For the past month there's been a new sound in the house: the pitter-patter of little feet.

Er, make that little paws.

Yes, the family has grown by a whopping two new members, doubling the pet population.

Diego is a dark, slinky male kitty with big, round eyes and a slender face who resembles one of those Egyptian cat statues. The other is a fuzzy calico whom we deemed to be of Irish heritage and so christened Katie.

What was I thinking? Like I really need more complications in my life and to stretch our budget even further on cat food, kitty litter and vet bills.

Seems my nurture nature got the better of me once again. The last time that happened was about three years ago and the result was a bouncing baby puppy named Kiki, whom we adore.

This time, I suppose I can blame it on the fact that our daughter is away at college and the 13-year-old boy is showing signs of increasing independence. Sometimes cuddles are hard to come by.

The decision to adopt wasn't made lightly. I mulled it over for several months and waited until I was on vacation so I would be home with the babies during their first days with the family.

I wasn't planning to get a pair, but the Humane Society had a 2-for-1 deal, and what can I say? At least the kids won't have a tug-of-war over who gets to hold the kitty; there's one for each of them.

I didn't dare tell my husband what I was up to. Figured I'd just surprise him and let him stew for a couple hours. By the end of the day the little ones were napping in a furry ball on his chest on the sofa.

Big brother to both is Lucky Tiger, a dashing feline with dramatic striping who would look at home on the African savannah, if tigers lived in Africa. He weighs about 20 pounds, dwarfs the kittens and even outweighs the dog. (He has big bones. No, really.)

The first couple of weeks he wouldn't have anything to do with the newbies and let them know it with a vicious hiss. He was ticked.

Then, the other night we were eating dinner when Tiger strutted into the room with a big, fat rat clamped between his jaws. He dropped it to the floor with a thud and stretched out a few feet away to watch as the kittens scampered over to see what he'd brought them.

Aside from the fact that the display brought our meal to a quick close, it was really quite sweet. Like on those nature shows, when the mommy lion brings back a dead gazelle for the cubs to bat around as part of their survival training.

Now Tiger tenderly grooms Diego and Katie and is a willing straight man in their hijinks, much to the entertainment of all.

As for me, I'm getting plenty of cuddle time. But thank goodness cats grow up faster than human children, because I am so over litter-box duty.

Reach Christie Wilson at cwilson@honoluluadvertiser.com.