Division of Duties

When Squeak first arrived in our home, we decided he needed to sleep in his own room with the door closed because we didn’t know how Kitten Thunder would react. We weren’t concerned that they would hurt him. We were mostly concerned that Oliver would love him and lay on his face, as the grey kitten does with me.

But nearly six months has gone by and another issue has come up: Squeak’s room is icy cold if we shut the door at night.

Luckily, Oliver’s interest in the baby seems to be limited to how the two of them can be with The Girl at the same time. All the better if Squeak is with The Boy so Oli can have The Girl all to himself.

Obi is heavily invested in his baby but is no more interested snuggling with a little human than the big ones. He’ll lie in the crib with Squeak but with only their auras touching – and he’s quick to leave at the first sign of a wiggle.

So we’ve started leaving the door open at night.

This has changed, once again, the division of labor in our house. Kitten Thunder has taken turns supervising the household in the night. But Squeak started sleeping through the night even if a grey kitten called to him from under the door, asking him to wake The Girl so they could all have a 4 a.m. snack (seriously, he did this). And the nights have grown colder. Oliver decided that night supervision of the baby and greater household could be handled by a Specialist. The Chief Executive Kitten would supervise The Girl, up close and from under the blankets. And he’d lift his head to check on The Boy once or twice.

Obi had no problem with the new arrangement because he is up anyway.

Except.

Everyone is asleep during his night shift. All night. Everyone. For hours.

It gets boring.

Last night, Obi couldn’t take the boredom. He started walking around the house singing his “I’m bored” song. Oliver and I listened to the song as the brown kitten walked through our room. We appreciated the stereophonic sound spectacular as he walked down the stairs and we could hear the song live AND through the baby monitor. Then it got quieter as he walked around the living room. Then louder as Obi returned to the baby’s room.

He approached the crib. He put two paws up on the mattress and gazed at the baby.

“I’M BORED!” He sang at Squeak. “PLAY WITH ME!”

I watched. Oliver watched. Obi waited.

But Squeak’s eyes stayed closed.

So Oliver closed his eyes. And I closed my eyes. And Obi, stomping up the stairs and plunking down in the headboard, closed his eyes.

Boring people and their boring nighttime ways.

****

Happy birthday, next week, to Squeak’s cousins Lexi and Elizabeth. Your presents are on their way!

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