Free for the Taking

On Saturday, I met the abandoned cat that lives across the street. She hangs on the back porch behind a fencing that gives her some protection. Around here, that’s important as we often hear the coyotes howling at night.

Recently we watched a few minutes of one of my favorite all-time movies, Forrest Gump, and so as soon as I met this cat, I called her Jenni in my head. She is the sweetest girl – big eyes, calico, and she stands up on her hind legs for me to pet her. She is starving for attention. Poor thing.

Anyway, I took Tami over to meet her on Saturday afternoon while they were visiting as they always do on Saturdays. We noticed that she seemed a bit “developed” on her belly and we discussed whether she’s pregnant.

Surely not.

I set her up with a couple of bowls – one for food, one for water – and then we headed home for the evening. She followed us to the gate but refused to leave her yard. She clearly knows where home is.

As soon as I got home I did some research: do we have any no-kill shelters nearby? And sure enough…we do. However, they have long waiting lists and the chances of this sweet kitty being accepted are slim. The humane societies around here are filled to the brim with unwanted pets; unfortunately, this means that if I turn her into one of the local shelters, her chances of survival are slim to none.

I have a heart for cats. It is just who I am. I’ve always been a cat person – from as early as I can remember. And so, the question begs: what to do with Jenni.

I have two cats and I absolutely don’t need more. Stray cats are as common as grass around these parts, and if I start the process of adopting every homeless cat I see…well, it won’t be long before I will be surrounded on all sides.

Yesterday (Sunday) we headed to Six Flags for the day. Jace invited a couple of buddies – Kristian and Emmanuel – to hang with him as his parents just don’t cut it anymore. That was just fine with me as I am not a fan of hydraulic seat compressions for rides that flip me upside down and every which direction. I prefer the kiddie rides, frankly. And so, the boys lived it up on the thrillers while Roy and I walked the park. We rode a few rides every now and then, but mainly we just enjoyed the day. We loaded up around 6:00 that evening, stopped by Taco Bell, and then dropped off two exhausted boys at their respective homes before heading home ourselves.

We were all worn out.

I scooped up some cat food into a red Solo cup and headed across the street for a quick visit with Jenni. And there she was – just behind the porch, happy to see me. She quickly jumped up on her hind legs, using her front paws to reach upwards so that I would pick her up and give her some love. I petted her for a bit, filled her bowl with food and checked on her water. And it was then – as I checked out her living quarters there on that back porch – that I spied a little pile of fur balls tucked into the back corner of a woodpile: 5 tiny kittens.

“Jenni, you are a mama,” I said as I reached over to pet a little one’s soft, silky head. They are brand new – eyes aren’t even opened yet. She seemed unconcerned with my attention to her babies. She quickly hopped up onto the woodpile to peer at them. I wasn’t quite sure how she could nurse them as wood poked in from all sides, and her babies were nestled in the midst of poking twigs, leaving no room for her to squeeze in.

And so, I headed home. “Jace, come with me,” I said, peeking my head into his room.

“I’m so tired, Mom,” he said, his eyes red-rimmed.

“It’s worth it,” I said. And so he threw on my pink flip flops with glittery straps and walked with me yet again across the street. He stared in wonder at those precious little bundles, all cuddled up in a huddle.

“What are we going to do with all of these kittens?” he said as he tenderly stroked their tiny heads.

Yet again we went home, scouted out the house for a medium sized box (which we found in the garage), lay an old towel inside so that it created a bed, and headed back across the street. I gingerly picked up the kittens, lay them in their new bed, and showed Jenni her babies. She immediately lay down to nurse them, perfectly at home in her new bed. We watched her for a bit, made sure all was well, and then we headed home.

Last night I was talking to my dad on the phone and I told him the story of Jenni and all of her babies.

“I know what I would do with them,” Dad said. Now let me say, my dad is a country boy. I well remember as a kid growing up when one of our bird dogs had puppies that Dad was going to sell…until they came out looking like the neighbor’s mutt. Shortly after their births, I came home from school, rushed out to the pen to play with the puppies…and they were gone.

“Where are the puppies, Dad?” I asked, concerned, when Dad came home from work.

“They went coon huntin’,” Dad said. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.

But suffice it to say, if those kittens were my dad’s? Well, they’d all be coon hunting right about now.

I have no idea what I’m going to with 5 fuzzy kittens. I have no idea what I’m going to do with Jenni.

So, if any of you need a kitten? They’ll be ready for their new homes in about six weeks.

And they’re free.