Yu, the young female gray cat who adopted us, has had her kittens. I have been midwife to two cats now, so when Yu came to get me at some unholy hour of the night, I knew what was happening. She led me to her chosen spot on a padded bench in the living room (which I immediately covered with a towel. Birth is a messy business even for felines.) and I stayed with her as she experienced something entirely new to her but as old as life. Over two hours, three tiny bundles of fur and mew were born, one white, one gray, and one black. Two males and a female.
I don't need to go into great detail about how much they have been watched over and loved by our family. If you had kittens in your house, you'd do the same. At first, we had to protect them from Marmite, the dog. Being a little male dog, his first instinct -- other than utter confusion -- was to eat these small, ratlike creatures. He would stand stock still and watch the tiny, mewling kittens, his muscles trembling with the need to completely resist the urge to nip at them or suffer our wrath. Now that their eyes are open and they are exploring the living room, he's turned into some sort of creepy uncle. He no longer tries to bite them, but he will stare at them for hours. When they come close, he licks them. The kittens have no fear of him and will eagerly approach him, but he will just as eagerly start licking their behinds. Seriously, Marmite. Have some dignity. How delicious can cat poop be?
Because you're curious, the white kitten (male) is called Gandalf. The gray one (also male) is Ash. Their sister, who is black, is Rosemary. Gandalf was originally named Lightening, but when he developed some gray markings around his ears and his nose, someone changed it to Gandalf, and it stuck. I think it's rather unfortunate. It's such a heavy name for such a sweet little thing. He's the runt, but everyone who comes over and see the kittens picks him up first and coos over his tiny little perfect face. Ash is the playful one, and Rosemary will definitely be the mouser. She's a fierce huntress, stalking her brothers and Marmite on wobbly little legs.
A friend of my parents-in-law, a woman from whom they adopted their cat, Alfie, has offered to neuter and spay the whole lot for free. Those who adopt the kittens will also be able to get vaccinations for a very good price. This is wonderful because already the fields around our neighborhood are full of feral cats just waiting to pass along their diseases and have more progeny. The only reason we didn't get Yu spayed a while ago was because there was some question about whose cat (and who's responsibility) she actually is. I think that the fact that she has had kittens in our house and we are taking care of them makes her well and truly our responsibility. I don't think anyone with any sort of prior claim can now object to our preventing more litters from her, though future kittens would be equally as adorable as the first three.
Just to add some adorableness to your day.
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