More About the Kittens

Did I mention I went back to my vet's to check on the mommy Calico cat and I got to hold all 4 of her kittens? (I said earlier there were 6-8, but in reality there were only four. Her tummy was so big they kept thinking more were coming). The Calico is doing fine and is "an excellent mother." She's also a people person. She purrs and purrs anytime anyone even walks past her.

I held the kittens when they were only 3 days old. Cute doesn't even begin to cut it. There isn't a word for holding something that small and fragile and cute and furry. Delicious, is what comes to mind. And don't think, as I was holding all four in two palms cuddled against my chest, that I didn't think of bolting for the door and carrying them all home.

The vet was unusually quiet the day I went in and for a short while I was the only person in the lobby with the kittens. But a few other people came in and it was humorous to see everyone's reaction because man or woman, young or old, every reaction was the same. The person would stop dead in their tracks, their eyes would widen, their mouth drop open, and a long, soft,"Ohhhhhhh" would come out.

I'm sure there is one teenage girl's mother out there cursing my name. The girl came in to pick up some food for their dog and lost her mind when she saw how cute the kittens were. She held an orange and white one and kept nodding hard in agreement as I told her over and over again how good they looked together and that kitten was meant for her. Chances are she hasn't stopped talking about it and I'm hoping I've at least found that kitten a home.

BTW, none of the kittens were calico. One was black and white, one gray and white, and two orange and white.

My allergies prohibit another cat. As it is, people keep asking me if I have a cold and I keep telling them no, I just sound like this until October.

I'm writing an article for our local paper about the kittens. Everyone keep their fingers crossed that they all find good homes (especially the mommy cat).

Sigh. Kitties

I've been thinking about the Mommy cat all day. I'm trying to find a home for her and the kittens. I met with my dear friend and gifted illustrator, Linda Santell (who is doing the artwork for my cat book) today and told her the story of the cat. Before I even got into the heart of the story Linda exclaimed, "Oh, I love calico cats!" So now I'm pushing to have her adopt it. She and her husband just lost their kitty a few months ago and have declared a moratorium on bringing new animals into the home. But Linda has a huge heart and I'm going to see if I can get her to visit the mommy cat with me.

I'm also going to write up an article for my local paper about how I found the cat and the 5-hour time period between delivery to vet and the birth of these kittens. I'm hoping I can interest a few people that way in taking some of the kittens.

Finally, I interviewed a woman who owns a historic inn in Massachusetts who mentioned she was looking for two kittens and was having a hard time finding any. Wonder if she'd be wiling to ship some in from NC?

I can't stand for animals not to have homes. Cats and dogs especially are just so full of love and spirit and are so happy just by being around you (except our two cats, who are pretty grouchy unless we're feeding or combing them). Sometimes when I pet my cats and get their purr up to full throttle, and they're tilting their head back so I can scratch under their chin and looking at me with such love, I think, "It will be impossible to have a bad day today after this. How often in life do you get a chance to make someone this happy??"

Everyone hug your animals tonight and tell them one extra time that you love them. And if you know of anyone who wants some beautiful calico cats, contact me!

KITTIES!!!!!

My driver's license expires soon so I headed to the DMV this morning to renew. As I walked in, there was an extremely friendly calico outside the glass door. She meowed and purred and rubbed against anyone's legs she could as they walked in. I bent over and gave her a thorough head scratch before heading in.

Once inside, I watched as the cat stood up against the glass door, pawing at the glass and meowing to get our attention.

"Poor kitty, she's hungry," said one woman.

"And pregnant," said another.

"Pregnant?" I asked.

Everyone in the room nodded and pointed out her belly to me which, I now noticed, was quite distended.

"Is she a stray?" I asked. People shrugged. She wasn't a wild cat--she was much too people friendly for that. There was a large lot behind the DMV where some wild cats lived and I suspected someone had just dropped her. My blood boiled. I loathe people who aren't kind to animals.

When it my turn at the counter, I asked the DMV guy if he knew anything about the cat. He too, shrugged. "She's been here for a few days. Keeps trying to get inside."

I called my vet from the DMV. "There's a pregnant stray cat here," I said. "If I bring her in, will you all take care of her?"

Not quite. For some reason the police either have to bring in strays or have to call in permission for people to bring in strays. Fine. I called the police department and told them the scenario. They agreed to call me into the vet.

Getting the cat into my car was a piece of cake. She was dying for attention and seemed happy just to be near me.

She wasn't shy at the vet's either, crawling around the counters and trying to get to the computers to check out the screens. They put a nametag around her, "Calico Cat," and I wished her luck and left.

That was at 11 this morning. I just got a call from the doctor (it's 4:15 pm) that the cat has delivered 2 kittens and 6-8 more appear to be on the way. And would I be interested in taking any of them home?

I called my husband at work. "Can we adopt 8 kittens?" I asked.

"No."

"But they're sort of mine."

"No."

I know he's right. And the truth is, I don't want the kittens. I want the mommy cat. She was so sweet, and so trusting. And beautiful - deep orange and black and white markings.

I know we can't have her. And I'm desperately hoping someone adopts her. She's just full of love. I'm going to visit her and the kittens this week. My husband thinks this is a mistake. That it will make it that much harder to walk away.

I'm sure he's right. But I feel responsible toward her now. And I'm soooooo grateful we got her to the vet just in time to deliver. I shudder to think of her stuck in some field with it getting ready to storm here, trying to deliver these kittens with little to no food or water. Makes me almost cry just thinking of it.

I'm so going to visit that cat. How can I not??

Weekend Trip

I'm going out of town this weekend to a writing workshop for children's writers. I've been preparing my cats for my departure all week.

"Mommy will miss you," I coo to my kitten. I press kisses into the soft fur on top of her head. "What will Mommy do without her baby to cuddle?" I blink back tears.

I turn to the cat, who is waiting for me to throw kibbles down our long hall so she can chase them, her favorite game.

"I love you," I tell her as I fling food at her face. "And I'll miss you and think about you every day. But I'll be back soon."

Last night as we were preparing for bed, I gave more kisses to the cats. "I will go into withdrawal, not having any kitty love for a whole weekend," I wail, scratching the cats behind their ears.

"What?" says my husband.

"What?" I say back.

"Why won't you see the cats this weekend?" he asked.

"My conference. I'll be gone."

"What conference?"

Uh-oh. Seems in my desire to prepare my babies for my imminent departure I may have forgotten to mention to my husband I won't be around.

"I remember when I used to be the first one you told things to," he said, throwing the cats a resentful glance. They turned their butts to him.

"Don't overanalyze it," I said. "I still love you best." I hug him and over his shoulder mouth the words, "Not really," to the cats.

He beams and hugs me. "I love you too."

That's us. One big, happy, dysfunctional family.