Friday, December 12, 2008

Black and White / White and Black

That is how the veterinarian described our TWO NEW KITTENS when filling out their charts yesterday. We got them from Hugh Marlboro's farm (oh, the irony), as one of the resident cats gave birth to five kittens. Last week Rico and I went to visit them, and picked out a boy and a girl (we were hoping for two girls, but alas, there was only one in the litter). They are, as the vet's assistant tried to capture on the chart, black and white; one is nearly white with black splotches, the other is all black on top, and all white on the bottom. They are 5 weeks old and very, very cute. Now all they need is names!

We took them away from the momma cat a bit early, however it seemed like the best decision as the farm where the cats were staying has 1) poisonous snakes (the end of little Pequena, as you might remember), 2) an uncovered swimming pool (our little white/black cat actually fell in the day before we picked up the cats - thankfully the daughter of the farm supervisor was swimming and promptly plucked the kitten out of the water), and 3) there are CROCODILES in a pen behind the farmhouse (a homemade pen, by the way, with 3 crocs in it already and one ready to lay eggs tomorrow!).

I asked the farm supervisor's daughter - she is 9 years old - what they were going to do with all the crocodiles, and where they would keep them (the pen isn't that big). She matter-of-factly said the crocs would stay in her room while they were small, then they would give them to the croc farm down the road. I asked if she didn't think the crocodiles would eat the kittens, or any of the small sausage dogs they have running around the farm. No, she said, they are too small. The crocs that is, not the potential pet-snacks. I could just imagine that situation going horribly wrong about 100 different ways, but chose to keep my mouth shut. If this girl's parents think it's quite ok for her to be keeping crocs in her room, then I shall stay far away from that discussion!

So, yes, it would have been nice for the kitties to get an extra week of momma's milk. However, I'm not at all confident they would have survived that week unscathed. :)

For the time being, we are keeping the kittens in isolation on the varanda. I've been doing lots of reading on how to introduce cats to each other in the least painful way possible. They say it is unrealistic to hope for new cats to bond with cats already present in the household; a realistic expectation is for them to tolerate each other. I am 100% hoping for tolerance, but I also know it will likely be a rough next month given Pria's lovely personality. That said, I think it will be a good thing in the long run for Pria to have company, as (s)he is obviously lonely, needy, craving a play partner, and generally feeling the lack of a companion cat.

We'll see how it goes. As a precaution, we've invested in lots of bleach should our mattress become the vehicle for Pria to express her distaste with our newest additions to the household.

3 comments:

NOLA said...

I'm laughing at your description of where you got the kittens - CROCODILES IN HER BEDROOM?! That is sooooo funny!

I got my dog when she was five weeks old, covered in fleas and maple syrup, and I thought I'd saved her! But there were no crocodiles.

And while I thought it was too young, it turned out not to be at all.

Best of luck with your new kitties!

Anonymous said...

LOL...glad you rescued the kitties...can't wait to see what they get into...congrats on the new family members!!!

Unknown said...

These are my ideas for kitteh names:

Salt and Peppa
Cheech and Chong
Hansel and Gretel
Bonnie and Clyde
Scarlett and Rhett
Basil and Sybil
Zig and Zag
Lucy and Ricky
Jack and Jill
Bert ad Ernie
Sonny and Cher
Ebony and Ivory
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Asterix and Obelix
Mac and Cheese
Tequila and Lime
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Mario and Luigi
Flotsam and Jetsam
Chips and Salsa
Fish and Chips
Bill and Ted
Itchy and Scratchy
Wayne and Garth
Wilbur and Orville
Harry and Sally
Joannie and Chachi

Ok, my brain hurts. This is all i gots for now.