The second bedroom in our condo has morphed from the Man Room to the Pussycat Lounge.

No fellas, it's not this Pussycat Lounge but the new den for our newest four-legged residents.

In November, still mourning over the early year loss of Cathy's canine daughter Sweetie and my feline son Homes, we came across an local shelter website where we found "Sidney" and "Sheldon", two Siamese cats whose owner (obviously a fan of the novelist) had fallen ill. As they were older cats, we sympathized with the fact that it was hard to find a home for them. And as Homes was about 12 when he passed, I felt that these 11-year-old sister would essentially pick up where he left off.

A week later we were able to bring them home. We also decided to rechristen them "Sydney" and "Shelley". While they are both very vocal, which I found is typical of Siamese cats, they each have their own personalities and preferences.

Sydney (the blue point on the right) is very laid-back. In fact she likes to lay on her back for me to give her belly rubs. Other than whomever is closest to the food at mealtime, she seems to prefer my company.

Shelley (the brown point on the left) is definitely the most assertive. If our alarm clock does not go off, she will not hesitate to let us know what time it is. In fact, she must be on Greenwich Mean Time as she often attempts to wake us even earlier. If Sydney is resting on one of us or otherwise getting attention, she will bogart her way between her sister and us - even when there's no room - to the point of Sydney deciding to concede her position and leave. On the other hand, while Shelley never met a lap she didn't like, she seems to prefer laying on Cathy's belly, often using her head as a battering ram to show her enthusiastic affection for Cathy.

Even beyond the economic situation that most everyone is dealing with, this has been a challenging year for both Cathy and me. The early Christmas present we gave ourselves by bringing Shelley and Sydney into our lives has made a big difference.