Cats and Dogs

I am frequently reminded by friends of how my life has changed over the past two years.  My most common response is that it has been harder to adjust to marriage than it has to being a mother.  After all, I have never lived with a man other than my father and that was years ago, and I have lived alone, if you don't count cats, for the better part of 15 years.  The kids have been easy-relatively speaking.  Having had pets all my life, I was surprisingly well prepared for motherhood, well, except for that whole diaper thing.   Allow me to stray from the topic at hand to tell you about M's first poo the day he was born.  My sister-in-law was holding him and I was still way doped up in bed and not allowed out without assistance.  She looked at me in horror and said, "What do we do?"  Like I knew!  I hadn't changed but one diaper in my entire life.  And she never had (still hasn't).  So we rang for the nurse who was clearly annoyed by our ineptness.

Having been a pet owner and raising multiple cats form kittendom, there really isn't much difference between cats and babies.  I know some people are cringing here but bear with me.  Babies cry when they need something but they can't say, "Hey Mom!  Gettin' a little hungry over here."  Cats do the same thing.  They cry when they want something; whether it is bathroom facilities, food, sleep or a snuggle.  You just need to learn to read the accompanying cues.  For example, when M cried and rubbed his nose, he was hungry.  With C, he cries and pulls at his hair (yeah, I don't know why).  The cats cry and go to their food bowls.  Wet diapers? M used to and now C does it, cries like its the end of the world to be wet.  Granted most cats cry when they're wet too but not the same kind of wet.  But when the cats were tiny, they would cry and head to the corner of the room.  I simply put them in the litter box at these times and they took care of business.  When M is in need of a cuddle, he reaches for me and says "Peas", C cries and stops when picked up.  The cats? Cry until they receive a verbal invitation to hop up next to me.  You just have to learn how to read the nonverbal cues and respond appropriately.  See?  Not that different after all.  Now if someone could help me out with the other adult in the house....