Well, I don’t have a picture to share, but I will definitely get one sooner or later. No, it isn’t another grandchild. It’s a litter or kittens. And, by the way, Oliver is doing quite well at home. According to Happy who is feeding him on the back porch at our house, he is doing just fine — except for the occasional scratch. But, we all know that tom cats have their fair share of brawls during the summer months. Anyway, except for a a few nicks, Oliver is fine.
I guess everyone has figured that I’m a stray animal magnet. Well, there is this little girl — a petite black cat who is now called Sapphire, who caught my eye within our first week at the beach. She is quite clever. I noticed that she would nap on the porch when no one was outside, although she never made a sound. Time passed and of course, I began putting food out for her. She was looking a bit frail when I first saw her. Now, she feels quite free to come into the house to eat from a bowl on the kitchen floor. I have touched her a couple of times, but it was fleeting. She doesn’t mind getting close but she isn’t attracted to the idea of being touched. When I try to reach out to her she flinches and draws back. However, when there is chicken on her plate she seems to forget some of her fears. In other words, her love of chicken outweighs her fear of the human hand. I have touched her a couple of times, but she always draws back. I’ll give her some time.
Now, I do suppose I should have noticed that she was round around the middle. But, to be honest she is so petite that she didn’t gain more than a gram or so when she was “with kittens.” I suspected that kittens were involved when she began disappearing for hours at a time, and eating more like a horse than a cat. At that time I could not get close enough to her to make any real determination.
Then, it rained. Rain definitely triggers something with cats. As soon as the downpour started — around midnight a few weeks back — I began to hear kitty screams. So, with flashlight in hand, I went outside to see if I could find the source. And, there they were — three kittens in the drenching rain, as wet as they could be. Sapphire was no where to be seen. I picked up the three little ones and took them inside. Actually, I took them in for the husband to see.
They were too young to be spitters. So, they just welcomed the warmth of a dry body as we held them close to us. I could hear Sapphire making noises outside, so I did what I should have done. I took the babies out and put them where I had first seen them — on the drive, next to a huge shrub. They disappeared within the hour.
Believe it or not, I tried NOT to look for them. Sapphire adopted the porch by day, seeming not to mind the human traffic as long as it did not get too close. She would disappear for an hour or so and then return. Anyway, I think there were probably four kittens in the beginning, although I only see three now when they dart out into the daylight. They have all become spitters. But, late in the evening Sapphire brings them out from their safe hiding place. She is beginning to teach them the rules that kittens must follow. It all has to do with those sounds the mama cat makes.
The little ones now eat, although I am forced to put food outside for them. I watched them drink water for the first time today. Oh, they have been around the water bowl before, but they either wade through it or stare at it. Today I noticed the tongues lapping as fast they could. I guess when the temperature is almost 100 degrees F. it is time to learn to drink water.
Well, any new life is always a welcomed blessing. And, what could be cuter than little kittens learning to play. Today I am so grateful for such a lively gift. And, I noticed that Sapphire had sneaked into the house and found a soft place to sleep — the foot of my husband’s bed. I guess he’s pretty grateful, too. He’s a bigger pushover than I, if that’s possible.
