By Emmy Serviss / Boston
I swear, I didn’t INTEND to adopt two new kittens in 2023.
When Theo passed away in December 2022, I was heartbroken. It took a while to get to a point where I could look at his pictures without getting teary-eyed. The first time I sat down on the kitchen floor with treats and only three cats sat down in front of me, it broke my heart all over again.
I assumed I’d get a new cat at some point, but I wasn’t actively looking. A friend of mine fosters cats for a local shelter in New Jersey, and that was how I had found Annabelle and August back in 2021. Another friend of mine, Lauren, runs her own animal rescue in Virginia, called Tiny Paws RVA. For years she posted pictures of her fosters and I would joke that one of these days I’d drive down to Richmond and adopt some of her cats. It was always a joke, until one day it wasn’t.
Back in May, Lauren posted about how she was going to be visiting Boston in June, and that she was planning on bringing kittens with her to be adopted. Basically, it was like Grubhub, but for cats. CatCab, if you will. I sent Lauren a message and asked which kittens she was bringing with her. She was not surprised to get my message.
Lauren gave me the rundown of which kittens were coming to Boston and shared their pictures. Among the kittens were “The Breakfast Bunch,” and when I saw French Toast’s picture, my heart melted.
She was a tiny little black cat with ears too big for her head and sweet, bright eyes. I told Lauren I would take some time and think it over, but truthfully I already knew she was mine. I didn’t expect to be adopting a new kitten so soon after Theo, but when I saw her little face, it was a done deal.
While I had adopted kittens before and while I had had four cats before, I had actually never adopted just ONE kitten before. For some reason, that made me more nervous than anything else. But nonetheless, I was very excited to meet my new girl, whom I had decided would be renamed Olivia.
Things took an interesting turn when I was chatting with Lauren about the kittens and her upcoming trip, and she mentioned how Waffles, the remaining kitten from “The Breakfast Bunch” was still waiting to be adopted. So, in my head, once Olivia came up to Boston, Waffles would be all alone.
I looked at her pictures again, and something wasn’t right. Even though I’d never had five cats before and even though I knew Waffles wouldn’t be ALONE alone after Olivia came to Boston and even though I knew it was crazy and impulsive…it still didn’t feel right.
Something didn’t feel right.
Leaving her behind didn’t feel right.
So, I told Lauren to bring Waffles too.
Suffice it say, the girls have already made themselves right at home
I had told friends and family a new little void kitty (aka black cat) was arriving in June, but the last-minute addition was SO last minute that literally no one except Lauren and my boyfriend knew that TWO kittens were heading to Boston. But kittens don’t stay a secret for very long, so within 24 hours of them being at home with me, I had taken almost a hundred photos and created two videos: “Meet Olivia” and “Meet Penelope.”
Most people were excited, because…kittens! But I also got a lot of, “Wait, how many cats do you have now??” And believe me, I’m well aware that five cats is A LOT. But when you’ve had four cats, what’s one more?
August (left), Annabelle (center) and Pippin (right) are still on the fence regarding the new additions
It’s been a little over two weeks since Olivia and Penelope came home, and they’re settling in nicely! They’re still a little reluctant to play with their big brothers and sister, but that doesn’t stop them from joining us in a cuddle puddle when we go to bed at night. I often wake up in the morning with Pippin curled up to my side on the left, Livvie curled up in my arm to the right, and either Annabelle or August on my chest. It’s crowded, but cozy.
It seems like the cut-off for an acceptable number of cats is four, so I guess I can’t really deny being a “crazy cat lady” anymore. But I’m okay with it. I’m leaning into it. Sure, there are challenges and allergy meds and a never-ending shipment of Chewy boxes coming to my door. But when I walk in my front door, I’m greeted by five little loving furballs.
And I think that’s just purr-fect.
Emmy Serviss is a Boston-based writer, actor and video editor. Once it is safe to return to live theater, you can find her performing with ComedySportz Boston and the sketch group SUZZY. When not on the stage, Emmy enjoys indulging in her new pandemic hobbies, laughing way too loudly and counting the days until Halloween.