So, we recently got a couple of kittens. Cutest kittens ever. I am not much of an animal person, but even I liked these kittens. Plus, they were only 6 weeks old, and so little and dependent, and I am a nurturer...so I enjoyed helping nurture these sweet little things. We had been keeping them in a large cage the last two weeks, (the size of a standard packing box) until they were older to keep them from running away or getting hurt. We would take them out each day and play with them and get their wiggles out.
On Sunday we had some 90 degree weather coming our way. That morning (like every Sunday morning for us) was a little crazy trying to get everyone ready and out the door. I left Halee and Austin home because Halee had some teeth pulled a few days before and Austin stayed behind to keep her company. The kittens were left in their cage, on our back porch. I asked the kids before we left if they had water and they said "a little." I thought a little, would be enough until we got home. I was wrong.
When we got home, I immediately went to check on the kittens, and to my shock they were both dead. The kids found them too, and were so sad and mostly shocked at first. They were stiff and it looked as though they had been dead for at least an hour. I never grew up with pets. We had one dog, that we gave away. I had never had a pet die, and my children haven't either. We all went inside, and I don't know what happened to me, but I lost it. I started crying, and I COULD.NOT.STOP. Chris tried to calm me down, and I just kept crying. This went on for 1/2 an hour. I tried! Pretty soon (and to no surprise)Connor and Christian started crying too. We buried the kittens, and all cried some more.
I have been trying to figure out why I cried so hard, and I still cringe with guilt whenever I remember finding them. I have come to the conclusion that it's not the fact that the kittens died, or are gone...it's because they suffered, in that hot sun, with no water, and no shade. It was all my fault. I should have known better. At least that's how it felt. I felt like I killed the kittens. It made me think of the mother I saw on Oprah a few years back, that accidentally left her child in her car when she went to work, thinking the child was with her husband...and later finding her dead in her car seat on a day where temps were above 90 degree's. I cried for that mom when I was crying for these kittens. She must have felt horrible inside for not being able to save her child. I have decided to stop blaming myself. I have learned though. I will never let something like this happen again to anyone, or anything.
We will miss the kittens, but I am so grateful that even though my kids were upset, each one of them, at one point, said "at least they are in heaven, in a happy place."
