Have you ever heard of a cat just having 1 kitten? What would you call that? Certainly not a litter. Maybe a lit. Or a little.
I was on the road returning from Berea, KY when my husband, Stephen, calls and tells me I’m a grandma! Our little stray cat (we call her squeek) who showed up at our doorsteps a couple months ago was giving birth. I was a young child the last time I had a cat that had kittens, so I was quite excited about this.
When Stephen called, only 1 kitten was born, but we were expecting 4 or 5 or 6 or… isn’t that the way it normally happens? That’s how I remember it – I guess things do seem bigger when you’re a child. Well, by about midnight still only one kitten. So Stephen decides to go to sleep – expecting several more squirming squeeking little fluffy things by morning. Upon awaking, still only one kitten.
Stephen heads off to work and I arrive back in Charleston in the afternoon and there is still only 1 very cute kitten. I start to get more concerned that there may be some issue that is preventing the others from being born, or maybe the babies had died. So I take her to a vet around the corner and they check her out and lo and behold – no more kittens! They said the one that was born is big enough to be about a week old. It definitely had enough food! And room to grow!
So there you have it – a litter of kitten.
How can anyone possibly have a frown on their face when they look at a kitten? And how can you possibly not let that little “aaawwww” slip out. As soon as a kitten comes into view, those uncontrollable muscles on the side of your mouth automatically start to curve up – “aaaawwww”.
I think I’ll call him “mini-squeek”.
Yes, 4-6 is normal. However, maybe not for a cat in a weakened state. We’ve taken in quite a few strays over the years and almost all arrived hungry, weak, and in generally poor health. I’m sure you fed her well after she arrived, but she might not have been in the best of health when the kitten was conceived.
“very cute kitten” – They’re all cute, aren’t they? (at least to us cat lovers)