These are the most pampered kittens in Song Gang, a town in South China. I found them when they could still fit in one hand. Their mother had abandoned them, and someone had put them in a box to die right outside of my dormitory. I couldn’t have lived with myself if I had let that happen, so I have raised five kittens in my dorm room for about a month. They are all lap kittens, but I knew that as they grew they wouldn’t all fit. So as soon as they were old enough, I found good homes for four of the kittens. Homes with other foreigners who promise to take their kittens back to America with them.
My little Archimedes is especially pampered. A typical day consists of me waking up and loving her for about a half hour, then I skip breakfast because I have to go teach class. When class is over I have lunch, but then I go and take a nap with Archimedes laying on my chest. Then I go teach my afternoon class, After that I come home and play with Archimedes for a few hours. Then I teach my evening classes, eat dinner and spend the rest of the night loving my kitten.
I am supposed to be learning Chinese since I am studying abroad, but ever since I have adopted my kittens I have just been playing with them instead. My Chinese is getting worse!
Never in my life have I been *home* sick, but I usually get pet sick when I am away from my dogs too long. Now that I have Archimedes, I don’t mind not talking to my parents, and I haven’t thought about my dogs at all.
The city I am living in isn’t very safe, so I do not go out on my own very often. So I have to ask my fellow teachers to take me to the store so I can buy things for the kittens. They are always curious as to what exactly I am doing to take care of them. I have been told that Chinese people do not keep cats as pets, so this is very new to them.
Because people don’t keep cats it has been very hard to buy them typical pampering items. I have been vainly looking for cat toys to keep Archimedes amused. Last weekend I got gave up and converted a sock into a chew toy using only a cuticle trimmer and my keys. Archimedes seems to enjoy it and that’s all that matters. Since I have arrived in China, many people have asked me if I am lonely. I always reply that because I have kittens I am never lonely.
It has only been a month, but the thought of being separated from Archimedes is painful. So I am scrimping, saving, and half-starving in order to give her the ultimate pampering of a trip back to America with me.