Meet our newest family members

Posted on February 28, 2025 by seriouslyseekinganswers

Two furry little friends joined our household shortly before Christmas, and they certainly have made life interesting around here as they bless us with their unique personalities.

We first met Bryce and Elizabeth at The Cat’s Pyjamas, a new “cat cafe” in our community that we were visiting regularly in an attempt to soothe our broken hearts after losing our beloved Champie.

For those who have never been to one, a cat cafe is a coffee shop where people can interact with cats who are available for adoption. The Cat’s Pyjamas works closely with the Animal Protective League, a nonprofit no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization.

At the cafe, I immediately fell in love with Elizabeth, a gorgeous 10-year-old “tortico” (a combination calico and tortoiseshell). This adorable creature knew how to be the center of attention. We’ve decided her full name should be Queen Elizabeth III.

Here’s Bryce posing for the camera on one of the cat trees at the cafe. This cutie was quite a bit more shy than Elizabeth, but he did allow me to pet him and tickle his tummy on one of our visits. Staff told us the reason for his shyness around humans was that he had been rescued from a hoarding situation where he was often bullied by other cats.

As soon as we got our kitties home, Elizabeth spent the first several minutes sniffing every square inch of the house before making herself right at home on our bed. She has been affectionate and engaging and utterly irrepressible from the start.

Within a half hour of arrival at her new home, Lizzie was already rolling over and playing cute for us, and we knew this little girl was going to be quite a character! She loves to hop up on the kitchen table and beg for food, or sit on the back of my chair while I’m at my computer. She also joins me for morning meditation in front of the fireplace.

Alas, for the first several weeks, our little Bryce seemed most comfortable when he was hiding. He disappeared into a pile of boxes in Pete’s office and would not come out as long as either one of us was in the room. We took to calling him Sir Bryce of Boxington Manor and were advised by friends that we should let him get to know us at his own pace.

Elizabeth has fully made our house her own, except for Pete’s office, which we’ve decided is Bryce’s territory. Lizzie is obviously convinced our bed belongs to her, but thankfully she shares it with us.

Pete’s tummy, and mine, make perfect cat beds. At least Lizzie thinks so.

After several weeks of attempts on our part to coax little Brycie out of hiding, the co-owner of the Cat’s Pyjamas — who had managed to gain our kitty’s trust while he was living at the cafe — came out to our house and captured the little guy. He placed Bryce on each of our laps so we could finally hold him and pet him. This seems to have prompted a breakthrough.

Brycie has finally begun to get a little more bold. While he continues to stay in Pete’s office, he now comes out of hiding long enough to eat, use his litter box and play with his toys while Pete and I are in the room. I was able to snap this photo of him cuddling up with Pete a couple of weeks ago. What a sweet sight! I hope to see more of this soon and get my own chance to cuddle him.

I consider this photo of Brycie — stretched out on the floor at the Cat Cafe — to be aspirational. Sir Bryce does look like a little lion, doesn’t he? Staff at the cafe said it took several weeks for him to feel comfortable with folks there. So we’re hoping that, with time, he will feel secure and brave enough to lounge in the middle of our living room floor as he learns to feel at home with us.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth has made one of my pillows her throne. Or is this a scene from the Princess and the Pea?

The camera just loves this sweet adorably ornery little girl. Doesn’t she look like the Queen of all she surveys?

At any rate, our newest family members have been such a blessing! They’re both so beautiful and adorable. We thank God for them. And we thank the Cat’s Pyjamas and the Animal Protective League for bringing them into our lives.