This is a bit of a long post, but it all comes together in the end. On Sunday October 16th, 2022, we were pulling out of my in-laws driveway after our weekly dinner with them and my husband goes "I'm not 100% there yet, but I've been thinking about getting a cat." For context, this is the same guy who has despised cats the entire 18 years I've known him. If I hadn't already been sitting down, I'd have fallen over from shock haha. The next day, October 17th, we got the very unexpected news that my Mom was actively dying and had maybe a few hours to live. She passed away later that afternoon surrounded by family and her kids. The next day, my husband and I were both trying to think of something to do to get us out of the house and get our minds off the previous day's events. I mentioned Tiny Lions because I had been there once before with a client who loved cats. So we went with no expectations at that point. My husband fell in love with Dokie (now Blue) and his laid back personality. While there, we realized that he was a perfect pair with Okie (now Maize), so we knew if we adopted one, we had to adopt both. Two days later, we came back with my brother and his girlfriend, who also both love cats. Again, this time to just get our minds off everything. We interacted and played with a bunch of different kittens while there, but my husband's mind kept going back to Dokie. While we were playing with Okie and Dokie, we learned that they had been brought into Tiny Lions on Monday October 17th, 2022, the exact same day that my Mom passed away. I looked at my husband and told him we're adopting both cats. We signed the paperwork right there. Due to family events going on, we couldn't bring them home until October 29th. Now, about 6 months later, both Maize and Blue are happy, healthy kittens who love getting into EVERYTHING they possibly can (cabinets, bags, and boxes included), bird and squirrel watching out the front window with our 11 yr old Black Lab named Molly, doing zoomies through the house at 2am, and cuddling with Mom and Dad under the blankets. They have literally helped us get through life and changed our mental health for the better.
My goodness, what a story. I am sorry to hear of your Mother's sudden passing, but such a beautiful story in how Okie and Dokie came into your lives, and the date coincidence. It's a very interesting story in how one might cope with grief....by facing that painful loss by directing that feeling of "lost love" to other living beings. It occurs to me how October 22 is coming up, and the cats will be there to give you a sort of comfort. Best to you and your husband (aka former not-cat person)!