Welcome to the cutest day of the year – National Kitten Day!

While I know that not everyone is a cat person, how can you resist those cute little faces?  Okay, maybe I’m biased, but I’m good with that.

My first kitten I adopted from my mom’s neighbors in 2001.  She was the cutest little calico.  My mom knew I was a sucker for a calico, too, and made a point to tell her neighbors exactly that.  Needless to say, I wound up taking that little girl home.  Cali’s been gone for a long time and I didn’t adopt another kitten until 2019.  We’d had other cats, but we’d made a point to adopt older cats for various reasons.

We’d had an amazing cat named Buddy, who was part Maine Coon.  He was friendly, he loved being with the girls, just an all around great cat.  Plus, he was huge.  I don’t know about you, but I like a sturdy cat.  When we lost him to kidney disease, it devastated all of us.  It also sent me on the hunt for our next Maine Coon.  Now, this was harder than you might think because at no time have I ever had $2,500 to drop on a cat, so I had to wait until I found one for adoption.  The upside to this is that I was not set on having a purebred, a mix was more than okay with me.

Enter Violet.

A little over a month after my late husband had his kidney transplant, I ran out to get cat food at a small, independent pet store near the house.  To my surprise, they were having a cat adoption event with one of our local rescues.  I wasn’t looking to adopt a cat that day, especially with my husband temporarily unable to work, but then, I stumbled onto the cutest, most curious little critter.  I looked down at her and sighed.  She was at least a little Maine Coon, with her hairy ears and giant paws.  I took a picture, sent it to my husband and our daughter who was home (the other child was working).  Figuring I’d get an immediate response of, “DON’T YOU DARE”, I went and got the cat food I needed and went to check out.  Still no response.  I told the guy working that day, “I’ll be back,” and went home.

My husband had been playing video games and hadn’t heard his phone and my kid had been in the shower.  When I told them to check their phones, my daughter says, “I’m coming with you,” not even asking if we were getting a new cat.  It was a serious impulse, but it was one of the best I’d ever made.  My husband died seven months later, never having fully recovered from the transplant.  But that tiny bundle of energy brought him so much joy.  The way his face lit up every time he saw her melted my heart.  And she still brings us joy every single day.  She’s silly and sweet and just ‘the cutest girl’ as my oldest dubbed her.

The two cats we had at the time weren’t too sure of this little critter invading their home, but they eventually warmed up to her.  Even our grouchy old ragdoll, Nayla, learned to tolerate the interloper.  Although there wasn’t always peace between the two of them, Nayla was a good matriarch and took care of the baby anyway.

Fast forward to June 2023.  Nayla had been acting oddly and not eating.  We took a trip to the vet and discovered she had a softball sized tumor and that it had spread into her lungs.  Our vet said that there wasn’t anything they could do at that point, but that she wasn’t in any pain.  So, we took her home, loved on her, and let her be with her girls and her feline sisters.  We lost her a few weeks later.

The day after her diagnosis, however, I’m walking past my boss’ office and I hear, “Hey, you want a cat?”  This of course caught my attention, so I stopped.  My boss whips out his cell phone and starts showing me pictures of these tiny, days old kittens.  Apparently, his cat had gotten herself into a bit of trouble and now he had four kittens.  It seemed like destiny – I was going to lose one cat soon and here were these innocent little babies needing a home.  I told him that if there were any girls, I’d take one.  Then, I proceeded to ask my kids if they wanted a kitten.  My older child texted back with, “Is this a joke?”  Hah!  None of the kittens turned out to be girls (approximately 80% of ginger cats are male), but I was already excited and couldn’t say no.

A month after we lost Nayla, my boss says, “The kittens are ready to go home.”  I get excited and he tells me to give his address to the girls so they can go pick theirs out.  Because I have known him since he was in middle school, he promised us first choice.  “But just so you know, my wife has already decided that they each need to pick a cat.”  I was not sure I was ready for TWO kittens, especially two ORANGE kittens, but again, I didn’t say no.

All I can say is that all the things you hear about orange cats?  They’re true.  At least with these two they are.  They’re absolutely nuts and, at times, dumb as a box of rocks.  However, they have these crazy flashes of brilliance that stun me.  Meet my boys – they are Fawkes and Gideon, Gids has the white paws.  Fawkes embraced his namesake (Dumbledore’s phoenix) and is the feistiest thing – and that hasn’t change one bit, despite being two now and no longer a kitten.  Gideon, on the other hand, has leaned into his namesake as well (one of Molly Weasley’s brothers was named Gideon, and you know he had to have been a sweetheart), just a giant cuddlebug.  Thankfully, they entertained each other as kittens and still do for the most part.

While Violet and Sunny, our SIC (a standard issue cat, aka a mackerel tabby), are still ever-present in our lives, these two little one brain cell sharing felines are front and center in everything I do – or try to do.  Since I am currently at max feline capacity (there is a 2:1 cat to human ratio in my home), it’ll be a long time before I have another kitten.

My older daughter moved out last August and every time she came to visit, she’d pet the cats and mention how much she missed having a kitty.  If you suggested she get one, she’d make a face and complain about pet rent.  Which is understandable.  Rent is exorbitant in these parts, so adding $20 a month onto it is a lot.  However, one of the ladies she works with started showing her pictures of her sister’s cat’s kittens.  I knew she was going to cave and, honestly, I’m glad she did.  She’s living alone for the first time ever and it has to be lonely sometimes.  Even with friends and her family not far away, going home to an empty apartment can be tough.

Meet Abraxos, my grand kitty.

He’s the sweetest, chattiest kitten I’ve come across in a long time.  My daughter says his mama is Siamese, which explains the chattiness.  I’m not sure what explains his crazy antics.  Well, other than he’s a baby cat, and cats are crazy already.  Babies even more so.  He’s like the Energizer Bunny in that he never slows down and is constantly on the move.  I think my kid has met her match in this little one though.  We’ll see who has the stronger will.

The above picture is currently the lock screen photo on my phone.  He’s just too cute.

I never thought I’d turn into the crazy cat lady, but it seems to have been my destiny all along.  Having only grown up with dogs as pets, having cats has been an adjustment, but one I’m glad I made.  Dogs are wonderful, don’t get me wrong, but there’s something special about a cat.

How are you spending National Kitten Day?  However you do it, I hope today brings lots of cuteness, silliness, and feline drama into your life.