I did a head count while feeding the yard cats this morning. It is, of course, always hard to keep track while counting, because they move around so much, but they were more cooperative than usual this morning.

Thirty two.

Thirty. Two.

Including the bitty baby and a buddy inside the cats’ house.

Among the adults, there was Rosencrantz, Rolando Moon, Junk Pile, Broccoli and Caramel. Later on, I saw Shop Towel (formerly known as Sad Face), the obvious father of all the white and grey kittens. We’ve also seen The Distinguished Guest in the last couple of weeks, though I haven’t seen him yet, today. I do wish our own adult males would show up, instead of the visiting toms. Anyhow. When it was feeding time, I had 32 of them, all at once.

They were also very happy with a top up of warm water!

Not only was there no kibble left in the trays when I came out this morning, but three of the water bowls were empty, and the fourth one had ice. Things are still mild enough that I could use the hose to fill them, but I think they are really appreciating the warm water.

I’m really hoping the lysine starts to help soon. The powder that came in yesterday coats the kibble a lot better than the crushed tablets did. I was able to catch and cuddle the bitty baby this morning – he (she?) made only a half hearted attempt to run away, and once I was holding him, settled right into my hands. His inner eyelids are so very red right now. His eyes actually look fairly clear, but the redness and swelling looks just awful! Some of the other cats are pretty much clear of gooby eyes, while others are still looking icky. A few are still coughing and sneezing, but for the most part, they are all improving. The bitty baby is the only one that’s been getting worse, but he didn’t start showing signs of problems until very recently.

Today is supposed to be a chilly day, then a bit warmer tomorrow, so I’ve decided I’ll be staying inside. Aside from the chill, my pain levels are high this morning. The fridge freezer is getting too full of chicken and turkey bones, so I will free up some space and make some stock out of them. That’s going to take a while, so I’d better get started!

The Re-Farmer