Vincent’s arrival had us all on edge for two weeks. The constant back and forth, the confirmation of medical needs, flights and adoption fees. There he was, the cutest kitten, scrambling for his toy while his carers tried to introduce him on-camera. Smitten!
My son and I, we looked at each other, and we knew, right there and then that there was no way that we were NOT going to adopt this tiny survivor. No matter what it took – we were not going to allow him to BEG for a home.
Now anyone who have dealt with animal rescue organisations will understand that adopting a pet is no easy feat. It requires home visits, payment of an adoption fee. On top of this, Vincent was in a different province, under the care of two Vets, and still had to have eye surgery and sterilization.
My son said this to me on January 17th, and the organisation through whom we adopted Vincent estimated his date of birth to be around January 15th!
From the minute we connected with him online, Kai watched video after video, learning how to care for a cat, how they like to play, their likes and dislikes. What none of these videos showed however was an awareness that cats come with sharp CLAWS . . .
Fetching Vincent from the airport was one of my son’s happiest days.
Vincent immediately made himself at home while it took Kai a few weeks to adapt to the playful and affectionate nature of his kitten. Initially playing at a distance, extremely weary of his paws. It took lots of “coaching” to get both child and kitten used to each other.
Having a cat, who is very unpredictable in his ways has taken a lot getting used to, but I realised that the most important thing in all of this was to ensure that Kai had his nights free of any unexpected kitten interruption as this would send him into an absolute tail-spin!
Now weeks later, Vincent joins for an early morning cuddle in bed, then he gets fed and some play time. Having the night kitten free made a huge difference, especially once we realised that Vincent LOVES sleeping in a box with blankets and pillows.
They can now sit together quietly on the couch or bed – Vincent napping while Kai watches videos or plays games.
The biggest milestone with Kai being a responsible pet owner has been learning how to pick Vincent up. It took time, and lots of coaxing – but he worked his way up to this after week four! Shortly after Vincent had his eye surgery.
It’s been an amazing journey, learning how different we both are. We both adore Vincent, but our affection towards him are very different. I have no problems physically connecting with the kitten whereas Kai connects and show affection with caution. Sometimes Vincent hides around corners and pounces on Kai like he is a big fluffy toy! Not good, but they understand each other.
He is a perfect fit though. He’s taught my son about responsibility, compassion, tolerance and how sometimes we have to reach deep to find the courage to overcome some of our own barriers that prevents us from connecting, even if only for a short while.
I encourage you to consider pet adoption if you are looking for a family pet. There are countless animals desperate to find forever homes. And, if you do have a pet, then do sterilize, vaccinate and microchip. Getting Vincent microchipped is on our to do list for end July.
