Cat's Meow by Cara Malone

Author:Cara Malone [Malone, Cara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lisbon Press
Published: 2020-12-16T23:00:00+00:00

16

Dakota

Ling came back upstairs with Marley and Blaire in tow, and the hallway was beginning to feel a little crowded with five people and a pregnant queen.

Everybody made room for Marley to approach the nesting box with a black bag of veterinary equipment that she’d been keeping in her trunk just in case Ling called for help. She put on exam gloves of her own and took a stethoscope out of the bag to examine Minerva, still crouching and straining unfruitfully.

“What time do you estimate she went into active labor?”

“About six o’clock,” Dakota told her.

Marley checked the time – it was a little after seven-thirty now – and said, “Okay, I think we definitely need to help her out. Hopefully she just needs assistance with this first kitten and then we’ll see if she can handle the rest of them herself.”

She got to work while Dakota, Ling and Amber watched over her shoulder and Blaire looked on from a little farther away, not quite certain she wanted to see it all. Marley worked her magic, putting Minerva at ease and helping her deliver her first kitten. The little membrane-covered lump came out to a mixed review of a lot of “Awws,” and one “Oh, yuck.”

Chuckling at her fiancée’s reaction, Marley set the firstborn in the nesting box beside Mama Mini and they all watched as the tabby’s instincts took over. She sat down for a little rest in between deliveries, but her work wasn’t done – she freed the kitten from the membrane and licked its fur clean. It let out a tiny mewl and immediately started to seek a nipple to latch onto.

“This one’s got an appetite,” Marley said. “That’s a good sign.”

She stayed nearby, but gave Mini space, and over the next hour, Minerva gave birth to three more perfect kittens. They were shades of white and gray, with darker ears, noses and paws, and the more their fur dried and fluffed up, Dakota could see hints of tabby stripes around their legs. Whoever the father was, she wondered if he was part Persian, or maybe even Siamese based on their coloring.

“Is that all?” she asked when Mini was lying peacefully, her demeanor no longer agitated, and four kittens were suckling at her belly.

Marley did the best she could to examine Minerva without disturbing her or the newborns, and said, “Most likely. She’s feeding them now and that’s a pretty good sign that she’s done. If you don’t want another litter, make an appointment with me to have her spayed as soon as possible, and let me know if you need help finding homes for the little ones.”

“Does that mean you and Blaire want one?” Amber asked.

Blaire laughed. “We’ve got our hands full with Rainbow, thanks.”

Their Golden Retriever was just about a year old now but he still had puppy energy. Ling had told Dakota and Amber about the few times Marley had attempted to bring him into the clinic, hoping he would sit at her feet while

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