Don't count the moments.... make the moments count: Oh Be Thankful, Gentle And Kind!

Those of you who read last year's blog may remember my references to 'Oh Be Happy' and 'Oh Be Joyful', the two Honour Village cats. Happy and Joyful are brother and sister (not brothers as originally assumed), and once this was discovered, discussions arose regarding the ~~possibility~~ probability of them producing a family, and what should be done before that event occurred.

When we arrived in early December, we learned that Happy was booked for a visit with the vet, since he'd begun that typical male cat practice of spraying things. One particular item he favoured was the founder's hat, which may have been the final straw that led to the inevitable loss of his masculinity. We also learned that a few weeks before our arrival, Oh Be Happy had made Oh Be Joyful 'quite joyful' one day. Apparently this had occurred at a time when the founder was off-site, but the children had been (in her words) quite eager to describe the 'act of incest' in great detail. And so when we arrived, Oh Be Joyful was quite noticeably 'in a family way'.

Joyful is a typical Cambodian cat with a kinked tail - a dainty black and white lady who is barely out of adolescence. Since it was her first preganacy, I fully expected she'd have only one kitten whose chance of survival would likely be slim. Late on Wednesday afternoon, she began to moan and pace about, and we knew the big moment had come. We'd prepared a box for her, but she was very distressed and refused to stay put. The only thing that calmed her down was holding her, and when I left, she sat on Susan's lap, saucer-eyed, wailing in distress and bewilderment at this laborious situation that gripped her being.

The next morning, I arrived at Honour Village anxious for news. Several small children, wide-eyed with wonder and excitement, grabbed me by the arms and led me to a box where three tiny black and white bundles squirmed blindly, nuzzling into Joyful, kneading furiously at her belly.

It seems to me that mankind has a universal reaction to new life. Newborns leave us awestruck. We marvel at their total perfection, miniature duplicates of their parents. As I stood over these wriggling babes, mere hours old, I couldn't help feel that I was privileged to be a part of this, to witness the delight of the children, the contentment and pride of a new mother, and the tenderness and love that filled the room. Of course they've already got names.... (You guessed it - Oh Be Thankful, Oh Be Gentle and Oh Be Kind.)