Kitten therapy

I've been writing about how my anxiety has been troubling in recent years. It's frustrating because I can't necessarily attribute it to anything specific, but being stuck in my head like that is exhausting. When you're in the midst of those "thought spirals," it's hard to think about how you might break out of it. As it turns out though, there is one thing that brings me great relief. It's kittens.

Diana has been volunteering for a local shelter for years, and sometimes we watch a few of them at a time. Usually it's just a day or two, and often it's the older cats that don't do well in confined spaces. For the second time though, we hosted a litter of kittens. The first was in November, and they would just pile up on you.

This current litter, three girls and one boy, have an extraordinary amount of energy. It's like they have springs, bouncing all over the place. They started out very clumsy, but have come a long way in two weeks. They've been vaccinated and fixed while with us, and it didn't slow them down at all. They all start to purr instantly when you touch them. They're just completely delightful.

We let them roam the house a few days after their surgeries, and our cats all have different feelings about them. Remy seems to mostly hate them, while Poe just kind of hangs out and lets them pounce on his tail. Finn is mostly indifferent, but he's played with them a little. It takes them a good long while to finally get tired and pass out, and it's adorable that they do so together, for the most part. They have to be adopted two at a time because they're obviously pretty social, and it'd be a dick move to split them up four different ways.

What's incredible though is their ability to just melt away the anxiety. Sitting down with them is like the ultimate exhale. I mean, look at them. How could you not feel relaxed and happy with them? I've really enjoyed having them around.

This weekend though, they're likely to find permanent homes. I try not to get too attached, which is why I don't really think about their names (unless someone gave them really dumb names, in which case I think of new ones). In a lot of ways, it's kind of an ideal situation. You get kittens for a few weeks, earlier than you might otherwise, and you don't have to keep them for more than a decade as big cats. Not that I don't like adult cats, but I think people get sucked in at the cuteness of kittens, and they will grow up.

Good luck, little kittehs. It was fun to have you around!