Kitten Love

This is a love story of the feline kind. In March 2009, one of our female cats had her litter of three kittens. A month later our second female cat had her liter of five kittens. Over time all the kittens were getting along together like one big happy family. With the exception of a little kitten from the first litter named Whitie. She is partially blind and diagnosed with no hope of any improvement. She is still very small and frail looking than the other kittens but has a fiery spirit when the other kittens want to play around. Many times we have to literally carry her to the food so she can eat as well as go to the bathroom which in itself is another grand adventure for all of us.

Enter Garfield, a kitten born from the second mother cat. Named for the fact he looks like the comic strip character. As he grew he developed a real interest towards Whitie. He would follow her around, eventually guiding her like he was her personnel servant. Over time we didn’t need to carry her to her food or the sandbox for Garfield would guide her to these places. Wherever she slept, he was not far from her. He would always clean her fur and made sure she didn’t hurt herself. At Christmas time she truly loved playing with candy canes. Whenever she lost sight of the one she was playing with Garfield would retrieve the candy cane for her.

Before Garfield watched over her, Whitie would just stay in one area as the other kittens and cats ran around the yard. Barely moving at all. She would simply sniff a few feet around her and use the bathroom while waiting to be carried back inside the house. We knew this when she would meow almost nonstop as if she felt her life was in danger. But with Garfield by her side she slowly but surely started moving freely around the yard as he stayed within her limited eyesight. When Garfield entered the house, Whitie was always a step behind him.

While inside the house Whitie still has difficulties getting into the sand box which ended up with her leaving behind a huge mess for us to find in the morning. We have come to live with this by laying a towel or newspapers around the sand box for easy cleaning but one cat is making it very difficult to keep this simple plan from working efficiently. His name is Garfield. As Whitie will arrive at the sand box, unless we are there to put her into the sandbox she will proceed to do her functions. But as Garfield has appointed himself as her protector, he would wait until she is finished with her business, then enter the sandbox and proceed to dump out large quantities of sand onto the area she had relieved herself in an effort to cover it up.

Large quantities of sand all over the floor and positioned methodically all around the spot where Whitie had messed up. For a while it was very difficult to deal with constant cleanups and the possibilities of simply keeping her permanently outside but over time with Garfield staying by her side, we realized that a love story has been growing between these two catss from the time of their birth until now. With love stories of such as the one between Johnny Cash and June Carter, separate these two became unthinkable. The more and more time they spent together, Whitie would challenged her limitations as Garfield appeared more as the classic Victorian gentleman whenever they are together.

She still bumps into furniture and takes what appears forever to jump down from the couch but Garfield is always there to lend his support for the woman he loves. Watching them together is like an old married couple. The sound of her meowing proceeded by the sound of the other running through the house to answer her call. The moments when Garfield will let Whitie start eating first. As Garfield is running around playing with the other cats, he will always make a trip by Whitie to let her chase him around. These are just a drop in the bucket on how these young cats spend their time together. To feel judged by their relationship can easily be said and felt but more importantly seeing them together is experiencing a living poetry of love.