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Is there such a thing as an evil kitten?

Is there such a thing as an evil kitten?

Daphne - a very GOOD kitten after allAn evil kitten?

Of course not. That’s a ridiculous question.

Right?

Adorable DaphneI can say “right” with some confidence now…but, a week or so ago, I was really starting to wonder.

One of my favorite things about kittens is the way they love indiscriminately. Take three kittens from three different litters who have never seen each other, throw them into a kitten condo together, and by the end of the day they’ll be sleeping in a happy heap. It’s their very nature to love and snuggle. I love to see it, and it makes me want to be more like them: open-hearted, immediately looking for the best in each new face, eager to love and be loved.

But then there was Daphne.

As you can see, Daphne is just about the cutest thing this side of a Hello Kitty convention. Just about everyone who sees her lets loose an involuntary “aaahhhhhhhhh!!”

And, in response, Daphne made a habit of letting loose a (very intentional) “grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.”

DaphneAngel-faced Daphne did not seem to like human beans. Pick her up, and she was liable to squirm and growl, thrash and scratch. Approach to pet her, and you’d face the cognitive dissonance of seeing the world’s cutest face while hearing the world’s angriest growls.

But, we reasoned, even if she didn’t trust us yet, surely Daphne would enjoy being with other kittens. One of the first things kittens learn in kittengarden is, “other kittens are your best friends.”

Well, our little calico must have missed that day of class, because she was having none of these little furry peons. When we put Daphne in a condo with gentle Steve and pint-sized Tabbouli, Pita and Hummus, it was not pretty. We actually feared she might hurt them, as her attacks seemed to know no bounds. Even “Uncle Tashi,” five times Daphne’s size, faced her tiny wrath in the Lobby. So, for everyone’s sake, Daphne got her very own private condo. Yet, even from her personal pad, she made it known that she wasn’t about to play well with others. Just watching Steve and his friends play was enough to make Daphne narrow her eyes and growl.

All of which raised the question: was Daphne, in fact, an evil kitten?

Daphne with her new buddy, SteveNot to worry, my friends – as it happens, there is, in fact, no such thing.

I don’t know when or where it all changed, but sometime in the past week Daphne decided to shed her anger like a skin. She’s definitely still the prissiest of the kittens, and will likely always be a diva, but there’s nothing unwonderful about that. (Just ask China or Elvira.)

I think the sweetest turning point on Planet Daphne happened yesterday. With Pita and Hummus adopted together, we decided to move the three remaining kittens – Daphne, Steve and Tabbouli – into a single condo. Now, previously, sharing a space with fellow felines was not up Daphne’s alley.

But, as I left for the night, I saw the sweetest sight in kittenland: three kittens, from three different litters, piled into a heap of happy snuggles.

An evil kitten? No such thing. A kitten in need of being loved just the way she is and given the time to bloom in her own way? That’s our Daphne. And I’d bet my ballet slippers that a forever home is in her (very near) future.

3 thoughts on “Is there such a thing as an evil kitten?

  1. I’m glad you allowed Daphne to blossom in her own time. She sounds delightful. And I’m thrilled to hear that Pita and Hummus were adopted together. Tabby’s Place is such a wonderful place.

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