CATS | PETS | ADOPTION

Six Months Later, Our Baby Huey Still Grows

Will he ever stop?

Note: all photos in this article by the Author.

What happens when you’re an innocent baby who’s too big for your mommy’s arms?

That’s my Huey!

Our kitten came to us as a tiny bundle of fluff. A black kitten with white paws and chest and an identifiable Phantom of the Opera-style face. This baby couldn’t be any cuter.

He melted into my arms the moment the shelter staff handed him to me as if we’d known each other for years. Fortunately, his days on the street in his feral mother’s care left no permanent marks. Huey craved human interaction. As he nestled into my embrace, I knew I’d never let him go.

That was May 9, 2023. It was a few weeks after we put our beloved cat, Skye, down because of kidney disease. I remember the confusing emotions of grieving over a lost love and the excitement of adopting a new kitten. Yet, bringing Huey into our household became the best thing for healing. New life can awaken the darkness until you see only light.

Huey fit into our condo nicely. For the first week, his home was our bedroom. Large enough to serve as his castle, small enough to keep his inquisitive, immature sense of right and wrong safeguarded. He was tiny enough to fit into a side bed table drawer. Small enough to cuddle on top of my husband Ed’s pillow atop his head.

Climbing onto the bed using powerful muscles and sharp nails, Huey stayed determined. Never a night went by when he wasn’t in our presence.

Wherever we went, Huey found himself. He’s always been an incredibly affectionate baby, constantly purring whenever we held him. And we held him lots, turning him into a noticeably huggable soul.

When we watched T.V., we held him. While at the computer writing, I snuggled him, too. Even while cooking, yup, you guessed it. When Huey mewed, I rocked him until he settled.

Did we create a dependent young cat?

Hardly.

Here’s Huey, then.

Here’s Huey now. At eight months, he’s thriving.

He lays in his cat tree while I write and hangs around my chair on a bar stool, giving me space to read a book. However, he still loves to cuddle in my arms if I’m watching T.V., and he flies into Ed’s arms the minute he gets home.

Hugging our aging kitten never gets old, but I’ve recently noticed one thing. Huey, the large-footed feline, is almost too heavy for my weak arms to support. How did our tiny baby grow into this big, healthy blob of furry cuteness?

We anticipated he’d be large.

But if I knew he’d exceed my weight limit for easy pickup, I’d have previously started doing curls.

Now, let’s get something straight. Huey’s anything but fat. He’s merely full of substance. And I’m terribly in less than optimum shape. But even Ed noticed Huey’s body mass while holding him. Will Huey’s growth spurt end, or will he end up carrying us?

Poor Huey!

He’s gotten too big for his own good. You know. That special spot atop Ed’s pillow above my husband’s head? It’s gotten small, causing both leading men in my life to vie for its use. He leaves a mere corner for Ed’s head to rest, which is not ergonomically comfortable.

He no longer fits on my desk behind my computer screen. It's one of his favourite places to rest. If he lays there, he forces my screen too forward for me to see. So, I send him to his cat tree off to the side, where he can (comfortably?) rest.

How much more will this kitten grow?

When I brought Huey home, I noticed his paw size. His vet noticed them, too. I likened them to the paws of a panther cub, and according to his current body size, he’s growing into them nicely. He’s stayed our affectionate cuddle buddy.

We will never regret nurturing him from the moment I brought him home. I won’t feel guilty for carrying him around when he wanted reassurance or to be near us. I’m just trying to figure out how to continue offering him the skin-to-fur contact he craves if he continues to grow.

We’re currently in between couches, so fitting into my lap isn’t a viable option — nor is buying a new sofa. The one perfect for kitten claws.

I’ve always wanted a larger cat. Now I’ve got him. Perhaps I’ll need to buy a baby carrier. The one you wear that swaddles the infant close without using your hands.

Or should I do what I’ve known for years? I could start lifting weights. Build my muscles. Stop being a wimp and grow into the muscular woman Huey needs me to be.

He still likes to use my leg as a tree stump, but where Huey once needed a hilltop to climb, with a kitten so large, I must now become his mountain.

Psst! Huey has a larger cat tree at his disposal, but on early mornings like today, he prefers to squeeze himself into the smaller one.

All photos belong to the author and are not available for copy or distribution.

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