Another Monkey in the house

I've blogged about my kid's fear of animals and how it's the most annoying thing to go somewhere where we encounter a dog or cat. The screams that come out of their mouths are that of sure terror. You would think that they once had been attacked by an animal with how they react. I've never seen something like this before. So a few months back, Allen and I decided that something had to be done.

We had contemplated getting a puppy. I was never really excited about that since I would have to do most of the work and puppies are a lot of work. We then thought about getting a cat. Two problems with that. 1 - I don't like cats and 2 - there could be a chance that this cat would not like us, as cats tend to be moody, and hide under the bed all day. So we put our plans to "de-fear" the kids on hold. Sunday we were at a friend's home and they have a kitten that they had hinted of getting rid of. Allen and I took the kitten in the back room and Allen gave the cat a "look over." He played with her and determined that she would make a great match for our family. We told the kids and they immediately went into a panic. No one wanted to take this cat home. We played the parent card and put our foot down. The cat was coming home.

The ride home was eventful. Avery whined in the back seat most of the way. Jack was the closest to the animal in the cage and every time the poor cat peeked out with her nose or paw, Jack would scream. We decided that it was time to discuss a name. Jack shouted out "monkey." Mason had to make sure that it went well with the list of our names and once he was convinced he gave his blessing. There we had it... a name for our first family pet! 

Sunday night was an adventure. Monkey was locked in our bedroom for a good hour and  the kids went to bed early. 

Monday I flew solo. Avery and Jack couldn't go or do anything without being attached to me. I carried them into the kitchen to eat. They sat on the counter while I made pancakes. I carried them into the bathroom to pee. Let me clarify that, yes, I did carry both of them at the same time. More then 50 pounds in my arms walking the halls of our home is not my idea of a good time. I put an end to the carrying really quick and that resorted to them clinging to my legs everywhere we went. 

One would think that Monkey might get tired of all this screaming. NO! This cat is very playful and just loves that she gets any attention, even if the children are louder then most. 

I have tried as many tricks as I could think of. I did a therapy session with them, asking them to define the reasons they were afraid. Avery narrowed it down that she thought the cat "would get her." I attempted to show her that this would not happen, but she was not convinced. We tried chanting that "We are not afraid of Monkey! We love Monkey! Monkey is our friend!" I had felt that I had made a breakthrough with this method of psychology because they were repeating the chant and laughing at the same time. Then Monkey walked around the corner and the mayhem started all over. Whew! 

Needless to say it's been about 48 hours since Monkey joined our family and Avery and Jack have made little progress and I'm wore out. Monkey seems to know no different and wants to be with them wherever they go. This presents a problem while they use the bathroom, take a bath, eat breakfast, play in their rooms, etc. 

Mason is adjusting fine and is attempting to show the others that Monkey is not out to get them. He also has very little patience and begins yelling at them when they start to scream.

I have high hopes that by the end of the week things will be significantly better. 

Monkey is not going anywhere, despite what Jack thinks and so far CPS has not been called about the screams coming from our home. 

Stay tuned because I'm sure more stories will follow. Attached you will find the pictures of our first hour home. Mason was doing really well. The others... well, the pictures tell it all!