There are actually six kittens in this photo. There’s the four in the kibble house, Junk Pile Jr at the other kibble tray outside the kibble out, and there’s a grey tabby behind her. You can just barely see the top of it’s back.
Nosencrantz actually stayed in the kibble house with her cousins, while Toesencrantz and her mother used their own private dining area under the shrine. Potato Beetle as hanging out as well, though he walked out of frame as I was taking this picture. 😀 I also saw flashes of the other three kittens, wanting to come and eat, but still too nervous with me around. The little tuxedo actually stayed close, and didn’t even leave the kibble house when I went around the other side to fill the kibble tray on the ground. 🙂
I was able to get a whole bunch of kitten pictures this evening.
Only three of Butterscotch’s 4 kittens were visible while I was nearby.
Butterscotch’s expression is just too funny. 😀
I’ve been slowly trying to lure the kittens closer, so I can finally touch them, but it’s a little more difficult while sitting in a chair. My younger daughter can sit on the ground, and she has been able to get some of them to come close enough to touch. 🙂
That stripe on the calico’s nose is just hilarious! 😀
This little lady almost came close though to touch. 😀
Later on, I spotted one of Rosencrantz’s babies, taking a drink, so I move a camp chair near their food and water bowls, too.
This one’s face bears a strong resemblance to Nicky the Nose. Particularly that tragic expression!
Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is another spawn of Nicky the Nose! 😀
The little orange one is quite a bit shier than its sibling. Rosencrantz, at least, is tolerant, if not friendly, and will once in a while let me pet her.
I’ve seen Junk Pile cat around today, but no sign of her two kittens. I do hope she brings them around again!
When things started cooling down, I headed outside and checked on the old kitchen garden. I started to pull out some weeds I missed this morning, when I heard a noise.
I had startled Junk Pile cat, who was lying on the beets by the retaining wall.
She wasn’t alone!
What a cutie!!
I saw another one dash around the tree, so I started carefully moving around to the side of the garden…
Only to startle more critters.
I certainly wasn’t going to begrudge the skunks a drink of water, so I let them be (the water bottles had been frozen, earlier) and kept moving slowly though the side of the garden.
This confused the skunks, as usually we never go between them and the storage house. We usually go to the other side and use the hose to chase them that way, instead.
This baby was so confused, it started to follow me! 😀
On the far side of the retaining wall, I found the kitten.
It just froze there, watching me.
The other one came bounding over, playing in the mosquito netting, until it realized I was there, then it ran off into the maple grove. The first one stayed frozen for a while longer before it ran off.
I am so glad Junk Pile finally brought her kittens over! From how many teats I could see were in use, I had thought she had more. I don’t know if these are the only ones that were brave enough to follow her, or if they are the only survivors left.
As I headed around the kibble house – which got its second coat of paint yesterday – I spotted Rosencrantz’s babies.
This little one was hiding behind the pedestal, watching me, before coming out for a drink.
It’s sibling was watching me, too, while lounging on some scrap carpet in the junk pile.
I had been wondering how the kittens were getting through the fence. The ground rises slightly here and, between that and the junk, there is no gap at the bottom. This morning, I saw how. They are still small enough to fit through the chain link… but just barely! Pretty soon, they’ll have to go around to another part of the fence, where there is a gap underneath, to get through.
So that’s three litters of kittens we’ve seen now. Butterscotch and her four, and Rosencrantz and Junk Pile’s, with two each. That leaves Ghost Baby, assuming Ghost Baby is actually female and has a litter. We still don’t know, but are kind of assuming.
Hopefully, we will be able to socialize some of them, but if they just become comfortable enough to come to the house for food and water, I will be happy.
While heading out to start the evening watering, I spotted Butterscotch’s babies coming out to play.
Or should I say, my daughter spotted them. I’d gone out to help my mother with errands, then did a few of my own, so I pulled up to the house to unload the car. My daughter later parked it for me, and spotted them while returning to the house. She plunked herself down on the ground with a long stick to wiggle at them, and they were very interested! 😀 Not enough to come close, though, but she’s working on it!
While we were finishing up the evening watering, I happened to see movement in the junk pile by the chain link fence.
Rosencrantz had brought her babies!
I didn’t dare get too close, so zooming in with my phone was the best I could do.
It looks like she only has the two of them. They are so adorable! I don’t know where she has her “nest”, other than it was not in the junk pile, so I am glad that she is starting to bring them closer to the house.
So this is now two litters accounted for. I know Junk Pile cat has had a litter, and from the looks of her teats, I’d say she has a litter of six. Until she starts bringing them to the yard, we won’t know if she has six surviving kittens. There’s also Ghost Baby, who is too feral for us to even know if she’s female. We’re just assuming she is, and that there is another litter somewhere for us to discover.
Last night, I came out of the house to find I had an audience, watching me. 🙂
Very attentively!
When I came out this morning to refill their food containers, Braveheart came running right up to me – but not enough to let me pet her! 😀
Her brother, on the other hand, actually let me pet him!
His fur is soooo soft. 😀
Now, it would be because I had the scoop of food in my hands, and had just added some to the container – he was far more interested in the food than in me! When he did finally seem to notice I was petting him, he sort of moved away, but then went right back and let me pet him some more.
I honestly expected this level of progress with Braveheart, not Tabby!
While I was working in the yard during the day, I saw Butterscotch, but not her kittens. So it was a lovely surprise when I was doing my rounds in the evening, and saw what turned out to be the little calico.
On the landing in front of the main entrance!
Unfortunately, I startled her away, but this is the first time I’ve seen the little kittens on that side of the house. Of course, I had to go and check, making sure to quietly go around the other side, and sure enough, Butterscotch had finally brought her kittens to the food and water bowls by the sun room!
Two of them hung around while I was there, including Creamsicle Jr. who made his way up one of the ornamental apple trees.
Best of all was seeing this…
The little kittens, playing with the big kittens!
This is very encouraging. I hope they discover the cat house and find it a nice, warm, soft place to spend the nights in. They were already playing around and under it! 🙂
I was able to spend some time, yesterday evening, working on socializing Junk Pile’s kittens.
Well. Two of them.
The mystery kitten watched from a distance, clearly curious, but would not come anywhere near us.
Little Braveheart – my daughters call her Tissue, because when she runs across the yard, she looks like a tissue blowing in the wind! – even snuffled and batted at my fingers a bit.
I wasn’t able to get photos, since my hands were occupied, but Tabby not only snuffled my fingers, but tried to eat them! I did wash my hands after being in the kitchen, but I guess they still smelled of food. 😀
I so want to snuggle these two!
Okay. Let’s be honest. I want to snuggle all of the kittens. 😀
I was very happy to see Butterscotch’s babies this morning. I didn’t see them at all, yesterday, and even their food bowl was only being pecked at by the blue jays!
When I saw them by the house, I made a point of staying to play with them. Much to my surprise and delight, Creamsicle Jr. was the one to join me!
It’s hard to tell, as they are not very co-operative, but it looks like Creamsicle Jr. is male. He was willing to play on my feet, but would not let me touch him!
The calico made a slight attempt at playing, but was not willing to come too close. She does like to climb the lilac bushes, though! I am pretty sure she is female.
Of the two orange tabbies, I could only get pictures of this one – the other kept itself hidden away! This guy (and I’m pretty sure this one is male) is more willing to let me touch and pet him – or support his butt when he started to slide off my knee! – before running off. He comes right back to play, though. As for the other orange tabby, I suspect it is female, but she would not come anywhere near me today!
Today is working out to be a very windy day. There is a thunderstorm predicted for early this evening, but from the looks of the weather radar, I expect it to miss us. We should still be able to get the rest of the grape hyacinth bulbs planted today. 🙂 Where we are putting them is a bit more sheltered from the wind.
The Re-Farmer 