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 Keep in mind the temperature in Jacksonville, Fl is already 96 in
May. Ken, my husband, said he heard a mew and scratching noise in the wall of the house. I
ran through the house counting heads then to the cattery counting heads, all accounted for.
I remembered a stray female I had seen a couple of times on our roof. She would
come across the front yard, climb a tree and jump on the roof. I took the flash light to the front
porch and aiming up said, "Here, kitty, kitty." There in the eve of the house she popped up.
I could see she was full of milk.
At first, I thought she had kittens in the eve of the house. Oh, no! She had them in
the attic and when they were old enough to toddle around they fell down 8 ft. in the wall between two rooms of our house!
The next morning we could hear where they were but how do we get them out?!
We started by cutting siding off the front of the house, no good, the studs were in the
way. Next try my office, that wall is paneled so we pulled the panel and behind that was lath
and cement, no good. Next to the attic to see where exactly they went down. Next into our bathroom
where we listened to the walls again and decided to start cutting through the wallpaper
and sheet rock.
The second hole produced 3 adorable, fuzzy, little, hungry faces. After running
out for milk and feeding them I found out mama kitty was at the neighbors. Guess she had
given up trying to get them out. The neighbors agreed to take her in until the kittens were old enough to find
homes through Animal Rescue which was good as the shelters were all full of cats and
dogs.
A big thanks to my husband, Ken who had to put it all back together
again. By the way Animal Rescue does not make this type of house
call.
Bootsie and Blackie Bootsie and Blackie, my front porch kitties, were born of feral
parents out in the barn. Mama Bootsie had 4 kittens and Mama Gray
Cat had 2. Of the 6 kittens Bootsie and Blackie are all that
survived . Feral cats survival rate is low. Mama Bootsie moved
across the road. I guess to get away from her kittens. Bootsie and Blackie noticed I came to the barn twice a day to
feed them. If I was later than they thought I should be they came
closer and closer to the house to stare at me. I got the idea and
would go on out to feed them. We played with them and after a time I could handle them. Soon they moved closer to the refrigerator, the front porch.
The really good stuff like raw meat is fed on the front porch now. They of course have been tested, spayed/neutered and had their
shots. Bootsie, a tuxedo, is a little dainty sweetie, loves to be held
and scratched by me. Blackie, is the shy one but has a sense of
humor. He loves to hide in the bushes and attack when I walk by.
He gets under my feet until I pick him up for a scratch and
tickle. Autumn-Ramzee’s Companion Autumn just appeared one morning in front of Ramzee’s run. A
beautiful calico and with those bright colors she sticks out like
a sore thumb around here. She was approximately 6 months of age
and in heat of course. She and Ramzee were talking trash to one
another. I don’t know how she got over the cat fencing but nothing
is fool proof with cats and 2 year olds. It took me several days to trap her and couldn’t let the cats
out until I did. I took her to the vets for tests, shots and to be
spayed. She is a feral cat and very wild. When I brought her home
from the vets I had high hopes she would go to the neighbors barn
to live. I am such a dreamer. By 11 PM that night she was still groggy but sitting in front
of Ramzee’s run again. I can’t blame her, he’s a good looking guy.
So she lived in the cat fenced back yard and she and Ramzee fine
tuned their friendship. She moved in with him. He is the only cat
she gets near. When I let them out in the cat fenced yard it is
fun to watch how much fun they have together. When it’s time for
him to go back in his house and run I pick him up and hold him and
that is her signal to go in also. Autumn is still wild, a feral cat. She hates me, she spits at
me, I can’t touch her but I don’t have to. I figure as long as
Ramzee is happy she’s o.k. with me. We have an understanding. Abandoned Mama Mau and her 4 kittens I got an email about an Egyptian Mau and her 4 kittens that had
been left in a taped card board box with a note saying, “ I am an
Egyptian Mau, please take care of me“. She had been left at a wild
life refuge. They didn’t have the facilities to care for domestic
animals and did I know someone that would? To make a long story short...I got them. They were tested first
of course. All was well with them. I had never seen a cat so thin,
my heart went out to her. I could count every bone in her body.
Yet they were such a sweet, docile, loving little family. Mama a
large silver with good spots, 2 bronze boys and 2 smoke girls. One
of the smokes was a long hair with no spots. Ahh ha! That’s why
they got the boot. I knew I could find homes for them as a lot of people want Maus
but can’t afford a registered one. They went fast. Mama looked
good when she left. She gained weight quickly on a healthy diet
here. My granddaughter, Stacey, wanted the smoke female. Stacey and
Britannia are Junior Handlers with ACFA and go to cat shows with
me. We entered the little smoke now “Mas-Ree Maus Velvet Is Smokin”
in her first show as a House Hold Pet kitten. She made 7 out of 8
finals making her a Royal. She WAS smokin’. Stacey was so proud.
It’s a strange situation in a way I guess. The Maus on one side
of the fence and in the house, the barn kitties on the other but
they are all loved and valued. Have a great cat story? Email it to me and we will share it with our readers.
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