Newborn kittens!
This poor mama cat!  She's a stray, and so very skittish. Her eyes have a perpetual look of fear in them. Over the past year she has started trusting us a little bit more, but she will never let us close enough to pet her or pick her up. She will, however, come to the back porch twice a day for a meal.
This same cat had a litter last fall. At about 5 weeks old, these 4 babies climbed up to our back porch (without Mom), and when we opened the back door, in they marched!  We contacted a local rescue lady and was told that they would sponsor them but had no available foster homes at the moment, and could we please foster them until a place opened up? Of course we did, and we had them for 3 months. We were able to adopt one out ourselves to one of Dale's customers, but the rescue took the other 3. Mom would come to our back door and peer into the house at her babies,  but when we tried to get her to come in too, she would just run off. We even borrowed a neighbor's trap to see if we could catch her to get her spayed, but she's too smart for the trap.
A few weeks ago we noticed her belly hanging a bit low. Uh-oh. Sarah kept a watch over her last week while we were gone, and read everything she could on the net about pregnant cats. She made a birthing box and put it on the back porch, but I told her I didn't think she would use it - it would just be too close to those dreaded humans. 
So now she's hiding between and under two bushes in the front of the garage windows. We're not getting too close because we don't want to spook her and make her abandon the babies, but we can't do nothing. We put some food out for her last night, as close to her as we could get (within about 3 feet) but I don't think she ate any because it would have meant leaving the babies. It's been raining pretty steadily all day today, so Dale and Sarah concocted some shelter for her. They put a tarp over the bushes, and we had a spare huge Rubbermaid container that they laid on its side and filled with some old towels and sheets. We're hoping Mom picks the babies up and moves them to inside the container but at the very least, at least she's protected from the rain with the tarp. So now the wait begins. As much as we really want to see the babies, we know we can't get that close. What we can tell are the colors, though. Mom is a calico, and the babies are one orange, (at least) one all black, one tuxedo, and one calico that looks exactly like Mom. Sarah swears there are 2 all black ones, but I can't tell yet. I'm just hoping that Mom keeps bringing them around when they're old enough so we can rescue these guys, too. And we really have to try harder to get Mom spayed, too. Poor little thing! At least she has a safe haven around our property, but she shouldn't have to keep doing this!! SO - anybody want a kitten???  |
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Awee... I actually feel so bad for mommy cat.  I feel bad when animals don't have someone to love them, even though I'm SURE that stray cat is perfectly content with her life. She probably had another litter there b/c it's the safest place for her even though she's still apprehensive. Poor thing.
I want another kitty!!! My husband would KILL me though. He already thinks 1 is too many, and we have 2.  |
| Awe, that's pitiful. She's lucky to have found you guys. |
| Bless your heart, Chris. Sounds like you're doing all you can to help the poor girl. She knew where to go for help, that's for sure. I love calico kitties, but my kitty quota is full for now. Hopefully, she'll stay close enough to let these babies be rescued too. |
| I hope the kittens survive and you can capture Mom and get her spayed.
Two nights ago I hear the queen in heat siren so there's a lady out there, I hope she doesn't decide our shed is the place to bring her babies! |
| ohh poor mama cat... i hope you can eventually trap her and get her spayed! |
You really are a very kind person to care so much for those little babies. The mom may not trust you enough to come close to you, but she trusts you to be that close to her babies... and I have always felt animals are a good judge of character, and I can see no better stamp of approval than trusting you with her little ones.  |
| I love cats, if I could I'd take another, but we have 4 at the moment, the newest is 4 mos. old! All my cats are from the shelter and the last one from my husband's friend, who ended up with kittens after their newly adopted cat was found to be pregnant, she is now spayed! I hope the kittens do well and that you're able to find more homes
Sharon |
| Poor Momma cat but you are good people to take care of her! Thank you for caring!
I read a shocking report the other day about feral communities in which only one out of every 8 kittens survive the first year without human intervention. You are saving those little ones lives! I hope one day you'll be able to trap Mamma and get her spayed and apon release at your place she'll eventually learn to trust you. Keep us updated! Marianne |
| Chris,
Maybe the rescue that helped with the last kittens could help try to capture Mama Cat and get then she can be spayed and set free. |
| Ah...I love kittens. So great of you to be helping them. |
| Elissa, the rescue tried to help us trap her last year - no go. She's a crafty one! But we're going to have to try a little harder. This is the 3rd litter that she's had, that we know of!
We're doing all we can for her right now. Obviously we can't take the kittens away from her yet. And when we go to check on them, she just stands back a little ways and watches us - doesn't try to attack us or anything. I think she knows we mean them no harm. I'm gonna try to get a picture of them soon. Wait till you guys see them!! |
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