The Kitten Experience

Back in April when we discovered Shannon's cat Angel was expecting kittens, I couldn't help but hope for them to arrive when school got out.  My wish was granted the morning of June 3rd. Shannon came into my bedroom at 6:00 saying, "Something is on my bed.  Something is happening to Angel".  I raced down the hall and sure enough, a new kitten had just been born.  I scooped up momma cat and kitten and placed them onto an area I had prepared for the delivery.  We spent the next three hours watching and waiting.  Three kittens were born that morning, one black female and two yellow males. Shannon was so excited and didn't leave Angel's side. She was fascinated! Matthew, on the other hand, could care less about the birthing process.  The rest of the day, while Angel slept, Shannon and Matthew took turns holding and caring for those kitties.

The next evening after the kids were asleep, John and I heard little mews coming from the hallway.  Angel was moving the kittens!  Her choice spot: our bedroom, under John's side of the bed.  We attempted to move them several times but Angel kept carrying them back to our room, one at a time.  You can't change a momma cat's mind, apparently.  I must mention that I'm allergic to cats, and after a waking up several mornings all stuffy, I periodically decided to sleep on the couch

The kittens were a new kind of entertainment for the kids. Whenever I noticed the children were quiet I could usually be assured that they were sitting with the kittens.  Shannon and our neighbor Christy named those kittens:  Rachel, Bob and Steve.

When the kittens opened their eyes and became a bit mobile at around three weeks, it was time to move them out of my room.  Yippee!  I put them in the next room and thankfully, Angel let them stay there!  Of course that only lasted a couple weeks before they started running all over the place and ready for a litter box.  They then got demoted to the basement.

One day Shannon's good friend Kaelyn and her family, came to take the black kitty home with them. Boy was that hard on Shannon.   She cried and cried.  We took lots of pictures before the departure so that Shannon could look at Rachel and smile.

A few days later Bob and Steve left together. A nice older couple came to take one of the yellow kittens and decided that keeping them together would be easier on them.  It was great to hear that this couple lived on a farm and the last pair of cats they owned had lived 20 and 22 years!  Shannon had more tears, but it was easier knowing the kittens were together.

The kitten experience was a nice way to pass the summer. However, Shannon is glad that her cat, Angel, is back to "normal".  She sleeps on Shannon's bed and welcome any attention the kids pass her way. Something tells me that this was not our last experience with kittens.  :)