Kittens & the Kinder

I am so pleased that we decided to get our kittens Rhubarb & Crumble. They really are just the most delightful little cats you could imagine.

The cats have helped to teach my wee ones to be a bit more responsible and be confident around animals.

I was pretty scared of pets growing up... I can remember that I would have our pet rabbit on my knee, only if he was sat on top of a cushion and I would wear oven mitts to pick him up to protect my hands, and the minute he moved I would be getting someone else to take him away from me. I really didn't want my two wee ones to be scared like I was, so I thought that getting a pet early on was a good idea.

We had originally thought of getting just the one kitten, but due to my long hours at work, we thought that two would be better as they'd have a play mate whilst I was out. Rick and I collected the cats and these two were playing together and we just couldn't bear to separate them. It's worked out brilliantly and I'm really happy that we took them both. They're now nearly a year old and they've settled in perfectly. My allergies were a bit of a nightmare at the start and I was taking antihistamines daily, but I can now manage without.

Rhubarb, our wee girl kitty

Crumble is a little troublesome as he's gone missing a few times... he's always on the hunt for food and unfortunately some of the people he's encountered on his travels have been feeding him - one lady called me to say she gave him a tin of tuna as she thought he was lost and another gave him a bowl of milk. This only encourages him and he's been making his way into stranger's houses. Quite a few times now I've had to collect him and take him home!! I'm also extremely grateful to my lovely neighbours who have helped out on numerous occasions now with cat sitting, or even babysitting whilst I dash out with the cat carrier to collect Crumble!!

I absolutely love watching the kids interact with the cats. My son especially can be spotted chatting away to the cats, telling them about his day, or teaching them new things that he's learnt. Whereas my daughter loves to play with Crumble in particular who is so patient with her even when she tries to wrap him up in her blanket! It really does make my heart feel lovely and fuzzy, which I know is super cringy but I'm writing it anyway!!

Littlest with her favourite, Crumble (the boy)

The final thing that I love about the kittens is that when the kiddies are away with their dad, and when Rick is at his place, I still have some company and little ones to look after. It's really nice to have a wee cat snuggle when I'm feeling lonely. Crumble is so gentle, and he'll just stick his wee paw out and give me a pat before curling up in my lap.