Felines

Last Wednesday I got a call from a friend who happened to be hanging out in a bar called the Brass Cat. A young cat had walked into the bar all alone and without proper identification. A patron had put her back outside and closed the door, but the cat found another open door and made her way back in a few minutes later.

The call went something like this:

Me: Hello?
Friend: Hey, are you still looking for a cat?
Me: Um, yeah, I guess so. Why?
Friend: This kitten just walked into the Brass Cat, and she looks just like Bongo.
Me: A tuxedo?
Friend: What? Sorry, it's kind of loud in here.
Me: She's a tuxedo? A stray? A kitten?
Friend: Yeah, and she's friendly, very sweet.
Me: It sounds like manna from heaven.
Friend: What? Sorry, it's pretty loud in here.

I had actually been looking for a companion cat for Bongo, and had been checking Petfinder and Craigslist daily for a young female tuxedo. That night, a couple of Umass students took the stray home from the bar and posted pictures of her (sitting on a bar stool) to see if anyone would claim her, but no one did.

On Friday I bought a bunch of extra cat food, a second litterbox, a few catnip mice, and a couple of bowls. I vacuumed my apartment. I spent quality time with Bongo.

On Saturday morning, I went to Amherst with a cat carrier...

The cat was cute. That was the first thing I noticed. The next thing was her pear shape. I picked her up and got a handful of kitty nipples.

"Um, I think this cat is pregnant," I said to the students who'd been taking care of her.

"Really?" they replied in unison.

In the car on the way to the vet, I called my mom.

"Mom," I wailed, "I think she's pregnant. She's got all these nipples and a round little belly. She waddles!"

Mom laughed.

"What am I going to do with kittens?!"

She laughed again, and said, "Just embrace life a little. It will be fine."

She was right, of course.

The vet corroborated the pregnancy, and said I could expect the kittens in 3-4 weeks.

I decided to name the cat Lolita, and call her Lola for short.