boy won’t be able to talk to you, but the girl can, at times. She has got magical genes. Her father wasn’t the same as her brother’s.
I didn’t know cats could have a litter of kittens with multiple fathers. And while I thought all cats were magical, I didn’t know they could be…magical. I sat on the floor, my back against the wall, holding the tortie in my arms as the tux climbed on my lap.
“Hey, you, little girl. Did you talk to me?” I stared at the tortie.
After a moment, I got a drowsy mmmhmm as she yawned. Her eyes fluttered and she conked out in my arms. The tux curled on my lap and he, too, was down for the count. My back cramped a little and I adjusted my position, but both kittens were totally out of it, in that way only kittens and puppies can manage.
Cautiously, I shifted the boy off onto the rug and laid his sister beside him. They shifted position to snuggle, but remained asleep. Easing myself off the floor, I slipped out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind me.
By the time Killian got home, I had slipped food and water into the bathroom for the kittens—who were still asleep—along with a couple toys. I made sure there were no open medication bottles or potential death traps waiting for them, and then I started on the house.
“What do I do to kitten-proof this place?” I asked Killian. “We had cats when I was younger, and my mother had an old tom who weighed eighteen pounds but still thought he was a kitten. I know the obvious things to look for—I’ve made sure all chocolate’s put away, anything that could be poisonous is bottled or jarred…”
“You have any blinds? They can get caught in the cords. I’ll anchor the tree to the ceiling, but I recommend taking any breakable ornaments off this first year. Also, cords—make sure your computer cords are detangled and don’t offer incentive to play with them. Spray some citrus water around them. Cats aren’t thrilled about citrus. Also, if you have any open shelving with glassware on it, move whatever can be knocked off. You have at least two plants in here that are poisonous.” He pointed them out and I immediately set them out on the porch, feeling guilty. But I’d feel a lot more guilty if the kittens ate them and got sick than I would over dead plants.
“If they survive the night, I’ll give them to Ari. She’s in between pets. She lost her dog last year and hasn’t gotten a new one yet.”
We spent the next hour going through the house, getting it set up for the cats. I moved all the important family ornaments off the tree, carefully packing them away. We were just finishing when a crash sounded from the bathroom. Running to open the door, I saw that the shower curtain, which had been on an expandable pressure rod, was in the tub. The tortie popped her head up, mewed, then raced for me, followed by her brother.
I groaned. “So this is the way it’s going to be, huh?” Laughing, I gathered them up and carried them out to the living room while Killian replaced the rod back where it belonged.
“What are you going to name them?” he asked.
I had been thinking about that since we found them. “I think I’m naming the girl Xi, after the xylophone. And the tux, I’ll name Klaus.”
Killian’s phone rang and he answered. “Oh? Good… Yes, thank you.” Pocketing his phone again, he turned to me. “Good news. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary on the bloodwork. In a couple weeks, I’ll vaccinate them for you. They’ll get their first rabies shots when they’re four months old.”
“Well, that should work. I’m not about to let them outside.” I paused as my phone sounded. Glancing at the screen, I saw Ari was texting me. “Ari! We were supposed to meet her and Meagan at the carnival! I’m going to ask them over.”
I quickly texted her back. interesting morning. can you come over. have a couple babies i want you to meet.
babies? what babies?
just get your butt over here, woman, and i’ll introduce you.
The kittens were meanwhile scaling the cat tower, perpetual motion machines in fur suits. I turned back to Killian, who was sitting on the sofa.
“Ari’s coming over with Meagan. It will take them a little while. Until then, I’d like to thank you for