Kittens with Ahhhh!

Nov 22 2007 By Hilarie Stelfox, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

KITTEN. Is this possibly the cutest word in the English language? Or certainly the word with the cutest association?

It must be, because absolutely everyone I have said it to this week, in the sentence beginning with “We’ve got two ....s’’, has gone “Ahhhh.’’

Except for my mum, who was momentarily shocked: “Surely you haven’t got any more cats!’’

She thinks we’re slightly potty already having four, but six would definitely call into question our sanity.

When the Man-in-Charge brought the kitties home from work on Saturday it was stressed to Secondborn, who has an extreme fondness for animals, that the kittens were only temporary visitors to the Stelfox household.

Of course that didn’t stop her issuing forth with “Can we keep them?’’ at every opportunity. She even gave them names – Annie and Oliver (after the famous literary/musical orphans).

But they were SPOKEN FOR.

Which was just as well because by Monday I could feel myself weakening. Kittens have that effect.

When our neighbour called round to see them her first question was: “Are they SPOKEN FOR? Because if they’re not then I can’t come in.’’

My friend Susan brought her daughters round to do some kitten-watching and was also clearly relieved at their SPOKEN FOR status.

There’s something incredibly endearing and heart-warming about kittens. One expression alone is not enough to convey just how completely dinky and fabulous they really are.

However, our other cats are not quite as enamoured.

When I couldn’t sleep on Sunday morning I got up to watch the kittens play, while the rest of the household had a lie-in.

Their youthful exuberance and agility – at only eight weeks old they already have all the hunting and pouncing skills required to fulfil their destiny as rodent exterminators – had me laughing out loud.

It’s often said that cats were first domesticated to keep the grain stores safe from rodents back in Ancient Egyptian times. But, I have a theory that the Egyptians, who didn’t benefit from Ugly Betty or Coronation Street, could settle down in the evening to a bottle of grain beer, some gritty bread and Kitten TV.

I particularly like the early morning and late evening episodes where the kittens fight a mock battle, running sideways towards each other, tails fluffed out like loo brushes.

They’re quite reckless, running through food and water bowls, falling off sofas and bashing into walls.

When they finally drop from exhaustion they cuddle up on someone’s lap and make pleasing purring noises.

Everyone knows by now that pets are good for the heart and soul. I’m always saddened to hear of those whose allergies or asthma make pet ownership impossible.

Cats are, to my mind, the perfect pet; being relatively low maintenance, cheap to feed and content to have the house to themselves all day while we’re out at work.

They don’t slobber everywhere and they’re exceedingly clean. Our eight-week-old visitors needed no advice on how to use a litter tray and they washed themselves after every meal.

If this is starting to sound like an advert for the Cats Protection charity then you’d be right.

Our kittens were soon snapped up but there are plenty of other cats and kittens, currently in the care of the CP, needing a home. (Full grown cats are also cute and have their own amusing little ways.)

To find a local contact check out www.cats.org.uk or phone 08707 708649.