We love animals but quite simply, we are both dog people.  As you know, our dog died recently.  While we miss him dearly, I have to confess I love not having to care for an animal, worry about where to take them while we are traveling, and paying for all of their expenses.

So, what do we do when we walk outside one morning to discover two kittens on our porch?  They were adorable, playful, and so friendly.  We thought they were two sweet sisters (until our neighbor properly educated me on the physical difference between boys and girls…come on, I said I was a dog person).  We are pretty sure someone dumped them at our house since it is at the end of our street.  We knew better than to feed them because full cats always stick around.  We knew better than to let them in the house because then they would think they could stay.  So we waited.  And waited.  And waited.  For a day and a half, including one cold night where they snuggled together on our front mat right up against the door where we could see their pitiful faces when we looked out the side glass next to the door.  And they didn’t leave.  We saw another bigger cat that we assumed was the momma but then, just like that, she was gone.  So now what?

We couldn’t leave them there to starve to death.  So we flirted with every possibility.  Ed went to an adoption shelter who informed us that we would have to make an appointment to meet with someone to see if they would even take them in because they were so filled with animals.  What?!?  They would starve and freeze to death by then, not to mention maybe be eaten by coyotes.  Ok, so maybe I was being a little dramatic but it seriously was killing me…I guess its the momma instincts taking over.  We talked about keeping them but then decided no when we thought about all our traveling in the next few weeks and the vet costs for two of them.  We asked friends if they wanted kittens (which did lead to us getting rid of one of them).  We flirted with posting an ad on Craigs List but were afraid it would attract people who like to do sick things with cats.  So, we took them in and fed them (both things we knew NOT to do) until we figured out what to do.  And did I mention that the momma cat (or the bigger cat…not sure if it was momma) came around again which sent our number of cats to 3.

So what happened next?  As I said, our neighbor took one and then we broke down and called animal control for the other two.  I have bad images of animal control as mean and only taking them to the kill shelter so his was a last resort to me.  But, after cleaning out the litter box and shooing them off the counter and tables I don’t know how many times and trying to keep them from clawing the chairs and couch, I was done with cats.  Kinsley asked me yesterday if she could have the kitties, to which I responded, “You have a new baby sister instead.” And that is all I can handle right now.  When we decide to get a pet in the future, we will stick to dogs!