This is what greeted me out the window, when I headed into the kitchen this morning.
The girls and I headed into town today, and as we came out to go to the van, we found Jim up there, watching. :-D
We had visitors this morning, too. The girls saw Dad Cat, a grey and white, at the food bowls. Out my office window, I spotted another, almost completely grey, adult cat running off. As we were leaving, we startled The Outsider – which is what the girls call the all grey ball of fluff kitten that has been coming around – away from the food.
While we were out, my husband opened up the sun room for the cats and later found this.
Well, today was certainly a productive day outside!
I decided to see how much I could get done on the old kitchen garden today, and ended up finishing the job! So I’m happy. :-)
When I came out of the house, I startled cats in all directions, including that new grey ball of fluff. A few of them even hung around while I moved things around the garden to prepare.
We’ve spotted a couple of new cats lately. One, an adult grey and white, gets referred to as “dad cat”, because we’re guessing he might be the father of one of our litters.
Then there’s an all grey ball of fluff, about the same size as Corvo and Doom Guy. While my husband was in the sun room today, he left the door open and tempted some kittens in. This grey came by, but didn’t stay (though Dhoom Guy spent about an hour, curled up in his arms!).
I just went out to leave some roasting pan juices for the cats, startling kittens in all directions. As they came back to investigate the smells, I finally got to see the grey.
That’s the best photo I could get of him, though! :-D
We are wondering if these other cats are coming over from my brother’s place, as he has his own collection of outside cats, and his place is the closest with anyone living in it.
I hope we see more of them, wherever they come from. :-)
I had to make a quick trip into town this morning, and came home to DahBoy, waiting for me.
Okay, so maybe he was just watching the action outside, and not really waiting for me, but it’s cute, either way. :-D
Plans have been changed for the day. I’ve learned my mother is going to be released from hospital this afternoon. They were actually going to kick her out this morning, against doctor’s orders and before confirmation for home care, but my brother talked them into making it this afternoon, as was originally being discussed. I am waiting on my brother to let me know when they are leaving, so I can meet them at my mother’s and help out.
Which meant a planned trip into town this afternoon, to drop some stuff off at the lab for my husband, got done this morning, instead.
Home care for my mother won’t start until tomorrow, but thankfully, my older brother will be able to stay overnight with my mother and be available for her until then. If he hadn’t already worked that out, chances are I’d be doing it. Hopefully, if my mother does need help with stuff beyond home care, she’ll call me, at a 20 minute drive away, instead of my brother, who is about an hour and a half away!
I think she is going to be glad to be home, and away from the noise and bustle of the hospital.
The kittens have been tearing around all over the place!
Last night, I spent some time outside with them, tossing out cat treats in various directions. The tuxedo was once again the only kitten that would come near me, and even allowed me to pet him.
This afternoon, while heading out to go pick up some prescription refills, they heard as and all came out – even the ones that wouldn’t come near us. My husband has been putting food out for them in the mornings, but they didn’t all come out until later.
So of course, my daughter and I paused to say hello.
Beep Beep’s kittens now have names. Meet Doom Guy, the tuxedo.
Who loves my daughter’s new purse!
While we were out, we started to hear some plaintive meowing from… somewhere.
It turned out to be one of the inside cats, at the kitchen window.
Beep Beep’s tabby went to take a look. Meet Corvo (why yes, my daughters are gamers… why do you ask? LOL)
He had even stretched up, with his paws on the wall, trying to get closer to the window, but I wasn’t able to get a picture. Too cute!
Butterscotch, three of her babies, and Beep Beep, at the food bowls. The larger orange tabby made a showing, but I wasn’t able to get a picture of him.
Then, something amazing happened.
Doom Guy allowed my daughter to pick him up. He not only stayed (though he wasn’t quite sure how to handle being held) and let us pet him, but even started to purr!!
So awesome!
Just before we left, my daughter had to rescue her bag again. :-D
Well, okay. He’s not quite comfortable around us, yet. :-D
In other things; it had been my plan to work along the fence line today, but it was much chillier than I expected. So it was a morning to do some crochet. Later on, I’ll be making a big batch of chili in the crock pot, and setting some aside in jars for my mother, for when she comes home from the hospital. Between my siblings and I, she will hopefully not have to cook for quite some time, and can focus on recovery. Though there has been come discomfort for her, everything has been going very well with her. At the moment, she’s expected to come home on Saturday, and my older brother plans to stay with her for a few days, to help her out. We should know by then if she will need home care or not, too. I hope she does get it, just to make sure she doesn’t over do things too early. My family is notorious for ignoring pain or injury and pushing ourselves through it, even when we shouldn’t! :-D
It’s just one, so far; the tuxedo. My daughter tells me he let her pet him yesterday, too.
Progress!!! :-D
I was out for much of the morning, taking my mother to the hospital she will be going for surgery at, tomorrow, for her pre-op blood work. We took her car, since it’s easier to get in and out of for her. When we needed to replace our old van, I very specifically chose a vehicle that would meet my husband’s mobility needs, which are pretty much the opposite of my mothers. :-D The trip went really well, and we got back early enough that we could go to church together, too.
When I got home, I noticed branches in the yard, so after lunch I went out to pick them up.
I got distracted by a Beep Beep, who really wanted attention! So I sat on the side of the concrete landing at the door and started petting her. Her tuxedo kitten was out and, at first, he didn’t want to go near me. Then, much to my surprise, he came over to snuzzle his mom as I pet her – and let me pet him, too!
Then they both went behind my back and rolled around on the concrete. I reached around to pet Beep Beep, and a kitten head pushed itself under my hand! It was so awesome.
I tried reaching my phone over my shoulder to get some pictures of them behind my back and actually got a good one of the tuxedo. :-D
I’m hoping, as the other kittens see him enjoying human attention, they’ll relax and start letting us pet them, too.
The grey tabby, however, still won’t go near me. I moved to a chair we have by the sun room, and he wouldn’t even go past to get to the food bowls.
The teeny tabby used to come close and even let me touch, sometimes, but these days, he is acting more skittish for some reason. He will, at least, go past me to get to the food.
His big brother, on the other hand, almost did, but when he heard me shift on the chair, he ran off again.
He has such a lion-like appearance doesn’t he? :-D
I even caught a glimpse of one of the calicos, dashing away.
We were out for much of the day, from a quick run to pick up prescription refills and tank up, to a trip to the city. When we got back, we found the yard full of furballs, all over the place.
Beep Beep was right over, demanding attention, and Butterscotch came by, too. Then the kittens came out! They were in the flowers by the inner yard fence, climbing trees by the smaller people gate, rolling in the dust, climbing the Chinese elm outside the kitchen window, and just plain running around.
Only one of the calicos showed up, though. I haven’t seen the other one for some time.
Teeny tabby is easily the most rambunctious, bouncy ones of the two litters!
I saw out with some cat treats for a while, and Beep Beep was right in there, crawling around under my legs as I sat on the steps, and diving for my fingers.
For the other cats, I ended up just throwing treats in their general directions.
Cat treats do not throw well.
The kittens had a blast, but the tuxedo was the only one that would come near me. The teeny tabby played with the end of a stick for a bit, but that’s as close as he would get. There rest wouldn’t come closer. Not even for the treats I left on the corner of a step.
Ah, well. Hopefully, they’ll warm up to us, eventually!
An early night tonight, and an early morning. We need to leave by 4:30am to drive our guest to the airport in time.
It might be easier to just stay up all night, to be honest! :-D
Beep Beep and her Tuxedo were around the house yesterday evening, so I decided to get a bit more aggressive about this whole luring of kittens thing.
I brought out the cat nip and the cat treats.
They ignored the cat nip.
They went nuts over the cat treats! Beep Beep was after them to the point that she would eat what I gave her, then find the one I gave to her kitten and eat that one, before he even figured out where it was. She’d even push him away!
We have a house guest for the next while, and she and my daughter came out to help, and to play with the cats. By the time they came back in, Rolando Moon, Teeny Tabby, Butterscotch and one of the calicos made a showing, too.
We did actually get to pet the tuxedo. He’d jump a bit and look, but would quickly return to hunting treats. He’d even try and take them out of my hand, sometimes, but he was slower about it and his mother would usually push her way in and take it first, no matter how we tried to distract her with others, so on the ground they went.
While in the area, I paused to take a look at my mother’s white roses. They have the darkest rose hips! So deep a read, they are almost black.
