Brix Grows
and in Whoville they say he grew 3 sizes in a single day
Hi all, we hope you are happy and healthy out there!
This past week was a super busy one—not only with our day jobs demanding a lot from us, but also with wrangling a little furball named Brix.
I hope this pupdate does justice to how much joy that little guy has brought us.
Brix
I’ll be honest: I know nothing about kittens. So every single thing Brix does is brand new to me. I don’t know if any of this stuff is normal, so I’m sure folks will correct me as I write out these thoughts.
It is shocking how quickly they become independent. I was worried Brix would jump off something and die and he just yeets himself off the counter and couch like it’s nothing. He also vertically runs up the cat trees like they are horizontal. Unlike puppies, kittens become pretty independent pretty quickly.
Kris has been beaming all week. Perhaps this is similar to how I felt when Kahlan became our dog—I had wanted a puppy my whole life, and finally getting one meant I bonded strong and fast and fell hopelessly in love with that little retriever all those years ago.
Brix and Kris have this sweet, special thing now. She dotes on him, he adores her, he snuggles with her, and he may very well be the animal she’s waited her entire adult life for.
Kris had cats before me—pre-Jason. I know she’s longed for a kitten, but with my allergies it wasn’t in the cards. Ginger came to us likely as an adult cat and was technically Adam’s (though we all took care of her and loved her), so she scratched the “cat itch” for Kris, but Brix is something else entirely.
Brix has his own room where he’s safe, and he’s been spending downtime there after interacting with the dogs. Last night I went looking for Kris, opened the door, and found her with Brix sleeping on her chest. I jokingly asked, “What’s going on here?” She smiled and replied, “Snuggles.” It made my heart ridiculously happy.
Brix has likely doubled in size, and with that he’s much sturdier as he patrols the house. Instead of short stints under careful supervision, he’s now allowed nearly free rein with far less hovering. We’re also seeing more of his true personality: he is a brave little guy with a mischievous streak. He loves people, and after zooming around, he always returns to one of the humans for cuddles.
Brix has absolutely added something new to our house that we didn’t have before. I can’t quite articulate it, but I suspect every new pet brings something unique. Brix is unique for sure.
Bunsen (and Brix)
Bunsen loves the little cat, watching him with a smile from whatever spot he’s resting in. Brix also likes Bunsen, and there have been many adorable interactions—nose boops, Brix playfully swatting at Bunsen’s tail, and even a moment I caught on video where Brix leaped onto a sleeping Bunsen, who then didn’t know what to do with himself.
Bunsen has returned to creek-walk adventures with me, showing no ill effects from his previous injuries. Kris also got him in for another round of laser therapy, where the big guy rocked some cool shades and showed all the other dogs how it’s done.
As Brix and Bernoulli take the limelight on social media with their shenanigans, I want everyone to know that even though Bunsen isn’t in the spotlight as much, we still love that dog with everything. He is such a good boy. All the training and life experiences he’s had have shaped him into this kind, affectionate dog, and he still takes point position on walks—protecting Beaker and Bernoulli from whatever might be lurking in the woods.
Beaker (and Brix)
Perhaps the most interesting dynamic is between Beaker and Brix. For some reason, Brix has taken a shine to Beaker and follows her around. As he powers down for naps, he’s been trying to curl up closer and closer to her, much to her dismay. Beaker loves people, but she really doesn’t love cats. She didn’t like cats before Ginger, and she and Ginger had a classic love/hate relationship.
Beaker has been coolly ignoring Brix up until a few days ago. Recently we’ve witnessed some sweet little interspecies moments—nose taps, Brix rubbing on her, and the like. I caught on video Brix sleeping next to her, Beaker moving away, and Brix getting up to follow her to the couch. Someone aptly put it (and I stole it): Brix is Beaker’s Goober, and I love it. Love usually wins. Bernoulli broke down Ginger, and I’m sure Brix will win over Beaks too.
Bernoulli (and Brix)
What can I say? Bernoulli is ecstatic. He walks around the house smiling, following the little cat everywhere. Occasionally he looks at us as if to say, “CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?” Multiple times a day he licks Brix soggy, and the tiny cat now leans into it.
Not only is there lick-mauling, but Bernoulli has also appointed himself Brix’s nanny. He watches where Brix goes, often running himself ragged and eventually falling asleep while trying to keep track of the small fry.
We added a pen fence around the stairs to keep Brix from escaping into the basement bins (which he did early in the week), and Brix has learned to Tom Cruise–MI2 his way up the fence like it’s nothing. Bernoulli watched this with concern, realized I wasn’t doing anything effective, and decided to lick Brix off the fence. Whether it was the added weight of saliva or the threat of more licking, Brix was deterred from scaling it for a while.
Black Friday and Paw Pack Training
As we wrap up the newsletter, I want to remind everyone of a couple things. We have a huge 20% discount in our store for books and stuffies until the end of next week. If you’ve been holding off on getting some items—or you think they’d make excellent holiday gifts—now’s the time to do it. I’ve also set up shipping discounts for heavier items so folks can get a break if they order multiple books or calendars. By the way, we have fewer than 90 calendars left, and they will sell out.
Paw Pack Training Level 1 with Marla Smith now has over 30 people enrolled, and the feedback so far is amazing! These links will give you more information, and by the time this sends out, I’ll have a way to gift the course to someone as a holiday present.
Marla’s Masterclass was a hit last week, and her next lesson is coming up—it’s all about getting your dog to hit the perfect pose for the perfect holiday shot, which honestly applies year-round. I’m genuinely excited to help host that one because I’m going to learn some things too! We don’t quite have it all worked out yet so the page doesn’t reflect the new course, but there will information about it shortly!
Okay—on to the rest of the newsletter!
On The Science Pawdcast
Our show this week has some interesting information as well as a very interesting but tough interview with author Melanie Kaplan as she talks about how after rescuing her Beagle from animal experimentation it led her on a journey to discover more about that world. It’s a tough interview with tough subjects so just a heads up.
That’s it! Talk next week!
Have you seen Brix running upside down on the cat tree(s) yet? We had two kitten siblings that would be running full speed on the cat tree upside down 🤯
I recently got my first kitten (Siberian) after 20 yrs of being a dog person and agree with everything you’ve said. It’s completely changed the dynamic in the house. My eldest dog has become a giant cat toy and my youngest spends her day licking and following and marvelling at the kitten’s ability to defy gravity. She also occasionally offers him her toys to play with :) I’m amazed how quickly they’ve all bonded, and really wish I’d taken the leap sooner. Looking forward to more updates.