One summer, a few years ago, people driving along our sideroad would catch glimpses of kittens running off into the bush as they drove by. It became apparent that someone had dumped a mother cat and her brood of little kittens off at the side of the road and deserted them. The spot was about a kilometer from our home, and it took several weeks, but eventually that cat and her surviving kittens traversed the fields and forests and arrived at our property. The cat probably settled on our place because, unlike most rural people, we didn’t have a dog. That was how Momcat became a part of our lives. We were able to catch her kittens, but Momcat had become both wary and wily, and several more summers went by before we were able to catch her. Each summer brought new kittens as well. Momcat was a terrific mother. Chipmunk was her favorite baby food, and she decimated the chipmunk population for a while. Finally, we were able to coax her into the house. Here is her last litter:
The whole kitten caboodle
Four of these kittens found homes with the help of a cat rescue organization, aptly named Abandoned Cats Rescue, and the PetSmart adoption program.
Two of them went home with Themarvelousinnature. Here are Oliver and Merlin:
Merlin and Oliver
Two kittens from a previous litter found a home with Ponygirl. Here are Tibby-Tabby and Maverick:
Maverick and Tibby-Tabby, birdwatching.
When Momcat’s last litter was weaned, Momcat visited the vet and was spayed. She moved with us to Willow House, where she has taken over the cat-house-on-stilts and peacefully whiles away many days gazing out the window from its roof. She only rarely allows herself to be petted. On those occasions, she stands just at the limit of hand-reach, apparently saying “I want to be petted, but don’t touch me!”. She seems to be enjoying something of a second kittenhood, and has playful moments as exhibited in this shot of her playing with the dangly toy on her house. On the whole, she seems very content with her new, carefree life as an indoor cat.
Willow House Chronicles 