Something lurking in the woodpile ... :-/

[CelticRambler]

Went out to the barn this afternoon to look for some timber and found ...







































Well, now missy, where did you come from? We haven't had authorised cats or kittens here for many a long year. Well, un train peut en cacher un autre, as they say on all the best French level crossings: under my handy garden trailer was



I think I saw their mother too - but she high-tailed it off towards the far end of the property when she saw me, and left the kittens to fend for themselves. Quality parenting, that.

She seems to have done a good job with them, though. I reckon they're about 8-10 weeks old, have probably been spying on me have already for a few weeks from a hidey-hole somewhere, and have learnt that I'm part of the local fauna and nothing to be too much afraid of. They're already sufficiently confident to come up for a head-scratch, and to let me pick them up for a few minutes at a time.

[JayZeus]

What a lovely surprise!

[Leg End Reject]

Oh, they're gorgeous, you have to keep them!

Figure out their gender and we'll help you name them.

They seem to have eye discharge, maybe a trip to the vet to check they haven't cat flu and sort out their vaccinations too.

[Leg End Reject]

Also, the queen might be feral and will need to be spayed. Who doesn't love an unexpected flurry of vet bills?

Is there a French equivalent of TNR (trap, neuter, release), or animal charities that help with strays?

[CelticRambler]

Two females. It's not obvious from the photo, but the "grey" one is a blue-cream (and white) (so female by default, like her tortoiseshell-and-white sister). Neutering won't be a problem ... "I know people"

And yes, France does have TNR programmes, as well as obligatory identification of cats (and pups) as soon as they change hands, whether pedigree or alley/barn kitties.

They've picked a bad time to put themselves up for adoption, though - aswell as my irrational traipsing off to Switzerland in a few weeks, I'll be heading to Dublin for a fortnight shortly after that.

[Leg End Reject]

Two females. It's not obvious from the photo, but the "grey" one is a blue-cream (and white) (so female by default, like her tortoiseshell-and-white sister). Neutering won't be a problem ... "I know people"

And yes, France does have TNR programmes, as well as obligatory identification of cats (and pups) as soon as they change hands, whether pedigree or alley/barn kitties.

They've picked a bad time to put themselves up for adoption, though - aswell as my irrational traipsing off to Switzerland in a few weeks, I'll be heading to Dublin for a fortnight shortly after that.

I'm afraid you'll have to cancel your plans.

If I was in France I'd adopt them, they're beautiful. I'd call the blue-cream one Misty, I'll have to think about the tortoiseshell a bit more.

[JayZeus]

Kittens:

Wax On
Wax Off

Mother:

Miyagi

[CelticRambler]

Well: went out to the barn this morning to see what the situation was. Stepped through the door and called out "Hey, kittens!" ...

... and immediately heard a "mew, mew, mew" in reply as the blue-cream came scampering up. I think the adoption process is complete.

[isha]

They are beautiful.

I had the most gorgeous little tortoise shell kitten start to hang around and I was getting quite attached to her and sounding out names.

Then Francis the Pine Marten starting hanging round more than he usually does and made friends with her and I presume they are gone off on exciting happy adventures together.

[Fugue]

Oh my god the gorgeous babies!
Is there someone who could look after them while you're away?

[Leg End Reject]

Well: went out to the barn this morning to see what the situation was. Stepped through the door and called out "Hey, kittens!" ...

... and immediately heard a "mew, mew, mew" in reply as the blue-cream came scampering up. I think the adoption process is complete.

Misty and Amber

[Apelles]

Awh CR . . they're adorable aren't they. We have brother and sister cats which my kids named Harry (ginger Tom) and Megan (tortoiseshell colours).
I'll suggest 'Kit' for your blue-cream kitten and 'Kat' for your tortoiseshell one, so a little nod to my favourite chocolate - covered wafer enjoyed with me mug of tay.

[CelticRambler]

For the time being, they're going by (and responding too ) the names "Fatso" and "Runt" ; proper names will follow in due course - when they tell me what they are (but thank you for the suggestions).

Fatso weighs 770g while Runt barely managed to top 500g - but both are at about the same milestones in their development, so I still reckon they're from the same litter, and about 7-8 weeks old. They're very hungry, and so to is the older cat that I'm assuming is their mother. That's surprising, as I'd have rated the mouse population as "higher than average" based on the number currently infesting house and vehicles. Maybe there's too much competition from the owls and the pine martens.

I got them some food this afternoon and the older skittish one decided that it was worth the risk of coming up to the feeding station to grab what he/she/it could while I was there ... but he/she/it was too skittish to get much benefit, as both kittens are sufficiently confident to climb up my legs/arms/back to get to whatever's in my hand before it hit the ground.

Even though it'd be nice to bring them into the house straight away, I'll hold off for a month so they learn to look after themselves all the same. It'll make it a lot easier to manage them when I'm away in the future - if I don't take them with me.

[Leg End Reject]

Fatso, Runt and Mammy likely have worms ...

[CelticRambler]

I got them some food this afternoon and the older skittish one decided that it was worth the risk of coming up to the feeding station to grab what he/she/it could while I was there ... but he/she/it was too skittish to get much benefit, as both kittens are sufficiently confident to climb up my legs/arms/back to get to whatever's in my hand before it hit the ground.

Well: that was yesterday. Today ScaredyCat listened to the sage advice of the babies and capitulated to tentative domestication in exchange for an interrupted supply of food. That was helpful, as I can attribute the correct pronouns - he/him/his - and estimate his age at about 4-5 months. For the time being, he is now BigBrotherCat, and has passed the title of ScaredyCat to an older red-and-white spotted with the kittens this morning. That one may be the same thief that's occasionally visited the house over the last year, but hard to be sure.

As is the way of the world, the littlest kitten has the biggest personality. She's got her reaction time down to milliseconds when I go out and call them, and she never shuts up! BigBrotherCat is still a bit jumpy (he tends to follow ScaredyCat's panicky flight when I first come through the barn door) but once he knows it's me, he comes up for his head-scratch and a bit of polite conversation.

[CelticRambler]

BigBrotherCat being big brotherly.



And ScaredyCat deciding "nope, not today"

[Leg End Reject]

They're all gorgeous, what a lovely feelgood thread.

CelticRambler, you'll never have to worry about mice again.

[CelticRambler]

I reckon the mice have taken refuge in the house because the Great Outdoors has become far too dangerous for them!

Slight tangent: yesterday, I saw a crow have a serious shouting match with a buzzard and run him off the property. There's something strange going on with the wildlife this last fortnight. Also spotted/stepped on the first hedgehog I've ever seen on my own land in 20 years.

[CelticRambler]

In today's kitten news: this is starting to get out of hand.

Responding to the roll call at breakfast time were Fatso & Runt (with great enthusiasm), BigBrotherCat (dignified enthusiasm) and ScaredyCat (just don't touch me). All present and correct.

But ... ? Hang on a second ...



Yeah, there's a fifth one in there - the prettiest of the lot. A bit jumpy, but tolerates a bit of stroking while she's eating and allowed me just enough time to look at her teeth to estimate her age, which is "about a year old". Okay ... so are you the mother? Or are the odds still in favour of ScaredyCat (sex still unknown)?

Well, no - neither. MammyCat turned up at 8pm (bringing dinner for the two babies) and was Not Pleased, Not At All Pleased to see that I was paying so much attention to them.



This is definitely MammyCat (at least as far as the two babies are concerned). Apart from the fact she brought a mouse for them to feast upon, their reaction to her was completely different to how they interact with the other three older ones. And, as I said, she was Not At All Pleased with my presence there - she kept up a constant low growl for about ten or fifteen minutes when the kittens came back to what I've nominated as their feeding station. In the end, though, she decided that maybe some of the food they were guzzling would be worth a careful slink into the danger zone.

So as of this wet and wild Saturday night, I'm the custodian of six new cats when all I wanted was a Czech violinist.

[CelticRambler]

What's surprised me most about the way this week has gone is how quickly this whole group has suddenly come out of the shadows and (to greater and lesser extents, depending on which one) settled into comfortable cohabitation. Until I my professional rambling made it impractical to keep any pet, I've had cats in my life since I was born, and I meet lots (and lots and lots) of them in the course of my work, so I'm well used their many and varied behaviours.

But this - in the space of just a few days - is like nothing I've come across before.

FluffBall (the pretty one) doesn't yet have the confidence of BigBrotherCat, but even though she'd gone off after breakfast, she came back for her lunch
- and let me know even before she'd crossed the farmyard that she was on her way. Afterwards, she settled down for an hour-long snooze in the watery sunshine only a couple of metres away from where I was using various power tools, as if she'd been hanging out with me all summer ... which maybe she has.



Meanwhile, on the other side of the workbench: who needs an expensive cat bed, when you have an old sack and a little sister to lie on?

[isha]

So as of this wet and wild Saturday night, I'm the custodian of six new cats when all I wanted was a Czech violinist.

They are unusually attractive cats you have been blessed with.

In many languages six is secks, seks, sest, even sex. So when you were thinking about sexy fiddle(r)s the elderly god of manifestation misheard six kitties.

If another turns up, this will blow my theory out of the water

[CelticRambler]

In many languages six is secks, seks, sest, even sex. So when you were thinking about sexy fiddle(r)s the elderly god of manifestation misheard six kitties.

My head appreciates such a theory; my heart (and other organs) not so much ...

[Leg End Reject]

My head appreciates such a theory; my heart (and other organs) not so much ...

What a great conversation starter when you next find yourself in the company of the Czech violinist.

I agree with Isha, they're all beautiful cats and they have now adopted you.

[CelticRambler]

What a great conversation starter when you next find yourself in the company of the Czech violinist.

"This woman on the internet says my thoughts of you are responsible for filling my life with sexy pussies since we last met?"

[CelticRambler]

Today's developments are probably best summed up by this pic:



The three kittens are now pretty much completely domesticated, in that they come racing up to me when they're called, will let me pick them up and tolerate having their eyes/ears/mouth/toes/tails/whatever checked and cleaned as required. LilKittn (previously Runt), when she's finished eating and has nothing better to do, will regularly come and sit on my foot (she's not big enough to sit on two feet at the same time ); BigKittn (previously Fatso), on the otherhand, is borderline ADHD and when she's not eating is forever chasing leaves/tails/sticks/insects/shadows/...

"PrettyPolly" in the middle there is quite sociable and talkative, and is happy to hang around j u s t a b o u t within reach. However, although she'll let me stroke her while she's eating, and doesn't go completely mental if I grab her by the scruff, she's not yet ready for spontaneous head scratches.

At the back, is ScaredyCat being less scaredy today and enjoying a siesta on a pile of old baling twine dug out of the farmyard that I knew would come in useful some day.



Good progress with him/her today, but not quite enough to get a proper look under his/her tail. I think she's a female, so maybe either or both PrettyPolly or BigBrotherCat are her offspring. She's gained sufficient confidence to come straight to the feeding station instead of taking fifteen minutes to spiral in from some distant corner. She even accepted the offer to clean some cat-food-jelly off my fingers (and licked it off, instead of trying to chomp through to the bone like BigBrotherCat - he has "issues" in that regard that need to be addressed!)

MammyCat was back again tonight, still very nervous and growly, and not inclined to join in the communal feast; however, even she stayed within the pool of light for the whole time I was there, initially on tenterhooks and keeping an eye on her kittens; but after a while, she settled down on the baling twine pile for a nervous snooze.