Moonlight

The dozen or so farm cats, that were abandoned by their owner, have reduced to three. For illness or the traffic on the A25 , those that have not become relatively tame have met their fate. The three females that continued to live close to the farmhouse have been 'adopted' although they're still very wary and physical contact is an absolute no.

One of the cats disappeared under the buildings in the courtyard and gave birth to three kittens in a disused area of the badgers realm. They've been popping in and out to play over the past week or so. Another produced this little kitten in a shed. Another female, who has been called Moonlight. The third cat is fat!

My neighbours have decided to keep the mothers and this little kitten, whose eyes are just opening now, but have realised that this could be the start of another feline epidemic. They sensibly called in the man from the Cat Protection Society. The aim is to catch the kittens for re-homing and the mothers will be neutered so they can stay on the farm.

Moonlight, born in an accessible box, is being handled by the children but, daughter of a wild cat, has claws and instincts that will take patience to tame. She'll be neutered as soon as she is old enough.

The man came bearing traps and instructions. It didn't take long for one kitten to fall into a trap, followed soon after by Mum. The other kittens haven't been seen since and it won't be easy to entice the other two adults to fall for the bait. Feral cats aren't daft.

The trapped kitten is now away and up for adoption... although it's as wild as they come and has to be handled with a double layer of leather gloves. Mum remains in a large cage which will, hopefully attract her missing kittens into the open and will be her home until her milk dries up as, until then, she can't be neutered.

All this amidst the tears of the girls who really want to keep them all.