The paws that walked into my heart for good

Tiny's brother Ninja... a darling sweetheart 

We’ve had a few weeks of on and off horrible storm and rain, which escalated in a torrential rain (the equivalent of an entire winters rain fell in a few hours) and washed away cars, mountainsides and our local road. Some days in advance I’d gone to Tiny and Ninja’s new hide out, where they’d been led by mommy cat. It was a place of (certainly seen with my eyes) many dangers. A field they walked through had just been sprayed with weed killer and they gravitated around a very picturesque old well full of nesting pigeons - “oh so interesting” to watch when you’re a little kitten but “oh my God” when you’re the human trying to care for those kittens! On top of it all a vicious cat had sniffed out that there were new little “runts” in the neighbourhood which had to be annihilated. 

I watched this for a few days and saw that kittie mom began to reject the kittens. She would lash out if they came too close to her food and there was no longer any mommy to the rescue when they got attacked and whined like little piglets. Weather and all taken into consideration it was no wonder that they one day had disappeared from this new hide out and was nowhere to be found (once again!).  I’m sure you have your own experience of how difficult it can be to not let your human emotion get in the way sometimes, but I have to admit that I had come to feel responsible for these kittens. That night I prayed they would return to the same spot and decided I would try to catch them and bring them back and try to semi-domesticate them. The next morning they were there!! (the power of sincere prayers are REMARKABLE) – I popped some food in a transport box and they both walked in. They spent the next week in a small apartment on their own – in the warmth with a soft blanket in a great cosy dark hide out (under the sofa!). They very quickly got the hang of toys, regular meals and me playing with them several times every day. A week later they were released into the garden – and oh what a delight to see their joy at rolling around on the ground and once again rumping around and being up to kitten mischief. Now they stay close – they’ve got a small open window to the downstairs apartment where it seems they disappear to at night-time. They appear at our kitchen door for breakfast, lunch, in-betweens, dinner and playing time.

Tiny ready for a round of games...

Well, there are so many cat tales to tell… but this is one in particular that I’m very fond of. At least I consider that I’ve done what I could. They are getting bigger and stronger by the day and I now believe they know where to come for food should they decide to venture into the wilderness of their own volition. 

Image ©Joan Rachlitz Bowell