Several of you warned us. Many of you suggested that we do it sooner rather than later. But truly we don’t know what we’re doing here, and we didn’t know that sooner really meant, “No really. Soooooooner!” Like several weeks ago sooner.
eheh
Don’t mind me. I’m going to ramble on for a bit. I’m simply avoiding the issue. I’m hanging my head and peeking up at you sheepishly. I can’t quite come right out and say it. I’m trying. Really.
So it went something like this:
Malachi and I were outside together a few days ago. Wiggams walked up as she usually does, ready for a little snuggle. Suddenly, I gasped in shock. Malachi looked at me like I was crazy. In a weird little high pitched voice I said, “Wiggams. Whoa. Wiggams! Say it isn’t so. Wiggams, what in the world??” Malachi was like, “What, Mom? What?”
I told Malachi my suspicions. We asked Wiggams to spill it. “Out with it, Wiggams! Is it true? Is it??” Wiggams just purred and rubbed up against my leg. For a woman, she sure doesn’t add much to conversation around here.
I was in denial for the rest of the day. (I still can’t say the words.)
We showed her to Matt when he got home. We all circled around her, eyeing her with scrutiny. Together we decided resolutely that Wiggams had simply eaten an entire rabbit (family). Indeed. That had to be it. There was no other possible explanation for her widening belly.
Asa and Brittany came by later that evening. We told them our suspicions and asked Brittany what she knew about cats. She knew significantly more than we, and also she might be a little bit better at living in reality. She looked Wiggams over thoroughly, and said something like, “Well, your suspicions were correct. She did not eat a rabbit.”
So my friends. I guess it’s time to officially announce that Malachi is going to be a grandpa.
I’m just. I can’t. It’s so…
eheh.
I can’t help but think that Bob Barker would be so disappointed in us. (If you’re in the Drew Carey generation, this makes no sense. Unless he says it too. I haven’t watched the show in a while. Does he say it too? Again, I’m rambling.)
My research tells me that 1-8 kittens should arrive….umm perhaps as soon as within the next couple of weeks?? (Apparently by the time a cat begins to widen in the middle there are only a couple weeks left. Help me out here, cat lovers. I only know about human babies.)
But speaking of cat lovers, so what if I am one now? Maybe I recovered from my shock and got really excited about seeing baby kitties on our place soon. Maybe I even sometimes let Wiggams crawl up on my lap while I’m having a cup of coffee in the sunshine.
Maybe I even make weirdo cutesy cat faces at her.
Thank you, Grandpa Malachi, for documenting my weird cat lady faces.
As soon as there is kitten news to share, you’ll be the first (few thousand) to know. We’ve already promised one kitten to our neighbor. Any other takers? And yes, Bob, Drew, and everyone else who told me to do this sooner rather than later – after the kittens are born and have been enjoyed, weaned, and shared – we will really and for real get Wiggams fixed.
eheh
Margaret says
Maybe you will be lucky and she will have a small litter. We had 5 young kittens abandoned in our backyard a little over 2 years ago. We thought we might have seen the cat who delivered them. She appeared to be a feral cat and we couldn’t catch her.
We were fortunate that our county has a spayed and neuter program. We had already found a home for 1 so we had the other 4 ‘fixed’. We kept one and found homes for the other.
Then the dear Momma Cat started hanging around and we found she wasn’t feral. In fact she was a most loving cat. But in a matter of weeks we discovered she was in the family way again. (Cats multiply quicker than rabbits.) She delivered 4 more two years ago this month. Again the county services came to the rescue and we had Momma Cat and the 4 babies taken care of. We now have three cats, Momma Cat, Ziggy from the first litter and Bernadette have the Last. And the is the last.
Laura says
Oh my. That was fun to read…and motivates me to get Wiggams in pretty quickly after she has the kittens. :)
Kelley says
If it’s her first litter, she likely won’t have more than 4. When our cat had her first litter, she only had 1, then the next litter, she had 3. Believe me, after that we got her spayed :) Right now, we only have 3 cats. 2 female, and 1 male, ALL fixed ;) Can’t wait to see kitten pictures!!
Laura says
It sure will be fun to see how many she has! Now that I’m over the shock, I’m pretty excited. :)
mrs.p says
When I was younger my cat was in family way. One night she was acting weird I end up putting her in my closet and watch her have the kitten. When they were old enough to hold and I couldnt find my cat I would pick one up and she hear it crying and she come running. I had that cat for very long time. Have fun with them.
Laura says
Aw, what a fun memory. So glad you shared!
Dorthy M. says
Congrats, great grandma! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist). We have not one, but two who need to be spayed. Quickly. They come from a long line of religious felines who take their Old Testament admonishment to be fruitful and multiply quite seriously.
Laura says
Great Grandma…ack! (but true!) :) So glad to hear that your cats take the Bible so seriously. ;)
Adriana says
I just got a pair of male kittens this September to be barn mousers and garden patrollers. :) One issue that I’ve found to be prevelant with a lot of my family’s previous cats is the kitten’s eyes. In my area, a kitten’s eyes will be swollen shut or crust over quite frequently. When this happens, a good natural way to take care of it is to wet a tea bag (I use green tea) and place it on the kitten’s eye. The kitten will paw at you, but be sure to get a drop or two into the kitten’s eye. Do this twice while the kitten’s eyes are swollen and the swelling should go down within a week or so. Hope this helps if you run into that!
Tanica says
I sure wish we lived anywhere near you! My 8 year old has been begging for a kitten for her birthday in 2 weeks. Remember watching my cat have kittens when I was younger. What a treat!
Laura says
So are you planning to get her a kitten? Sure wish we could give you one of ours!
Tanica says
We probably won’t get her one; the only available ones around here are from the pound and I am not ready to take on a cat just yet (since I know it will be my cat, really!) although if I was close to you guys I’d love to get a free little kitty. I do miss our little cats and dogs we had growing up. I think you will really enjoy the babies when they finally arrive!
donna says
lol, well…..one of our cats had her first litter this spring. She had 7!!! count them 7 kittens!! I was quite surprised, wow.
anywho, I really want to know where you bought that coffee mug????? I love it!!! I bought a yellow one just like it a yard sale once and I like it a lot! I am not a coffee drinker, but I like to drink BIG mugs of all different kinds of hot teas ALL YEAR LONG :). No wimpy regular size Tea Cup for this gal.
Then when we went on vacation last spring, the place we stayed had blue mugs like these too. I have been searching high and low, but I can’t find them anywhere! eeeek, please say you know where I can find some……pretty please???
Laura says
7 in her first litter? Well, we might be in for it!!
I got the mug at Walmart. I got a second one identical to it and gave it to a high school girl at church who is my “prayer pal.” So when I drink from this mug, that is my reminder to pray for her. :)
Kari Coppinger says
Please keep one kitten and enjoy watching it grow up! Wiggams will be a wonderful mother I’m sure. Malachi an excellent grandpa. This is late in the season for a cat to have kittens so watch out for super cold weather, which I’m sure is still months away.
I can’t stop laughing at your cat-petting, coffee-drinking self.
Laura says
I know. It’s like you don’t even know who I am anymore. ;)
Super cold weather…months away. Yes. Let’s go with that.
pat says
Congratulations to your new cat loving family!! I would take one if I only had one but we just got our second in July and two is my absolute limit. I honestly thought you were going to say that Wiggams was now an indoor cat.
You have no idea how badly I needed this post today! Thanks for that.
Laura says
Oh my no. I definitely still draw the line at her coming indoors! (Hope I don’t cave this winter!!)
So glad you enjoyed the post. I’ll try to always take crazy pictures of myself to bless all the people. ;)
BUSY MOM IN AL says
They LOVE a box with an old sheet or towel in it. One of your smaller Amazon boxes would be perfect. My cat would wait at the door for her box when it got really cold and then want the top closed halfway! :)
BUSY MOM IN AL says
Brand new kittens are SO CUTE!! They don’t even have their eyes open for a few weeks! :)
We had one little yellow stripey kitten that we found sleeping in a styrofoam cooler on our property in 20 degree weather! He was SO little. Two days later, we found another little yellow stripey kitten on the OTHER side of the property. They look just alike and we had to go make sure it wasn’t the same kitten!! We figured they must be brothers. They have really good purring motors so we named them Briggs and Stratton after the tractor engine makers! We already had a cat, so that made a total of 3 cats and we only wanted 2, but we decided since they were probably brothers, they could both stay! I love having cats! When we go outside to pet them, we call it cat therapy! And my Mom always said her cat was “makin’ biscuits” when they got all happy and curled their paws! I am glad to see you enjoying her! :)
Laura says
Cat therapy…yes. I am beginning to understand that. :)
Bethany B. says
Congratulations :) I was never a cat person until we found our Orbit and he made me one real fast. I would love to get him a little friend, but I have been placed on a strict one-cat-at-a-time limit by my non-animal loving (& probably wise) hubby, so I will content myself with being thankful for the one sweet kitty I already have. Can’t wait to see pictures of the kitten(s)! Enjoy!
Laura says
It’s funny how quickly one can switch to becoming a cat person once one meets a very sweet cat. It probably helps that my Malachi loves having her around. :)
Tiffany says
Dude! This perfect! From one homeschool mom to another … science is done for the year! Kitten growth and development! Woot!
Tiffany says
*is
Janelle says
Aww! I can’t wait to see pics! I was never a cat person until our little kitty came and sat at our patio doors one bitterly cold night in Ohio. We let her in our garage “temporarily” since it was so cold….the kids fell in love with her (so did I) and we’ve had her three years. Sadly, we took her to the vet to get fixed about a month after we “got” her, and the vet called me a few hours later to let me know she was done and they had “done away with” the 4 kittens. :( I was so sad, still am, and so angry with the vet. We had no idea she was pregnant and never would have taken her in had we known.
Annie T. says
Oh my gosh, I laughed so hard reading this post!! :D
Cats are pretty good at taking care of themselves and their babies. I have never actually had a litter of kittens in my house, but my best friend’s family has a litter or two most years. We’re waiting with baited breath for their Minx to grow up and produce kittens, since we’re ready for another pair. ;) We played with a lot of kittens growing up, and we’ve gotten several from them over the years. If Lady Wiggam’s kittens are friendly, I expect they’ll find good homes quickly. :)
Patti says
Congratulations! I used to breed Persians and you can always tell if they are for sure expecting when the nipples turn bright pink or red . After that they will begin to swell. If you check her periodically and lightly pinch the nipple and you get milk, the kittens are going to be born soon. She will want to find a quiet, dark, private place to have them and if she gets bothered too much after the kittens are born, she will try to move them. If she is really affectionate, she may become extra loving and want you to be near her at all times. Cats take care of everything themselves very well and take care of litter training the kittens, as well. Enjoy!