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April 21, 2015

@sloanebcollins - Kitty Love - #birthingkittens #mommacat #ourthreeboys #amwriting #MFRWorg

@sloanebcollins  #birthingkittens  #mommacat  #ourthreeboys  #amwriting

A little over a year ago, a pregnant stray cat chose us to come live with. We had no idea how far along she was, so we Googled cat births, since we didn’t know nothin’ ‘bout birthin’ kittens (having previously only had two male cats).  On that rainy Sunday afternoon, she took turns sleeping on our laps as we researched.  Having never been around pregnant animals before, it was fascinating to me to feel the babies moving in her belly as I petted her.  We watched YouTube videos on how to care for Momma, what to do when she goes in to labor, etc.

So my husband went to bed (since he works nights), and I realized she was actually in labor (thank heavens I’d watched those videos!).  My husband had already lashed two boxes together with a hole cut between them so she had extra space to move around, and we’d padded it with an old quilt and towels.  Over the course of three hours, she gave birth to three kittens, one per hour.  I was petrified something would happen, but she knew exactly what to do to care for them.  So by midnight that night, we had a momma and three babies.  And so precious! Two of them were Tabbies, miniature replicas of the mom, and one was a grey Tabby.

We had already decided we’d foster them until they were old enough to get fixed, then try to find homes for all of them.  But as time went by, we couldn’t fi
nd homes, and I thank God we couldn’t. 
We named them all from the characters in my favorite Julia Quinn novel, “What Happens in London”: Sebastian (the grey one, but he’s nicknamed Scooter), Harry, and Oliver.  Well, actually, we thought Oliver was a girl at first, so the name was Olivia, but the vet corrected us so he became Oliver.  And that was after Googling “how to tell the sex of kittens”.  I’m sure they were mortified, as I was, that we kept trying to figure out boy and girl details. LOL

It’s a year later, and they are such blessings.  Even though we had to pack up all our tchotchkes, and even though I have to clean two litter boxes every week, they are blessings.  The two cats we had way back when were our children (since we don’t have children), and it broke our hearts when we lost them.  We had vowed never to have pets again because it was so hard to lose them. 

But these babies are a joy.  Each one has completely separate personalities.  Scooter is just a little hippie – easy going, calm, loves belly rubs and plays fetch with his favorite jingle ball, bringing it right to me to toss for him.  Harry is feisty, an explorer, and loves his ears scrubbed.  Oliver is a little cuddle-bunny, and loves to snuggle under the covers with me.  And Moms is a great mother.  She definitely likes her quiet time, and will race into the den as soon as my husband gets home from work.  They’ll eat, play, and sleep separately and together, and each one has a distinct meow.  Well, Oliver tends to squeak vs. meow. 

It’s been so much fun watching them grow, from their first minute to now.  I’d love to write childrens books based on their antics someday.  I usually write in my big recliner, and many times they've all piled on the chair with me.  I've had to balance the laptop on the arm of the chair and twist myself to the side to type while one or more sleep on my lap.  But it's well worth it to have them with me. 

How about you?  What are your favorite pets?  What kind of personalities do they have?

#birthingkittens  #mommacat  #ourthreeboys

6 comments:

Liese said...

Aww, cuter than a basket of puppies!

Liese

Cathy McElhaney said...

I have a dog..Cocker Spaniel named Steeler (from PGH and HUGE Steeler fan, LOL)who is a feisty little guy most of the time. He thinks my dining room is his personal toilet, though :/. At least it's tile and not carpet!
I also have a 16 year old Gray tabby cat named Smokey who is my babygirl! She is a scaredy cat hid in my room, but loves to cuddle with me at night. She is also fiercely protective of me and hates to see me upset. I tripped over another cat that briefly spent time here and she went after him and also my husband who was trying to help me! She swatted at him...it was almost funny!
The other cat that tripped me belongs to my son and his gf and he has the MOST personality of any animal I have ever met! He is Maine Coon named Tucker!

Vicki Batman, sassy writer said...

Hi, Sloane! You got to experience something most people don't nowadays-birth of pets. It's fascinating. When I grew up, aka the dark ages, our momma cat had 2 litters. We couldn't wait until the babies were old enough to pet (on their forehead and down their back), for their eyes to open, the first steps, and their squeaky meows. We also experience the heart break of a little being born dead.

I love kitties. Don't get me wrong, I love the poos, but there's something about my kitty. Maybe cause she has been a part of our family for 21 years. Every day is precious. And she truly is a sweet girl.

Sylvia said...

Hi, Sloane! Your baby kitties are so precious. The best cat I ever had was a tabby like yours. She was so sweet and she was a stray that picked our home to reside at. But I fell in love with her and she quickly moved from outside to inside. Alas, she died after only being with me for three years, but she was the sweetest animal I've ever had. Now I have weinee dogs and they're so much fun and they're precious. Love your Furr babies.

JENNIFER WILCK said...

Oh, I love this! You're so lucky to have been "found!"

Phyllis said...

Hi Sloane - Just love the little babes.

As you know, I've been feeding of some feral cats with one of them "big Boy" I've been feeding and petting for nearly two years. Then a female tuxedo came around, very pregnant, so I HAD to feed her too. Then one of her babies, another tuxedo nearly matching her markings came around at maybe a month or two old.

Well, the babe - a boy - has adopted me. He stays around the house and jumps out of the bushes to greet me everyday for food and loving.

And to think, I've always been a dog person.