Anything is Possible

The Tanner family has collectively given birth to a new kitten.

Now, before you get too hung up on my previous sentence, this wasn’t a physical act. And yet here we are. Another living thing in an already chaotic household. I told my blood pressure not to freak out. It didn’t listen.

We brought Lady Meowalicious – her previous name was Patty – home on a Friday afternoon. Picked her up from the Iowa City Animal Shelter. A fine place, though far too close to a sewage treatment center if you ask my nostrils.

We played with many kittens. Many kittens played with us. Lady Meowalicious crawled up and fell asleep on my face.

“Let’s get this one” I said.

The Tanner family agreed.

***

Will she get along with our orange Alpha male cat Theo? Will she learn how to use her litter box? Will she eat? Acclimating a cat is stressful. I tell my blood pressure not to freak out. It doesn’t listen.

Most things stress me out these days. I’m gonna have to figure that out. It’s okay. I’ve figured out harder stuff. What kind of harder stuff? Read my books. That’s hard stuff. Stressful stuff.

Maybe all the hard and stressful stuff is catching up to me in my forties? And maybe a new kitten triggers all that hard and stressful stuff? I don’t know. I’m settling into a new version of Sam, certainly. A Sam who lives in Iowa City. A Sam who is in his early forties. This won’t always be a stressed out Sam or an anxious Sam. Or a high-blood pressure Sam. But it will be a different Sam and it is possible that, here in this moment of transformation or metamorphosis I am a little freaked out. I’m learning to let that go. One thing to say it. Another to do it.

Have you ever read The Metamorphosis? By Kafka? That was quite a transformation. I sure hope I don’t turn into a giant bug. That would suck. Anything is possible, I suppose.

Back to our new cat. She’s cute.

***

We went back and forth on the name. The boys liked Theodosia. So we could call her Thea. Theo and Thea. Talking about siblings.

I’m a fan of stranger cat names. My previous cats have been named Fluffalufagus, Meowasauras, and Yara. I like a cat’s name that makes you feel embarrassed when you go to the vet. So Meowalicious was my suggestion. Katie added the “Lady” part. Probably because there is far too much masculinity in this house. I’m pretty masculine. The boys too. And by pretty masculine I mean not at all. Lady Sam.

Theo has been pretty calm around this new kitten so far. Only hissed once. And she’s used her litter box, though she did meow all night after we put her in the basement bathroom. I’m not sure that she’s eaten yet. We’ll try some new food tonight. I’m sure she’ll figure it out. Eating isn’t very hard.

All of that is to say we are, once again, a two cat household. Presuming Theo doesn’t eat Lady Meowalicious tonight.

Anything is possible.