Daughts went to visit Callie three weeks after we took her to the shelter because we were moving out of our flat, heading for Florida in June and…
She was with kittens.
She was only a young cat herself but I could not ignore the tell-tale kicking in her soft, furry belly that she offered for a rub whenever I walked past.
Malia called me with the news that Callie had had a litter of three mewling babies.
Two black & whites and an orange, plus a grey one to foster. She had given birth exactly a week after we’d dropped her off, just in time for me not for her!
“She has the look of a worn out Mum!” Malia told me, “I forgot my phone so no pictures, she doesn’t know what hit her!”
This week Daughts visited again, with her camera.
“Callie is a mess,” she called and told me, “thin, ragged and meowing to get out of the cage she was sharing with 4 needy youngsters.”
“I know just how she feels!” I replied and we laughed.
Daughts said,
“She just wanted me to pet her.”
“Couldn’t you take her out?” I asked.
“Her cage was locked and she was pacing back and forth treading around her kittens.”
I took one look at the photo she transmitted and was beset with guilt.
Callie loved her freedom, she would wander the apartment grounds freely, staying out at night (hence her condition) and coming in for food, warmth and lots of love.
She would stretch out on the bed and purr loudly, offer her paws for a massage and roll her eyes in ecstasy when I scratched her head.
And now I imagine her pining in her cramped environment. Do Mama cats suffer from post natal depression?
Life has dealt her an ugly blow and I feel responsible.
My stomach sinks when I think of how much better her life would be with me.
I hope she survives the next four weeks so she can be adopted into a happy family where she will have a permanent home and be loved.
It breaks my heart that she chose me and I had to let her go.
Sometimes life is tough when we don’t fully understand what’s going on.
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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