A few weeks ago I introduced you to Harley, our soon-to-be-new kitten. At that time, she was living with her two sisters and her momma cat, who belongs to my brother-in-law. We were waiting for her to reach 8 weeks of age and get the ok from the vet before bringing her home, but I visited her regularly.
When the kittens were first born, I was adamant that I would not be taking one, under any circumstances. I have had at least 1 cat for the last 17 years (and for 12 of those years I had 2), and thought that whenever my current kitty (now 17 years old) decides to go into the light, it might be a good time to take a break from pet ownership for awhile. Taking on a new kitten could possibly mean yet another 17 year (or longer!) commitment.
Of course, then I made the mistake of going to see the kittens. I managed to resist on the first couple of visits, but eventually they wore me down. They were just too cute! When I found out that the one I really liked did not yet have a home, I heaved a huge sigh and said I would take her. They were only 3 or 4 weeks old at the time, so we had another 4 or 5 weeks to wait until she could come home. Megan and I started trying on names, to see what sounded good. We spent several days taking turns blurting out whatever silly name popped into our heads no matter where we were – in the grocery store, at the mall, in the car. While driving home from work one afternoon, we drove by the Harley-Davidson dealership and I blurted out “Harley”. Megan then said whatever name came to her mind, and the game continued…but Harley lingered on in the back of my mind. The more I thought about it, the more perfect it seemed for her. She is orange, black, and white – the same colors as the Harley-Davidson logo – and she has just a little bit of an attitude. Megan wasn’t crazy about it at first, but eventually I wore her down.
Shortly after we decided to take Harley, one of her two littermates got an infection and died in the span of just a few days. After that experience, my sister decided that she did not want to let the third kitten – the runt of the litter that everyone referred to as “Tiny” – go to a new home… but considering she and my brother-in-law are currently living at my dad’s house with 5 cats and a dog, there was no way she could add one more into the mix. She came to me and asked if I would consider keeping the remaining kitten for her until they move out on their own next spring. Knowing that Harley would be coming from a home where she is surrounded by animals to our house where Jane, my old lady cat, would not give her the time of day, I agreed. At least she’d have one friend here! And yes, I know that the odds are good that this second kitten will never actually go to my sister’s house, and that’s ok too.
Wednesday morning the kittens had their 8 week check-up and were given the all-clear from the vet to leave their mother. We brought Harley and Dinah (I refuse to call her “Tiny”) home that evening, and we are now all in the process of getting to know each other. Not wanting anything at all to do with the new arrivals, Jane spent the entire day in the dining room yesterday, only coming to my room to claim her usual spot on my bed after the kittens had been remanded to the bathroom for the night. Today went a little better – Jane spent at least half the day in my bedroom, and at one point she and Harley actually napped on my bed at the same time. It’s progress…
