Sunday, May 27, 2012

OMG!!! KITTENS!!!!!!!!

I hope everyone is having a nice Memorial Day weekend.  It is quite eventful here on the farm.
Look!!!


Five kittens!

Here is the story...We are animal lovers and rescuers, and around about January this skin and bones young black cat appeared in the barn.  He was SO wild, we have spent months trying everything we could think of to catch this feral cat to have him neutered.  So we fed him, and he hung around.  All the wild cats that appear around here have always been males, as they are wandering.   Anyway, about mid April he finally began putting on weight, then disappeared for a day and returned all thin and sleek again!!
Haha, the joke's on us, she  showed us way up high behind a barn beam where she had her kittens  by deliberately walking to it right in front of me.  We never would hear anything up there, and we worried that maybe the raccoons got them.  Yesterday I went out to feed the horses, and there were 4 kittens!  She had brought them down from up high.

So now that they have actually been born, it is my responsibility to keep them from being eaten !  So I set up a large dog cage in the barn with bedding in it, put the kittens in, then sat ALL Afternoon in the heat about 4 feet away from the cage.  The mother FINALLY went in to nurse, and BAM, I kicked the door shut!  Success, finally!!!  We carried the entire cage inside and up to a spare bedroom.  What a relief...all is well.

Then yesterday morning (the next day) I went out to feed the horses again, and there was another kitten crying his eyes out!  We missed one!  I would have thought the mother would have known one was missing, but I guess she can't count.  This little kitten survived almost 24 hrs in the heat, without nursing, and with raccoons coming  around at night!  I brought him right in to nurse, and I think it spent hours nursing...all is well now and I can't even tell which of the two black ones it is.  There are two black, two torties, and one calico.

Now here is something else interesting.  While I was waiting out the mother the other day to get in the cage, I talked and talked to her, and told her that I wasn't going to hurt her, that life would be so much better for her and her babies, never hungry, never cold.  Then after I finally caught her in the cage, she just immediately calmed down, almost like had understood me.  This wild, feral cat now lets me pet and stroke her, and hold her babies,  and I think knows that all is safe now.

All five kittens are already spoken for, we have lots of animal lover friends!  They will all be neutered and have their shots, and live a nice life!

Sorry to ramble on so, but this has been quite exciting here, and such a relief to know that everyone is safe now.

Melinda

10 comments:

  1. That is so exciting and more so because the 5th one wasn't left behind, and also that they've all been spoken for. They look adorable.

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  2. YAY!! Adorable. Wonderful story and glad they all have homes. Thank you for taking all the time and effort to make sure they are safe. And of course, we expect more pictures will be coming!

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  3. What fun! They are sweet. I love the story of you calming down Mama Cat.
    Hugs,
    Courtney

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  4. Oh that is just so cool! Good for you for managing to catch the family and keep those kittens safe! So exciting! And they are soooooo cute!!!!

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  5. What a great story! So happy it ended well with all the kittens and mama cat safe.
    Robyn

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  6. Melinda ~
    I love a happy ending and this is such a great story. How wonderful they are being well taken card of and will all have furever homes.
    Thank you!
    Happy Memorial Day.
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  7. hi,Melinda they are precious~I favor the calico's~ so glad you found them homes & that Mamma tamed down~
    smiles
    Teresa

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  8. What a wonderful story!!! Thanks for sharing it with us. That is so smart, holding the babies hostage:) What a miracle the last baby survived. How special. Good job for rescuing the kitties.
    -Steph-

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  9. Hugs to you for catching the mom and taking in the babies! SO glad they will all be Spayed and Neutered and will have happy homes! ♥

    Carmen and the Primcats

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  10. I love this story ... Thanks so much for sharing and your sweet gentle kindness to our furry critters.
    Peace,
    Barb

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