Saturday, July 11, 2009

Pearl gives birth

A quick anecdote for you:

I came home around 7:00 PM a few nights ago, dropped all my things and immediately started preparing dinner, as that was my only priority at that point in the night. A friend stopped by, we chatted while i was cooking - really only focused on eating dinner and getting a few things done before heading to bed. After eating, i realized i had misplaced my phone. I searched the house inside and out looking for it, in every room and every pocket of the articles of clothing i had worn that day. Finally i thought to look under the sheets in my bed, as i sometimes unconsciously leave it there.

Upon lifting up the thick blanket on top of my bed, i found not my cellphone, but something far more interesting: my cat, Pearl..nursing two kittens, after apparently having given birth to them. Right there. On my bed. And under the covers, no less.

What´s funny is, i didn´t even know she was pregnant. She doesn´t leave the house (or so I thought) and there aren´t any outlets to the surrounding houses (which I´ll now have to revise thoroughly). Although i had noticed a little firmness in her belly, i thought she was just growing or maybe i needed to be a little less liberal with the cat food. She is only, after all about 10 months old in my best estimates.

So, still not having found my cell phone, i collected my thoughts, racing around my house wanting to call someone - anyone - who could tell me what to do, having never dealt with newborn animals before. As far as i knew, kittens came from the petshop, and were neatly produced there (which, i´ll argue, isn´t too far from the truth in the U.S.)

When i finally found my phone - ten minutes after frantically yelling ¨Oh my god, Pearl! You have babies!¨ - i called a friend, managing only to blurt out ¨I need help. Can you come over?¨ He obliged without asking questions, and once he got there i explained my predicament, delicately lifting up the covers to reveal the whole, well, birth situation on my bed and the small little rats, that were supposedly new born kittens, expecting the same response from him.

He looked at me, glanced back at the kittens, and started to laugh. It was one of those deep belly laughs that makes you feel extremely sheepish for having reacted in such a way. He reminded me, yet again, that most people here think I am incredibly naive and oblivious to natural processes. When i told my boyfriend about it, he echoed my friend`s reaction. ¨That sort of thing is normal for us. Dogs have puppies, cats have kittens. That´s how it works.¨ Well, thanks for the biology lesson, appreciate that.

I think the fact that i found her hidden under my covers, in the remains of the birth, was what really struck me and sent me into that rare panic mode. For them, it was just another natural, everyday occurrence, whereas for me, it was something i´ve only seen channel surfing on TV - on select cable channels at that. Jeez.

The kittens are currently tucked neatly into a wide, plastic bucket filled with blankets and they´ve been providing constant entertainment for the past few days. Pearl immediately assumed the protective motherly disposition, which is heart warming, i must say. They still look little mice with cat-like features and colored coats, another stage i had never fully recognized as part of the life cycle of kittens. Once they get a little cuter, I´ll start contemplating names i suppose.

As for my sheets, I think they´re going to need a little bit more personal attention.

Until next time!