The kittens now eagerly await for the sun room door to be opened from the outside. When it opens, they just EXPLODE outside and start running around and exploring.
This little guy was investigating the garden hose. :-D
I also wanted to share this picture I got last night.
Guildenstern, in her favourite spot. So regal! Like a forest queen. :-)
Posting might be a bit light over the next while, as we will be having a dear friend stay with us. I pick her up at the airport tomorrow, and we can hardly wait!
While the kitties were out and about yesterday, they were not about to turn down the comforts of a mom!
Beep Beep lay down and was immediately accosted. :-D
One of the aunties came by for food and was thoroughly confused by the mass of kittens, everywhere.
She kept going back and forth, moving away from one group of kittens, only to be blocked by another, and another. It was so funny to see!
This morning, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were slightly more relaxed about it. :-D
Now, it’s time to paint gate posts again, before it gets too hot. I decided to give them 24 hours to cure before a second coat, instead of doing it last night, just to be on the safe side!
The barrier in the sun room door could no longer keep the kittens in.
Once a couple of kittens discovered they could not get past the box flaps that had been in their way when we used them to increase the height of the barricade, there was no stopping them.
So we took out the box and moved the barricade enough for them to leave without having to jump (and potentially hurt themselves).
Soon, they were all over the place in the area in front of, and around, the sun room.
Butterscotch even started calling some of them to follow her! The ones that started to, soon doubled back to the house.
After a while, I took Dave and Keith over to the little bowls where I have been leaving food for their mom and sibling. She and her baby were in the old barrel planter, half hidden in the bushes. I saw her baby disappear, but she was watching me closely.
It took a little while, but she came to check things out, skirting around the other side of the lilacs from me, and soon she was reunited with her babies.
She eventually lead them to the barrel planter (she loves to lounge in there) and the last I saw, they were still together, and very excited to be reunited. I expect their sibling to join them, too.
I’m not sure how this will work out at night. Dave and Keith love their people attention, have two other moms they’ve gotten used to, and 8 cousins to play with. I’m hoping their comfort around us will help us to socialize their sibling and their mom.
We still plan to bring Dave indoors permanently, and will continue to wash his eyes regularly, but I’m glad they’ll get to spend time with their mom and sibling again. I had hoped she would come into the sun room to see them, but she is just too shy, and had another baby to care for.
Letting the kittens out is a risk for them, but the sun room has been their home for so long, with toys, food, water and soft beds to sleep on, so I do expect them to keep coming back. We will just have to be more careful about counting them when we close things up at night.
I finally got a decent picture of the kitten we didn’t catch.
And even some video!
What a little cutie! I love that dramatic “eye liner”. Just like his mom!
I had been putting food in a bowl on the junk pile, but this morning I brought extra and put it on the ground, instead. They seem to prefer that.
As for the one (or more?) in the pump shack, I heard rustling when I brought in food and water (actually, another ice balloon), but didn’t see anything else.
When we decided to move out here and take care of the farm for my mother, we had some ideas of what to expect, and what we might do in the future.
We were not naive about it, though, and knew that things would have to change with circumstances.
One thing I did not even think of at all.
That we might become a cat sanctuary.
Now, this isn’t all that unusual. Every now and then, I’ll read something in one of the local papers, or see a news clip someone shared on Facebook, about farmers and the 40 or so barn cats that they take care of. Along with their cows and goats and chickens or whatever.
We don’t have barn cats. The house came with yard cats. My dad loved them, and taking care of them was just a given.
The Re-Farmer 