I headed out this morning to do my rounds, starting with feeding the outside cats, as usual. I managed to do a head count and got 26! That included several adults, including Rolando Moon, Rosencrantz, Caramel, Broccoli and Junk Pile (I think!). I also spotted one of the younger kittens that I think are Caramel’s, that has the distinctive Beep Beep orange splotch on the forehead. 😄

When I was finished my founds, I stayed to pet as many kittens as I could. One of the little white and grey ones now allows me to pet it, though it has the most startled expression when I do!

While moving around the cat house to reach different kittens on the roof, I suddenly realized I was being watched.

From inside the cat house.

By tiny blue eyes.

You could have knocked me over with a feather. Yes! The last bitty baby is back in the cat house!

I suddenly couldn’t remember if I’d put kibble inside the entry. I usually do, but I was drawing a blank, so I went and got a scoop, just in case, and carefully poured it in. I could hear the very familiar spitting and hissing in response.

I hung around to watch and after a while, I could see a single paw grabbing one of the strips of carpet that serves as a door to the entry. After a while, I decided to try and pick it up – and found it had climbed the carpet strips almost to the top of the entry! It exploded with hisses and spitting as I picked it up and held it. Several kittens on the roof came running and started sniffing it, which seemed to calm it down.

As far as I can tell, it is in good shape. The eyes are clear and look like they are starting to change colour, but still very blue. It doesn’t seem to be hungry or dehydrated. It does not seem to be any bigger, though.

When I couldn’t find it the night I found its two surviving siblings in the middle of nowhere (and a dead one in the cat house that same morning), I was convinced I would never see it again. To find it back in the cat house just blows me away!

We still don’t know who the mama is, but she’s been dragging those kittens all over the place. I’m hoping, now that there is just one for her to take care of, it will have a better chance of surviving. I don’t want to take it from its mother, and inside the cat house is the safest place for it to be.

Now, if the mama will just stop taking it away, we can help her take care of it!

The Re-Farmer