Vessel

What's full of kittens, covered in nipples, and never stops eating?

Give up?

It's Lola.

And I'm guessing she's going to have those kittens any day now.

Aside from the fact that her girth seems to double every 24 hours, she is starting to get the long-suffering look of a mother.

Short of earning a veterinary degree, I'm probably as prepared as a person can be for the inevitable event. I've stocked up on dental floss (to tie off the ends of bloody umbilical cords) and eye droppers (for suctioning out tiny breathing passages)--neither of which should be at all necessary as long as Lola's maternal instincts kick in when they should.

The one mistake I've made is staying up late watching feline birthing videos on the internet. If I could take that night back, I would. It's one thing to witness the event in person, and another to watch (repeatedly) on YouTube, while another person's cat rotates painfully in a cardboard box, dropping one slimy sack after another onto a pile of shredded newspaper. Oh, and then eats the afterbirth.

I really love the idea of nature, but sometimes in practice it's just plain gross.