It was on March 18th, 2017 that my semi-feral cat I used to feed gave birth. It was also the day I became a proud “cat mom”. In the full sense of the word. She had four gorgeous babies but promptly decided to run away from the scene.
I, knowing how cats are, decided to wait. And I was devoted to my decision until I saw them crawl out of the box that was left outside, and onto the snow. I was certain that she will come back, but when I got up the following morning, there they were, cold and almost moving.
Small Beginnings
That’s when I knew I had to do something. My brain was running wild – how do you feed a day-old kitten, where do you keep them, how many times a day do they suckle – and luckily, Google was my friend. I quickly set up the box next to the radiator and started warming them up – they mustn’t eat while they’re cold, you know, their glucose levels are low.
The Process
You’re probably thinking right now that the cat from the headline was their mom. Nope. This story has a plot-twist. She has definitely left them. I had my hopes up, feeding them every three hours, losing 12 pounds along the way, and right around day four, when their umbilical cords started falling off, I learned about a Fading Kitten Syndrome. And I learned the hard way.
Fading Kitten Syndrome is a Bitch
It’s about time I toss in the names – Ness, Nex, Mike, and Nera. Unfortunately, Ness didn’t make it. I cried myself to sleep each night, thinking about how they’ll die too. But somehow, they lived. I guess I knew what I was doing. We reached the weaning phase. The first steps. Growls and purrs. I have no idea now in which order they came, I was so sleep-deprived.
The Happy Phase
We moved homes. Nex, Mike, and Nera grew with me, 24 hours 7 days a week, not separating, not leaving the inside. Their characters also grew. Mike became attached to my cousin. Up until today, she said he made her a cat person. Nex remained somewhat neutral, turning his love towards all types of foods, but Nera and I had a special connection. Nera was with me when I published my first book. You guessed it, it was Nera that left. And this is why.
Another Home
We moved again somewhere around their 6th month. At that time, I read about how hard cats handle moving around, and I was afraid she could leave. But it wasn’t until the moment when I saved two more lives that she decided she was done.
Garbage Kittens
My babies had about two years at the time. We loved every day with them, and our connection grew. One day I was passing near an abandoned place where people would throw garbage, and I saw two kittens out in the open, without a box even. I rushed them back home.
The girl, Zoey, was sick, and her bro, Oddie, was the cutest little thing. Zoey and I were mingling together, going to the vet, and bonding. I wanted to make them feel safe and loved, I had all the love to give, but Nera didn’t think so. She was becoming obviously jealous. And no treat could convince her that I want them all to stay.
The Day
I forgot to mention that those landlords lived in the same backyard, and had a dog, that actually played with my cats. But that day, the dog escaped. She was running wild up and down the streets, and while I was trying to get her to come back, I felt something was off. I came back inside, but Nera was gone. I figured the dog got her upset, and she’ll come back.
She was gone the following day too. And the next. I started asking around. My first neighbor told me she saw her on her porch. I posted ads on social media, posters in all the nearest streets. Nobody said anything. Aside from the assholes who tried to scam me and offer me the other cat, convincing me it was mine.
Conclusion
The day came for me to realize that my Nera was gone, to never come back. I had a hard time releasing her. I meditated, tried to forgive her, but it was so obvious – she didn’t want to share me with new cats. I was devastated. The day came when we had to move again.
Now we’re here, with Mike and Nex being the most spoiled boys in the street. We also got Nina and her kittens, and Zoey turned out to be a mixed breed with something fluffy, probably Norwegian Forest. Oddie, unfortunately, died. But not a day passes that I think about how Nera and I broke up. Or should I say, how she broke up with me.
Nera
