Kittens!

I have been so fortunate in my life to be surrounded by animal lovers. Recently, I talked about Tom’s support of animal charities. Now I’m going to tell you about Barb’s love of animals.

The very first time I remember petting a cat was when my Dad and Barb were dating and we went over to her place. She had two beautiful Siamese cats. They were silky soft to the touch, and boy were they vocal! A cat lover was born that day.

As long as I have known her, she has been a cat parent. Last year my Dad and Barb went to the Humane Society to add some kittens to their household. Shortly after she sat down in the introduction room, she met Rosie, one of the sweetest kittens on the planet. Dad pulled the staff member aside and said they should start filling out out the paperwork for two kittens: Rosie and whichever other kitten Barb would choose (or would choose her). He knows Barb so well!

The second kitten is Emily, who has quite the feisty demeanor. We all have scratches from playing with her. But she is so cute.

Recently Barb had a new-to-her cat experience: one of the outside cats she cares for just had kittens. The mamma cat in question is a stray she’d been keeping indoors after it was injured. One day the cat got outside … and the rest was history. Barb texted me when the kittens started coming. She was so excited!

They are an active group. The best time to take their picture is when they are sleeping or just waking up.  Look at this cuteness!

It was from this litter that I was able to hold a two-week-old kitten – a first for me. Rebecca brought the kitten down to me. Her little lungs definitely were well formed since she was screaming bloody murder. Mamma came into the room to see what the ruckus was about. She saw me with the kitten and simply laid down, not immediately concerned, but keeping an eye on me nonetheless. Eventually I handed the ball of cuteness over to Barb, and the kitten calmed down a little. That baby cat knew who loves her most.

While having four kittens from that litter was fun, Dad and Barb found homes for two of them. Mamma is going to be getting fixed soon.

What is the youngest animal that you have ever held? or Can you pinpoint when you fell in love with a specific type of animal?