Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Miracle of Life


Several weeks ago, my son found a stray kitten that was small, skinny, rather unhealthy, and he took pity on her and took her in.  Of course, he lives in an apartment where they are not allowed to have pets, so the kitten wound up at our house and his pity turned into mine.

We couldn’t possibly turn her away, skinny and frail as she was, so Trish and I agreed to keep her long enough to nurse her to health.  She has grown on Trish who now claims her.

Five weeks ago I took her to the vet to be spayed, de-clawed and vaccinated.  The vet informed us we had done a good job with her, that she was very healthy now, but she wasn’t a kitten… Based on her teeth, she estimated our kitten at 1.5 – 2 years old.  Very small for her age, but at least 1.5 years old nonetheless.  And then, I was told that they could not vaccinate her that day because she was most likely pregnant.  I could go ahead and schedule the spaying and we wouldn’t have to worry about having a litter of kittens to find homes for and she could be vaccinated after the spay.

I was shocked that they would even do that.  “No” I told the vet, “there is no way I could authorize that.  God is knitting these little creatures together in their mother’s womb, just like he did me and my children.  There is no way I could stop that.”  As we were leaving, still shocked and disappointed by the vet’s suggestion, it occurred to me that I should not have been surprised in the least.  We do this same thing to human babies every day in this country.  Why would we think any less of doing it to our pets?

I really wanted my kids to be able to see Misty having her kittens, but when she went into labor last Tuesday morning, she wanted me.  Nobody else.  I was the only person she would allow near her.  She whined the most pitiful cry when I tried to leave, and she growled at Trish and anyone else when they tried to stay nearby.  Normally, it’s the other way around.  I am usually the one that is not desired and Trish is the one she always wants to cuddle with, etc.  But that day, it was me she wanted nearby.

Trish seemed to think it was because I was not nervous for her.  Trish was nervous and she thought Misty could sense that.  According to Trish, Misty knew I could just sit there calmly and patiently.

So, I stayed home from work to sit with her and watch her have her babies.  At first she just layed on my lap enjoying my rubbing her back and petting her.  Once she started having the kittens, she no longer needed my petting or caressing.  She retired to the back corner of the closet where she could birth in private.  She still whined when I got up to go use the restroom, she still wanted me nearby, but she wanted to be left alone.  It is God’s way after all.  She would have had these babies out in the cold if we hadn’t taken her in.  She didn’t need me there, she wanted me there.

There is something precious about a baby’s first cry.  That first burst of sound that says, ‘I can BREATHE!!  I am ALIVE!!’  I cried at the birth of my two sons, I wish I could have been there for my daughters births, I am sure I would have cried then too.  I will even admit that a tear escaped when I heard those little tiny voices meowing their arrival.

The most odd thing I felt that day was Pride.  I was proud of our little cat.  Not sure why.  It’s not like I took her to birthing classes or taught her anything at all.  I didn’t have to give instruction, or remind her to breathe.  I didn’t have to tell her to clean them up, or to nurse them.  She knew what to do.  God made sure of that.  But I was proud of her.

So, now we have way too many pets for one house… 2 Dogs, 5 cats, and 5 kittens, and I’m allergic to the cats…  Why am I such a pushover?  I don’t know, but one thing I do know… Those kittens are adorable.

4 hours of work, 5 beautiful little kittens...

Mom is worn out, Kittens can't nurse enough...

Kittens finally sleeping and giving mom a much needed break! 
 
The most active one... Would NOT hold still for a picture

The biggest of the bunch...

The smallest of the bunch

The first twin.  One placenta, two kittens that look identical...

The second twin
One week later, and look how much bigger they are!!
They grow SO FAST...

More photos (and video) to come soon.  They are now 2 weeks old and are starting to venture out of the closet...



Until Next Time,
Paul

15 comments:

  1. Too cute. I miss the kitten days with our barn cats had little ones. You really couldn't get near them, but they were sure fun to watch. Are you going to adopt them out when they are big enough?

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  2. They are soooo sweet. My cat Pandora had babies too and it's a great experencie. Two of them still stay with us.

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  3. Good for you, Paul, for not discarding those kittens in the making!
    What precious little faces. I'm allergic to cats, too, but I can't resist a kitten!

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  4. I truly enjoyed your story, I agree with everything you said and felt.

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  5. Gorgeous mom, and most adorable kittens. I have been looking for 2 kittens or cats. Miss mine that died 4 years ago, and my daughter just moved out and took her two cats with her. They followed me everywhere, and even slept on my bed with me, not her, nightly. Need my own little furmates to add to the zoo of 4 Labradors too!

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  6. You are QUITE the Man ! Cat's midwife! "They" say cats are drawn to the people that don't necessarily like them so much so the cats don't feel overwhelmed with attention. Sorry you're allergic to them. Full menageries abound- we have 3 dogs and can't count all the cats but we don't "get" cats- they just show up at our house! Thank goodness they don't all come in the house! Hope you have a wonderful week & weekend.

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  7. I remember my cat having her kitten twice, on my bed. It really was amazing to be there during the process....loved that and the kittens were so adorable. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. How adorable! If I lived close by I would take one or two off your hands. Congratulations!

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  9. I am proud and thrilled to read this. Kudos on having such a grounded moral compass. I'm not a "cat" person per se, but I would have done the same thing you did. You rock, dude!

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  10. Aww. Bless your heart with your allergies! And yeah - kittens are about the single most adorable thing on this planet. :)

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  11. Great story! I appreciate your "Right to Life" stand!

    Iowa Man Quilter

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  12. I love your story. Beautiful cat & kittens! They are truly God's Creatures as much as we are. Bless you!

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  13. Our kitty was a feral cat and also a twin. We are all allergic, but lots of vacuuming seems to keep our sneezing down! Adorable pictures!

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  14. awwwwww... you will love every moment of raising kittens... we adopted a pregnant stray, and she had her babies in the recycling bin at 3 am - and yes, I was sitting with her!!! Don't worry, you'll find good homes for them ... we kept one, and had 17 years of a mama/child relationship of two kitties... I was so glad to have them both since they loved each other so much...

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  15. You wrote this so beautifully. I can understand your pride in her! What a sweet little mama and kittens!

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