October 16, 2020. Serendipity.

A friend of a friend, of a friend just had a litter of kittens and was eager to find good homes for them.

My mom was in town and accompanied me to the little grey house in the southern part of the city. There I found the sweetest bunch of tiny kittens I’ve ever seen.

My Biko was among them. I named her after the Filipino dessert.

I was immediately enamored, of course. Kittens do that to me.

But I knew something about Biko was special. When I picked her out of the litter, she had a little spunk and a clear, fearless gaze.

She was absolutely precious, and her little meows tore at my heart. When I brought her home, she was tentative at first and hid underneath the TV stand for a few hours.

But she soon found her legs and began exploring the apartment. Being so tiny, she could fit into every little nook and cranny she could find.

Although not a cat person, my mom fell in love with her too. Biko cuddled with her and slept through the night with her, and my mom soon decided she wanted a kitten as well.

Unfortunately, she had already left town, but being the dutiful daughter I am, I contacted my friend of a friend of a friend to ask if she still had any kittens left.

That’s how Niko came to live with me just three days later.

Like Biko, Niko was also really nervous at first. He meowed incessantly in the car ride home, but as soon as he arrived at the apartment, Biko recognized him and joyfully pounced on him.

The two of them together were a joy to behold. One kitten is adorable; two kittens playing is simply magical.

And the way they loved and loved on each other was amazing. It was soon clear to me that they would be inseparable.

After a few weeks, I made the tough decision to tell my mom that I would be keeping Niko as well. Biko and Niko had clearly bonded, and tearing them apart would be detrimental to them.

They did everything together, short of using the litter box at the same time.

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Biko and Niko are now about five months old. Biologically, they’re basically teenagers. I had them spayed/neutered just a week or so ago.

Thank goodness too, because things were getting a little strange around here. The kittens, or teens, look more like grown cats now than kittens, much to my dismay. They grow so fast!

They have been an utter joy to be around. Most of the time. The teens are at odds with my plant collection, but I have hopes they will live more harmoniously as the cats get older.

I have greatly enjoyed learning their distinct personalities.

At first, Biko was the more mischievous one. She was always scaling new heights and getting into spaces she shouldn’t. She also used to instigate more rumbles between the two. However, Niko has now grown two pounds heavier than her and has the weight advantage, so he has turned into a little bit of a bully when they tussle. He also gets into more trouble, sometimes deliberately doing things he knows he shouldn’t, even when I’m looking straight at him.

Biko will also aggressively seek out head rubs, but Niko is the one who will snuggle up against me or reach out to be picked up and carried. Both cats are very affectionate though, which is such a welcome change from my senior cat, Gizmo, who despises most human interaction and keeps to herself most of the day.

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Although my family has nearly doubled in size, it only feels more complete. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Working from home everyday is now a bit of an adventure, as I wonder what will spark the teens’ curiosity next.