It was still nice and cool when I headed out this morning. It’s been really humid lately, though, which means everything is completely soaked with dew.

Including…

… poor Ghost Baby!

I don’t know where her “nest” is, other than somewhere in the outer yard. Wherever it is, she clearly goes through a lot of tall – and wet! – grass to get to the kibble. She looked so miserable, too, and was hissing at me or any cat that came close.

Most of them were content to give her a wide berth.

Shortly after, I spotted Rosencrantz with the newest kitties under the shrine – which confirms for me that this is, indeed, her second litter. The mostly white ones were with her, but I spotted some movement and waited until the dark one came out. Unfortunately, with its siblings climbing right into the kibble bowl, he couldn’t get at the food! Then he saw me and ran off. So I got another scoop of kibble and spread little piles around the shrine platform.

Now that I have a better look at the dark kitten, I have to wonder. What would you call a cat with a pattern like that? Is this a tortoise shell? Do they normally have grey? There is orange on its face, but I can’t see orange anywhere else. Any ideas?

Later, I heard some distressed meowing and went to check. For a moment, I thought one of the white and grey kittens had got its foot caught in the rotten wood of the platform. It wasn’t, but I did see a third grey and white kitten, running away from the shrine and through the chain link fence! Which makes this a litter of five.

I also spotted the older grey and white kitten that looks so much like Junk Pile, but isn’t hers. It comes here alone, and I’ve yet to see it with any of the adults. I think I saw another older “stranger” coming through, but couldn’t be sure.

The main thing is that they are learning that the house is a safe and reliable place to get food and water. Come winter time, they’ll be more willing to discover and enjoy the heated cat house.

And winter is not that far off. September is just around the corner!

The Re-Farmer