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CATS~ How did this happen to me?

Posted 08-29-2009 at 04:27 PM by Summering


So she came upon the scene this pretty smokey, grey colored cat. This is what happens when you live by a farm. People drive by...leave animals.
I tried not to feed her.....Golly gee, we go South every winter was my thought and I just can't have a cat!
Then she got pregnant by another stray...a huge, gigantic, black cat as large as a panther. I gave her some milk...and food. I gave in.........
She was a good Momma cat, but she hid her kittens well. They wouldn't be seen until 2 months later. All of a sudden four sets of ears were standing at the tree line looking down. Three black and one grey........What do we do now, I thought?

We fed them and thought out a plan for fixing and getting them shots.

One would lay up on the porch playing with a ball on the string....They would tackle each other and run around. The grey one would soon be gone upon our return that summer from vacation....
It was sad to count ears and not have his show up.
We had time to name the last three...
Buddy, Rascal and "big guy".......Rascal came up into the yard wailing and so I guessed something had happened to his pal.
Buddy and Rascal would pal up with our poodle....rubbing under his chin, going under him and purring as they rubbed along his sides.

Winter would come and we knew it was time for heading south. So we hired a Nanny for the feral cats and brought a ton of food....We gave them a home in the shed with blankets and a warm area.
Buddy having entered our home and making himself "at home" was the hardest to leave. I left so sad, and not liking the whole idea at all.

One cold winter night our daughter and her family decided that they needed hay. They brought hay and a dog house offered by the manager at a good price, and headed from NJ up on this blustery night to our PA home. They trudged up the mountain as the snow blocked their way....The dog house had to be taken apart to fit into the shed.
The hay and dog house were fixed inside. Our daughter fell coming back down...and the cell phone with me on it landed in the snow. " Hello, hello," I said, " are you ok....I think I am in the snow" I said..." You are! She wailed...."I fell and the phone went flying".....
They took this trip all for the love of pets, and for their concern......A long trip on a cold winters night. Bless them.
The Nanny continued to come each week and leave the food in the long term containers... Another daughter would make trips to the home too. Pulling the food up to the home on a sled. How precious my family is to me...!
So we finally return....The cats slowly come out and we count each one.......
Momma, Big Guy, Rascal........no Buddy.
Buddy left us that winter. We choose to think he walked himself to another home, making friends with another dog.
Buddy needed a good home.....We just were not here long enough to find him one.
We got them all fixed, and given shots and as the case they are released back to their habitat. But.....before we could do this the Mom cat had two more kittens. Leaving us another batch to trap up and take care of.
As usual she didn't bring them out to adjust them to people until they were over 2 months. She is a good Momma Cat but she keeps her kittens hidden for so long. She has never let me pat her nor come that close. But, she watches from a distance and knows we treat her brood quite well.
When she lost her first kitten she sat backwards in the yard. I knew that was not the usual. Just like humans she was saddened by her loss....
I write this because as we speak...Rascal, the little charmer, was found dead down by the road. He would always look into our family room window. He would play hide and seek in the yard when you'd walk by..........so sure we didn't see him....LOL He loved the Meister dog and would chase and play with him. For a feral cat he was about ready to become the next Buddy!

Momma and Big Guy are the only two left from the orgional group.
The big dad cat never did return after the winter.......and neither did Buddy.

I firmly believe that all cats need a real home. I don't think there should be such a thing as a feral cat. But, it happens and it happened to me.

The Mom cat will never be someones home cat, nor will Big Guy....
I can only hope that I have time to nurture the two little ones into being cats that could live in a nice warm home.
But, they came out of hiding late, and they are not even close enough for me to work with...
Sometimes we ask for trouble.........
Believe me, I never asked for this job.
I love cats, but I knew with going South that I could not have one. Now, I somehow have four.
Its been quite expensive paying for the Pet Nanny, buying tons of bags of food...
Paying for the shots and spaying....
But, sometimes God gives us a job we have to try and do...This is one of those.
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Total Comments 3

Comments

  1. Old Comment
    You got that right. And how much more interesting is your life in return?
    permalink
    Posted 08-29-2009 at 05:45 PM by yukiko11 yukiko11 is offline
  2. Old Comment
    Oh yes......caring for anything gives one a great feeling of inner warmth.
    This was not a wish I asked for, but I have tried to do my part in making life for the sweet little animals more enjoyable.
    I don't even believe in feral cats.......because of my hope that all warm blooded animals have a true home and family.
    But.....living by a farm makes this a common occurrence.
    I'll do my best to give them care. To not do that would be cruel.....
    permalink
    Posted 08-29-2009 at 06:54 PM by Summering Summering is offline
  3. Old Comment
    Mom cat was curled up in the outside chair where Rascal and Buddy use to sleep and peak in the window.
    By her tummy was the two kittens.....( who will be fixed before I leave) Smokey and the Bandit...So the boys named them. I am so seeing the circle of life here. I don't know why I am more aware of this now then ever.
    Maybe because it has been a sincere journey......and I have lost these little four legged friends much to soon.
    The kids having to follow this story....Know the values of life. Perhaps it will help them enjoy each day so much more.........They have seen life end without even a whisper in the wind.
    permalink
    Posted 08-31-2009 at 05:15 PM by Summering Summering is offline
 

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