Busy Week: Kitten Sitting
This last week has been filled with things going on. I am currently fostering/kitten sitting for my Aunt A. and her family. The little guy’s name is Garth, and he is 9 weeks old as of yesterday, the 27th. It has been interesting to have a kitten around and compare his antics to those of the adult cats in the house.
Garth was part of a litter that one of my best friends, A.’s younger sister’s cat birthed. She had five babies that are thriving and aching to make their mark on the world. When I found out that the litter had been born, my mom suggested that I send my Aunt a message about the kittens because she and her husband had been searching for a kitten to add to their family.
At first Garth was a secret from her daughters, but when they found out, they couldn’t have been more excited. Pictures would be sent to me from L., A,’s younger sister, and I would happily pass them on to my Aunt and her girls. Each picture was treasured and celebrated as we got to watch Garth grow and learn.
Last Friday, June 20th, Garth and his siblings had hit the 8 week mark and officially were able to leave Mom’s side. So that evening, L. and her boyfriend delivered a meowing kitten burrito to my house. My siblings and I had set up a homebase for him in our upstairs bathroom, and he quickly got settled in his blankets and was out for the night. I am very glad that we thought ahead and provided some pieces of fleece to L., so that she could put them in the nest/den. These pieces absorbed the comforting scent of his mom and siblings, and helped ease Garth into his new environment. They happened to be just the right size to fit in and around his carrier, which instantly became his safe space.
Each day of the following week has been filled with cute and crazy kitten antics. Garth loves his toys, and has actually patted me on the knee with his paw to ask me to play with him, instead of his usual style of independent discovery. He has a very healthy appetite, and will probably be going through a growth spurt soon with how much he has eaten. Seriously, how does such a tiny body pack away all that food? The portions he consumes do not logically fit in his little frame.
Due to his homebase being in the upstairs bathroom, activities like brushing our teeth have gained an added difficulty. My sister K. experienced the brunt of it, and had to wave her foot around in the air to keep her toes out of reach from the little man. As soon as Garth discovered that her other foot was still on the floor, and did indeed also have toes, she had to switch feet. She later informed me about this whole situation and I couldn’t help but giggle at her telling me that she did not sign up for having to do calisthenics while brushing her teeth. It had to be like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time.
Our own household animals have been kept separate from the baby. We are aiming to keep all animals healthy. So that means, since Garth hasn’t been given all the vaccines that our adult cats have, we isolated him. Anything that he doesn’t have an immunity for already, would be extra rough on his little body. The adult pets of the house also could have caught something from Garth, so we errored on the side of caution.
Tomorrow my mom and I will be packing up the baby and all his belongings, of which he has numerous, and hitting the road. We will be meeting up with my Aunt A. and one of her daughters in the Twin Cities, and handing Garth off to his forever family. I will miss the little dude, but thankfully this is not good bye, it is just see you later.
