Meow Mix and Heavy Petting.

[ErikaRobin]

We've been caring for three black kittens in our neighbor's garage since May.   By "caring for" I mean putting some cat food out for them and making sure they have clean water to drink.  That's all it started out to be as these kittens were feral, as their mother was.  When we learned that their mother, Bones, hadn't been seen in weeks, we became more concerned for the kittens' wellbeing and Lily (my 8 year old) started sitting outside the hole in the garage where they got in and out.  She sat patiently, every day and waited - just sitting there near the food she put out for them.  She imitated their meows and said, "Here kitty-kitty" when she would put the food down.  It took weeks, but eventually the first kitten, named Steve (but we didn't know if it was a boy or a girl yet) allowed her to pet it. 

"Mom!  Steve let me pet him!" she ran in yelling.  

Each day Steve would allow her to pet him (her) a little more, but the other two (who by then were named Ming Ming and Fuzzer) still ran at the sight of us.  Steve gradually warmed up to Lily until she was finally able to hold him (her).   And then she did.  Every.  Day.  We'd get up in the morning during summer break and one, two or all three of my girls would be over by that neighbor's garage trying to pet the kittens or holding Steve. 

Recently, (within just the last two weeks or so) Ming Ming and Fuzzer have allowed us to pet them as well, and sometimes pick them up briefly.   

This ended up being the Summer of Cat Whispering.  Lily and her sisters have turned these kittens into people-loving felines who crave cat food and human contact and come when we call.

But. 

All good things must come to an end.  The cold weather is coming and these kittens do not have real homes to go to.  If they are left outside to fend for themselves, they will propagate and procreate and populate.  Horny cats are not picky cats.  When the girls come into their first heat, those promiscuous boys, Ming Ming and Big Smokey (a tom who also wanders the neighborhood) will want to "tap that" in our yard, the neighbors' yards and the middle of the street.   We would end up with hundreds of little kitty-sicles this winter!  Can't have that.

Doing the right thing:
We knew we'd have to take these furry little balls of loveliness into the shelter to get them real honest-to-god homes.  It breaks my heart that we can't keep them all.  After all, my girls were the ones who "rehabilitated" these kittens, greatly increasing their chances of being adopted.  I learned that all-black kittens and cats are among the hardest to adopt because many people find them to be bad luck.   I thought, if only I could save one at least.   After discussing-it-to-death with my husband, he (my Sugar Daddy) agreed that it was a shame that Lily and the girls couldn't at least keep Steve, as SHE (it turned out) was the one that captured their hearts in the first place...not forgetting all that hard work and patience! 

 

This morning, we told the girls that they'd have to say goodbye to Fuzzer and Ming Ming as they were going to find new homes. 

Madison said "And when Stevie comes up from under the porch, we'll say goodbye to her too." 

I said, "Well you don't have to say goodbye to her."

"What do you mean?"

"She's not going to the shelter."

*stunned look*  "Huh?"

"Because Stevie's staying with us."

Madison's eyes filled with tears and a big smile and Lily jumped off her seat to hug me.  I pointed her in the direction of Sugar Daddy and both girls smothered him with hugs.  He was the one who made it possible, after all. 

We're going to be dropping Fuzzer and Ming Ming off at the shelter today after the kids get home from school and while that will definitely be hard to do, we'll still have one of the terrific trio in our care. 

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take Steve to the vet to get her all Inside Cat Ready so we can introduce her properly to her new home.

Steve and Madison, the oldest of the Cat Whisperers. 

[MelanieLouise]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 4:08 PM

Awwwwwwww. I'm so happy for Stevie! And I'm sure Ming Ming and Fuzzer will get good homes since they're all sweeted up. :)

[JoyeAustin]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 4:44 PM

Stevie IS a girl's name, and that cat is destined to be in a band.

Now I want a kitten, bad.

[tristansmom74]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 4:48 PM

AWWWW.  Would you believe that my "sugar daddy" is begging me to let him have a cat.  LOL if you were closer I would have snapped up one of those cuties!

[veg4animals2006]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 5:17 PM

Awww.. that's so sweet! :)

[clairandamjones]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 6:10 PM

I sniffle over Stevie's story.  (See there?  She doesn't need a new name.  She just needs an extra vowel.)

Meow.

[KTMOM]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 6:15 PM

This makes me happy.  :)

[parrishsky]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 7:05 PM

Great journal and news!! I'm glad you went with Stevie, she's a lucky cat.

[jsnzmom]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 8:16 PM

Stevie is adorable, and as the proud owner of a gorgeous all-black cat, I can say they are nothing but GOOD luck!  Congrats on your new furbaby!

[Guinhyvar]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 8:59 PM

Yay! This story warms my heart, Riki. Your daughter is so cute, too. Smmmoooooosh!

[used2chaos]

Aug. 27, 2009 at 10:10 PM

Love, love, love this!  Yay for black girl kitties with boy names!!!  Congratulations to you and your talented cat whispers!