Kittens are being born as I type this. I am sure millions of kittens are being born around the world at this moment, but from my perspective, one of the neighbors barn cats is having kittens in my kitchen.
I am a sucker. I have taken in many animals over the years. I think I have a blinking sign on my door that says, "animal sucker lives here".
I have been feeding a feral cat for about three years. This is not the cat kittening in my kitchen. But, when you put food and water out daily, especially during brutal Maine winters when the neighbor's barn cats have to travel all the way to the stream for a drink, this place becomes a halfway house.
This particular queen adopted us back in December. Her current round of kittens started joining her, as well as a local tom and at least one of her elder brood. I was pissed since I had at least 7 cats coming around on a daily basis.
I texted the neighbor several times asking if they were feeding or if they were having trouble feeding.
Finally I started letting one of my own out, and he prompyly drove most of the miscreants back where they belonged. (he was also a salvaged stray several winters ago)
But not the queen. Since Willow has returned from college, the Queen had been getting rounder and rounder. I tried in avail to send her back-she lounged on the deck until well past dark, but would show up in the late mornings, clearly preferring our hospitality.
She attempted to dart in the house on several occasions, my daughter being quite vocal in not allowing her entrance. She has been getting rounder and more determined. This morning she darted in the door first thing, then put herself in front of wheelbarrow as I was moving mulch. I tried three times to chase her off. I cleaned out the old rabbit hutch and put a box with towels in there.
The signs were not to be ignored. She was having kittens tonight, and it was like the 17th century revisited, turning away a young woman in labor onto the streets, shutting the door and turning out the lights. Heck, she might as well have been Mary giving birth to Jesus and being told to have her litter in the manger.
So, I finally succumbed, and dragged out a pet kennel from under the house, and scrubbed it and fitted it out for kitty labor. We brought her in, imminent, and so far she has delivered two, a tabby and an orange. The latter rolled out of reach, and the Willow, an experienced cat midwife, moved it back to Mom.
Willow then, a little while later, rescued the apparently deceased kitten from underneath Mom. Head rolling, limbs outstretched, kitten looked deceased. She was giving it light strokes on the chest and I said, "breathe into it" which she did, and a few seconds later the kitten revived.
Back with Mom, a couple more interventions to get it latched on-we have both bet that the end total will be four, but time will tell.
The end plan? In a week or so to take Mom and kittens to the shelter (an over an hour drive away). We have been through this before, and I swore then it was the last pregnant female I would take in. All the kittens and Mom were adopted.
The neighbor? Maine law says if you feed an animals for 2 weeks you own it, and I have several texts to prove I asked her to take care of it. Not only that, but she told me two years ago animal control had offered to spay and neuter and release all her barn cats, but "she hadn't had time" to address it.
She also thinks indiscriminate breeding is fine, so to hell with her.
I am a sucker. I have taken in many animals over the years. I think I have a blinking sign on my door that says, "animal sucker lives here".
I have been feeding a feral cat for about three years. This is not the cat kittening in my kitchen. But, when you put food and water out daily, especially during brutal Maine winters when the neighbor's barn cats have to travel all the way to the stream for a drink, this place becomes a halfway house.
This particular queen adopted us back in December. Her current round of kittens started joining her, as well as a local tom and at least one of her elder brood. I was pissed since I had at least 7 cats coming around on a daily basis.
I texted the neighbor several times asking if they were feeding or if they were having trouble feeding.
Finally I started letting one of my own out, and he prompyly drove most of the miscreants back where they belonged. (he was also a salvaged stray several winters ago)
But not the queen. Since Willow has returned from college, the Queen had been getting rounder and rounder. I tried in avail to send her back-she lounged on the deck until well past dark, but would show up in the late mornings, clearly preferring our hospitality.
She attempted to dart in the house on several occasions, my daughter being quite vocal in not allowing her entrance. She has been getting rounder and more determined. This morning she darted in the door first thing, then put herself in front of wheelbarrow as I was moving mulch. I tried three times to chase her off. I cleaned out the old rabbit hutch and put a box with towels in there.
The signs were not to be ignored. She was having kittens tonight, and it was like the 17th century revisited, turning away a young woman in labor onto the streets, shutting the door and turning out the lights. Heck, she might as well have been Mary giving birth to Jesus and being told to have her litter in the manger.
So, I finally succumbed, and dragged out a pet kennel from under the house, and scrubbed it and fitted it out for kitty labor. We brought her in, imminent, and so far she has delivered two, a tabby and an orange. The latter rolled out of reach, and the Willow, an experienced cat midwife, moved it back to Mom.
Willow then, a little while later, rescued the apparently deceased kitten from underneath Mom. Head rolling, limbs outstretched, kitten looked deceased. She was giving it light strokes on the chest and I said, "breathe into it" which she did, and a few seconds later the kitten revived.
Back with Mom, a couple more interventions to get it latched on-we have both bet that the end total will be four, but time will tell.
The end plan? In a week or so to take Mom and kittens to the shelter (an over an hour drive away). We have been through this before, and I swore then it was the last pregnant female I would take in. All the kittens and Mom were adopted.
The neighbor? Maine law says if you feed an animals for 2 weeks you own it, and I have several texts to prove I asked her to take care of it. Not only that, but she told me two years ago animal control had offered to spay and neuter and release all her barn cats, but "she hadn't had time" to address it.
She also thinks indiscriminate breeding is fine, so to hell with her.
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