(This is sad, if you can't handle sad just skip down to the cute kitten pictures)
...I really don't know...
Three weeks ago today, the feral cat whom we dubbed as Misha, gave birth to Kittens. There were four, four lovely kittens who hadn't opened their eyes yet. Misha allowed us to feed her of course and to touch her when she wanted to be touched. Soon, she let us touch the kittens.
The first was one that looked very similar to her color pattern. He had a grey body, black head and black tail with white mitted paws and a white stripe on his nose. He was the oldest and the bravest as he was the first to venture out of the nest until Mama picked him back up and put him into the nest. He was dubbed Padfoot. He was going to my friend Naomi.
The second was a White male, unnamed and unclaimed. He had light tan stripes that ringed his tail and his legs. He was very beautiful and always came up to me after their eyes opened and they recognized us.
Third was a Black Female named Fiona going to my friend Marissa. She had a grey body, black head, tails and paws. She was adorable, shy, but cute as a button. She was the first to play with me when I dragged a piece of hay around and she would try to claw it.
And lastly was a White Female, unnamed but claimed by my friend Allison. She was the quietest and the shiest of them all, rarely coming out to see us but she played with her brothers and sisters.
I kept bugging my mom, when will we take them in? When can I set up their home in the cellar where they will be warm and out of harms way? Finally we decided Tuesday (at that point Monday) would be good. Monday came and went and Tuesday came on.
I came home from a house-sitting job in the morning at 7:30, looked over to the shed and saw the door was unlocked and opened but I thought nothing of it. I ran inside and showed, changed and got ready to meet with a new person I was house-sitting for this coming weekend. I drove out, met her and her dogs (she's got fish tanks and might want to do a Betta Sorority with my help!!) I was excited for the job and couldn't wait to help her out!
Around 5 in the evening my mother and her boyfriend and I were outside doing yard work and goofing off in general. I went to the shed to go see how the Kittens were doing since the Bee's had gone to sleep already. I looked into the cubby and caught my breath. They were gone.
My mom came in and gasp as well, Misha had followed us in and jumped up onto the ledge to look into the cubby and called out for her kittens. But they did not come out. We scoured the ground for animal prints but found none and then I told them about how I saw the gate had been opened in the morning.
"Surely a Raccoon could open the gate, but the lock is at the top, why not just jump over at that point? Why bother when there are plenty of compost piles out and other things to eat?" I asked as we stood around puzzled, Misha beginning to cry out for her beloved Kittens.
What else could open the lock? We all witnessed the gate being locked just the night previous. What else could open it but another human? Has someone stolen our kittens?! All of us furious, confused and pained, but none more than Misha.
Who knew of the kittens as well as where we live? None of my friends knew my address but the few close ones and they would never do such a thing! What point is there in taking three week old kittens who aren't even weaned off their mother yet? It's more work than would happen if you would just wait!
Misha stayed by our side the entire night we were out. We went down to our pond and fed the goldfish, she never went more than eight feet away from us, soon her interest piqued in the golden fish. I would have sworn that she almost jumped in to catch one, but luckily for her, she didn't. She meowed up at us asking, "Do you know where my Kittens are?"
Searching around, we looked in all the places around the yard that would be suitable for kittens but we found no signs, not one single sign. Who or what would take our kittens? Misha had no signs of battle wounds on her and we would have surely woken up to kitten and cat screams had an animal come in the night to take them.
But if no animal and no human took them, why was Misha so sad? She would sit in front of the shed the rest of the day, meowing out loudly for her kittens but they would not come.
So now, today, I had to tell my three friends; Allison, Marissa and Naomi that their Kittens would not be coming home. I feel terrible and drained knowing that I promised them something so special and now they too feel the pain of loss. I didn't know how to start off but I eventually concluded my story, much less elaborate than this, but all the same. Allison understood completely and sent her condolences to myself and Misha. I felt terrible as she told me that she had already begun collecting toys and things for her new White Kitten. But nevertheless she understood and said that it was alright.
I wish for all, that I had just taken the Kittens into the basement myself against my mother's orders, although she would have not cared too much once I already did the work for her. But it's gone now and so are they. And now I see everyone else getting new kittens and I just really don't know what to do with myself, I've literally never felt this bad before, like I'm letting all these people down! I know things happen, I've seen it happen before!
I was raised on a chicken and cow farm, I know wild animals come around and I know they are hungry and just feeding their families! But why, of all things, why did it have to be the kittens?
At any rate, I would like to conclude with the pictures I took, tracking their progress.
Mama Kitty Prior to giving birth:
...I really don't know...
Three weeks ago today, the feral cat whom we dubbed as Misha, gave birth to Kittens. There were four, four lovely kittens who hadn't opened their eyes yet. Misha allowed us to feed her of course and to touch her when she wanted to be touched. Soon, she let us touch the kittens.
The first was one that looked very similar to her color pattern. He had a grey body, black head and black tail with white mitted paws and a white stripe on his nose. He was the oldest and the bravest as he was the first to venture out of the nest until Mama picked him back up and put him into the nest. He was dubbed Padfoot. He was going to my friend Naomi.
The second was a White male, unnamed and unclaimed. He had light tan stripes that ringed his tail and his legs. He was very beautiful and always came up to me after their eyes opened and they recognized us.
Third was a Black Female named Fiona going to my friend Marissa. She had a grey body, black head, tails and paws. She was adorable, shy, but cute as a button. She was the first to play with me when I dragged a piece of hay around and she would try to claw it.
And lastly was a White Female, unnamed but claimed by my friend Allison. She was the quietest and the shiest of them all, rarely coming out to see us but she played with her brothers and sisters.
I kept bugging my mom, when will we take them in? When can I set up their home in the cellar where they will be warm and out of harms way? Finally we decided Tuesday (at that point Monday) would be good. Monday came and went and Tuesday came on.
I came home from a house-sitting job in the morning at 7:30, looked over to the shed and saw the door was unlocked and opened but I thought nothing of it. I ran inside and showed, changed and got ready to meet with a new person I was house-sitting for this coming weekend. I drove out, met her and her dogs (she's got fish tanks and might want to do a Betta Sorority with my help!!) I was excited for the job and couldn't wait to help her out!
Around 5 in the evening my mother and her boyfriend and I were outside doing yard work and goofing off in general. I went to the shed to go see how the Kittens were doing since the Bee's had gone to sleep already. I looked into the cubby and caught my breath. They were gone.
My mom came in and gasp as well, Misha had followed us in and jumped up onto the ledge to look into the cubby and called out for her kittens. But they did not come out. We scoured the ground for animal prints but found none and then I told them about how I saw the gate had been opened in the morning.
"Surely a Raccoon could open the gate, but the lock is at the top, why not just jump over at that point? Why bother when there are plenty of compost piles out and other things to eat?" I asked as we stood around puzzled, Misha beginning to cry out for her beloved Kittens.
What else could open the lock? We all witnessed the gate being locked just the night previous. What else could open it but another human? Has someone stolen our kittens?! All of us furious, confused and pained, but none more than Misha.
Who knew of the kittens as well as where we live? None of my friends knew my address but the few close ones and they would never do such a thing! What point is there in taking three week old kittens who aren't even weaned off their mother yet? It's more work than would happen if you would just wait!
Misha stayed by our side the entire night we were out. We went down to our pond and fed the goldfish, she never went more than eight feet away from us, soon her interest piqued in the golden fish. I would have sworn that she almost jumped in to catch one, but luckily for her, she didn't. She meowed up at us asking, "Do you know where my Kittens are?"
Searching around, we looked in all the places around the yard that would be suitable for kittens but we found no signs, not one single sign. Who or what would take our kittens? Misha had no signs of battle wounds on her and we would have surely woken up to kitten and cat screams had an animal come in the night to take them.
But if no animal and no human took them, why was Misha so sad? She would sit in front of the shed the rest of the day, meowing out loudly for her kittens but they would not come.
So now, today, I had to tell my three friends; Allison, Marissa and Naomi that their Kittens would not be coming home. I feel terrible and drained knowing that I promised them something so special and now they too feel the pain of loss. I didn't know how to start off but I eventually concluded my story, much less elaborate than this, but all the same. Allison understood completely and sent her condolences to myself and Misha. I felt terrible as she told me that she had already begun collecting toys and things for her new White Kitten. But nevertheless she understood and said that it was alright.
I wish for all, that I had just taken the Kittens into the basement myself against my mother's orders, although she would have not cared too much once I already did the work for her. But it's gone now and so are they. And now I see everyone else getting new kittens and I just really don't know what to do with myself, I've literally never felt this bad before, like I'm letting all these people down! I know things happen, I've seen it happen before!
I was raised on a chicken and cow farm, I know wild animals come around and I know they are hungry and just feeding their families! But why, of all things, why did it have to be the kittens?
At any rate, I would like to conclude with the pictures I took, tracking their progress.
Mama Kitty Prior to giving birth: