Miranda and Oberon are more of a success story than we ever could have known. We'd heard about a mother cat and her two kittens living under someone's porch the summer of 1999. The man who owned the house wanted to take them in, but his wife was less interested. PFA was called and the three cats were fostered.
Sadly the female kitten was too wild. She wouldn't let anyone touch her, and eventually she actually clawed open a hole in the window screen to escape, and despite best efforts she was never found. While this is really an awful situation, she saved her brother's life.
I'd had to have my nineteen year old cat, Misty, put down, and our other cat, Ryoga, was lonely. We'd known about Miranda, who had a reputation for being very affectionate and charming, and Oberon, and we thought we could take her because she would be the harder of the two to adopt. The night we went to see them we found out that Oberon, who had just been fixed, would be destined for a farm if we didn't take him. Now, if his sister had still been there, we probably would have let him go with her to the farm. Then the person fostering them told us how un-neutered male farm cats can brutalize fixed males, and we decided that we couldn't leave the little guy to that fate.
It was one of the best choices we ever made.
Turns out the beautiful and charming Miranda was wonderful with people, but a little crazy when it came to other cats. She and Ryoga were always at odds. But, when it came to Oberon, who being a little wild like his sister wouldn't let us touch him for the first month, both Miranda and Ryoga both had a friend. It was healthiest possible solution for the situation.
In 2004, we moved and found we had a lot more space and ended up taking three more kittens from the same litter. Cleo, Augusta and Hercules (Doc for short) joined our household. It was because of Miranda and Oberon being able to stay together, as well as Ryoga's loneliness, that we came to understand how important it is for cats to have someone from their own species to socialize with, and how much better it is if they can be with family. The three kittens very quickly took to Oberon, and still very much love their "big brother." (He never wants for someone to curl up with him, or to wash his ears.) Miranda and Doc also ended up very close, and would often play in the hall.
We know when we bring pets into our lives that, if everything goes the way it should, we will outlive them. Unfortunately on February 11th, 2010, Ryoga had to be put down due to a tumour in his brain. That was hard enough. He was only eleven Then this fall, after fighting her way back to health after being diagnosed with Triads Disease, it was discovered that what we thought was an impacted tooth was actually a cancerous tumour in Miranda's mouth. We lost her on October 13th, 2010 at the age of twelve.
It's still hard to be without both Ryoga and Miranda, and I know that Oberon and Doc still miss their mommy, but every little bit of it has been worth it. Whenever the time comes for us to welcome new cats into our home, I know we will be looking at keeping a family together. They need to keep that connection just as much as we do. It allows them to relate to someone who understands who the are, be playful and affectionate with their best buddies, and it eases them through the harder times, like moving or a death. While you've heard the most dramatic stories about Miranda, Oberon, and the rest of our feline family, know that all the time between has been happy for all of us. Laps and brushing, play and catnip, and time spent curled up together sleeping are all a part of what is so good about sharing our lives with our feline family.
The cats are pictured above: Miranda (snowshoe), Oberon (tabby), Ryoga (grey), Hercules (orange tabby), Augusta (tortie) and Cleo (dilute tortie).
What a great cat-loving family, and what a bunch of lucky cats! Here's hoping their story will encourage others to consider adopting family members together.
-Alanna
