Petco Habitation
Recently, we went to Petco to buy our children a pet parakeet, so naturally we left the store with a cat, too. Yes, just when our third child got out of diapers and our lives were starting to look and smell better, we had to screw it all up again. This time, the rationale was that the kids really needed to have an animal to ignore so they could be like all of their friends at school. Needless to say, we now have 7 heartbeats under our roof.
I realize it’s only a kitty (who’s already litter-trained!) and a birdie (the easiest, most odor-free and maintenance-free pet in the world), but somehow the house feels a little more crowded. In a good way. Kind of. I really understood the level of impact on my psyche hours after our new family members had arrived, when I was setting the table. I accidentally grabbed 7 plates instead of 5. No, we did not invite the animals to dinner, but its clear that these sweet beings, though they won’t need ski trips and a college fund, will set up shop in our hearts and on our To Do lists for the many years that they’re with us.
My children’s reactions, thus far, have made it all worth it. My two oldest have been shockingly responsible in keeping the cat out of the bird’s room (we have yet to install his ceiling hook), and keeping both the cat and him fed and with fresh water. Perhaps they are unimpressed with my caretaking abilities, so they have taken it upon themselves, but they have done more for their pets in a week than I did for mine between my 4th and 19th birthdays. RIP, Luli! And Tabby. And Hannah, Jell-o, Eddie, Bump, and Fridge.
Bonding has also been a cinch. My youngest child hurt herself doing something crazy (as usual) and instead of roaring the usual “I want my mommy,” through a flood of tears, she screamed, “I want my CAT!” That was almost worth enduring every scoop of dirty kitty litter of the past, present, and future. Later, my oldest told us at the dinner table, “I understand cat,” and then went on to translate her meows into English. I was impressed by her darling commitment to the delusion. A natural-born mum, indeed!
Another bonus of our recent impulse-adoption is that my husband finally has a son. In fact, he insisted upon it. Our bird is named Lance, and I pray he doesn’t turn out to be a girl, like the rest of us are. My husband finds tremendous solace in the fact that there is one more respiring male in the house.
The kitty is named Kelcie. That’s the name she came with, but the girls loved it, and since, coincidentally, that’s what they wanted to name our youngest daughter, I figure they should finally get to have their Kelcie.
The cat is now warming up to us, as is the bird who chirped for the first time after 5 days. I guess I need to find out why the caged bird really does sing since we’ve been successful in not inspiring poor Lance up until a few hours ago. Unfortunately, though, nature has waved its wicked wand over the Koenigin Kennel, and the fish, which we were fish-sitting for my mom, went belly up near the bottom of the bowl. My husband acted quickly, and gave him a proper burial in our sewage system. And to think that I didn’t even include him as number 8 in my erroneous count of diners the other night! Poor fish! The worst part of all this is that my mother, the fish’s mother, is reading about this from a cruise ship on the jewel-toned seas of Southeast Asia. Sorry, Mom. Does that make the fish my brother? My dearly departed brother.
So we are down one heartbeat, but up two, which is a good thing. The girls are having fun being pet mommies, and I am just praying that Kelcie will spare my new carpeting, and that Lance will find some redeeming value in us. Pets are so important, really, and they have already made such a huge impact on my children. Like my youngest keeps saying with the unmistakable glow of toddler pride in her eyes, “There’s a cat at MY house!”
About the Author
Greta Koenigin is a retired high school teacher who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, 3 children, and unruly cat. She enjoys live theater, reading, and decorating. She writes of her adventures at home and at-large on her blog: savingprivatemommy.com
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