Work Text:
After the two of them had retired from active duty, Admiral Kirk and Ambassador Spock’s lives were rather sedentary. Apart from the occasional Federation event or trip to Vulcan, they spent most of their days in their San Francisco condo, with just each other for company. This was enough, but Spock still felt that there was something missing.
Then, he found the first cat.
Spock had found it outside the condo he shared with his husband as he was leaving for a morning walk. (Even in the 23rd century, stray animals still popped up from time to time). The cat was clearly young; a gray-brown tabby with white paws and eyes that glowed orange in the streetlight. The animal did not run away in fright when it saw the Vulcan. Instead, it walked over toward him and started rubbing the side of its head against Spock’s leg. He picked the cat up and carried it back inside.
“Well, that was certainly a fast walk,” Jim commented. He was sitting at the kitchen table. “If I had known you were such a speed demon, I would’ve made a cup of tea for you.”
Still carrying the cat, Spock walked over to where his husband sat.
“I did not end up going for a walk because I found this animal outside.” He lifted the small cat onto the table in front of Jim.
“Well, what’re we going to do with it?” Jim asked.
“First, I believe we should take it to a veterinarian, to make sure that it does not already have an owner,” Spock explained.
“And if it doesn’t have an owner?”
Spock offered one of his rare smiles. “Then, I believe that we may have to give this cat a home.”
Jim chuckled. Even though Spock would never admit it, Jim knew that his husband had a soft spot for cats. It wasn’t surprising that he would want to adopt one.
Jim and Spock took the cat to the nearest animal hospital, and after running a series of tests on the animal, the vet was able to give the two of them some answers.
The cat was about 8 months old and female. She had not yet been spayed, and she appeared to not have an owner.
Spock filled out the adoption papers right at the hospital.
He named her “Ash’ai-lar”, meaning “socks”.
Ash’ai-lar ensured that Jim and Spock’s life after active duty was never dull. She was an intelligent cat, as she managed to find Spock’s meditation mat after he had already hidden it somewhere he presumed was out of her reach, and proceeded to attempt to use it as a scratching post. Jim found her just in time to avert disaster.
Having one cat, Spock assumed that his desire for feline company would be satiated. However, this was far from the truth. In the early morning, before his husband was awake, he found himself browsing adoption sites, looking at the cats and kittens that they had. As he did this, Ash’ai-lar would always jump up in his lap and rest there, but not before giving him an accusatory stare, as if she knew what he was doing. More likely than not, however, she was simply upset that she hadn’t been fed yet.
After weeks of secret cat-researching, Spock had narrowed down his choices to one cat. He was a large, polydactyl Maine Coon that was described as “friendly” and “affectionate”. His coat was a pleasing color and pattern (ginger tabby), and Spock thought he was perfect for their home. The only problem was the name. His first foster family apparently had a sense of humor, and they decided to name the cat “Bigfoot”.
One night, as the two of them were preparing to go to bed, Spock said, “Jim, there is something I would like to show you,” On his pad, he pulled up a picture of Bigfoot. “What do you think of this cat?”
“He’s a fine cat, I suppose,” Jim paused. “Are you trying to adopt another cat?”
“Yes. I have been looking over several adoption sites for the past few weeks, trying to see if any of them had a cat that would match our needs. I believe that this one is perfect for us.” Spock explained.
“What’s his name?” Jim asked.
Spock sighed. “Bigfoot.”
Jim burst out laughing. “It’s a perfect name.”
As soon as they got the cat, Jim and Bigfoot were inseparable. He would always find a way to sit on the man’s lap, much to Spock’s dismay, as his husband refused to get up from his chair if Bigfoot was sitting on him.
“I don’t want to hurt his feelings by moving.” he would explain.
Spock found this behavior illogical. Cats did not have complex emotions. Their “feelings” could not be “hurt”. Even if they did, the amount of affection that Jim gave to the Maine Coon would more than make up for the disappointment of losing a spot to sit.
Two cats still weren’t enough. Or, more accurately, Spock felt that he and Jim could take care of more cats than they had, and so taking in more and giving them a home would be the best choice.
Perhaps Spock simply missed having a bunch of helpless idiots that he needed to take care of.
Next, there was a cat named Van Gogh. Even though the calico was a female, Jim insisted on the name, based on a combination of the large notch in one of her ears and the fact that she had knocked one of Spock’s eyeshadow palettes onto the bathroom floor, and tracked the sparkly powder all over the house.
“She’s clearly a natural-born artist, Spock.” Jim had said after discovering what she had done.
Then, there were two more cats. Jim and Spock hadn’t been planning on adopting two, but they were from the same litter and were inseparable. Their foster family said that they should be adopted together, or not at all.
So, the two men gained Surak and Lincoln. Unfortunately, as much as the two of them enjoyed honoring two of their favorite historical figures by being named after cats, it led to needing to say things like “Surak just vomited on the couch again.” or “It’s your turn to clean Lincoln’s litter box.”
After one stressful week where all five of their cats got sick at once, they agreed that they wouldn’t adopt any more cats. Even though they were retired, because of their status in Starfleet, they still had many obligations, and they had reached the limit of the number of cats they could take care of.
So, they turned to fostering. The two of them managed several months without getting attached to the cats that they helped prepare for adoption.
That was, until Shei came along.
She was long-haired, white, with beautiful blue eyes.
She was also deaf.
Spock knew that this meant that her chances of adoption were low. Deaf cats were harder to take care of, and long-haired cats were high-maintenance enough as it was. It was an unspoken fact from the moment that they took her in to be fostered.
Her name meant “scream” in Vulcan. (Because she couldn’t hear herself, her meows were fairly loud.) Spock gave their foster cats odd names, so he and Jim wouldn’t become attached to them.
However, Shei managed to grow on them.
She didn’t get caught up in yowling for food like their other cats did, which was blessing enough. She would sit next to Spock on his mat as he meditated, and slept at the foot of their bed.
When their fostering period was up, they signed the adoption papers.