Please Daddy Can We Keep "Them"!!!!

Sir Squeaks Alot

    I am not an animal person.  I have already shared that if I am at your house I will pet your dog, not because I want to, but because I would look like a jerk if I didn't.  Having said all of that, I loved my pets.  We had to put our 14 year old dog down last July.  Maggie was perhaps the best dog in the world.  She was amazing, you couldn't ask for a better dog.  Towards the end she began to develop dementia.  She was no longer the gentle trustworthy dog that she had been, and we had to make the difficult decision to put her down.  I lost my 16 year old cat Percy this past February.  I mourned him like I would a family member, because that is what he was.  My Percy did not know he was cat, he thought he was a dog.  After the pets died, Christopher decreed that there would be no more pets.  I secretly laughed to myself thinking that my poor husband had finally lost his marbles.  I just sat back and let him think that he had a say.

    Last night an adorable little orange kitten wandered into the yard.  It was followed by it's almost as adorable tabby sibling.  The kids fell instantly in love.  They named them Ginger and Percy Jr.  Almost immediately we heard "Can we keep them?"  Christopher's response was "NO, we are not having any more pets!"  I secretly smiled.  I told the kids we needed to wait to see if they had owners.  We fed them left over hot dogs.

    Christopher made a fire in our fire pit for the kids last night.  They sat around the fire sharing stories, and picking out images from the flames.  They were out for at least an hour.  The whole time they were out, their little kitten friends were with them.  When the kids came in smelling like smoke and summer, they asked again, "Please can we keep the kittens?"  Daddy's response was the same, only he added "Pet's are expensive."  I secretly smiled.  "Let's see if they are still around tomorrow." I told the kids quietly.

    As I lay in bed, I heard rustling outside of my bedroom window.  I turned on the outside light, and carefully cracked open the screen door (we have neighbourhood skunks and raccoons, thus my caution).  Out on the deck, sitting on top of the covered barbecue were Ginger and Percy Jr.  I took them out a hot dog, and not so secretly smiled.  When I woke up this morning I heard that same rustling outside my window.  I opened the door and saw Ginger and Percy Jr.  in their same spots.  I took them out hot dogs.  When they were finished eating they scampered off.  I went back to bed.

    Coffee on the deck is a morning ritual.  It is a rare, but a wonderful treat for Christopher and I to have coffee on the deck alone.  This morning was one of those rare treats.  The weather was perfect, it was warm, but not yet oppressively hot yet.  There was a cool breeze, but not too cool.  The coffee was the perfect combination of sweet, creamy and tart.  In other words, my world was darn near perfect.  We sat there in the quiet with only the birds making any noise.  The silence was soon broken by  a squeaking kitten.  Apparently there are three kittens.  This one was a tabby, but smaller than Percy Jr.  I went into the house for more hot dogs, making a mental note to purchase cat food on my next trip to the store.  This kitten was lively, and squeaky.  I named it Squeaky, Christopher corrected me and told me that "his" name is "Sir Squeaks Alot".  As we drank our coffee Sir Squeaks Alot performed acrobatics for our amusement.  At one point he was juggling a piece of hot dog and lost his footing, and nearly tumbled over the side of the deck, to a roar of laughter from my supposedly pet hating husband.  

    When the kids woke up their first question was "Where are our kittens?".  I assured the kids that "their" kittens had been here in the morning, but had gone off.  They were delighted to discover the their kittens' playful sibling, Sir Sqeaks Alot.  They spent the morning throwing balls for Sir Squeaks Alot to catch.  The girls made him a baby bed.  They are in love.  I can see Christopher's resolve weakening.  He told me earnestly that we can't have three house cats (meaning that two might be o.k.). He then asked if two cats could share a litter box.

    I guess that I will need some kitten supplies.  I knew that Christopher would not see his dream of being pet free.  I figured it would have been a year or so before we were having the discussion.  I'll be honest, these kittens are older than I would have chosen.  I would have chosen younger, fluffier kittens.  The thing is, really we didn't choose them, they chose us.  I will give it another day or so to see if they have a home, but if they are still around tomorrow, it looks like our family just grew.