Just a few short months ago in January of this year, my husband and I were not pet owners. We had no plans to get a pet of any kind, no yearnings to adopt an animal. But when an animal adopts you, it can be a different story.

In Crazy Cat Ladies (April 25th, 2021), I told the story of “Katleen,” the gray tiger-striped cat that showed up at our back door in January, promptly got pregnant and gave birth to seven kittens. That monumental birth-giving day was April 13th, just a few days shy of eight weeks ago. Eight weeks. The recommended time to keep kittens with their mother before adopting them out.

This weekend, the kittens went to their new homes–six of them, anyway. So, in less than six months, we have gone from being pet-free to the proud owners of two cats. We decided to keep one kitten for ourselves, as well as Katleen.

Cats have a way of making their owners proud; gushing about them to people who may or may not care, sharing stories and pictures, spending considerable amounts of money on their care and feeding, worrying about them, feeling like one’s heart has grown a few sizes since these creatures came into their lives.

I hardly recognize myself anymore; I am now an official crazy cat lady, just as I posted in the earlier blog. My husband doesn’t look or act the same, either. He has gone from “It’s your cat, figure it out,” to “I can build a pen in my shop for them,” laughing and enjoying them immensely–just as I have.

The mother’s post-birth complications are detailed in the previous blog; she rallied during her overnight stay at the vet just two days after her seven babies were born, championing the 50/50 odds the vet gave her for survival. She slid right back into the role of new mama cat; taking tender loving care of them, always looking out for their well-being and protecting them from any perceived threats.

These “Magnificent Seven” kittens were adorable and lovable, yes, but we knew we couldn’t take care of all eight cats forever. So, early in their new lives, we began looking for homes for at least six of them, thinking we just might want to keep one back for ourselves. The three black and three tiger-striped cats were difficult to tell apart, but the one multi-colored cat–“Slim,” as he was affectionately called as the runt of the litter, stood out. As the underdog (undercat), It didn’t take us long to decide that he would very likely stay with us. He seemed to have to fight harder than the others to find his place at the table, but Mama cat always made sure he got his share as well. In short order, he caught up with the smallest of the other six.

We lined up enough people who gave us a definite ‘yes,’ and more who said ‘maybe.’ When it came time to make adoption plans, however, none of them were able to take a cat (or cats) at this time, so we went back to square one. Once again, I offered them to Gail and Suzanne, but they remained firm. No cats for them–yet. However, when I told Suzanne that we planned to keep the runt, she reminded me that “you were the runt of our parent’s litter of seven, and we kept you….” It was, apparently, meant to be.

In the end, as it always happens, they went to homes that were perfect fits for each of them.

There was one female black cat and one female striped cat; the rest were males. One striped male cat went to an indoor home with several other grown cats. As I knew in my heart, and as the new owner’s pictures throughout this weekend have confirmed, it was a perfect fit.

Apollo seemed a bit uncertain at first–as did the other cats there, but they are all getting along beautifully in the two days they have been together.

The two female kittens made this little boy very happy; “Kitty” and “Pepper” are his first pets.

Tori, the vet tech in training I wrote about in the earlier post, took the remaining three males this morning. Between her home and her parent’s close-by rural home, they will have all the love and care they need in their new homes in the indoor shop areas. She has been a font of useful information from the beginning, and I am so happy she wanted these three. She didn’t have any others, and it was time for cats in her country home.

It’s a lot quieter in our shop now. Katleen and the last kitten–we have renamed him “Kit,” are settling into their new one-on-one routine. Kit is exploring the outdoors more today; we took the others out only for brief supervised outings one at a time; it wouldn’t have been possible to manage all of them outdoors at the same time. Their home base will still be our shop, although Katleen still tries to get in the house when she sees the chance–she remembers the week they spent in our guest room during the April snows.

My heart now has a soft spot for cats, especially my two. If I could have looked into a crystal ball a few years ago to see what I have become, I wouldn’t have recognized myself. Perhaps I needed to soften a bit; these creatures have a definite purpose within the human circle of life–if we let them. I spent many evenings in the shop having “cat therapy,” I could feel myself relax and unwind when I sat and held them; petting a cat brings on a sense of calm.

The kittens don’t sit still for petting as long as they did even a few weeks ago, but that is the feline circle of life. Just like toddlers, they are too busy to be held when there is fun to be had. And that’s the way it should be.

I’d like to offer a big thank-you to the new adoptive owners, they made the letting-go as easy as possible. To any cat lover whom I may have offended in the past when I didn’t seem to care about your cat stories or cat pictures (I probably didn’t), I am offering an apology. I didn’t get it. I do now.

Special thanks to my neighbor Sue who saw me through this adventure, and to the fine folks at Sunflower Veterinary Clinic in Minneapolis, Kansas, who offered continued support when needed. Happy Birthday today–6/6– to my friend Tana, one of the craziest cat ladies I know–and love. I understand you more fully now.