Sky’s Kittens

Sky, “the very hot cat,” is back. I have a feeling he’ll feature in many of my stories—after all, his guardian, E, is my sister, and she rarely takes my advice. I like to joke that she’d listen if she had to pay for it like everyone else. Families—what can you do?

Sky and his neighbor, Tiger, are rivals who love to blur the lines between their territories. They wander into each other’s backyards as if they own the place. Tiger, bold as ever, even waltzes through Sky’s cat door and jumps onto the kitchen table. The irony? Sky isn’t allowed on the table, but Tiger gets a free pass. Naturally, this doesn’t sit well with Sky.

Between Tiger’s boldness and the other wild neighborhood animals, Sky feels constantly threatened. He’s determined to stake his claim on his territory the best way cats know how—by spraying.

You’d think having a sister who’s a cat behavior specialist would be a blessing for E. And it would be—if she’d actually follow my advice.

So when E told me she’d brought home a kitten, I warned her it could upset Sky; he already feels insecure about his space.

What happened next surprised us all. Grumpy Grandpa Sky instantly took the kitten, Jags, under his wing. He groomed him, cuddled him, played with him, and taught him how to be a cat. Sky loved Jags from the moment he arrived. I know this can happen with older cats, but seeing it unfold was the sweetest thing.

But then Jags got sick.

At first, the vet thought it was just a cold. When Jags didn’t improve, they suspected rat poison. When his back legs stopped working, I told E to take him straight to the ER. There, a new vet diagnosed him with FIP—Feline Infectious Peritonitis. His symptoms suggested the neurological form, and it was already advanced.

As E sat alone in the exam room, I stayed with her on the phone. When the vet said Jags’ organs were shutting down and he would need to be put to sleep, I suggested trying the new treatment for FIP that has saved so many cats. But the vet assured us it was too late.

E and I wept together. Though I live across the country and had never met Jags, I cried as if he were my own. My heart broke for E, her daughter, and for Sky—because yes, cats grieve too.

I’ll spare you the details of those next hours. It was devastating, and I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on anyone.

I didn’t want to push my sister into getting another kitten too soon, partly because I wasn’t sure if Jags was just a special little soul Sky bonded with by chance. But after some time, E and her daughter decided to visit the local shelter. They fell in love with a tiny gray kitten named Yoda and brought him home the next day.

Yoda, true to kitten form, is a little rascal. He plays rough, full of youthful energy, and wasn’t sure what to make of the big black-and-white grandpa cat sniffing him curiously.

But sure enough, Sky began grooming Yoda. He cuddles with him, teaches him to be more gentle, and treats him like his own. Sky. Loves. Kittens. Maybe Tiger feels like a threat because he’s big and bold, but kittens? Sky takes them in without hesitation, showering them with care.

Has Sky stopped spraying? Not yet. E hasn’t followed through on the plan I gave her, but I’m giving her some grace. She’s been through so much with the loss of Jags.

And though one little life was tragically lost, another one was saved.