Oh, life is so much harder when you have kittens. That's what went through my mind when my family suddenly found a litter of kittens at my doorstep a few weeks ago.

Right around the start of the semester, my dad found the litter of five hanging out around our neighbor's and our front yard. I didn't believe him at first though. I actually never saw the cats most of the time because the mama cat kept them hidden behind all the stuff in our neighbor's front yard. It wasn't until the kittens migrated into our back yard (through a small hole in our fence that I never noticed until now) that I finally saw them.

My heart melted right then and there.

They were tiny little things, meowing and swaddling all over the place. And there was their mother was there, laying patiently on the ground, watching the kittens.

Let me just take the time to give my props to my dear mama cat for being the most chill and the most sweetest cat I ever had the pleasure to meet. You would think that she would be super protective about her kids being around strange people, but nope. Ever since she made a temporary residence around our yard, she was never scared to approach new people, including my sister and I. That extends to her little kittens as well. She lets us play and carry them around without throwing a fit or viciously attacking us. It didn't take too long for my family to grow attached to our new esteemed guests. It was also around this time that I realized that, dang. I really like cats. I still affectionately call her “Mama Cat,” even though my sister gave her a name—Kisa, after a character from the manga “Fruits Basket.”

Mama Cat, a beautiful tortoiseshell cat and her rambunctious little kittens has made their home in our backyard for a while now. None of the kittens have the same kind of unique tortoiseshell colors that their mom has, but they are cute little things nonetheless; except when they start to learn how to climb and scratch things up, including my legs. Their teeth are sharp and their claws are even sharper. I'm constantly reminded by that fact whenever they want to nibble on my ankles or clamor up my legs. Golly, that hurts.

For the longest time, I thought I was a dog person. My family had dogs in the past so we never thought about having cats as pets. But this chance encounter with the cat family has changed our perspective on cats. They are just as friendly and loving as dogs. And if I dare say, cats may even be a lower maintenance type of pet; but there's still the litter box training, grooming, feeding them, and everything else that cats do. Mama Cat is a pretty laid back cat so I guess she won't need too much pampering, but I'll shower her with it anyway.

Nothing lasts forever though. I don't think my family can sustain six cats. Plus that means we have to get everyone vaccinated, spayed, and neutered, which definitely makes a dent in our wallets. Heck, with the kittens growing as fast as they are, even cat food has become a heavier addition to our grocery store lists. So when the day comes when we have to give the kittens away to their new forever homes, it'll be heartbreaking to see them leave. But it'll all be worth it in the end.

Thanks Mama Cat for coming into our lives and bringing your little bundles of joys into our lives.

Photo credits also go out to my sister and friends!