“I’d love to. Can we see where the kitties will be living?” Tae asked. This had only just begun and already I foresee how difficult it was going to be to keep him away from his babies.
“Absolutely. Let me see if they’re ready to go and you can help me get them settled in.” Judy disappeared into the back and emerged a few minutes later with the same box we brought in. “Let me give you my address even though you can follow me there. It’s just around the corner but then you’ll have it for future visits.” She rattled it off along with her number and I added it to my phone contacts.
“Daddy, it’s so sad those babies lost their momma.”
“It is, sweetheart, but now you get to give them their best lives.”
He wiggled and grinned. “They’re so tiny. We have to hold them and cuddle them and keep them safe. That’s most important, Daddy.”
“Very true, my love.” We pulled up in front of a rustic two-story home with a screened in front porch. The front yard was nicely maintained with an array of flower beds. The house could use a fresh coat of paint, but that was the Ashwood side of me speaking. “Come on, let’s follow Judy inside.”
We were greeted by a couple of older cats and was that a… “Parrot?”
“Welcome home,” the parrot chirped. “Who are you?”
I-I, how does one reply to that?
“These are friends, Tulip,” Judy informed the bird.
“New box, new babies,” Tulip chirped.
“Yes, new babies but only for a little while. These nice men are adopting them.” Tulip waddled over to the box and poked her head inside then flew onto her giant perch, seemingly satisfied. “Don’t mind Tulip, she’s taken it upon herself to play security guard. Every animal here is a rescue, including her. Let me show you around.”
We followed her through the kitchen and up a set of stairs. “In this room are the nursing mothers which is where your babies will be. Would you like to help get them acclimated?”
“Yes, please,” Tae replied.
“This nursing momma here was very young and in her first litter only one of three babies survived. Let’s see how she takes to your three.” Tae knelt beside her as she removed the black and white baby from the box and placed it beside the nursing kitten. The momma kitty sniffed it and laid back down.
“Come on, Oreo, you can do it,” Tae cheered the baby on. Looks like one of three was named. Oreo whimpered and sniffed the momma and the kitten beside him. I hoped with all my might all three survived.
“Might need his siblings to feel safe enough to latch onto her teat.” Judy took the all black one from the box and placed it beside Oreo.
“Twinkle, your brother is beside you, you’re safe now,” Tae assured him.
Two were named, and now to see if the third triggered the others to nurse.
Lastly, Judy removed the tiger striped one and sat it beside the other two. Tae watched, barely restraining himself from trying to help, but was getting concerned the longer it took them to feed.
“Please, Simba, show your brothers how to do it.”
There was something about those initials that…huh, I’ll be damned. Right as it hit me that the kitten’s names all started with the same initials as Tae and his brothers, Oreo latched on and the other two did the same.
“Yay! They’re feeding, Daddy. Err, Chuck.” If Judy had any issues with him calling me Daddy, that was on her. “They’re so tiny. Can I pet them?”
“Gently, so you don’t scare or jostle them or the momma kitty,” Judy told him.
As Tae ran a single finger over each one he whispered, “You’re gonna be so happy with us. You’ll have warm beds, and toys and food and treats and scratchy thingies.”
Judy smiled beside him. “And I’m guessing a lot of love too.”
“So much love,” Tae assured her. Judy had no idea how much love my boy had to give. These babies would be spoiled rotten and never want for a single thing.
With the kittens situated, Tae kissed his finger and pressed it to each one. Judy wanted to show us the rest of the rescue rooms and then we had a bit of paperwork to fill out. Tae made a fewnew friends in the older cat room. They were far more relaxed than in the juvenile one. Those cats were a bit crazed, and I assumed those days would be in our future as well, especially with three cats.
From no pets to three.
What was this Daddy thinking?
