Onward and Upward

We now return to KITT-FM, where it's all kittens, all the time. And now, broadcasting live from our studios in Purrbank, Cat-ifornia - heeeeere's your hostess, Mother Catresa!

Hi folks!

Thursdays are my busiest and most exhausting days of the week, with deadlines galore. So why, then, am I wrapping up this day with yet another thing to write?

Well, simply, there's a big difference between writing for work and writing for fun. At work, it can take me hours to compose a newspaper feature article. But with Mother Catresa's Chronicle, it's a whole different ... um, animal. These blog entries come very easily and quickly to me and are a pure joy; the words usually just flow right out, and I feel energized, not tired, when I'm done. And no editor needs to approve a word of it before I publish. Cool!

I just wanted to check back in after the heartbreak described in my last post: the little black kitten from my current litter died. I am happy now to report, though, that her four littermates seem to be thriving. They are about one month old now, hobble and wobble around like toddlers, and are just beginning to romp and play a bit, along with the constant sleeping of early infancy. The mother, Gonzo (not Grover, as I thought before), is taking good care of them and still nursing the babies. I'm trying to turn them on to a bit of canned food, since they should start the weaning process soon.

I'm sure Gonzo's boobs are quite sore by now, and she will welcome this restful move toward her kittens' independence. Think about it: we humans get sore with one baby nursing from one teat. Imagine having four hungry babies sucking away on you, all day. Ouch!

Thank you to everyone who spoke such kind words to me when I lost the baby a few weeks ago. It brought comfort to my heart. I realize that we fosters are like ER doctors: we're in the business of saving lives, but inevitably, in our line of work, some lives will be lost. I feel like I just finished a lucky, uneventful two-year residency with no patient deaths - and now, starting with this loss, I'm a full-fledged doc who's seen it all.

Does losing this kitten make me want to quit fostering? Absolutely not. In fact, I am all the more motivated to do this work. Look at it this way: I've saved some 50 lives over the past two years, and 49 is a much bigger number than 1.

Until next time, I remain,

Mother Catresa
Patron Saint of Homeless Felines
(and the "smitten kitten")