Being a Kitty Mommy…

We had to give the kittens deworming medicine last night. Yuck. It’s a good thing I’m not in the medical profession. I can’t stand giving medication to anyone but myself. And even then, I’m not very good at taking it. But at least I don’t spew it all out over my clothes like Twinks did to me last night.

And the stuff is a thick, bright yellow liquid that has to be given orally. Sheesh. I hope I can Shout® the stuff out of my black slacks and sweater. More importantly, I hope Twinks managed to swallow enough of it so we aren’t deworming her for the next 12 years. The whole “kittens have worms” thing is pretty gross.

Fortunately, Vince took over the reigns when it came to giving Jinx her dosage. He calmly held her by the scruff of her neck (as the vet recommended) and tipped her little head back and injected the medicine down her throat. And she calmly swallowed it.

Yikes. I need remedial kitten medicine-dispensing training. I can’t even hold them by the scruff of the neck because it seems mean, even if it is how their mothers hold them. Whatever. I have opposable thumbs – I don’t think I should have to hold an animal by the scruff of its neck.

Other than that, we’re settling into being kitten caregivers. It’s a little like being mommy to a 2-year-old, except kittens move a lot faster and can jump a lot higher than little kids, so we’re constantly chasing them around and pulling them off the tops of tables and the backs of chairs, which they seem determined to claw to death.

Of course, we can squirt them with a little water when they do something we don’t want them to do, like jumping up on the dining room table, and we can put them in their cages when it’s time to settle down to go to sleep. Neither of which you can do with a 2-year-old child…so, believe me, I’m not saying being a kitty mommy is harder than being a kid mommy.

And, even though kitty-litter cleaning is not exactly a favorite chore of mine, I’m still guessing it’s a lot easier than changing diapers all day long. Especially the explosive-type ones.

Oh, and they’re perfectly happy getting the same kitten chow morning and night – unlike a finicky 2-year-old toddler. Well, maybe a finicky 2-year-old might like the same thing morning and night, but I don’t imagine it’s healthy to feed a 2-year-old a constant diet of Fruit Loops.

Twinks and Jinx act like I’m the BEST HUMAN EVER when I measure out their food and put it in their bowls. Plus, they behave as if they’ve never EVER seen food before and haven’t eaten in a week, so they practically dive into their bowls face first.

All in all, it’s pretty fun having them in our lives. You’d think it would get old watching them run around in circles trying to catch their own tails, but it doesn’t. Of course, I have to wonder at their IQ’s – but it’s not like they will eventually go to school and will have to compete for a job with someone smarter than they. There will be no SAT scores. No spelling tests. No math homework. So I’m okay watching them chase their own tails and laughing at their antics.

And, at the end of the day when they curl up on my chest and purr…well, that’s the best thing about being a kitty mommy.

Now, if I could just train them to use the potty so I could eliminate the whole kitty-litter cleaning chore…

Nah…never mind. I don’t think I want to wait in line to use the restroom until the kittens are finished.