Last May I wrote an entry called "Catless," on adjusting to life without a cat and mentioned the possibility of getting another one. We adopted two kittens, sisters, not long after. I've never had two kittens at the same time and it has been fun watching them interact with each other, as well as with the kids and Mr. Jane and myself. They look quite a bit alike but have very different personalities.
When they were very small and got scared one would hide under something, the other would sneak over and hunker down between my shoes as I stood. Apparently I am viewed as a safe place. As they have gotten larger they have become more adventurous and leap on top of the bookcase and the fireplace and curl up in dresser drawers for naps. One likes to go fishing in the aquarium, something we are trying to discourage. One doesn't like to be kissed on the head the other one doesn't care.
Starting over with new kittens has given me a chance to correct a few bad habits I formed with my first cats. I used to feed the cats first thing in the morning. What this meant was that if I dozed past the first rays of sun breaking over the horizon one or both cats would come and wake me up (a cold wet nose in the ear will do it every time). With the kittens I started feeding them just before I went to bed, which means they are fairly content overnight and everyone can sleep undisturbed. If I start upstairs without feeding them one will run over and smack me on the leg as a reminder.
The previous cats lived 15-18 years each. With that as a guide, it is likely that the next time I am in the market for a cat the kids will be in college (or already graduated) and Mr. Jane and I will have retired (hopefully). It feels odd to think so far ahead and I wonder what journeys I will have with these new household creatures.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
The New Cats
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2 comments:
Indeed -- it's odd to have two brand new kittens, personalities that are shaping our household, and simultaneously to have two cats that have been "in the family" for over a decade. What different parts of our lives they have been a part of, and will . . .
Much, I suppose, as any living thing in our lives becomes an external guage of the passage of time, mortality, growth, change. Sometimes time is the most mystical of all entities, and yet we almost forget that it's there . . .
Something related to your personal geography posts is the personal time markers people use. Some people remember events by what music was popular at the time. When I was a kid we moved a lot and in my pre-parent adult life I moved or changed jobs every 2 years. I mark events by where I was living or working when something happened. When I stay in one place for a while it all runs together....
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