The Boys
Lesley Higgs and Jenny Kelly

These stories tell how two little boys made their way into our hearts and forever changed our lives.

Lesley’s story:
Our boys were born in a haystack on a vineyard in Moriac, Victoria, and for some unknown reason, their mum took off for greener pastures when they were about four weeks old.  Jenny and I had been thinking about a pet for a while and had been mulling over the thought of a labrador or cocker spaniel. But we were a bit unsure about the amount and smell of doggie presents in the backyard, and after all, just who would clean it up?

We had recently cat-minded a beautiful, old, female cat for friends and been introduced to our new neighbours’ gorgeous tortoiseshell, so when we heard about the abandoned kittens in the haystack, we decided that having a look might be an idea. We found three tiny, tabby kittens at the vineyard. One especially took my heart because it was the smallest and most timid. And it was beautifully coloured. This little one, although starving, was too scared to come out from under the tractor to accept the offered food. I ended up under the tractor in an attempt to reassure it and left some food before crawling back out.  From this moment, I was a goner as far as a prospective kitten mother goes.

Jenny and I discussed the pros and cons of cat adoption over the next couple of days and eventually set out to rescue the three kittens.  We decided if we could catch them, we’d take them to the vet to be cleaned up and immunised. We would keep the smallest female and we were confident that the vet would find homes for the other two. However, we managed to rescue only two kittens after pulling a sizable woodpile apart twice before we discovered them in their tunnel system under the last piece of wood. After securing the two hissing, spitting, snarling and very annoyed feral kittens in a cage, we set out to visit the vet, comfortable in the thought that our little female pussycat would soon be sitting quietly on our laps and purring, enjoying our love and affection.

The vet scene is one I will remember forever.  My radical feminist partner always said that if she had ever had children it would be her karma to have twin boys.  This premonition was about to come true! I thought the vet was very brave as he politely nodded his acknowledgement to me when I told him to be very careful of the vicious kittens. He reached in for the first ‘patient’, examined Number One kitten - and proclaimed it a boy.  Jenny smiled and informed me that this was the one to let go to another home. The vet then bravely reached in for Number Two, the beautiful, smaller cat and announced that it too was a boy. Jen’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she stood there in stunned silence before asking the vet if he were really sure. The vet assured her politely that he had indeed examined many kittens in his time and was very definitely sure. What to do: it looked like we had just become mothers to twin boys! 

This is how our boys, named Mori (born in Moriac) and Woody (found in a woodpile) became part of our family from that point on. We both left the clinic with tears in our eyes, mine from laughing and Jenny’s from trying to come to terms with the inevitability of her karma.

Jenny’s postscript
Who would have thought that two tiny kittens - and boys at that - could bring so much love, joy and laughter into a household?  I grew up on a farm where I was taught animals were there to work, certainly not to be just loved and pampered. That’s all very well but in the short time Mori and Woody have been part of our lives, they have taught me lots of other things: how to pander to their every wish, how to smile endlessly about their little games and how to perfect tummy rubs. Each cat has his own unique ‘cat-onality’‚ and both are full of ‘cat-itude’! Mori is the affectionate one and if I have been working for too long on the computer he will come and jump on my lap and demand full attention and a tummy rub. In the past I would have continued to work and remain oblivious to the outside world. Nowadays, thanks to Mori, I take regular breaks, smile and laugh a lot, play silly games - and find the quality of my work improved!

I have also learnt that you cannot make a cat do anything! Woody, originally the smaller and shyer of the two, is now quite big and the true boss of the family. Woody will do exactly what he wants and when he wants it! And we just smile. Pandering to the boys and letting them get away with just about anything – now that’s not something I had imagined I’d ever do!

Cats are wonderful animals.  As long as we love them, feed them and give them lots of cuddles and tummy rubs they seem content. Their own personal ‘outdoor park’ – the deluxe model! -  has also met with great approval (and lets the birds survive as well).

Mori and Woody have been part of our family for only two and a half years. I often wonder how I lived so long without knowing the love and joy that cats bring.

Lesley Higgs is a psychiatric nurse and studies health promotion and horticulture. She admits to not being a cat person - that is, until Mori and Woody became part of the family.
Jenny Kelly shares her life by the sea with Lesley, four goldfish and two cats. She is the author of Zest for Life: Lesbians Experiences of Menopause (2004) and is a registered midwife and a sessional tutor at Deakin University.

From: Cat Tales: The Meaning of Cats in Women’s Lives
Eds. Jan Fook, Susan Hawthorne and Renate Klein
pp 111-112

Website: http://www.spinifexpress.com.au