On Being A Good Kitty Daddy
by Jeff Baker
File this one under “Things To Be Thankful For.”
After my husband died, the house was too empty and quiet. I’ve always loved cats and so when my Brother and his family adopted two pregnant strays I decided to adopt a brother-and-sister pair from one litter. An inquisitive ginger male and a sweet calico female. And I wound up adopting an affectionate and vocal tortoiseshell female from the other litter. (Two mothers, but probably the same father.)
My house became lively and warm and felt like a home again. The kitties settled into an active indoor routine. And here I’ll thank God they already knew how to use a litterbox.
Part of the cat’s routine involves health.
My calico is what I call my “Extra Care Kitty.” When she was a little kitten she would occasionally just fall over. This developed into full-blown seizures as she grew up. I knew I was going to have to take her to the vet but I was quite frankly afraid. Afraid they would find something wrong with her and I would lose her and afraid I was going to have to pay a lot of money.
Yes, I worry and I’m cheap.
So I put off the vet visit until this past summer when the kitties and I were visiting my Brother’s house where they get to play in the fenced-in backyard and she had a seizure and got caught under the porch and nearly strangled trying to get out. I thank God my Brother and Sister-In-Law were able to help get her loose and keep me from panicking. She was okay. Again, thank God.
I had been stupid in putting off the vet visit; she was now over two years old. I had not been the good Kitty-Daddy I should have been to her.
So when we got home, I put her in her carrier (she hates that!) and got her to the vet. The diagnosis was better than I had hoped: she has cerebellar hypoplasia, which she probably got from her mother being infected while pregnant. It caused her brain to not develop properly. While she compensates she has some trouble with walking a straight line.
And I thank the doctors and staff at the clinic who loved my little calico as much as I do; she is a sweet girl.
So, I get her to swallow a squirt of medication twice a day and I think it’s working. She rarely has a seizure and her mind seems not to be as fogged-up as it was. She acts more like a normal kitty and interacts with her siblings more.
So these are things I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving season. I don’t know that I’ve been the best Kitty-Daddy, but I’m getting there.
Jeff Baker writes about reading and writing sci-fi, fantasy and horror and other sundry matters on or around the thirteenth of every month. He and his kitties wish everyone the best for the Thanksgiving season, and say “Thank You” to Sisters Veterinary Clinic in Wichita. He posts weekly fiction on his blog https://authorjeffbaker.com/ and wastes time on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jeff.baker.524042 and Blue Sky https://bsky.app/profile/jeffbakerauthor.bsky.social as well as Mastodon (as “Mike Mayak”) https://mastodon.otherworldsink.com/@MikeMayak