The Neuter Scooter

Off we go...

This is Caleb. His grandma showed up in our back yard on Christmas day 3 years ago. She was obviously wild. We were never able to socialize her, but she had a mate which we first mistook for her mother. We named Caleb's grandma 'Christmas Kitty' because she showed up on Christmas day. We fed her treats (which only seemed right since it was Christmas) and she liked it so well in our back yard, that we watched her coaxing a big gray and white cat to stick around as well. Christmas Kitty was very petite and young. She never made a sound (we've learned that feral cats don't meow) and she was very skittish. Since she was so young, I assumed the big gray and white one was her mama, so we named it Mama Kitty. It was obviously a stray and not feral, as it did meow and we could pet it.

Eventually, Paul noticed that "Mama Kitty" was equipped with...well...equipment that didn't qualify 'him' for the name Mama Kitty at all, so, he became "Daddy Kitty" (as you can see, we're very creative with naming them)

Christmas and Daddy Kitties blessed us with 3 kittens the following spring. They were a very devoted couple and raised the kittens together. The boldest of the three was a yellow fur ball, we named Joshua. He wanted to run away and be wild like his siblings, but he was defective (as feral cats go). Joshua was learning to meow from his daddy and he liked to stay near the door at feeding time...with his daddy. Any time a human hand came anywhere near him, it was like a breaker was switched off, and Josh would collapse purring. He just couldn't help himself, he had to be petted....and held and loved. He was an absolute push-over, and the first cat we successfully neutered. His two siblings were Fluffy (creatively named for her...well...fluff) and Pee Wee (named for his smallness and his timidity).

The following Spring, Christmas and Daddy Kitty blessed us once again with 3 more kittens. Herman, Felix and Oscar. Pee Wee, Herman and Oscar have since run off. We caught Christmas Kitty last year (after first catching my neighbor's~who also happen to be my parents~ cat in the trap) and she was spayed which (sadly) destroyed her relationship with Daddy Kitty and both of them ran off shortly thereafter.

Felix and Fluffy have turned out to be girls...and both mothers. Caleb (seen here) is the son of Fluffy. He is bold, almost like Joshua. They are good buddies and we're hoping will both stick around. We hope to get the girls fixed too, but I fear we'll end up with another litter, as Spring is just around the corner.

We have a new low cost clinic opening up next month, so perhaps we can get the girls before it's too late. It's terrible to admit, but watching the babies grow up in the back yard has been wonderful. If only they stayed young!

When I got home this evening with Caleb sleeping in his cage, Joshua followed me in the house sniffing and looking intently at Caleb. He looked mortified, as if to say, "what have you done to him?!" He began walking in slow motion and watching me like a hawk for about 10 minutes. I thought perhaps I had destroyed his confidence in me, until I reached down and, sure enough, he collapsed purring and we were back to normal. Caleb is sleeping it off. All is well.

Blip history, Caleb as a kitten, nose to nose with a deer in the back yard. Notice the large contraption to the rear (right) spins in the wind. Paul hangs little things from the sails and the cats chase them around and around. Yet another Redneck cat toy ;-)