A cautionary 'tail' about the unexpected perils of kitten ownership....
We were considering getting a cat or maybe two, so when we heard that there were two 7 week old kittens that needed a home, we thought it would be a great idea to take them in. (Our cat ownership experience was based on a somewhat elderly moggie; she was 14 when she came to us and made it to just past 18) When I saw the pictures of the kittens - they were about the same size as a coffee mug - my heart melted; a little ginger boy cat and an even smaller tortoiseshell girl cat. It would be wrong not to take them in. I pictured my home with kittens scampering around merrily and falling asleep mid-play (I had heard that they do this). We realised that they would be a little bit more lively than our earlier cat, but how could anything that small and cute really be much trouble?
Day 1
We go to collect them to take them home. I can't believe how tiny they are in real life, they must be very delicate. The lady laughs and says that they are tougher than they look; to prove it she picks up the small ginger one and pops him on her shoulder. With no fear he leaps straight off and falls all the way to the floor with a small thud... and just carries on running. I don't think she meant for that to happen (at least I hope not) but maybe they are tougher than they look.
They are small enough to fit easily into the one cat carrier we have. As we drive home they are crying out shrilly, but it is more of a mouse-type squeaking than a cat noise (and a very small mouse too). When we open the carrier at home, they don't want to come out at first and we don't rush them. Surprisingly, it is the littlest one – the girl cat, who is brave enough to come out first. She sniffs around and sure enough her bigger brother comes out next. They explore their new surroundings eagerly and we put some food down for them, hoping to tempt delicate appetites with some Whiskas kitten pouches. Well – we needn’t have worried on that score! You know the scene from Gremlins when someone makes the mistake of feeding said Gremlins? Well, that's what this was like. Noisily and messily, they quickly despatch all the food, as though they had never been fed before. Do I imagine a tiny burp? Possibly. The littlest one could actually fit into the food bowl herself but demolishes the lot anyway, then sits there delicately licking her white paws.
More time for play now and they scamper about eagerly. We were promised that they were house-trained but really how could such tiny little things know what to do in a strange house? However, they do find their litter tray –both at once apparently, and then; OH MY GOODNESS, THE SMELL! How can something so tiny and cute produce such a disgusting and overpowering smell? Their poos appear to be about a quarter of their body weight and invade the whole downstairs with a terrible and insidious odour. Once scooped and appropriately ventilated, we sit down to relax. The kittens seem very lively and run about the place, but eventually they come to rest; one on my shoulder and one on my husband’s shoulder of all places. When it’s our bed time, we place them in their bed, under the kitchen table where they snuggle up together, staring up at us with big eyes in their tiny faces, framed by huge sail-like ears. I shut the door to the kitchen and go upstairs. Night Night babies!
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