The lure of a 'Free Kittens' sign
Jul. 7th, 2007 04:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
valoiseI've got to start by saying that what I really wanted was a dog. But since I have three different trips scheduled for September-November, I decided that getting a new puppy and than foisting it off on a kennel so much in it's first few months was a bad idea. Besides, I know an animal-crazy middle school kid I could probably get to come in and feed a kitten, so I decided to get a cat first.
So I started scanning the paper for free kittens in the classifieds and went out and bought a food dish, automatic watering bowl, soft cat bed, toys, litter box, etc. You get the idea. Then one Saturday I was at a yard sale and there it was, the 'Free Kittens' sign. It was a fairly large litter, about eight weeks old, so I decided to get two so it would ease the stress of being separated from the rest. A big,affectionate yellow kitten and little gray who looked a bit like the runt but was bold and curious.
Off we went. I settled them in the kitchen and put up a partition to keep them isolated until I knew for sure that they were truly dedicated to the right and proper use of a litter box. I had forgotten how feather-light the tread of kitten is as it walks across my bare feet. And I had also forgotten how heart-meltingly cute they are when they turn their tiny faces up and mew expectantly for you to serve them.
All was well on Saturday but on Sunday the watery eyes began to come. On top of that the sneezing and head ache and then it hit me - sometime in the past 25 years since I last owned a cat I had developed an allergy to the tiny felines.
Okay. I told myself that I hadn't gotten attached yet and I hadn't started calling them by name. Well, mentally I referred to them as Goldenrod and Spitfire - but NOT out loud, so technically I wasn't calling them by name. I asked at work. One person had just gotten a new kitten. Another said she'd take them if she they could be outdoor cats or barn cats. Barn cats? These tiny things were barely old enough to be weaned. My only option was to put an ad in the paper, 'Free pair of kittens, allergic. Cannot keep.'
Each day I would come home and swear, 'Today I'll just clean the litter box and feed them. No cuddling.' And they would come bouncing to the door and give a tiny mew of greeting and I would find myself picking them up and sighing at the tiny stereo purring.
Tuesday the ad ran. No phone calls. Ditto on Wednesday. Thursday was the last day the ad would run. It never occurred to me to take them back where I got them. The people had an obvious love for their cats, but I counted at least 6 adult cats in and out of the house and my best guess was that none were neutered. No, if no one answered the ad I would call the animal shelter and see if they could find a foster home until they could be adopted.
Finally the phone rang about 9:20 Thursday night. Did I still have the kittens? Three girls who looked just out of high school showed up 10 minutes later. I took them back to the kitchen, the kittens came bouncing up to the doorway, and the girls all said 'Aw' in unison. I'm sure the kittens now had three human servants instead of one. Everyone's a winner.
So, I'll pet other people's cats and enjoy them, but I don't think i'll ever live with cats again.
So I started scanning the paper for free kittens in the classifieds and went out and bought a food dish, automatic watering bowl, soft cat bed, toys, litter box, etc. You get the idea. Then one Saturday I was at a yard sale and there it was, the 'Free Kittens' sign. It was a fairly large litter, about eight weeks old, so I decided to get two so it would ease the stress of being separated from the rest. A big,affectionate yellow kitten and little gray who looked a bit like the runt but was bold and curious.
Off we went. I settled them in the kitchen and put up a partition to keep them isolated until I knew for sure that they were truly dedicated to the right and proper use of a litter box. I had forgotten how feather-light the tread of kitten is as it walks across my bare feet. And I had also forgotten how heart-meltingly cute they are when they turn their tiny faces up and mew expectantly for you to serve them.
All was well on Saturday but on Sunday the watery eyes began to come. On top of that the sneezing and head ache and then it hit me - sometime in the past 25 years since I last owned a cat I had developed an allergy to the tiny felines.
Okay. I told myself that I hadn't gotten attached yet and I hadn't started calling them by name. Well, mentally I referred to them as Goldenrod and Spitfire - but NOT out loud, so technically I wasn't calling them by name. I asked at work. One person had just gotten a new kitten. Another said she'd take them if she they could be outdoor cats or barn cats. Barn cats? These tiny things were barely old enough to be weaned. My only option was to put an ad in the paper, 'Free pair of kittens, allergic. Cannot keep.'
Each day I would come home and swear, 'Today I'll just clean the litter box and feed them. No cuddling.' And they would come bouncing to the door and give a tiny mew of greeting and I would find myself picking them up and sighing at the tiny stereo purring.
Tuesday the ad ran. No phone calls. Ditto on Wednesday. Thursday was the last day the ad would run. It never occurred to me to take them back where I got them. The people had an obvious love for their cats, but I counted at least 6 adult cats in and out of the house and my best guess was that none were neutered. No, if no one answered the ad I would call the animal shelter and see if they could find a foster home until they could be adopted.
Finally the phone rang about 9:20 Thursday night. Did I still have the kittens? Three girls who looked just out of high school showed up 10 minutes later. I took them back to the kitchen, the kittens came bouncing up to the doorway, and the girls all said 'Aw' in unison. I'm sure the kittens now had three human servants instead of one. Everyone's a winner.
So, I'll pet other people's cats and enjoy them, but I don't think i'll ever live with cats again.
