Ode to a Kitten

My week has been shall we say, interesting. I could pontificate about everything until you run screaming from the computer or I could share with you a moment slice and discuss what was most significant for me. I sobbed aloud. It happened when I learned that a friend’s grandmother had died. As I heard the news, my eyes began to fill-up until they could no longer be both open and full. As salty dew ran down my cheek, I remembered that I lost my bubie two years ago this month.

I need not tell you that losing her was one of the hardest and most difficult experiences for me. As I was sobbing into the cold air, my kitty baby climbed onto me. As I was staring at her it occurred to me that Tamora has been through far more than me and she has not a single regret. I brought Tamora home in June. The same day I had brunch with a friend in the city, attended an alumni event, and saw Jerry Seinfeld perform. Most pet owners I speak with can recount their first night at home with their beloved. For cat owners, they often recount periods of their feline crying between periods of light napping. There is little sleep to be had and many owners dream of taking their furry friends back to where they came from.

That was not the case for AG. Brandeis and AG went to retrieve shortly after her human momma I sent a photo of her waiting nervously for us at the front door. She bonded with him almost immediately as she crawled up in his arms in front of her siblings and kitty momma and promptly took a nap. So naturally she rode home in his arms. I was distant and distrustful of her at first because I never really wanted her. Rather I longed for the idea of her, but not so much her. We did not emotionally connect during her first few days in her new living arrangement. I woke almost hourly each night begging her to return to her warm, fuzzy, bed. For the cat owners out there – I need not say anymore, you know how that went. What was remarkable was that she cried for about the first five to ten minutes as she walked around the house sniffing and pawing everything. Within an hour, she was settled, ready for playing string, and photos. I’ve never heard her cry since until this week as she waited for Momma at the door upon my return from traveling.

I remember so little of our first night together. Unfortunately in large part because I never knew the power she held to transform my life. Or how much I would embrace it once I gave into her picking Momma and not vice versa. This week as I sobbed while she laid in front of my wet face, I realized something. She has changed all our lives for the better because she loves her Momma and her life with AG. While she loves play dates with her siblings and kitty momma, she honestly loves me. She left the comfort of her peeps and life behind without much fear or loathing. She cried so little and embraced so quickly. She continues to confirm this for me by only wanting to be with me (read: laying on my chest as I type this) and please me whenever I am home. She was born to belong to me, I now sense.

My parents are coming to visit later this month. What prompted their visit is the grandchildren. Sure, I could take it personal but it’s not. It’s about how Tamora and others have come into this family this year and we have embraced the change. Tamora has given our home new life. So, instead of missing my bubie this year, I’m going to turn to my children, especially Tamora. The one who came in and climbed all over an orchid that loss every single one of her flowers within approximately a week of the brown streaks arrival. An orchid that now has four new buds, the most ever, and will be overflowing with flowers by the end of the month. The one who snuggles with Momma every night, no exceptions to the rule. The one who likes to heavy breath when she is most happy and chirp to ensure AG knows she is happy. And the one who gave Momma hope when it felt like so much hope was gone when we buried Bubie two years ago. more...