It's a girl!

Kim couldn't resist.

Although she felt it was a bit too soon to have another cat in the house — we lost 14-year-old Do-Little to lymphoma in February —Kim was curious about Lora Tesh's Web site. Lora breeds Ragdolls (Soulmate Ragdolls, see here), those immanently lovable, blue-eyed cats that go limp in your arms when you hold them, thus their breed name.

And there she was — a three-month old kitten, Brie-Anna, who virtually shouted "Take me, I'm yours!"

Kim emailed me the picture from work. I, too, was smitten by the kitten and couldn't resist.

How can you resist this face? Welcome, Halo.

We called Lora, who lives in Salisbury, and asked if we could come over to her house to take a look. It's exactly the same thing we did 14 years ago, when Lora presented us with Do-Little.

We went over there that evening. I rang the doorbell, and after a short pause, Lora answered the door — with Brie-Anna in her arms.

Uh-oh. That was it and I knew it. We spent an hour there anyway, talking with Lora about the kitten, trying to talk ourselves out of caring for another cat.

After all, I'm 64 years old. A normal cat lifespan runs about 12-15 years, which means I could be 80 years old when this journey ends.

Another consideration was that after Do-Little passed, we were suddenly free. We could pick up and go anywhere we wanted without seeking a pet-sitter. No more vet bills. No more cat food bills.

And, yet. And, yet...

So, a few days later, we took the plunge. We were cat owners once more. There was never a doubt.

While we liked the name Brie-Anna, we wanted something that was more descriptive of her personality. We tossed around names like Karma, Shiloh and Ava, but Kim thought there was something angelic about this particular blue mitted cat with the white blaze on her nose. Hence, Halo.

OK, I thought. That's not bad. I don't know too many pets named Halo. And with my sportswriter sensibility, I could alter that name to Haley. We're good here.

I figure Halo will be my last cat, although we are considering a playmate for her. Maybe a Norwegian Forest Cat. If that happens, then I am looking at my last cats.

Right now, though, everything is focused on Halo. She's full bore, a handful running at 100 miles per hour, making us laugh, making us smile, making us happy.

Who couldn't resist?