Lora Lee 
If you have been following my blogs, you know that I did a Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) at my school over Easter weekend. There was a young mommy with a son from her first litter and 2 kittens from her recent litter. I brought the mommy and older son through Feral Cat Assistance Program TNR program and after they recovered, released them back at the school. The two kittens, who I had named Cactus and Lily, were young enough to be socialized and adopted out, so I decided to foster them. Well, they became a foster failure and are now known as the Gremlin Kittens, but for a very good reason.
A New BFF?
Bodie, my Maine Coon, was BFFs with Monti, who passed away last August. He has been showing signs of depression from losing his best friend. This depression was turning into aggression and causing some cat drama in the house. Bodie set his sights on Emmet, attacking him out of nowhere and with no reason. This started causing Emmet stress, which ultimately led him to develop an infection and a round of antibiotics. Bodie got along fairly well with Hemingway, Monti’s brother. However, he would try to wrestle with Hemingway the way he would with Monti, and it did not go well. This would lead to fighting. More cat drama.
So, I started thinking that maybe Bodie needed a new BFF. I had two kittens that could potentially fill in the void that Bodie was feeling. After testing to make sure that they did not have any illness, I slowly introduced them to Bodie. There was some hissing on Bodie’s part. Cactus and Lily were very interested in Bodie though. After a few days, I decided to bring Cactus and Lily upstairs to hang out with the rest of the crew. They were in a pop-up playpen to help with introductions. Everyone seemed to be ok with each other. We had some hissing, but that is to be expected. The older cats were teaching Cactus and Lily boundaries. So, we decided to let them have free run of the house during the day. Let the fun begin.
Best Laid Plans…
Cactus and Lily are kittens through and through. They have the never-ending kitten energy. Everything is a toy. No place is off limits to them. There are places and things that must be explored, attacked, or played with. Kittens do not walk from point A to point B. They run at full speed. Mischief is high on their daily agenda. So much so that we have started calling them the Gremlin Kittens. When they run and jump, they pay no attention to who or what is around them. So, lots of times, the older cats get caught in the crossfire. And this has caused some issues.
Poor Bodie, who was very interested in Cactus and Lily at the beginning, is now very cautious around them. He doesn’t like their spastic kitten energy. It seems to stress him out. Most of the time, he just sits back and watches them running and playing. He also is not happy that Lily has chosen to steal his favorite automatic feather toy. That was his toy and now he has to share it with his new, younger and crazier sister, Lily. He is not happy. So, Bodie has once again started to demonstrate his unhappiness with aggression. And, once again, this aggression is directed at Emmet. My idea to find Bodie a new BFF did not go as planned.
Slowly the older cats are accepting the kittens into their clowder. Cactus is not as crazy as Lily. She has more moments of quiet energy and seems to be more accepted by the others, especially Hemingway. Emmet has also been showing an interest in playing with the kittens. He is the youngest of the cats and maybe they were exactly what he needed. Eventually, things will level out. Cactus and Lily will get older and calm down. Their spastic kitten energy will not be as overwhelming for the rest of the cats. They will grow out of the Gremlin Kittens stage.
The Joys of Kittens
Even though the main reason for keeping the Gremlin Kittens has not worked out as planned, we have had plenty of joys from Cactus and Lily. There is something therapeutic about having kittens around. One can simply not be in a bad mood when watching kittens play. Watching their love for life is contagious. Everything is an adventure. They are also moments of quiet snuggling. Moments when all Cactus and Lily want is to be held and pet causing them to purr so loud. Purring is very therapeutic as well. Those moments are the absolute best. Lily is snuggled beside me as I type this while Cactus is sleeping soundly beside us. These are moments that I will cherish for they won’t last long.
So, although my original plan for keeping the kittens didn’t exactly pan out like I had hoped, I do not regret my decision at all. Everyone needs a new kitten, or two, in their lives. And I wouldn’t trade my Gremlin Kittens for anything.
“A kitten is the delight of a household. All day long a comedy is played out by an incomparable actor.” –Champfleury
