I seem to begin every blog post with the admission that it has been forever since the last one. Truth be told I don't eventhink about writing them anymore. Life here feels so normal...it has just become my life...as strange as that is. Luckily I have my mother to tell me that it has been far too long. And, since the last one was posted in April, I suppose she is right. I got back to Egypt and I had to move out of my lovely apartment. So I am finally dealing with a little more of what I expected here - water that comes out pure white. Pure. white. An oven that will light but turns off within a minute, all kinda of hot water issues, an ice box in my fridge that serves as a freezer but doesn't really do what freezers are meant to do, bugs -the odd small cockroach
and these other friends I have never seen before but I now have the pleasure of watching the odd one scurry sometimes when I turn the lights on ("bugs don't bug me" right Daddo) and NO internet. On the plus side I can watch the sunset from my living room or right from my bed and I have two huge balconies. But it gets even better than that! Since I moved this pregnant cat has been following me home. I let her in and let her eat and stay as long as she wants. She always leaves when she feels like, despite my coaxing and bribing her to stay. I know, know I don't like cats..but I am desperate here and the stray dogs are not so keen on coming home with me. I started calling her Mama and would talk to her about what a great place this would be to have her babies. Surprise! I got home from school the other day and she was on the front steps, when she saw me she stood right up and we walked upstairs. A few hours later I heard mini crying coming from the yarn closet....it was a baby!! Seven such babies later and I had a...closetful of kittens. (*look at the picture closely)
She did not take instantly to motherhood. She looked very stressed. She was sitting on them and they were crying, they were all wrapped in wool, she would cry when I passed by her if she was sitting with them and so I would sit and pet her while she nursed. This would cause her to flip over and purr in delight, knocking seven crying kittens out of the way. Shewould try to leave the house when I did and every morning I was practicing stealth moves to keep her in the apartment. But she is doing well now. I love having them. I still sit with her all the time, especially when they are eating. The littlest one seems to be struggling...she doesn't really get how to nurse and is always being kicked out of the way. She makes me think of Wilbur in Charlotte's Web ...so I call her Wilma. I put her right where she needs to be to latch on and she will move around all disoriented (I guess that's an easy thing to be when you are 3 days old and can't open your eyes), walk down the other kittens parallel to mom crying and then settle in somewhere warm and sleep. I now wait until they have all eaten, move them all once they fall asleep and try to help her to latch on. Sometimes it takes forever. I stay and keep Mama calm and happy, otherwise she gets up once most are done feeding and moves around or starts to clean them. I was up most of the night with them last night and first thing this morning....but they are a pleasure. Darwin I am sure would not be impressed with my meddling ...
Wilma is the tiny white one.
Of course I am not sure what I am going to do once they are grown and need to leave here ...I know I won't be able to just turn them all out into the street (and I have picked the two that I want to keep). Anyway I have some time to figure that out. For now I am just enjoying them.
