First, a couple of photos from yesterday evening.

It kept raining off and on yesterday, so it was a little damp when I came out to do my evening rounds, starting with putting food out for the yard cats first. One of the things I do it toss a handful into the two lower shelves of the shelf shelter.

When I put some in the bottom shelf, I hear scrabbling and growling noises! Beep Beep Baby prefers to eat in that bottom shelf, so she started to go for the food, only to be chased away by hissing, snarling and more scrabbling! She tried again, but got chased off again.

The noise was coming from one side where there is a cardboard box, and I just couldn’t see anything. So I stuck my phone in and got this picture.

It was a very terrified kitten!

Also, that box is falling apart completely. 😄

As I distracted the cats away by filling the kibble trays, I could eventually see the kitten through the opening, in the corner where there is a crocheted cat bed.

I am pretty sure this kitten is one of the litter of six that live in the board pile beside the spruce grove, where I spotted these two.

I was able to move a bit closer to get the photo, but I didn’t want to scare them away and didn’t push my luck. In the past, I would put trays of kibble for any kittens in this wood pile, but I’m seeing them by the kibble house so often, I’m leaving things be. Hopefully, they will start hanging out in the sun room with the other kittens.

Today has been another day of on and off rain., and I believe all last night, too. When I came out to feed the cats, I was met with a sad sight. A very wet, very dead kitten in the grass in front of the sun room. There was nothing visible to show why it died. Given its bedraggled fur, I think this is another one that died somewhere else and was brought close to the house.

It is now buried with Keith and the dead kitten that had been brought into the sun room some weeks ago.

This has been quite the year for kitten losses. I’ve no doubt we’ve had as many in previous years. It’s just that this is the first year we’ve actually been finding their remains, or having them brought to us.

At least we have some successes, like the kitten that got adopted when we brought it to the vet. It all sort of balances out.

The Re-Farmer