About twelve weeks ago, a litter of Kittens was born somewhere in Manchester. The details about the first six weeks of these kittens' lives are very sketchy. We don't know how many there were, what their mother was like, or even the people who looked after them - except that they were very mean, and did not want these kittens around.
When he was six weeks old, a little boy kitten from this litter got out of the house and went to play outside. A passer-by noticed him, and saw how small he was - too small to be on his own. She picked him up and looked for his owner who said "I'm not having it back in the house." The lady had no choice but to take the poor kitten home with her, who at six weeks was far too young to be taken away from his mother. He hadn't been weaned properly, and was still very small to be getting by without his mother's milk.
Unable to look after the little one herself, the lady passed the kitten on to her sister, who was making preparations to take in another kitten from elsewhere. The little guy was taken in, and named Leonard after the character on The Big Bang Theory.
Now, who do you suppose that the kitten this lady was getting ready to take in was? None other than our little Jynx, of course. The lady that had rescued Leonard from the mean house was the aunty of our dear friend Shi, and the little six-week-old kitten had the run of the place Shi and her mum share for a couple of weeks, until Stat and I brought Jynx to them. The two kittens were good friends instantly, despite the differences in their age and size. Jynx was only six weeks older than Leonard, but he absolutely dwarfed him.
Sadly, this was not to be. Shi's mum had trouble looking after two kittens when she'd only prepared to have one, so poor little Leonard would have to be moved again. Naturally, Stat and I agreed to take him in, if only for a little while, so he could have a human family that would give him lots of love, and some feline friends to play with. Jynx would be fine on his own - he's big and strong and very clever.
Shi brought Leonard over on the bus last weekend. His first experience of living with us wasn't pleasant - we had to give him a bath because he'd gotten scared on the bus and made a little mistake in his cat carrier. He hissed at us all first, cats and humans alike, until his second day here. Stat gave him a new name, one that would make him strong and brave. So Leonard became Nyarlathotep, or Narly for short, and he loved it. It was as though he'd never been called by any other name.
Ten days later, Narly has settled in so well. He comes running at the sound of his name, and he is incredibly affectionate for one that's not had a lot of love in his life so far. I think that he knows that he's being properly cared for now, and he's repaying that kindness in spades. Stat says that he has a new shadow - Narly follows him all over the flat, and cries when he disappears into the bathroom or the kitchen. At night, he takes it in turns to curl up with each of us and purr like a car engine. (His purr is easily as loud as Purrdy's.)
When Narly came to us, he was a little ball of fluff. Being taken away from your mum too soon is the worst thing for a growing kitten. He "makes biscuits" on us - that's the pawing movement kittens make on mummy's belly when they're feeding - constantly, and it's a habit that will probably never go away. Narly's constantly on the lookout for food, so much so that we have to keep him out of the room when we're eating. (He likes to swipe food from your plate, and he doesn't even care if you're looking or not. I thought Mischief was bad.) We got some cartons of kitten milk in, and the change in him since he's been drinking it is remarkable. He's put weight on, and looks as sleek and healthy as a cat his age should, if a little small still.
Zy was a little confused by him at first. I think he could smell Jynx on him, but he was thinking "You're not my brother, who are you?" Then he realised that this was another playmate, so now they wrestle together exactly as Zy and Jynx did. Charley has taken the little one under his wing, and now the boys are a proper team. They all come for cuddles first thing in the morning, and they get jealous if they think you're fussing one of them more than the other two. (Charley and Narly... yeah, I know.) Meanwhile, Mischief now has a rival for her Friendliest Cat in the House title.
Narly is wonderful. It's amazing to see the effect that a little love can have on such a small person. He's really bonded with Stat, who knows what it's like to be pushed from pillar to post when you're young. Me, I'm in love with his amber eyes and his little pink nose. He reminds me of kitty friends gone by. I'm so glad that he's become part of the family.
