fuzzhead’s scent all over it and put a towel in there that could get covered with her scent that I would eventually put in another bed that Fuzzhead was using. Once they got comfortable eating on either sides of the closet door from each other, I purchased child safety gates that I could stack vertically on the closet door so the cats could see each other but not be in full bodily contact. The most critical advice I can give to anyone trying to introduce a newly adopted cat into a home that already houses a cat is: BE PATIENT. If at first you don’t succeed, try again. And again. And again. Back track and separate the cats. Never just throw them together and assume they’ll work it out.
Generally speaking, you can get any two cats to get along eventually, but you have to be patient and I’m not talking: “Okay guys, you’ve hung out once or twice, now get over your differences” patient.
You probably don’t understand the psychology of cats. Hell, I probably don’t understand the psychology of cats, but these guys furiously defend their perceived territory and they are PISSED when this new dude comes in, so don’t put a time frame on it, okay? When I say be patient, I mean that you aren’t shopping for a new purse, so don’t pick out a cat to adopt, “try it” for a week and be lazy and decide that introducing it to your current cat isn’t happening fast enough and return it. It’s going to be work and they’re going to fight but eventually they’ll get along. It might never be cuddle buddy internet sensation BuzzFeed photo worthy adorableness status, but they’ll tolerate each other and maybe groom each other and get in play fights that you can post on your Vine for a few likes.
And that’s how it is now with Mr. Fuzzhead and Tonks: there are no cuddle puddles of epic adorableness, but there ARE middle of the night house chases and cat play fights that I can add sound effects to and grooming sessions that turn into slap fests. But hey, no loving long term relationship is perfect, right? – Mr.Fuzzhead and Tonks’s Mom
To be friends with these 2 adorable kitties and get into their cutely fuzz world, follow them on Instagram @mrfuzztonksandlupin !
If you can’t get enough of this, here is PART TWO of this ADORABLE family.