The Adventures of Kit and Caboodle

I lay in bed as I begin to wake. Consciousness leads to a stream of thought. I open my eyes. I see that it is still night time-or very early morning. I decide to go unconscious again. Just then a cat leaps on to my bed, using my pillow as a trampoline to bounce to their end target-the windowsill behind my bed. Well I’m awake, I think to myself.

That was just one of many curious happenings in my home since I have adopted two little kittens, Kit and Caboodle. (Those are not their real names. I am calling them by these names to protect their identities.) I adopted the kittens several months ago from a local animal shelter. I feel good knowing I rescued two kittens from a bleak fate. In the months that they have been in my home they have filled it with laughter and light and love.

The two kittens are not from the same litter; however, I brought them home the same day, and the two have bonded together as if they were sisters. They play together, groom each other, even cuddle up to sleep together. It is very precious to see them interact with one another. As we all have bonded, we have come to know one another and our preferences. Each kitten has their favorite place to sit, to be held, not held, to sit on my lap, to sit beside me, etc. Personally, I’ve had to learn how adapt to having cats with claws. (There have been a few moments of accidental bloodletting.)

As every kitten that I have ever known, they are just little balls of kitten energy. My sleep has been disrupted ever since 

I brought them home. With all of their kitty mischief that they get into, which is frustrating and, thankfully rare, there are deeply cute moments as well. It has been very precious to me to see the things they have learned from one another; it is very funny to see a kitten do a behavior that I only knew the other kitten to do.

Using my pillow as a trampoline to have a prime spot to stare out the window is a rare occurrence. The days are filled with kittens romping through the house, sleeping closely together after a long morning of play. The nights are filled with exuberant play until we all go to bed.

As I have written before, everyone has their own story. We are given a blank page every day, and we are the authors of our own stories. It seems that I now have two stories. The first is my own story of growth and purpose as a poet, a person and a woman. The second story is that of being caregiver to my kittens. It is called, “The Adventures of Kit and Caboodle”.

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