welfare cat

i'm a cat grandmother. it seems pretty crazy that we never wanted more than 1 cat & we currently have 6. my life is now filled with happy little bursts of furry mania and i'm embracing them happily. my kid is filled with the wonder and excitement of seeing and handling these helpless babies and watching as their different personalities emerge already.



that video was taken yesterday when the babies were 2 days old & constantly demanding mom's attention. i felt a little bit sorry for her because it's not like she had a choice in this situation. she's still a little girl herself and she's saddled with all this responsibility. she's like a welfare mom who took a walk on the hussy side and got herself knocked up when she's not even old enough to care for herself. then she goes looking for a free hand out since she's homeless and hungry. we met her needs, gladly, but here she is now, strapped with a demanding batch of brats and she doesn't get to go out anymore. i wonder if she misses her nights wandering around in the woods, visiting with the raccoons and other night roamers. does she wish that she was free to frolic whenever she pleased, up and down the street or to a neighbor's house to see if there are any snacks to be found? is she mad about her chapped nipples?

or is she happy about these babies? does she feel unconditional love for their sweet, furry faces? does she lick them because she loves them or because it's instinctive? does she spend her days and nights in a stuffy little box because she can't bear to be away from those darling bundles of fluff? does she feel warm and content when she's purring while they climb on and suckle her? is she glad for the companionship of her kids so that she doesn't have to spend her nights sleeping on a cold railing on the deck alone or looking for another meaningless encounter with a random cat? does this sweet, crying face stir her maternal heart strings?

i'm pretty sure twinkle was happy to have gotten her kids all tucked in for a nap in a pile last evening so that she could come out and have a bit of a romp around the driveway with brooke. my girl was imitating everything the kitty did because she loves her so. she kept telling twink during the birthing process that if she was a cat, she'd get right into that box and help her clean and care for those babies so she didn't have to do all the work herself.

this is going to be a memorable spring.