Two and a half years ago (and a few months after our last cat, Olivier, died of nasal lymphoma) my wife and I adopted a little black kitten named Roo ( short for Rousseau). This was just before the COVID pandemic kicked in, and it meant that for the first year of Roo’s life he didn’t get any socialization with humans except for my wife and I.
Now, on the upside, Roo was a blessing. He helped us from the loss of Olivier (whose last six months of chemotherapy were difficult). Roo also was (and is) a daily spark of joy during the COVID pandemic. Our little family of three has become very close!
The downside? My wife and I don’t seem to be able to leave Roo in the care of anyone else. Heck, even one of us going on an overnight trip is traumatic for everyone, let alone me going away to a writers conference for a week, as I am doing now. And both my wife and I going away together for a weekend? Well, that’s inconceivable.
So, does this mean my wife and I can’t go on vacation together ever again?
I’m not sure. But I do know that for at least the next year the chains of out little COVID kitten remain strong.