We always knew the day would come. The kittens would have to leave our room and move into the cattery with the big cats.

As early as November, they were getting too big for their cage. It would rattle and shake when they were hyper. They needed space to run and frolic, or to get away from each other if they were moody.

In December we decided that we would wait until after New Year’s Eve to move them. In years past, we would always move all the cats into the bedroom, so that the fireworks wouldn’t stress them out. It was also a way to keep them safe in case any stray firecrackers landed nearby. There was no point in moving them into the cattery, only to bring them back inside for New Year’s Eve.

We spent New Year’s Day with my family, so we decided to move the kittens on January 2. Oneal kept telling me, “You have to talk to the baby kittens.” So I crouched by their cage and told them that they would be moving soon. They responded by purring and marking my hand.

On the big day, we started out by moving all the big cats (and Sweetheart) out of the cattery and into cages. Then we swept the whole area, getting rid of leaves, litter, pieces of cardboard and other debris.

We brought up the pressure washer and hosed down the floor, the chairs and all other surfaces in the cattery. We hosed away the algae that had formed on the cement floor as a result of the rainy season. We even scrubbed down the window sills where the cats like to lie.

Then we rearranged the chairs and table, the litter box and the plastic floor grid. After surveying our work, we decided it was time to move the kittens.