Our First Baby
When I was pregnant, someone forwarded an email to me that talked about the many ways life was different after having a baby. I know there were many things listed, but the one that really shocked me (and the only one I can remember at this point) went something like this: Before your child is born, your dog is your baby. Once your baby is born, your dog is just a dog.
I was on strict bed rest at the time, and our first baby, Pokey Kitty, had been by my side the entire time. I remember turning to her, and promising that she would never be just a cat.
I had loved Pokey instantly the moment I laid eyes on her.
Pokey was my constant companion and spent many a late night with me when I was writing papers throughout my graduate studies.
I loved Pokey with all my heart and couldn’t imagine how having babies would change our special relationship. But of course, it did. Once Tiny and Buba came home, there was very little time for me to spend stroking a little kitty on my lap. At first, Pokey spent a lot of time hiding. But she quickly realized that Tiny and Buba weren’t going anywhere and, unless she planned to hide forever, she’d need to start getting used to our new life with twins.
So, while I hate to admit it, my quiet times with Pokey have been few and far between in the last two years. But I still love her to pieces and that will never change.
I was a little afraid to read on … I thought this was going to be a post about her passing. Thank goodness !!!
Our dog was 9 when our kids were born, I’m sure he had a hard adjustment but it’s more than paid off for him. The kids adore him and he’s lucky if he can get a nap these days LOL. If our daughter is missing, we can always find her in the master bedroom closet laying next to him. It is very sweet.
Nice story !!!
I’m so with you! We had two kitties, and they were attached to a baby each while Melody and Jess were still in utero. We ended up not having the bandwidth to deal with Pepito’s GI problems on top of the kids, and Lucas ended up taking him to the shelter. It’s been almost two years, and I still cry about it, even though I know it was the necessary choice.
It’s nice now, though, to see my daughters’ relationship with Penelope, our remaining cat. Jessica, in particular, is close to her.
Awwww…it just warms my heart to see pictures of your kitty. We have two kitties – we’ve always called them “twins” because they’re identical orange tabbies. Well, except one is a boy and one is a girl, which I guess makes them fraternal, but you know what I mean! 
Our kitties have had to make quite a few adjustments since the girls were born, but they’re still our most special furry babies. We make certain to devote time just to them after the girls go to bed, and we try to do special things just for them. Every morning we pull up the blinds in the dining room, for example, and pull up a chair (covered with a cozy towel) so they can gaze out the front window all day.
The girls (14 months old) LOVE the kitties, but the kitties are not quite comfortable with them. They will grace the girls with their presence from time to time, though, which excites the girls to no end.
At the end of the day, my husband and I agree that our hearts are big enough for all our babies, those with and without tails.
I could of written that myself about my doggie…Ive been planning a post about that, I’ll have to get on that!
[...] As I checked to see if she felt feverish, I explained that it was still nighttime and that T and Pokey were sleeping. I told her that she and Buba needed to go back to sleep too and asked if she was [...]
I hear you! I had a few meltdowns while I was pregnant because “we are ruining the kitten’s life!” It’s definitely not the same, but she still gets our attention after the twins are asleep. And she has new attention from the twins themselves who are her biggest fans.