Friday, March 10, 2006

When is the best time to have a kitten?

My job and my employer luckily afford me the opportunity to work from home from time to time. As such and due to my current project, I have been able to watch Dolce grow into a precocious teenager. Also I have been able to watch her experience certain things for the first time. Today was no different...

Where we live, it is snowing right now. Actually we have had about four inches of snow fall since I woke this morning. Between her naps and her investigations of the den where I work, Dolce has become fascinated with the large snowflakes that have been blowing past the window all day. She seems to be able to pick one snowflake from the myriad of falling snowflakes and follow that one snowflake until it passes out of her view. Every once in a while, one blows towards the window and Dolce, with her kitten brain, attempts to pin it with both paws against the window. Every snowflake that falls is a source of wonder and mystery to her. Each one that touches the window can be trapped and held. To me, it is almost like seeing snow as a child for the first time. I don't remeber the first time I remember seeing snow, but I can almost remember it as I watch Dolce. Does this make winter the best time to have a kitten?

Then I remember our other three kittens. Two were spring babies; Magoo was born in March and Smudge was born in May. Bella is a summer girl as she was born in July. Magoo lived in an apartment as a kitten so he didn't get the chance to do some of the dumb kitten things that Smudge and Bella were able too. Smudge was a little too sickly to be let outside so he too remained mostly inside. But Bella...she was a Summer girl if ever there was one. I have a picture of her as a kitten running towards me on the front lawn. Grass was a new thing to her and she did not know what to make of this strange texture beneath her paws. It was warm, so there were no concerns about frozen ears or paws. Does this make spring/summer the best time to have a kitten?

I have to go now. The wind has kicked up a bit and the snow is whirling in front of the window. Dolce is beside herself trying to catch each snowflake as it lands on the window. This is the best High Definition Reality Program I have ever had the pleasure to pay for.

11 comments:

  1. Fergus was a winter kitten, he got to see the outside on mild days in November. And then spring came and he went crazy with excitement and joy.

    If I adopt Harper he will be a summer kitten. That will be wonderful too.

    Any time is a good time to have a kitten.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Victor: March. Bonnie: April or June (I remember April, but my vet records say June - bad mommy, too busy raising boy to remember kitty). Anywho, BOTH reacted to their first snow fall with some wonder. From indoors, of course. The boy tried to walk on top of snow that was up to the first step, and found himself face-down in the snow. He was an unhappy 1.5 years at the time. I tried not to laugh too much as I dried him off.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I take it you are not getting much work done today? sss's mom

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awww, anytime is a good time to have a kitten. Enjoy the wonder as they learn and explore things with new eyes on the world.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anybody who thinks that animals are not equal to people just need to watch a baby animal. They are just as curious and precious as baby people. It is great to see the world through their eyes. ~Poi Mom Jane

    ReplyDelete
  6. i agree, any time is a good time to have a kitten. i want to get one, have for a couple of years, but am worried Edsel will be upset and with his medical issues, stress is very bad for him. just keep writing about Dolce, please, it kind of fills that "kitten void" i often feel.
    Edselsmom

    ReplyDelete
  7. When Mittens first came Mom put her in the spare bedroom. (She was a shelter kitty and was 6 at the time) She would sit by the hour and watch the leaves fall, like she had never seen them before. Mistrie, our outside feral, plays with the snowflakes (we got 15 inches the last two days)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Our mom says anytime is good for a kitten, but we don't really agree. Glad to hear that Dolce is enjoying bein' a kitten, and very glad to hear that you are enjoying it so much too!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just love the way you write about your cats -- such wonderful companions.
    -- Athena's mama

    ReplyDelete
  10. Beau had a good time watching the leaves fall in October. He and Angie didn't seem to be too excited by the snow but more by the birds in the window. They are indoor cats but it will be fun watching them sniffing around the windows when Spring really comes.

    ReplyDelete
  11. While Brach is 5 and I'm 6, we still get caught chasing snowflakes at the sliding glass door.

    My mom says she hopes that kitten-esque part of our personalities never fades!

    ReplyDelete