Monday, July 16, 2012

Kittens and Heartbreak

Upsetting weekend, but doing OK.




I have spoken before of the traveling kitties who like to spend part of their days at our neighbor farmer's pastures and the rest hanging around in my yard. As time has gone on though, two of them have more or less taken up residence on my deck or patio.   I usually wake up to see this beautiful Himalayan and her pal, a little grey British short hair, leaning against the French door window waiting for food and some pats on the head. I have grown very attached to them and when they are not there, I become worried as many animals meet their fate on the narrow, winding road by my house.


Big Bucks

 
Vanna Gogh


A few months ago the Himalayan, BB, was in season and became enamoured with a passing handsome black stranger. We watched to see if her girth was getting larger, but with all that hair, it was hard to tell. Then about five weeks ago, she disappeared. After a week or so, she surfaced again, but only for a quick bite to eat and then back in the woods she would go. For the past two weeks , we have seen more and more of her. Friday I went out on my my deck and heard some scurrying going on inside my gazebo. At first I feared raccoons, but then I saw a little tail. Upon investigation, I saw a small grey kitten, then another and later another. BB came up on the deck and quickly went to her babies. Not being sure what to do, I called hubby who told me to get in touch with the farmer across the road because she said she would take them. I then called my daughter, who works nearby, and asked her if she could come over for lunch and help me round them up.

The first one



The first one, a sweet docile kitten, was easy to catch.  The second one, the alpha baby, took a few pieces of my daughter's skin with her.  Finally, the last one, who did not want to be held, was put in the carrier.
Caught, and scared

Oh, but wait a minute, there was a fourth and she did not want to be part of the roundup.  Off the deck and down the rain spouts she ran.  Sarah and I looked all over, but she was not to be found.  A few hours later, I spotted her behind a bush, but decided to leave her there and not frighten her anymore.  I was hoping her mom would find her and bring her back.  Next morning, there they were, mother and daughter together in the gazebo.


Reunion

Sad to say, we were unable to catch the kitten and off she ran again.  We have not seen her since.

The other kitties were delivered to the farmer who has contact with a vet and a cat rescue agency.  Someone has agreed to foster them and they are in good hands now. 

It was a difficult situation and taking the kittens away from the mother who brought them to me was a very sad experience.  Losing the last one though and wondering if BB has found her is heavy on my mind. 

Saying goodbye

When they were taken away, I was assured by our neighbor that this was the best scenario. These kittens now have a chance to be domesticated and have someone to love and care for them.  Most feral cats lives are limited and many of them get hit by cars or succumb to the elements.  I knew she was right, but as I looked at BB, my heart broke for her. 

Doing the right thing does not always make you feel good.



37 comments:

  1. Ahh they are so cute! I hope they find their ways to a loving family or families

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  2. Dear Arleen, actually doing the right thing can sometimes make a person feel lousy. I admire you for doing what you did. I know that extremely hard. Thank you for being so caring. Peace.

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    1. It was difficult and just wish I could have met the people who are going to foster them.

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  3. He has the bluest eyes I've ever seen. sandie

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    1. And so do all her kittens although I am not sure they will stay like that.

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  4. Vanna Gogh has a wonderful face.... or was the wind just blowing in the wrong direction?

    They'll be fine Arleen. Nice new homes etc. BB will get over it very quickly, and return to being the free spirit she was before.

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    1. The farmer tells us that Vanna is around 20 years old, but I'm not sure that is so. She is pretty frisky for being that old. She is also very sweet and loving.

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  5. I'm a huge cat lover; I had cats from when I was born (my mother's cats) and always got ones from shelters when I was on my own. At this stage I don't want the responsibility, but I found your story heartwarming not heartbreaking. That gorgeous Himalayan would be happy if she knew her babies were going to be well fed and sheltered in the future. You absolutely did the right thing.

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  6. Now if you can just catch the momma and have her ladies operation done this heartbreak won't have to happen again. Poor little girl, I'm sure she's missing her babies but you did the right thing.

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    1. Can't catch the mom. She will walk next to you, sit in front of you, but if you go to grab her, she takes off like the wind. Her one baby was just like that and unfortunately that might have sealed her fate.

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  7. My black and white, Toby, caught a year ago, was feral and separated from his mother. About five weeks old. No one could catch him until a young girl appeared with a kitty app on her phone. He went straight to her. The rest is history; we love him.

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  8. The mother is absolutely gorgeous!! But you did the right thing. Momma cats want to get back to their normal lives anyway, and now those kittens will have a nice home.

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  9. It's always tough to do such things but it sounds like the kitties are going to be fine so don't feel guilty. BB will, I'm sure, recover and maybe go on to have more. She's a beauty and so are her babies.

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    1. BB keeps coming back to the gazebo and cries. She is a very vocal cat.

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  10. My heart aches for both you and the mother. I have never had to give kittens or puppies away, but I have adopted and taken them from their mom. In Willie's case I took him from his brothers, his protectors. It bothered me for the longest time. I agree the kittens will now have a home and be loved just as Willie has found his castle. They are hopefully protected from some of the horrible things that happen to feral animals. They all have such beautiful faces. Bless those who are willing to adopt and foster. Hugs! Bonnie

    p.s. maybe the little black fellow is meant to be yours;)

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  11. Oh bless! A cruel to be kind moment. I agree you did the right thing. I hope the little lost kitten is safe and sound somewhere.

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  12. Sorry this has been so difficult for you, but you absolutely did the right thing. The kittens were lucky to have you looking out for them. Julie

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  13. You're right Arleen - doing the right thing is not always an easy option. We adopted a little kitten a few years back - similar to the way that you did. She inevitably got pregnant like they do and I ended up with seven kittens. There was no way I could cope with them and got in touch with the cat rescue people who took six of them. The cat rescue lady assured me that they would be fine and that they would go to vetted good kind homes, but my heart still ached - it's an awful decision to have to make.

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  14. Your last line says it all. So precious, so fragile. You did the right thing.

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  15. You can't win with animals, eh. It's lovely to have them around and oh so heart-breaking! You did good, though.

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  16. Aw, I feel for you and BB. Hopefully, the one that got away will manage. Hard as it was, it was certainly the right thing to do. I'm amazed you were able to round up the other three. When we were on vacation we watched five little kittens play outside a restaurant. They were so cute. My daughters went out after dinner and tried to get close, but had to give up.

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    1. Did I give the impression that I caught any of them. No, no, I was squealing along with the kittens and their mom. My very steady daughter caught hem. I just opened the door of the carrier.

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  17. BB is an absolutely beautiful cat, and so are her kittens. Thanks to you, those beautiful kittens will be well taken care of and have good lives. You did good! Don't feel bad about it, okay?

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  18. But there is that little black one that got away. We had a bad thunderstorm that night with torrential rain. Since then, it has been high heat and stifling humidity. I hold out little hope that she survived. We should not have tried to catch her at that time but waited till she was asleep.

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    1. Better to try and fail than never to have tried at all. I know. That's crap. I know you feel bad. We haven't seen our neighbor's cat ... the one who used to spend most of his day here, and who ate here twice a day, etc... for the past week, and we've really been worrying about him. Last time we saw him, it looked he'd been in a fight, so we're hoping his owner opted to lock him in the house. (But we're almost afraid to ask.)

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  19. What a beautiful cat BB is!

    I'm the sort that tries to find where mama has her babies and start handling them when they're tiny. For me, it makes the roundup a lot easier. 4 of my cats are formerly ferals. I've finally gotten all the cats spayed and neutered, whew.

    The little missing black one might yet surprise you. :-)

    Sia McKye OVER COFFEE

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  20. oh my gosh...they are just so cute!!! Maybe they will end up in a home like ours...we got our rescue dog almost 3 weeks ago...it is dog heaven...boys playing with him and petting him and just loving him...and my cooking. yes, dog heaven.

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  21. They are so cute....has the black one come around yet?? You did the right thing....besides if you think about it...the mom was probably happy they were going away to "school"....she can now take a rest...instead of chasing them all over your yard and the wooods...they looked old enough!!!!

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  22. I went oooooh as soon as I saw the first kitten. I hope the last baby shows up soon. My neighbor had a litter of feral kittens someone dumped on her land. We finally rounded all of them up, had them spayed, but all the adoption agencies were full. She brought them home and worked on taming them until they were "family-ready". She's a St.Frances on earth.

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  23. Arleen-- I feel your pain girlfriend--- we go through this every spring! Right now we have 3 little stray kitties in our basement - we've had them for several weeks trying to keep them tame. They are so sweet now- trying to find homes for them. Bless your heart for being so caring---
    Xo
    Vicki

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  24. Ahh - the pic of Momma saying goodbye is so poignant! Totally understand the bittersweetness of this experience but it really is in the kitties' best possible interests. xxxxx

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