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Three New Amigos

Every summer I'm apt to do at least one outlandish thing. One year it was a spur of the moment tip to Vegas. I was on the plane four hours after deciding to get up and go. Several summer's it's been an overzealous shopping spree, or ten. It's nothing so bad at all really, this year. I didn't know what would finally come over me this summer, but it happened today. I was overcome by exponential precious, and I just couldn't help myself!!!

I've been looking in the classifieds of the newspaper ever since my dear old "Nellie" passed to kitty heaven last March. I'd made a few phone calls about advertised cats, but never went to visit anyone, until today.

I talked to the father of the advertisement, who was out of town, but gave me his daughter's number at the house. It was about a 25 minute drive from here to there. The three white amigos were born North Dallas kitties--actually it was a suburb, but I forgot which one; it's just north of Webb Chapel at LBJ Freeway.

I talked to Amber, the young lady who gave the kittnes love and attention, who's probably about 20, and her boyfriend was with her. He's a gentleman too-carried the cat carrier full to the car for me. Especially appreciated on a hot day, then getting the carrier settled in the car. I knew before I left the house. It felt like this might be the time for a new kitty to come and live at my house.

A possible "Nell" kitty look-alike, and two others that are all white fluffs of fuzzy fur, with blue eyes! Angel kittens! One of the kittens does indeed have the Siamese markings--just like Nellie did when I got her as a kitten of the same age! I couldn't believe that the first cat home I visited had a kitten with "Nell's" exact markings. I wasn't necessarily going to search for for a look-alike, mainly because I didn't think I would be able to find one. "Nell" wasn't a papered, degreed Siamese--just a pretty Siamese marked kitty from a general neighborhood mixed litter. There were lots of expensive Siamese in the paper, but I've never paid a lot for a cat. "Stella," came from a neighborhood cat with her third litter, as I understand. This kitten isn't "officially papered" or anything, and neither was "Nellie". It's like deja vu new cat experience--only 20 years later, but in the same town that "Nell" and I started in..

Amber was so sweet to tell me about the mama cat, and the other black mama cat. I thought Amber might not want me to take all three kittens. I knew I wanted "Stella," but the other two are SO precious. She was glad the pile of preciousness was going to get to cuddle together for awhile longer.

We don't necessarily want a litter innerbred--like hilbillies and ancient English ruling monarchies: but at this age it looks like I have three females. They weren't real cooperative about letting me look, and I don't suppose I blame them.

Well, they've settled in to the middle bedroom full of stuff and boxes, walked across the litter box, and huddled under the end of the bedspread for another pile of nap. I picked them up, one-by-ne (unless I did one white kitten twice) and combed them one at a time. I think I got the fleas all combed off. I used a flea comb, and had a soaked cotton ball of alcohol to kill the flea when I seperated him from cat fur. That's a nice thing about white cats--you can see the fleas.

"Emily" watched them for awhile. She just watched, with big eyes. She was probably having a deva vu too. She had kittens about 4 or 5 years ago--just one litter. I had the bedroom door open a crack, and the dogs kept sticking their noses in to see. I told them, "no and "sit" and they understand their place is outside that room.

"John" is most interested. He was a good uncle to "Emily's" kittens. He'd knock the little ones over giving them lick baths. He has a big tongue! Shadow had to do some barking, but she was good too--not jumping up or going wild.

I kept telling the dogs, "babies. be very careful, be very quiet" and they looked so interested but actually kept their distance. Almost like fathers around a birthing room--seems like they don't really want to go in.

Now the dogs are with me in the study, and the three white amigos are sleeping in a pile again in their privte room. They have food, water, and the cutest play area that Amber gave me for them to keep playing with.

The amigos have been amazingly calm. I can't tell the two white kittens apart--except one was easy to comb the fleas off of, and the other was a wiggler.

They're sleeping into their new home personalities, and their predecessor companions seem to feel "the more the merrier!"

What fun! I'm a dog person too, but cats rule--especially 7 week old white kittens!

"Stella" (temporary name: rhymes with Nella, Beatle Paul's designer daughter's name, is white with dark ears and a dark tail and toes, I think, as she's in a quiet room still in the pet carrier with the cage door open. I couldn't stick my head all the way in the carrier to check 'em all out.

Driving home, they were SO GOOD! All three of them!!! There was an orange kitty in the litter who already went to a forever home. Besides "Stella" the white mama kitty had two totally white kittens, also with blue eyes. They were napping in different areas when I went in to see them. They had just been terrified by the previous looker, who evidently wasn't a cat person. I knew to be calm and quiet and tender. They are just such a matched bundle of precious white fluff. I'm not going to be able to be mama to four cats forever--but I could raise them a few months, enjoy their growth and life learning experiences, and then advertise them in the paper for somebody's Christmas present. Or maybe I won't.

I've wanted to write a children's book, but didn't know where to start. With three new babies, I'll also be enthused to write some cat and kitten and cat and dog lifestyle articles for mags and zines. Maybe it's time for a new cat care book, with some new kind of twist. But I could see me coming up with some narrative of having the animals talk, and learn things that children need to learn too. AND, I'm getting a digital camera in the next few days so that I could use my photos as the book pages. Maybe my first book doesn't need to be a huge adult novel. Maybe writing for kids, and ESL students, would feel like a more productive thing for me.

Some of this got out of order, but you get the general idea. Excitement at my house this Saturday night!

"Meow, ya'll"

Amigos photos soon!