When I first found this litter of 7 feral kittens, I wasn’t certain what the end would be. I wanted to make sure they and Mama were fed until they were big enough to be neutered/spayed to reduce the overpopulation of feral cats in our area. Once fixed, would they return to their parents’ colony, or would they live in my backyard? I definitely wanted to get Mama spayed. It would be nice if she wanted to stay around for the food I provided. She and I had some good talks at feeding time.
The litter had two distinct coloring patterns: three were mostly black, three were mixed-colored and predominantly brown, and one was brown. Over time, I named each one.
Mama
Alpha – it was the largest, totally black with a small white spot under its chin.
Goofy – it was almost as large as Alpha, black with white feet. It followed Alpha’s lead. Many times, it wouldn’t start eating with the others; instead, it would jump around and play.
Tiny – one of the runts, black with a white nose and feet
Brownie – predominantly brown
TC – mixed colored and tended to chase tails, mostly its own
Other – the other mixed colored cat
Einstein – the other runt, mixed-colored, with a distinctive brown striped nose. When I arrived with food, it was the first to pop out from its hiding spot to look around.
I’ve never handled any of the kittens, so I don’t know each’s sex. Thus, I use the pronoun it.
I first saw the litter on August 15 when coming back from my morning run. A ball of fur sat on my front walk next to my deck. Soon, I realized it was three kittens, probably Tiny, who was quivering, Goofy, and TC. Their eyes were open and moved well enough to hide under my bushes. I assumed they were about 3 weeks old, which put their birth date at July 25.
Over the following days, I saw Mama roaming behind my house but saw no kittens. I left out some food on my back patio, and it was gone the next morning.
On August 24, I saw Mama next to my neighbor’s garage with a kitten nearby and found the litter.
On August 25, Animal Control came out and looked at the litter. The kittens looked healthy and were 4 to 5 weeks old. Mama was a little skinny.
On the morning of August 26, the lawn service company mowed my neighbor’s yard and ran over the food bowl I had left out. I was surprised that the kittens were eating solid food the night before. When I returned from a run, the kittens were no longer between the shed and garage. I wasn’t sure where Mama moved them.
Later they were gone again; I looked over the fence and saw them in the shed on the other side.
They came out through the hole under the fence, and I left their food and water close by.
Over time, I moved their food farther and farther from the fence, trying to get them into my backyard. Mama would sit on the roof shed behind the fence. When she saw me open my door in the morning, she would come over to be fed. That was the first sound that I heard from her. We had nice conversations. Over time, she would come up to the top back step while I was preparing food. However, she never let me get close enough to touch her.
On September 15, I see Alpha and Goofy in my backyard with Mama. They discover a safe spot under my shed. I stop putting food in my neighbor’s yard. By the next morning, Brownie, Other, and TC have made the journey. I try to convince Tiny and Einstein to move, since I no longer leave them food. At dinner, I talk to them again but can’t get close enough to pick them up. I give in and leave a bowl of kibble, which they devour. Within a few minutes, Mama walks toward them, and they run into the yard and begin nursing. Mama gets up and starts walking toward my yard with Tiny still attached.
On September 28, in the morning, I saw Mama, Alpha, and Goofy in the next yard. I fed the four remaining kittens before taking TC to get fixed. Mama, Alpha, and Goofy came back to eat. At dinner, it was the first time the kittens ate four plates of food, all under the drop trap. The vet kept TC and my transfer cage overnight. Even if I trapped Mama, I had no way to hold and transport her.
Here is the link to my YouTube channel with videos and shorts.
Kincheloe Vet helped me place TC and Einstein at a rescue, Purrs and Whiskers in Stafford.