Grace's Other Mother

It has recently become apparent that Grace has another mother, and not the kind of mother you might think she’d have.  It’s our family cat, Marco, who recently lost a litter of kittens when she gave birth prematurely.   I have never seen a cat take to a baby like this one has to Grace.  At first, I thought it was my imagination, especially since Marco tends to be skittish and would prefer to remain unnoticed.  I have a rug in between my bed and Grace’s bed, and I began to notice that Marco could almost always be found fast asleep on the rug.  I figured:  #1 – it was because it is a very nice comfy rug, and #2 – it was beside MY bed.  Seeing how I hand-fed the little thing back to life when her own mother died, I’d like to believe she feels some maternal bond and connection that makes her want to be close to me. 

 

I was wrong.  She wasn’t sleeping there because of me.  I started noticing that Marco would get anxious whenever Grace cried.  She’d pace back and forth by the bed.  Then she’d begin meowing, and would generally run over to me, then back to the bed.  “No way,” I thought, “...that can’t be.  I’m just imagining this.”  Well, one day, I moved Grace’s bed to another place in my bedroom.  Guess who was sleeping beside her just minutes later?  Then Grace was moved to another ROOM, sharing a room with Isaiah and Anna.  Upon going in to check on her one night, I heard as I reached down into the dark to arrange her blanket, “Meooooow.”  Yup.  Marco, nestled in between the wall and Grace’s bed.  Now this action took serious commitment on Marco’s behalf.  Believe me - any cat that would risk its life to sleep in Isaiah and Anna’s room is a brave cat-soul if I ever saw one.  These decisions are not to be taken lightly, and I suppose Marco weighed the risks, and felt it was worth those risks to be with “her baby”. 



 

Since discovering Marco’s secret, I’ve enjoyed watching her watch over Grace.  I wonder if she'll still sit as close once Grace perfects her crawling and discovers cat tails!   :)