Category: Lessons from My Kitties

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Luke 12:22-23 (NIV) With all our problems as new cat-owners, food and feeding became obsessively…

We were enchanted with our new family members, memorized every cute thing that they did. It surprised us to find that, from the beginning, the two cats were very different. Missy began to explore her new surroundings immediately and vigorously; Archie was hesitant. He preferred under and behind. Missy had to be on top. Archie…

With the family rooms and kitchen cleaned and treated, the cats were free to roam.  The next day they went to the vet to have that other little matter cared for.  Were we finally going to come out of the woods? We were.  The two kittens we got back from their worming, done at the…

We had fleas. And worms. Alright, it wasn’t the end of the world, but it was pretty close. And we felt very inadequate for the job. I found myself being nostalgic over how easy it had been to keep house B. C. (“Before Cats”). And now, fleas (and worms) in my freshly cleaned house! Well,…

All this time I was in almost daily contact with the vet. And the ugly phrase “Feline Leukemia” gave substance to my fears. We continued medications and I continued following both animals to the litter box. Both improved, but not entirely. There was something very wrong and no one knew what it was. Little by…

Now it was time to clean the house, the big, annual deep cleaning: walls, woodwork, floors, rugs. It had to be now; during the school year I did not have the time or energy. So in spite of the kittens and their problems, we would clean. And everyone would help. Everyone. The kittens had been…

I was beginning to be overwhelmed. I loved the kittens, but they were taking up so much time, energy and resources. I needed a break, so I would ask one of the kids to stay with them while I went into another part of the house to rest and read. It was refreshing to be…

So it was “Archie” and “Missy” who went back into the carrier to visit the vet. We had chosen one a few blocks from home, and were delighted when everyone there made a big fuss over our kittens. The vet checked then over and said they seemed in good heath. Missy had a little diarrhea,…