Happy Birthday to Kali and Mateo
By: Carrie
I’m writing today’s post to wish a belated happy birthday to the kitties. On Tuesday, they turned 12. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long since I was on the phone with my manager, who had to put me on hold because a kitten had snuck out of the pen and into his office. I asked him about the kittens and learned there was a litter that his sister had brought down from her farm in Wyoming, hoping Mike could find homes for them.
It had been five years since my previous cat, Anabelle, who had moved from NH to CO with me, had passed away from kidney disease. She was such a special cat that I knew no other could fill the hole she had left in my heart. But I asked for a photo anyway, and a little tortoiseshell kitten caught my eye. I went to meet her and fell in love with her and her sister, who were playing together under the kitchen table. I told Mike I would take them both as soon as they were old enough.
When I went back a couple of weeks later to pick them up, the tortie was still available, but Mike’s wife explained that the other female kitten had gotten sick. They had turned her over to the local shelter, which would take care of her medical needs. They had another kitten who still needed a home - a male with tiger stripes and a white underside. He was the runt of the litter and, honestly, not very cute. Since I had already committed to taking two kittens, I agreed to take both the tortie and the runt home.
I named the tortie Kali and the runt Mateo. Kali hissed at Ella when they first met, and Ella hid under the bed – a 50-pound dog afraid of a two-pound kitten. Ella didn’t mind the kittens joining our household, but mostly chose to ignore them. Kali, on the other hand, decided Ella was her best friend and could always be found near Ella.
When Mala came into the family, Mateo formed a close relationship with her. They could often be found cuddled up together in Mala’s bed. As Mala grew up, they had a falling out. She got tired of him taking cheap swipes at her.
When Tessie joined the family, Mateo found his new love. They play and snuggle together. Tessie has taken on the role of cat-herder and keeps Mateo in line. She’s on him whenever he scratches the couch or tries to go down the stairs from the deck, since she knows he’s not supposed to do those things. We reward her with treats for her diligence.
Kali likes the dogs, but she never became as enthralled with Mala or Tessie as she was with Ella. I’m her favorite now. She’ll sit with John when I travel, but she prefers my lap to almost anything else. There is one fuzzy blanket we keep on the couch that she sometimes chooses over my lap.
The cats have their quirks and unique personalities. Mateo is the social one who loves meeting new people, while Kali is the shy one who initially hides when someone new comes to the house but eventually warms up. Sometimes they fight (usually initiated by Mateo), but mostly they get along and even cuddle together. Mateo loves to play with his stuffed mice. Kali’s toy of choice is a shoelace, but she also likes the dogs’ tennis balls.
They both watch the birds from the windows and enjoy spending time on the deck with me. They have a catio so they can get some unsupervised (but safe) outdoor time in the summer. In the winter, they enjoy sleeping next to and under the woodstove. Like most cats, they love being warm.
Mateo likes to “work” and often sits on my desk or lies on John’s open laptop, discovering new menus we didn’t know existed. It often takes a while to figure out how to get out of those mystery windows and back to the homescreen. He is quite the contortionist and likes to sleep on his back in a twisted position. Kali mostly likes to sleep, play, and eat. Both have a sixth sense for when we sit down on the couch. We are guaranteed to have a cat in our laps within 10 seconds of settling in.
Here’s to 12 years and many more. Happy Birthday, Kali and Mateo!