I'm Sad Today

I lost one of the kittens last night. Second from the left, looking up at the camera, is the one of the bunch who let me hold him. He had gotten to where he would come up to me and rub on my legs and we'd play a bit when I went out to feed them. He was a sweetie and I was really hoping to find him an indoor home. But, it wasn't to be. I found him lying in the grass this morning. There was a small wound on the back of his neck, and we figure a dog probably got hold of him. (You know how they shake things like that.) I have seen a coyote not far from my house, but if that had been what got him, it probably would have taken him off.

The other kittens are a bit more skittish now, which is understandable. After my pet sitting appointment this morning, I came home and buried the little guy in my front yard. As I was digging, the others came out from under my porch. They sat near and watched me until I was done. Almost like they were saying goodbye themselves. I think they will probably move over here now as they can go up under my porch where there is a small opening that leads into my basement. Much safer area.

I wish I could handle things like this better. A part of me wishes I didn't get so attached so easily. I'm second guessing myself when it comes to how I've been dealing with these guys now, and I'm really tired of crying over animals like this. (If more people would take care of their own pets, this type of thing wouldn't happen so often.)

At least I know the little guy was pretty happy. He and his siblings were over here on our porch late last night and I held and played with him. He had the loudest purr I've ever heard on a kitten. I'll never forget that, or him.

Newest Addition

Finally, some photos of the newest member of the menagerie. This is Alexander (my husband tells me that's his name). He showed up around here a few weeks ago, and is still a bit wary of me. But, I can pet him some when he's eating, and he does let me hold him, just not for too long. He's not quite solid black; has about four strands of white fur on his chest, and from this photo, I think he has a few on his belly as well.

I'm assuming Alexander is a stray as he's pretty skinny and very timid. So, soon he will be "taken care of," so to speak. We have enough kittens running around out there, and in our shelters, and he will have a much longer, healthier life in the end. (Not to mention that hopefully he and Tango will stop their little territory-marking competition on my porch.)

And from the looks of it, Alexander is starting to feel pretty safe here. :)

Spay/Neuter and Cat Overpopulation

Time for my lecture on spaying/neutering cats. Yes, it's a good thing for dogs as well, but my area is cats. The photo above is of a litter of six we found underneath our back porch. Their mother disappeared when they were about 2 1/2 or 3 weeks old, and we ended up raising them. Let me tell you, bottle-feeding six cats every four hours isn't a picnic. We were lucky; all six cats survived. We ended up keeping four, which is another story in itself, and two found homes through the local shelter.

Some estimates show that a pair of breeding cats and their offspring can exponentially produce over 400,000 cats in 7 years. That's a lot of cats. Also, there are 45 cats and dogs for every person born in America. Only 1 in 10 of the dogs, and 1 in 12 of the cats will find a permanent home. These numbers can be greatly improved if only more people would spay/neuter their pets, and adopt pets from the local shelters.

I wouldn't give up my kitties for anything in the world, but if we hadn't found them, some of them wouldn't have made it, and those who did would probably have had very short and very tough lives. They are now almost 9-years-old, and are living the "Life of Riley." :)

Having a cat spayed or neutered helps prevent unwanted behavior such as wandering, spraying, fighting, etc. It also prevents many types of cancers common in cats. It's a win/win situation.

OK, I'm off my soapbox....for now. BEWARE!!! I could jump back on at any time.

For more information, and to read about some great work by a great person, check out www.safehavenforcats.com.