Hello Kitty!

Five years ago we brought home a pair of birds -- Blue-Capped Cordon-Bleu finches which we named Mr. and Mrs. Blue-Cap Twitterpeep.

They brightened our home with their warbles and fluttery affection for each other. Best of all was the courtship dance of Mr. Twitterpeep. Every day he would pick up a bit of paper from the bottom of the cage or nest and hold it in his beak as a tender offering to his mate, all the while singing a pretty song and bobbing up and down like a little wind-up toy. He was absolutely irresistible.

But Little Mr. has been begging for years to add a furry pet to our home. He's had his heart set on a dog, but as a compromise we decided to try out a cat. This meant that our little birdies had to find a new home. Luckily, we have friends who have a beautiful aviary in their San Francisco Victorian apartment. So off went our birds to their new home last Sunday.

Bye-bye birdies.

Hello kitty.

Our new kitty is named Charlie. He is 10 years old and came to us from a posting through a local cat-rescue organization.

Little Mr. B. and Charlie have taken well to each other and are fast friends already. Above you can see Little Mr.'s photography efforts -- kitty insisted on a close-up!