Call me a seeker of small thrills if you must. I guess it doesn't take much to "wow me." And boy, was I "wowed" today! We have some friends who live a "stone's throw" from us, (I am not talking about the grave stones across the street) who found out about two weeks ago they were expecting.....expecting kittens, that is. They are the type of animal people I envy. They have no problem taking in a stray. In fact, they took two on within the last 6 months. They are never preoccupied with the cost of another animal, and they don't seem to worry too much about what the furry addition might do to the house. These are all things I don't want to consider, but do, when I get the itch to add another pet to the Hesterhouse. The first born structured side of me cannot throw caution to the wind when it comes to pets. (Plus, I have the constant drumbeat of "no....no....no" resounding from Husband #1.) Our friends took the news of their pregnant kitty in stride, and learned from the vet that she only had a few weeks to go before the bundle arrived.
I have always been a "cat person" by genetics. I come from a long line of cat lovers on my dad's side. Yet, I have never seen a pregnant cat before ( I know, I must get out more), let alone seen kittens come into the world. I asked our friends if they would let us know when "Cookie" went into labor. I wasn't sure if this request would be an imposition, because I know NOTHING about cat delivery. (I am still learning about "human delivery" and I have had two of my own. ) Our friends said they would be sure to let us know, but they are busy people, and I really didn't expect to hear anything. I felt like it was asking a lot to be one of the first they called with the news.
We received THE CALL today, and the girls and I started screaming, as if we had just received 4 tickets to Disney World, complete with overnight stay in Cinderella's Castle. I cannot tell you how honored I was they thought to call us. "Cookie" went into labor while the family was gone this morning. When they returned home, they found her in the hallway with one little bundle of joy....the umbilical cord still attached to the kitten. We dropped everything we were doing and ran over to see this new little one. Because I suffer from minor feline philistinism, I had no idea what this kitten would look like. Would it have fur? How big would it be? Would "Cookie" still love him/her if we looked at the kitten....maybe even touched it? (You know how birds are about that kind of stuff.) As we entered the house, you would have thought we were on holy ground. We tip toed quietly so as not to disturb the new mother. Turning the corner, we found "Cookie" laying very peacefully in the very same spot in the hallway where she had given birth just a little while before. She looked great and we told her so. We commended her efforts at kitten delivery and raved about how beautiful her baby was. The kitten was truly amazing....incredible to look at with all its God-given detail being displayed before us. "Cookie" was not a modest mother, and nursed her baby right in front of us. She never once ask for a sheet to cover herself up. We could hear the newborn making sweet little squeaks as she drank from her mother. We just sat there and starred. "Cookie" purred away as if to say "Look what I did, guys!" We were in awe of her and even more in awe with her Creator.
We sat in the hallway and waited for Kitten #2 to come into the world. We may have missed the first, but we weren't going to miss this one!!! So we waited.....and we waited some more. But "Cookie" never had another one, at least not while we were there. She just continued with her "minutes old" mother instinct, and cleaned up her baby very meticulously. We felt like we needed to let the family have some alone time with "Cookie and kitten," so we went home. Our friends promised they would give us a call as soon as Kitten #2 came into the world.
It is now 5 hours since we had the privilege of viewing this little one, and the phone hasn't rang. I am thinking that "Cookie's" kitten may be her one and only. Maybe this was all "Cookie" could handle. Apparently, she is not much older than her offspring. But it was clear today she has the innate skills to nurture, pamper, and dare I say "temporarily cherish" this little one. As a mother myself, I can identify with all those feelings. It is the "temporarily cherish one I just can't relate to.
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