Last summer, after the second of my two old cats passed away, I abandoned my plans to be pet-free for long enough to take some extended trips and high-tailed it over to the Greenbelt Animal Shelter the very next day. There, in a tiny room holding 12 or so cats, one of them spoke to me with her sweet, affection-seeking nature and good looks. (To hell with long trips, anyway. And the pet-free life isn’t really for me.)

Her name at the time was Reyna, and the shelter’s website had much to say about her calm nature and her “search for a second chance at life.” She was five years old, the oldest cat at the shelter and the one that had been there the longest – at least four months, I was told.

The photo on the shelter’s website didn’t show her at her best so she’s shown here looking pretty chill on my couch, minutes after being brought “home.” Notice her right ear? I learned that “clipped ears” like hers are a sign that she’d at some point in her life been trapped, neutered and released – because she was feral. So interesting, but I’m going to assume she wasn’t feral for long, given how friendly she is toward humans.

I signed the adoption papers right away, but when the staff asked if I’d keep her name my immediate response was pretty “hell no.” I’ve never known a Reyna, human or feline, but it sounds too country for me.

I was still mulling over what to name her last month when I made a trip to the Greenbelt PetSmart to buy special food for her (and her “sensitive stomach”) with no thought in the world of wanting/needing another cat, when I heard a plaintive cry and saw this irresistible creature. In a cage. All by himself. I greeted him as best I could through the cage bars, was met with purring and kitten-rubs to melt any heart, and decided in that moment I had to have him!

If the stars ever align, it felt like they were in that moment, as his black and white coloring – classic tuxedo – reminded me of my favorite cat of all time, shown here on the right. Best personality ever!

And here’s the kitten the day I brought him home, freed from bondage after a quick adoption approval by Rise Above Animal Rescue. (PetSmart helps them find homes). And you won’t believe the name they gave him at the shelter – Young Hooligan! That one gave me and the PetSmart employees a good laugh and no one suggested I keep it.

The very day I brought him home I invited my favorite four-year-old to come meet him because individually they’re both off-the-charts cute but together? OMG. (I have video, too, for later compilation into a sizzle reel of kitten cuteness.)

Names Revealed

I’d toyed with some female names to replace “Reyna” but none really stuck – until I realized that this male+female combo could and definitely should be named Frankie and Ellie, for the Roosevelts. Greenbelters forever!

Here they are sharing the cat tree I bought for them and now wonder why I’d never bought one before. They both loved it instantly.

Wondering how they get along? Naturally Frankie loved Ellie right away but it’s taken a while for Ellie (the calm one, remember) to learn to tolerate the new trouble-maker in her world. After about a month together, they’ve become playmates and almost-touching sleep-mates.