Congratulations to Rodger Mc Cullough who won a free outdoor shelter for their colony cats and a bottle of Feral Flower Essence from FixNation board member Jackson Galaxy’s Spirit Essences line through FixNation’s National Feral Cat Day story competition!
I am Rodger I am 54 years old this week. I have had cats all of my life. In 2000 I moved to a rural area with open space. How God guided it I will never know, but a 6 week old black kitty appeared in my yard in spite of coyotes and such. Joe became my buddy and is still a happy 16 year old. I had a mother cat with babies at that time and she adopted Joe and nursed him and he was welcome…just one more child to care for and teach. Two year later another black baby kitty girl appeared on my doorstep. Penelope became the child to Joe who nurtured her and protected her and loved her unconditionally…he was her buddy forever. On November 7, 2009 my mother spotted a black cat outside at the garage and told me one of mine had stayed out past curfew time and they were so well trained. As the babies had grown up, that came long when Joe did, we were a family…all 5 all black beautiful loving kittens.
The next morning I was able to capture this gorgeous tiny black cat who appeared to be lactating! We didn’t know! Mother said she had either given birth recently or had weaned some babies. However with no evidence to either we put her in a solarium and fed and watered. The next day she had tried so hard to break out that she had indeed broken through the screen and disappeared. However, later when she needed food, we were able to get her back again. We brought her into the house to adjust to the rest of the kitty family.
I can never ever explain the shock I was to receive when I went out my door to the garage and stood in total amazement.
I flew back into the house and told my mom, who is a senior, I can’t believe what I just saw! There are 7 baby kittens on the garage apron! In amazement, I returned and they were all so tiny I could pick them all up in my hands…but only 5, not 7. We knew then what the mother kitten had been trying to do and tell us. We took them to her and immediately she laid down and they were home! As tiny as she was (2 pounds?) we don’t know how she survived the wilderness outside of our home to give birth under our house.
These kittens were all designs. One a beautiful gray, very loving. Two were identical twins and two were like them the same tuxedo cats. So added to our family. But what to do now when they became a little older and more mischievous? One was adopted by a dear friend. Three were taken to the shelter and left reluctantly…in tears. The next day I returned and discovered they were planning on euthanasia! At the price of adoption ($65.00 each), I readopted them and brought them back home…but this is not the end of the story.
We still have all of our cats…all black except 4 who are tuxedo and the one my mom adopted because she refused to leave the shelter without him has a star on his chest. The kittens names are Gracie (grey and gorgeous who sweeps my floors), Streak (who is very shy and loves his space in the closet), Blaze (who is the mate to Streak and neither prefer to explore the great outdoors), Blackie is the wise one (who sees all, knows all and hears everything, especially the cookie container), Boots is the one Tom adopted.
We have 6-foot chain fencing and all of our cats have been trained don’t go near the fence, and when it is setting sun, time to come inside or during unseasonal weather…it works. But the sum of my story is one kitten, Blackie. Blackie is so attached to his mother he follows here everywhere…is that because?? “Mystych” is deaf!
She still after all of these years still controls her kids and takes care of them. She scolds them when thye get to aggressive with each other, they still get bathing and they respect her in such a way…they know!
There have been many other feral cats, but these stand our as favorites…BLACK CATS ARE FOR LOVING!
