My hubby and I were married almost 10 years before the girls were born, and our kitties were our babies for almost 9 of those years.
We seriously treated them like children…their pictures were prominently displayed throughout our house and offices…we got them Christmas presents and celebrated their birthday…and even some of our friends and family members gave them presents, too.
When we announced we were expecting, several people said, “Have you told the cats?” (In answer to that questions, we tried to break it to them gently, but they were in denial for a long time.)
A number of my friends and coworkers expressed concern that we were so invested in our cats that we wouldn’t be able to distinguish between them and the girls. “You know the babies won’t use a litter box, right?” one colleague nudged me.
Another said, “You know you can’t just go off and leave the babies for a couple of days armed with a bowl of food and some water?” (As if we thoughtlessly abandoned our furry babies on a regular basis…come on, folks!)
And several people asked, “What will you do if your babies are allergic to your cats?” I always responded (jokingly, I swear!), that the cats were here first, so we would just have to find a nice loving home for the girls.
The girls are now 19 months old. While I do think some aspects of our furry parenting experience helped prepare us for our non-furry babies, I have to admit that having a couple of children is quite different than having a couple of cats…
…except a new book I bought the girls has me thinking: maybe kids are more like cats than I originally thought!
The book features photographs of kittens and invites young readers to “see how they spend their days”.
Kittens are curious and like to explore. Check…the girls are into everything these days!
The grass is a great place to explore – or just get some sun. Check…at least on the exploring part again. We’ve been avoiding the sweltering sun as of late (and I would think any kitten with half a tail would do the same!).
If kittens get lost, they can sniff their way home. I’m thankful I haven’t had to put this one to the test…I haven’t lost the girls yet!
Kittens have fun climbing into things – they fit into small places! Check…the girls particularly love the laundry basket.
Kittens practice balancing by climbing on things. I’m not sure about the balancing part, but our girls sure do love to climb!
Having places to hide makes kittens feel safe. Check…even if “hiding” consists of the girls sticking their heads behind the couch so they can’t see us.
If they meow, they might give away their hiding places. Check…even if they were better at hiding, the girls giggle – loudly – when they “hide”, so it’s not a big secret.
Exploring and playing makes kittens tired. They sleep up to 16 hours in a day. I’ll credit the girls with about 14 hours most days.
When they wake up, they are ready to go again! CHECK!!!
Yep, the girls definitely fit this bill. There’s only one thing I would add…
Kittens don’t generally respond well to verbal commands. They do what they want to do, when they want to do it. ‘Fraid this one would fit, too.
Ticker
5 comments:
hehe, I am laughing about the "nice and loving home for the girls" part..
A very cute analogy. I have a few cat-lover friends who would agree with you on this. I don't know cats well enough myself, but I sure wish the kids would learn to use a kitty litter tray. Would beat the random poo on the floor after the bath that my two are specialising in lately!
Super cute! Love the comparison. I am so glad I found your blog. I finish reading your posts and can't wait until the next one.
Funny! My husband and I had a talk when we only had our big boy Will. We have a dog and were talking about how she is such a people pleaser-- she loves do whatever we ask of her. At this point, my husband said, "I think Will's more of a cat."haha!
Glad your new babies and your old babies get along so well. I am mildly allergic to Stella (our dog), but control it with medicine. I was worried one of the kids would be allergic. We would feel so bad leaving that kid at the farm... (jk!) Fortunately, it seems we dodged that bullet.
Cute post!
So funny (and true)! T and I got our Pokey kitty after our first year of dating. We'd had her for about 4 years when our twins were born, and she was definitely our baby. I didn't even want to think about what would happen if either baby happened to be allergic to her. She definitely fell out of the limelight when the kids came home, but I think we're back to a nice balance now. The kids adore her, and she's started coming around to them as they've learned how to play with her and pat gently. It melts my hear to see them all together. :o)
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