A Tail of Three Kitties

 Life certainly isn't boring!  Hubby and I successfully made our way north and were able to look at the place we're going to call home for the next while, our house is officially sold, new house is officially purchased.  The high school put on an amazing musical, and Mother's Day was nice and relaxing.  

Yesterday afternoon, though, we had a curve ball thrown at us.  I was sitting in the office doing my work, when I heard the absolutely loudest  meowing I've ever hear coming from the front porch.  I take a look and I discover an itty bitty black cat that seems desperate to come into the house.  Smarty pops out and takes a look, tries to calm her down.  When he picked her up he thought "uh oh" and called for me.  Turns out she was pregnant.  And not just pregnant but VERY pregnant.  I set out box with towels on the porch thinking "nope, uh uh.  Maybe she'll find her way somewhere else."

Hubby got home.  Talked with the little cat, but when he picked her up he told me to get a bigger box, more towels, we were bringing this momma-to-be inside. 

She was not happy to be confined to the office but I sat with her and she ended up calming down. There were visible contractions and every child wanted to be in with her, to help soothe her but the more is NOT the merrier in this case.  Hubby and I left for a walk (we knew exactly how long the early labour stage can last...) and the girls kept the momma company.

When we returned from our walk we asked Girlie how things were going.  More contractions, more meowing.  When I went into the office I settled right in, massaging the tummy and saying supportive and soothing things.  It made me smile as I reflected on my own labour stories!  Every one is different and each one unique even though the same thing was happening each time.

With encouragement Girlie and I helped Momma deliver 2 healthy little ones.  Girlie was grinning ear to ear.  She has wanted to be a vet since the day she discovered she couldn't grow up to be a cat and this experience, this miracle of life, completely solidified that decision for her.  After me reiterating just how young I thought Momma was Girlie said "Don't support teen pregnancy, support pregnant teens?" such a funny girl.

As the evening went on it appeared that Momma was so young, she didn't really know what to do with her new status of motherhood.  We carefully placed all 3 into the cat carrier we brought out and made sure she got food and water.  Birthing is a lot of work!  Mommas need energy.  But because we were sure if Momma would step up and know what to do, we mentally and emotionally prepared for the thing that sometimes happens in nature - mortality at its most sad.

There were tears, there was processing.  But when Hubby and I got up this morning and looked in on them, what we saw made our hearts smile.

A caring Momma with clean little ones.  Throughout the morning the Littles went in to sit with them and watch, hearts full and happy that everyone survived the first night.  Today we are working on finding where we can place them for fostering and/or adoption.  Right now they are happy enough to be in our office with water, food, and a litter box.  They aren't always happy the door is closed, but this is the best way with the other things in and around the house.

I am refusing all attempts of the Littles to name them, though.  I am absolutely putting my foot down on that one.

Season of Change

 

So, things have been busy at the Macintyre home. For those who might have missed the social media post, we are headed up to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories this summer. Turns out if you raise your hand and say “pick me!” for an adventure like this, the military says “Sure!”

The whole family went through a screening process; we all spoke to a social worker, the doctor signed off on our general health, and orthodontist treatments ought to be completed in time (yay!) and now the house is on the market. In a couple of weeks Hubby and I will be headed north to look at where we'll be living. It's all getting so real!

The three younger children did great during the archery season and we were set to go to Nationals this weekend, but... due to teacher strikes in Saskatchewan (where the tournament was being hosted) the tournament is cancelled. Or maybe postponed. I guess we'll find out.

I facilitated a women's spiritual renewal retreat at the camp we support and attend :) Camp Kuriakos has been an amazing place for us and we've all enjoyed our time there. During the retreat we delved into what renewal and self care looks like; how holistic homeostasis is work and needs constant checking in and revision, and how all aspects of our whole lives overlap with each other. There were friendships made and some pretty good discussions had.

It was fascinating to me to sit back and observe these women, how we all took part in the same activities but approached them in very different ways. There were broad backgrounds and stages of life and everyone brought value to the group with their perspectives and opinions. I was so pleased with how respectful everyone seemed to be of each other and possibly differing points of view, A truly safe space without having to broadcast it.

I'm going to have cards printed. Ones with my name, email address, social media links, and link for the blog. This will make creating and maintaining connections made through events like the retreat easier, I think. Especially with the relocation ahead of us!

With the move I will absolutely be posting here more, keep everyone in the loop with what is going on with us and share thoughts and experiences with the universe/void. At least that's going to be the goal. So fingers are crossed!