@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. 

Michelle Miles: Cat on Fire

I wish I was making this story up.

It was a Sunday night. I’d baked potatoes in the oven. When I do this, I roll them in olive oil and sea salt and then wrap them in foil. I put a pan covered in foil in the oven to catch the drippings but invariably, it leaves a stench behind. We have a small house. So when something in the oven is stinky, it stinks up the whole house. (However, the potatoes were DELISH.)

Now. Just to give you some idea of the setup. We have an open concept living/dining/kitchen. There’s a bar where the stove/oven is and a small walkway between that and the sofa. Husband was sitting on the sofa watching Sunday night football. And I decide I’m going to light some candles to get rid of the smell.

Dexter the Cat has a bed which he’s a tad too big for. He’s fat but he’s losing weight. The candles are on the bar area right above him. He’s happily sleeping in his bed when I grab the box of matches. I strike the match but the stupid thing breaks in half. I watch the match end – as if in slow motion – fall toward the cat lighting in midair.

Two things cross my mind in about 2.3 seconds.

Dog Or Cat Person

We have two dachshunds that we just love to pieces. Our little male Putz would lick you to death and is a cuddler. He has to be in the same room you’re in or right up next to you if you’re on the couch. He's always close.  (Putz is the light brown long haired and Ashley is the dark wire haired dachshunds. They like to sit on my husband's desk while he works.)

Ashley, our little female dachshund, is head dog. The toys are all hers, both dog beds are hers, the food is all hers and yet she loves Putz. She will bite him on the ear and pull him in the direction she wants him to go. She’s the fierce protector and barks at anything that moves or sometimes doesn’t move. Yet she’s afraid of everything. She will be barking one moment and cowering under the bed the next.

Their personalities are so different and yet we enjoy both of them. Our vet calls them the wild bunch, and when we go into the vet’s office, they cower in fear while the office staff loves on them. They know, the visit is not going to be fun and when we leave, they prance out the door so happy to be going home.