she had during the night. They are so tiny…I am just fascinated with these little ones...it’s the first time I’ve seen a newborn kitten. No, really, I'm telling the truth here. I have a lot of life experiences racked up but observing newborn kittens are not one of them. There are three that look very similar, one is a little lighter in coloring and then we’ve got a black one which reminds me of our kitty we had to leave behind, Toots...who is now living the high life with the Vanderpools. For those of you who are not cat people, skip this blog. For those of you who are...I know you'll love these pics! 
Mama Kitty is a good mama and she has the kitties in a little drainage area right by the carport that is protected by a railing and a wall. For the kitties’ sakes, I’m glad we’re in the dry season and hopefully, they’ll be big enough by the time the rains come that they can find some higher ground. Actually, I think it would be great if they found that higher ground at another address but I'm not too hopeful.
Although I keep saying these are not our cats, I have to ‘fess up that a little while ago, right after we got home from our day at Los Cedros, I took one of our towels out for M.K. and the babies to lay on…the few leaves and bits of dirt just didn’t look like a good kitty nursery to me. As I was reaching between the rails to lay the towel down, I had this horrible picture flash through my mind...I've turned in to the crazy ol' cat woman...you know, the one you read about who has a million cats, has named every one of them and carries on full-fledged conversations with them. Wow! Who knew that I would lose the last of my mind in Managua????
So as unsettling as that image was, I found myself giving a second helping of food to Mama Kitty, her three older kittens and the teen-aged cat that I think actually lives up the street. As I was pouring the Gato Chow in to the bowl, I was mentally calculating what we could cut down on in our own pantry since we are obviously going to have 5 more mouths to feed in the near future. How crazy...I don’t know why I’m such a softie for animals…maybe it's because they’re often more pleasant to be around than are some people.
Animals exhibit a loyalty that is becoming increasingly rare among our own species. They use their tongues to clean and to comfort - not to decimate. They don't seem to carry grudges. They rarely are on a power trip...although we did once have a Cairn Terrier that seemed to be the exception to that statement. The games they play are fun for everyone involved. My pets have always thought I was great...somehow, when I put it like that...why wouldn't I love animals????
But even so, I really don’t want a jillion cats hanging around (although it has cut down on the rodent population immensely!). Sadly, I think it might be too late.
It all started right after we moved in and Mama Kitty kept crying at our door. I found out through the neighbors that she had been left behind by the previous renters…this has always been her home and she was a pet. I just couldn’t stand the thought that she had been abandoned. She evidently had been a house cat but we relegated her to the outside. She wasn’t happy with that arrangement but the compromise was I would agree to feed her. She sold out for Gato Chow. In hindsight, I never should have bought that first bag of cat food, but, in my defense, Mama Kitty failed to disclose that she had three babies plus a teen-ager just waiting in the wings until the new gringa was completely suckered in to a regular feeding situation….I was duped.
Of course, what's cuter than three little balls of fur? Honestly, we had every intention of weaning the two older cats off the food and making the three older kittens fend for themselves…but then we discovered M.K. was pregnant again! ARGHHHHH! I wonder if we can find a vet to come and just fix them all in one fell swoop... This morning's miracle of birth...because it really is, you know it?...well, it gave me a glimpse in to the future and I'm afraid it’s a furry fright as I'm not sure how this is all going to end. I think I've answered my own question here of what's cuter than three little balls of fur? Five. I'm a goner.
1 comment:
Love the kitties!
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