FRECKLES & JULIAN

My block is known to be a place where stray cats feel safe, can get a meal or a warm place to sleep if necessary. Some of us suspect the reason behind all the strays are that they are runaways from neighboring streets. To some of us who already have cats, it’s pretty easy to develop a relationship with those that come to visit. Some of us even name and adopt them. Despite all the love shown and given the cats still choose the freedom feeling of being on the outside. Who can blame them? It is apart of our nature to be on the outside appreciating the fresh air and about all the action. People who like to go places may travel with a crew. Cats, travel with their pact. It is a sight to see their tails wagging, paws stepping, and eyes fixated on their adventures. And then the expected, risky but beautiful thing happens. A female stray turns up pregnant. I have my own rescue story of a female cat and her litter.

She loves the outside. She also loves the inside as well. Her name is Vesanoah. Given to her by my niece, the name fits her well. The cat is like a shield. Although the official way to spell it is V E S T, Ves originated from the word vest. Vesanoah is a friendly but tough cat. None of the other cats bother her, her stash of food, or her territory on the block. Those that try, run the risk of her treacherous, sharp boxing paws. A full- grown female, and only weighing about 5 pounds in size, Vesanoah sticks it to the biggest male and female animals, as well as insects on the block. Those who come into Vesanoah’s “survival of the fittest,” possibly deadly nature, give her another toll count to add to her undefeated champion belt, well over twenty times. It’s almost as if the others on the block fall in line. If not, they fall victim to her as prey. Vesanoah has killed birds, mice, squirrels, mantis, wasps, those annoying Chinese lantern bugs, etc. Gigantic dogs have even lost their battles to her.

I have an ongoing joke with my family and neighbors. I may state it different every time, but it goes something like this, “I don’t ever have to worry about protection from any kind of beast on the block. Vesanoah takes care of every problem.” Vesanoah truly is our shield, our protection, our bodyguard.

Last July, Vesanoah had a litter of six kittens. This was not her first batch, but this was the first batch I witnessed. The kittens were born in a cat bed my sister purchased for her online. Well one day, it started pouring raining outside. I had always rejected the idea of Vesanoah and the kittens being inside our home for fear of young children bothering the litter, Vesanoah in return hiding them, and the kittens being placed somewhere we can’t reach them if necessary. On this particular day, I couldn’t help but feel the sense of urgency her and the kittens needed.

My niece and I finally decided to bring them in. Soak and wet, shivering, and cold, Vesanoah and each kitten were dried and placed in another cat bed inside our in-closed porch. Had we not brought them in, the kittens could have drowned. Noah’s ark of a bed could not withstand the perilous heavy rain, that flooded out her safe bed for her and the kittens.

For another month, our household cared for the litter. They were all washed in flea shampoo (including their mother), given a litter box to use, and showered with all the love and affection any animal could ever dream of. There were two girls and four boys. The girls were black and gray tiger-striped with white paws. There were four boys, two black and gray tiger-striped and two black and white. The patterns differed slightly. With the two black and white kittens, one is fully submerged in black fur with white in places, the other just has specs of it. But their eyes were the most profound reason why they were so easy to give away. The kittens all had blue eyes. They were a wild bunch too. They loved to play, jump, climb and practice their baby boxing paws with each other. The hardest task was keeping them out of the way during cleaning time. As you can guess, cleaning a litter box full of seven pee’s and poops, is in no way an extravagant duty. Nonetheless, it had to be done to maintain cleanliness and the upkeep of our home. At six weeks we made a firm, but righteous decision in the best interest of the kittens. Although we would have loved to keep them, it would have meant eight cats for us. This was out of the question. We already had a cat named Bash, who was adopted from a pet store two years prior. So, my sister found entrusted homes for all the kittens, except for two. We adopted -who we have since named - Freckles and Julian. Freckles is black and white with freckles on his nose. Julian is one of the black and gray tiger-striped boy kittens. Both are male because Bash is male. The additions to our family are one of long nights, several cat toys, furniture off spray, collars, litter boxes, litter, and food. The cats play all night long, it’s hard to sleep, and they sound like people jumping through the walls, but they bring a sense of light-heartedness and softness into my family and I lives. We wouldn’t trade them for the world.

We check on their brothers and sisters regularly. They’re doing well too. If we hadn’t saved the litter that day, no one knows where they would be.