Cats, Roses...and Books!: The #Kittens Turn Two by Karen Rose Smith

Two summers ago on a hot summer afternoon, my husband received a call on his cell phone from a friend who had just found six kittens under her parents' front porch. She was calling for advice on how to handle the kittens. She had rescued two of the litter but it took another day before she could coax the others close enough to scoop them up and take them to safety. She took the six kittens home and sheltered them in her basement, despite the fact that she was allergic to cats. She also helped her father capture the mother cat to have her spayed.

Then began the arduous task of finding forever homes for the kittens. My friend appeared quite smitten with one of the first rescues--a black longish-hair sweetie she had named Freya. The other standout in the litter was the second rescue--a long-haired gray and white male. Her young son named him Mr. Hat.

My husband's first big mistake was telling me about the phone call. His second mistake was taking me to visit the kittens. I hadn't exactly voiced my thoughts out loud, but I was planning to adopt Freya. But as I sat in my friend's living room cuddling the little black bundle, my husband seemed taken with Mr. Hat. By the time we left, we had agreed to take both of the kittens. After all, they had just been taken from their mother, so how could we separate these two who seemed to have formed a bond?

The past two years have been filled with snarls of disapproval from our three senior cats, hours of playful banter with each other, and much laughter as we watched the antics of the newest members of our furry family. The kittens have grown into beautiful felines. Zander (formerly Mr. Hat) is striking in his demeanor and has become my best buddy. Freya is a unique character who loves to be snuggled on her own terms. They both have become cherished members of our family and are a constant presence on my social media pages. And quite possibly they will join Zoie Joy, Paddington and Halo as "characters" in one of my mysteries.