The Kitten Rescue

Scaredy Cat, one of the kittens we got last year and left out here, not only survived, but had kittens just over a week ago. She had seven. We all have enjoyed seeing those tiny little things and it seemed like all was going well BUT THEN....one was missing. We had kept Scaredy in the bathroom at the shop so that when she did have the kittens, she would not want to go and hide them like their instinct tells them to do. Then all the kittens would never been found and just be wild cats and most likely unlikely to stick around and serve their purpose of keeping the mouse population down.

We had the bathroom door open for a while so Scaredy could get out, stretch her legs, but then we noticed that she was moving one of the kittens. She carried it to the corner of the shop, a really terrible place to go, so after she went back for another one, we took the mom and the baby and put them back into their little bathroom space. But the next morning, one kitten was missing. We looked and looked and found nothing.

We decided to go back Friday night and check again and see if by chance we might find the missing kitten. There was a little white kitten just not doing so well. Scaredy had all the kittens on the hard cement floor, too cold of a place for those little ones. So, Katie warmed up the little white one while I created a warmer place with an old snowmobile cover the cats had taken over. Katie went to bed last night with her fingers crossed for that little one, shed a few tears, and we both went to bed hoping for the best.

But Saturday morning, we went down to check on the the kittens and then there were five – the white one, the weak and cold one from the night before, was gone.

Really? Is the mother eating them-where are the kittens disappearing to? Do they do that!?!

So, we decided that an intervention was in need. We brought all the remaining kittens and the mom up to the cabin. We gave Scaredy some warm milk, thinking that if we can get the mom feeling good, the babies will do well too. She lapped up the warm milk leaving a sweet little milk beard, cozied into her soft & warm new spot and we left them listening to the sound of those little kittens nursing.

We will see.

I had to tell Katie, and really myself as well, that life on the farm is what it is. I told her that we can feel good about what we have done and we just have to leave it at that. Life on the farm is tough and you have to be strong to survive and be able to fend for yourself. The kittens that have died just were not going to be strong enough to make it and that is just how it is going to be no matter what we do. It is a hard lesson to learn and even harder to accept and understand, but I think it's a valuable lesson to learn that sometimes, despite what you do, how much you hope and love, some things are just out of your control. I am grateful actually my kids have the chance to learn that lesson now through these kittens.