Well, I called it last night. I just didn’t think it would happen quite so quickly.
While in the sun room, just starting to put food out for the yard cats, I could just see a kitten that wasn’t moving. In the new cat cave, of all places!
I had to finish getting all the food out before I could do anything about it. By the time I came back, some of the littles were done eating and actually back in the cat cave. They didn’t even run away when I reached in to get the one I’d spotted. It turned out to be a white and grey, and one that I’d noticed was having runny poops. I hadn’t thought it was that sick, though! It is now buried near one of the rhubarb patches.
While topping up the water bowls, I had to chase a skunk away from the shrine feeding station. The kittens that were there had run up one of the willows when the skunk came over. After I chased the skunk away, I had this little guy starting down at me!
Colby is such a handsome one! He’s the bravest of the litter and the one I think most likely to get socialized, but today, he was having none of it. I did try to come closer after taking the picture, and he wouldn’t allow it.
When bringing food to the bowl in the isolation shelter, I have been regularly finding the cat bed in there full of kittens. Unfortunately, they all run off when I open the window to reach the food bowl. They seem to all be from a litter (or two?) that showed up in the junk pile on the other side of the fence, behind the shrine feeding station. I’m glad they’re moving into the isolation shelter, though I do wish they wouldn’t panic and run away when I bring food!
I did manage to get this picture, after doing the evening feeding, zooming in from quite a distance.
As you can see, they were still watching me closely! Well, except that little black and white one. I think that one is from another litter. I think it also does come into the sun room, but there are two or three mostly black kittens, so it’s hard to tell at times!
Hopefully, these ones will start coming to the house soon, too.
As for the ones I regularly see in the sun room, we’ve been able to pet and even pick up a few of the mostly white ones. The one with the sticky eyes had stuck eyes again this morning, so I was able to bring it into the bathroom for an eye wash. There’s a tabby with white that also has messy eyes, though not stuck shut. I can’t get anywhere near it.
I did pick up some squeeze treats to hopefully use to lure in the shier kittens, but I’m not sure how to do that, without the socialized adult cats pushing their way to the treats, instead. Some have no issues with bullying the littles!
I still don’t know how many kittens there are, and I still get the sense that some are “missing”. I just have no way to tell if they’re gone, gone, or just happen to not be around when I’m looking. Some of the kittens that have settled into the sun room, or under the cat house, have figured out those noises they hear from the old kitchen means that food is on its way, so I do see quite a few as soon as I open the door!
Gotta watch my step going out, that’s for sure!
The Re-Farmer
The Re-Farmer 