Well, mama cat and her kittens got shipped off to a Happy Home.
Technically speaking, three of the four kittens got shipped off about four days ago. During the ensuing rodeo, mama cat and the calico kitten hauled tail for the alley and didn’t show back up until that evening.
I spent the next three days pretending I’m back in the bush and sneaking up on the calico kitten. I’d get within a fingers-length of the little scamp, and she’d turn into a furry streak headed for Goddess-only-knows-where.
Mama cat had no problems whatsoever demanding pettings and food and attention — I think she probably realizes that winter is coming and has a pretty good idea on which side of the toast her butter (and blankets and fireplaces and warm milk) is on.
Last night, a hint of the winter weather heading this way swept through North Texas. I don’t know where mama cat spent the night, but calico kitten spent it under the lawn-mower, on the concrete of the driveway. Not the warmest place in the world.
This morning I put out a cup of food, and sat on the back porch to watch the cats nosh — as is my wont these days.
Mama cat showed up right skippy, but calico took a long time to stagger out from under the lawn-mower; when she did, she headed immediately for mama cat and started to nurse — which is kind of odd, because she’s been eating solid food for a couple of weeks now.
I watched — freezing my butt off, I might add — until mama cat started to figure that calico had had enough, then I ghosted off the porch, across the eight or so feet between the porch steps and the food dish, scooped up calico and was halfway back up the steps before either one of them figured out what had happened.
That little bit was vibrating like a meth-addict on a three-day binge. I’m not sure if it was from fear or the cold, however, I do note that I was fully expecting to grab a handful of Cuisinart in feline form, but she neither bit nor scratched me.
I took her inside, laid down on the sofa, put her on my chest and cupped my hands around her while the dogs whined about cat cooties.
Took about ten minutes, but she finally sighed, spread out for maximum heat transference and went to sleep.
Ten minutes later, the guy who got the other kittens showed up, and I took the gently sleeping, trusting little calico out on the front porch and stuffed her into a cold plastic pet carrier along with her mother.
*sigh*
Now I feel like a traitorous slime.
Argh.
LawDog
And if we could have possibly kept the furry little lovelies, we would have. But, in addition to the Anatolian critter cruncher, there’s the allergic Boojie. And, kittens, adorable though they are, grow up-and have more kittens-and more kittens-and more kittens…..
However, said calico, along with her litter mates, one of whom is now named Ming the Merciless, have found a hole in the bottom of the sofa at their new home, and that’s THEIR new home.
Mama Mew has now popped RayRay the curious chihuahua a few times, but clawlessly, so it looks like all will be well.
Still, we miss having a cat around, and these were particularly endearing-or maybe it’s because we’ve been catless for so long.
LawMom
Stop feeling guilty. You done good.
*point’s to LD*
You there….Ephialtes. *insert grin smiley*
Just kidding. I’ve been in your spot myself except with puppies.
You did good in finding them a home when some people won’t even do that.
Have a nice dinner & go watch Equilibrium.
Well, after my little girl was run over last week, I had a hard time myself. Until thursday night when my neighbors stray, (My neighbor feeds about 23 cats but only claims 4 of them as his) an older gray male was found on my porch pitifully thin with a dragging/paralyzed leg. I now have another cat to sleep on me at night to join the other 3, he’s putting on weight, didn’t fight when we bathed him, and you can barely hear his meow but his purr is louder then all three of the others cats combined 🙂
So Brutus… 😛
You did do alot more than most folks would. Now, that kitty family will have a home (and a much better life). That’s the important thing…
Amazing, isn’t it, how quickly a kitten can housebreak and train an adult human?
Gerry N.
You just added years to that kitten’s life, and that’s nothing to feel badly about.
Just last week a stray we’d seen around decided he’d had enough of waiting and invited himself in for dinner.
We tried to find him a new home, really he did.
Okay, make that four cats in this household…
Aw. It’s so cute when the little Fuzzballs of Death decide to heat-leech!
She’s in a Better Place. Really. Feral cats are as much prey as predator. I used to live in a cul-de-sac in a small, rural town. We were a favorite dump spot for people (and I use the term advisedly) who no longer wished to take any responsibility for their pets.
Due to health issues, we could not take in the poor creatures ourselves, but we did what we could to find them a proper home.
One lovely kitty let my toddler daughter haul her around like a ragdoll. Kitty very much wanted to move in with us, and it was mutual, but I found her a nice farmstead to rule. She got promoted from barn cat to Queen of the Forty Acres in no time flat.
Another time I was driving down the road and saw a tawny puppy sitting under a tree. When he was still there several hours later I went and got him. We went door to door in the cul de sac but nobody claimed him. Another drive-by dumping. He stayed in our garage for a couple days until the local vet found a home that needed a puppy.
We do what we can when we can. If you can look yourself in the mirror while you shave, then you did the right thing.
Heh, I think I just fell a little bit in love with you for letting the kitty suck up your body heat. 😉
You are such-a-little-sweetheart! That little calico will never have a luckier day in her life to come so don’t feel like any kind of slime over it.
Ahhh…. you’ve pretty much warmed me up (hope thats not crude?)
xx
*sigh*
Pardon me while I search for my cluebat…
WHAP!!
LD, here’s a clue – Momcat and her kittens will live far longer, and be much happier, in the happy home you sent them to than they would in wild. We can’t save the whole planet individually, but we can enlist other people of good heart to help. And it sounds like that’s what you did.
Rest easy, LD – you done good.