Got Quads?

Some days, most days, I feel like I’m taking care of 8 toddlers. Not only do I have four three-year-old daughters to tend to each day but I also have four cats. So if one group isn’t making a mess, the other group usually is. Yes, yes, I know I’m crazy to have four cats, but we had the cats before we had the babies, so now we just joke that we have one cat for each girl. Or maybe we had one girl for each cat? Either way there are four of each.

One of the cats, Elwood, is a long hair, which requires me to vacuum every day. Thank goodness for my Dyson. His long hair results in numerous hairballs and, nine times out of ten, when I get the steam cleaner out it’s to clean up his mess. We brush him daily, so that’s not the issue… and with four cat, it’s not always his hairball. Besides, that’s his picture up there in our doll crib… how could you be mad at a face like that?

This morning, though, I think all 8 of them conspired against me. First, one of my daughters knocked over her milk at breakfast. OK, accidents happen. But one of her sisters thought it was funny and knocked her own milk over (I kid you not. I watched it all happen in slow motion). Then as I’m scrambling to finish getting the girls ready for school I find fresh cat puke. It wasn’t there 10 minutes earlier or I would have stepped in it. I got it up as best I could and resolved to get the steam cleaner out later. THEN one of my daughters found a hairball in another location. For some reason they love pointing it out to me whenever they find a spot where “the kitty cat got sick.” All in all the cats and the girls have a great relationship with each other, but I still think they got together this morning and decided to make life a little more hectic. Are we sure it’s not Monday?

I’ll never forget the day I brought two of my daughters home from the hospital. My husband and I each walked in the house with a baby carrier and were promptly greeted by our four cats (yes, four cats, four babies, but that my dear readers is a whole other post). The look of terror in those cats’ eyes was unforgettable. To this day I am convinced they thought we were bringing home yet more pets to join our family.  Some days I think they would have been happier if that had been the case.

That first night the cats kept cautiously approaching the babies, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was we had brought home. Any sudden movement sent the cats running. Our oldest cat was so mad he spent the rest of the night sulking under our bed. When the girls woke up crying in the middle of the night one of the cats yowled right along with them. It wasn’t the best start to our new family. Let’s just say when my two other girls were released from the NICU and arrived home I thought my cats might stage a mutiny.

Many people will tell you to bring something with the baby’s scent home a few days before your baby comes home. We tried that, but clearly it didn’t work. The cats played with the blankets we brought home but still weren’t prepared for the “invasion of the quadruplets.” I would say it took a good week and plenty of cat treats to help them adjust.

Our daughters’ first year of life had to be a hard one for our cats. They were used to be the kings of the castle and were suddenly dethroned by four princesses. They always had a clean cat box and plenty of food and water, but I’ll be the first to admit that they didn’t get nearly all the attention they should have.

Now that my daughters are older the cats are quickly coming around. They now have four more people to give them attention and treats. One of them has “claimed” one of my daughters as his own and always seeks her out for hugs and to play. This winter I fully expect to find him keeping her feet warm at night, rather than fulfilling those duties for me.

Some people think we’re nuts for having four cats to go along with our four daughters. Some days I would have to agree with them. But for the most part, I can’t imagine our family any other way.