As I write this, I have an orange little kitten sitting on my chest, while his equally small calico sister looks at my typing fingers from behind the back of my computer.
That’s right– we’ve adopted cats.
Aaron has wanted us to get cats for a while now, but between the wedding and the honeymoon and the holidays we wanted to wait until after the new year. Sure enough, not even two weeks into 2020, we had an appointment with a foster family.
At a work associate’s football party (to celebrate the holidays AFTER the holidays), Aaron struck up a conversation about adopting cats with a coworker who had recently adopted. She introduced him to the foster mom who had adopted out a cat to another coworker of ours. Aaron discovered she was fostering a family of newborn cats, three of them calico (which had especially piqued Aaron’s interest, after raising a calico on his own). He filled out an adoption application at the table right then and there, and scheduled a meet and greet three days later.
I was nervous, to say the least. Obviously, I wanted to provide the best life for the cats, and I was scared I wouldn’t be that person. Aaron was reassuring, promising that if things didn’t feel right at our Meet and Greet, we wouldn’t take them home.
That Saturday, we drove to the other side of town and met the foster mom, who led us into her nursery of the “Reindeer family” (being that it was the holiday season, each of the seven cats and their birth mother were named after Santa’s reindeer). I was overwhelmed by how little they all were. As the foster explained that her goal was to adopt out each cat in pairs, or at least into a family with a cat, Aaron found himself being swarmed by small kittens (roughly two months old at the time). I sat down near him, not wanting to crowd him or overwhelm the kittens in the room. Several of them immediately took to Aaron, but it was taking longer for them to warm to me.
Eventually, one of the girls made her way over to me. She circled a few times, then eventually jumped into my lap and crawled up to snuggle by my feet. My heart swelled. This was my girl.
Not long after, her brother came over to me after snuggling with Aaron to see what the fuss about me was. Aaron looked over at me, with a lap full of cats, and said, “Okay. that answers our question. Where do we sign?”
I sat in the back with the two in a carrier as we made our way home. That weekend was filled with smiles, photos, and a few really nice cat naps.
That was a week ago. We’ve since changed their “Reindeer Names” of Comet and Prancer to Jake and Rosa, and they have since learned our master bathroom is their bedroom and that the closet is a treasure trove that MUST NOT BE DISCOVERED NO MATTER HOW INTRIGUING IT LOOKS. They like listening to music, watching Youtube, and they love playing with their catnip flavored mouse plushies and a crinkly slice of pizza (enjoying pizza by themselves in a corner. They are truly family).
And yes, their names were chosen based on the characters of Jake Peralta and Rosa Diaz from “Brooklyn Nine Nine.” I got a video clip of the two snuggling on my Peacock pillow watching “The Office.” They are being taught early that we’re an NBC family.
My life has been filled with new responsibilities, challenges, and adventures in raising and taking care of a living being. It has been tiring, calming, and truly loving at times. We’ve started this ritual of me turning on quiet music while I wash my face at the end of the night to signal to them that it’s bedtime. They are so smart and so aware, and I was not prepared for how curious and troublesome they can be (they just want to experience and chew on… everything).
I am so happy and so in love, even if they like to step on my keyboard while I write (and gnaw on my fingers at any opportunity. I’ve learned to wear my slippers at all times so they don’t nibble my feet). Soon they’ll be mature enough to walk around the house without supervision! Until then, I am happy to keep them close to my heart. Literally. Did I mention Jake is on my chest right now?
Both cats have fallen asleep nestled against me while typing tonight, but they have since stirred and decided on one last bout of playtime before bed. That means it’s time for the skin routine and soft music.
Goodnight, world. Goodnight, Jake and Rosa. Welcome to our little family.