Tired and Emotional(T&E)
Tired and Emotional(T&E)
by chetram nagar
Thing 1 and Thing 2 (their names are not yet decided) are small, furry, projectile missiles that enjoy biting hair, toes, curtains, shoelaces, faces, and each other. They frequently attack thin air. They need to be fed four times a day (FOUR!), and Thing 1 tries to eat both bowls at once. They are noiseless ninjas, appearing underfoot without so much as a meow of warning, so that you live in a constant state of shredded nerves from the possibility of standing on one by mistake. They live in a single room for the time being, but have recently become aware that there is a wider world beyond the door and Thing 1 has made about 47385 escape attempts so far. Thing 2, more cautious by nature, hangs back and watches his sister volunteer as tribute with a shocked look on his face. Neither of them speak English, and they have a particularly limited understanding of the word 'No.'
They are small, and soft, and Thing 2 is more photogenic than I could ever be (Thing 1 doesn't stay still long enough.
Still, last night, after so many months of anticipation and such high expectations of how I would feel once they arrived (LOVE, obviously - the same kind of love I had for my cat that passed away last year)... I found myself feeling strangely low. I didn't feel the unconditional love I was expecting to feel. I didn't feel instant, uncomplicated happiness. Instead I felt slightly frightened and a bit overwhelmed. I started to panic on the inside. As I looked at their dark little faces, watching me with wide blue eyes, I felt a crushing sense of responsibility.
"I might have to keep you safe for twenty years," I told them in a desperate whisper at about 2am. "Can I do that?! I don't even know if I can do that!"
They stared silently. Thing 2 blinked.
"I mean, every house plant I've had has died. That's why they're all artificial now. Did you notice? They're all plastic!"
Thing 2 yawned and flopped down on his side. Thing 1 started to climb up the leg of my jeans, a mad look in her eyes. I peeled her from my thigh and sat down on the bed. A tear rolled down my face and I wondered if I was actually losing it completely.
"I had a cat before, you see," I told them. "He was the best cat - my little man - and last year he was put down. So you have... really big paws to fill. You guys are really cute, and I like you a lot, but you're baby strangers. I don't know you yet, and you don't know me, and there are two of you, and there's only one of me, and you're all over the place, and I only have a single set of eyeballs and they both point in one direction, and I'm feeling very overwhelmed and tired and I just... I just need you to work with me and give me a bit of time. Okay?"
As I spoke, Thing 1 and Thing 2 sat up straight, staring at me solemnly. Then Thing 1 approached me and curled up against my side, and Thing 2 padded straight up to my face and reached up to lick my nose.
I petted them and they purred.
I googled it then and found that it's actually quite a common thing. Apparently, when expectations are (consciously or subconsciously) very high, you can get a sort of post-adoption depression when everything is suddenly REAL LIFE and you really truly internalise the fact that you are now responsible for two kamikaze floofballs for almost as long as it takes to pay off a mortgage, and you will have to get to know each other a bit before you can realistically expect to have the same kind of bond you had with your 16 year old domestic shorthair family pet.
As I write this, they are asleep beside me; two stretched out little snuffleupagii.
Although they clearly need a few more English lessons, they certainly seemed to understand my rising panic last night. Since our heart-to-heart, they've been very affectionate and have stopped biting my hands (as much). The number of attempted escapes has decreased dramatically, and Thing 1 has let me take a photo or two
I'm feeling much better today. I have the gruesome twosome booked in for a vet visit tomorrow, I've made them an Instagram so as not to spam my own with pictures of their fuzzy faces, and I am no longer in imminent danger of having a meltdown.
Amazing what a few hours of sleep can do!
by chetram nagar
Thing 1 and Thing 2 (their names are not yet decided) are small, furry, projectile missiles that enjoy biting hair, toes, curtains, shoelaces, faces, and each other. They frequently attack thin air. They need to be fed four times a day (FOUR!), and Thing 1 tries to eat both bowls at once. They are noiseless ninjas, appearing underfoot without so much as a meow of warning, so that you live in a constant state of shredded nerves from the possibility of standing on one by mistake. They live in a single room for the time being, but have recently become aware that there is a wider world beyond the door and Thing 1 has made about 47385 escape attempts so far. Thing 2, more cautious by nature, hangs back and watches his sister volunteer as tribute with a shocked look on his face. Neither of them speak English, and they have a particularly limited understanding of the word 'No.'
They are small, and soft, and Thing 2 is more photogenic than I could ever be (Thing 1 doesn't stay still long enough.
"I might have to keep you safe for twenty years," I told them in a desperate whisper at about 2am. "Can I do that?! I don't even know if I can do that!"
They stared silently. Thing 2 blinked.
"I mean, every house plant I've had has died. That's why they're all artificial now. Did you notice? They're all plastic!"
Thing 2 yawned and flopped down on his side. Thing 1 started to climb up the leg of my jeans, a mad look in her eyes. I peeled her from my thigh and sat down on the bed. A tear rolled down my face and I wondered if I was actually losing it completely.
"I had a cat before, you see," I told them. "He was the best cat - my little man - and last year he was put down. So you have... really big paws to fill. You guys are really cute, and I like you a lot, but you're baby strangers. I don't know you yet, and you don't know me, and there are two of you, and there's only one of me, and you're all over the place, and I only have a single set of eyeballs and they both point in one direction, and I'm feeling very overwhelmed and tired and I just... I just need you to work with me and give me a bit of time. Okay?"
As I spoke, Thing 1 and Thing 2 sat up straight, staring at me solemnly. Then Thing 1 approached me and curled up against my side, and Thing 2 padded straight up to my face and reached up to lick my nose.
I petted them and they purred.
I googled it then and found that it's actually quite a common thing. Apparently, when expectations are (consciously or subconsciously) very high, you can get a sort of post-adoption depression when everything is suddenly REAL LIFE and you really truly internalise the fact that you are now responsible for two kamikaze floofballs for almost as long as it takes to pay off a mortgage, and you will have to get to know each other a bit before you can realistically expect to have the same kind of bond you had with your 16 year old domestic shorthair family pet.
As I write this, they are asleep beside me; two stretched out little snuffleupagii.
Amazing what a few hours of sleep can do!
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