Adventures in Kittening

Those of you have read Bunny’s Blog for a while know that I have a houseful of cats (four indoor and one indoor/outdoor to be exact).

When I bought my house just over three years ago, I had one rabbit and NO cats. But cats have a way of finding people who will feed them, love them and take them in.  I must have cat person written all over my face, because I’ve had a cat show up approximately every six months since I moved in. But Sugar, the newest cat, came with some additional baggage – she was pregnant!

I watched through the summer as Sugar’s belly grew. I fed her and got her comfortable with coming in the house. Finally when I figured she was close to delivering, I kept her in the house and set up a box for her.

But Sugar followed me around the house wanting to be wherever I was, and eventually she had the kittens on the hardwood floor in the dining room. I brought out the box and put everyone safely inside.

Sugar had four kittens in all – a ginger boy, two white males with pale orange ears and tails, and one little calico female. For the first few weeks they stayed in the box in the dining room. I could keep an eye on them, and Sugar could come and go as she pleased.

KC, the oldest male cat wanted nothing to do with them and walked by with disdain. Breckin, the indoor/outdoor cat, decided to stay outdoors. My female cat Zelda expressed only mild interest. But Boyzie, the youngest male, decided he was the daddy and spent almost as much time with them as Sugar!

He would climb into the box and bathe them, bring presents for them, and even play with them. Boyzie loves Sugar, and I think he figured that if she loved these little squirmy things, then he should too.

When the kittens got older and began to climb out of the box, I moved them into a spare bedroom. I put a baby gate on the door so Sugar (and Boyzie) could go in and out.

I love to watch them tumble around, wrestling with one another, climbing to the top of Bunny’s cage and pushing each other off. The boys particularly like that game, but Callie (the female) is more interested in climbing the gate so she can come out and interact with the adults.

The kittens will be six weeks old this Sunday, and they have been a joy to watch as they grow up. They are now eating solid food, using the litter box, and nursing less and less. In a few more weeks, I will look for permanent homes with other people who will feed them, love them and take them in. And I’ll miss them – a lot.