Weekend Kat and Kitty Blogging

One of the best parts of having Kat as an older mother is that I am more patient than when I was younger. I am able to very carefully observe and take great pleasure in her development as a person. I can learn so much more from her than I was able to learn from Morganna as a young mother. Then, I was rushed–I was living in a less stable environment, so I was always stressed and seldom had the luxury of just sitting and watching how a baby explores the world with every sense, and how much joy she takes in each new discovery.

Kat has taught me that true joy comes in the simplest of things–like the feel of a cat’s fur under her hands, or the sound of its purr.

Here, she is thrilled because our oldest and best cat, Ozymandias, the King of our Cats, has come and flopped himself down across her lap. And even though he is old–sixteen years old to be exact–he patiently lets her learn how to pet him with care and love, purring all the while. And her smiles tell me how much she loves her lessons–that she, like me, loves the sound of a contented cat, above any other music. (I think that is because when I was first brought home from the hospital, she put her Siamese cat, Missy, in my crib with me, and Missy adopted me. She slept with me, kept me warm, lulled me with her purrs and let me pet her as I got bigger. She also guarded me and would let no one but Mom and eventually Dad take me out of the crib.)

Apparently, I, too, learned how to be gentle early on because of my post natal contact with Missy, and now, I can generally get any domesticated or semi-domesticated animal to come up to me. Kat seems to be developing the very still, quiet demeanor which is necessary to be good with animals. The cats are just curious about her as she is about them and so they flock to her.

This series of photographs was taken by Zak–I had been playing with a little fur mousie with Cordelia, and Kat wanted to join in. She scooped the mousie from the floor and dangling it by its tail, offered it to Cordelia, waving it temptingly in the air. At first, Cordelia was hesitant, but eventually, her playful nature won out over her caution, and she began to gently bat at the mousie–her claws carefully kept sheathed, and when she would finally pry it from Kat’s hand, she’d scoop it up in her mouth and galumph off. Then, she would run around for about a minute, then dash back and throw the mousie down at Kat’s feet.

And then the process would begin all over again.

What amazed me about the entire process was how gentle Cordelia was with Kat. She never used her claws, nor bit–even though she is just a baby herself and doesn’t know all the manners necessary to play with soft-skinned people. She sometimes slips up and nips me–not hard, but enough that it would certainly frighten Kat.

Now that Kat’s scooting about has become more efficient and quick, she has begun following the cats around on their errands, and seems to be seeing the world as they see it.

It is all a fascinating process that I love to watch, wonder at and find dear joy in. It is always a beautiful thing to see another being discover love that transcends the boundary of species and is just pure and true beyond the need of words or promises.

10 Comments »

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

1. I love that second picture - it just beautifully captures her joy.

   Comment by Cindy — September 30, 2007 #

2. I grew up with a house and yard full of animals, and it always makes me happy to see children growing up learning to love animals as members of the family and creatures to be loved and respected. The photos of Kat playing with Cordelia are wonderful!

   Comment by Lucy — September 30, 2007 #

3. What a loving post and how appropriate for Rumi’s 800th birthday. He was a poet who celebrated the spirit of love moving in the world - as you do with your cats, your Kat and all that you love and who love you!

   namaste!

   Comment by Nancy — September 30, 2007 #

4. It is funny you should mention Rumi’s birthday. Yesterday, I bought Zak a copy of a new translation of his poetry which had come out in celebration of his 800th birthday.

   I have always loved his poetry, as has Zak. The first time I ran across it was years ago, as a young teen, and then again, after Zak and I were married and he started reading the writings of mystics from every culture.

   Rumi is a favorite in this house, needless to say, though I am also fond of the poetry of Ikkyu, the great Zen monk of Japan.

   Comment by Barbara — September 30, 2007 #

5. Those are incredibly sweet pictures. Lovely…
   I am petting my big, fat purring cat as I type…
   :)

   Comment by Diane — September 30, 2007 #

6. Oh wow. These are wonderful!

   I love how Cordelia is trying to horn in on the action in pic #3 - she obviously loves Kat. (And Ozzy is obviously loving the attention.) And I think it’s great that the cats and Kat love each other. Do any of them sleep with her?

   Comment by Charlotte — September 30, 2007 #

7. Oh wow. These are wonderful!

   I love how Cordelia is trying to horn in on the action in pic #3 - she obviously loves Kat. (And Ozzy is obviously loving the attention.) And I think it’s great that the cats and Kat love each other. Do any of them sleep with her?

   Comment by Charlotte — September 30, 2007 #

8. Thank you everyone for the sweet comments–I am thrilled that Kat is growing up with so many kitty friends, and is learning to love them and treat them as friends. (Cordelia taught her how to pick up Cheerios with her tongue and lips–sigh. Kat had some Cheerios scattered on her high chair tray so I could keep working on the salsa I was canning while Zak went to the bathroom. Things got quiet, and I turned around to see Cordelia had gotten up on the tray and was eating a Cheerio. After watching the kitten, Kat bent her head down and picked one up in her mouth and ate it like a cat….I shooed Delia down, but I don’t know how much good it would do…she’ll be back at it tomorrow.)

   Yes, Charlotte–Grimalkin insists on sleeping with her head on either Kat’s feet or her stomach, with her body curled against Kat. Sometimes Gummitch sleeps with her, but mostly it is Grimmy these days.

   When she is on my lap nursing or sleeping, both Gummi and Schmoo try to sleep next to her on my lap, but there isn’t enough room for either of them, but especially not the mighty Schmoo, who has become the biggest of our cats.

   When she is on my lap, sometimes Cordelia sleeps on my lap, sprawled against her, while Schmoo leans on her at my side, and Gummi leans on the other side. And I usually have Dandelion on the back of the couch behind my head when all of this action (or inaction, as the case may be) is going on.

   Comment by Barbara — September 30, 2007 #

9. :) I grew up with cats..
   When I was a baby, I used to crawl and caress my little body against the cats body - very much like a cat would do to us to get our attention, hehe.

   Brings back sweet memories, your post. Your cats and Kat look adorable.

   Comment by Nirah — October 1, 2007 #

10. Ozymandias is the perfect name for a cat. I have friends with a cat whom I frequently call Ozymandias because he really does look like he’s king of all he surveys.

    Comment by Christy — October 1, 2007 #

Leave a comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

XHTML: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>