Not ready to be a crazy cat lady yet

Did you know that Saturday, September 25th was National Daughter’s Day? I found out via email. Each day I get a notice about daily celebrations. Anyone can get this for free at https://nationaldaycalendar.com/.

Many National Days celebrate odd things, like on September 1, the special days were National Burnt Ends Day; National Acne Positivity Day; National Chicken Boy’s Day, and National No Rhyme (Nor Reason) Day. Some, like National Daughter’s Day, have much more meaning. I thought I’d mention this today because I happened to be with my two daughters on that day and we were able to celebrate with hugs.

My column is taking an about-face here. My new subject is cats and kittens.

A few weeks ago, a barn cat had kittens. This cat happened to be Car-E’s mother and if you know his story, you’ll remember she abandoned him last spring.

This mama cat is not a good mother. I’ve tried trapping her in the past to get her neutered but she’s too smart for that trap.

I happened to discover her just after she gave birth to five kittens. At this point, she was very attentive so I left her alone. Those five were nursing, that means they were getting the best food, one made especially for them.

It wasn’t long before a storm moved into the area. I set out a dry place for mother cat and kittens but she had other ideas. Before I knew it, Mama had packed up her newborns and took them to who knows where.

I looked around the barns but never heard even the smallest sound leading me to the litter. I feared that Mama had moved them and then abandoned them as she had litters before—as I said, I rescued Car-E when she left him in the wheel-well of my car. A couple of years ago, I tried saving four but only managed to keep two alive. They now have a happy life near Iola, Wisconsin.

Mama showed up for breakfast and supper with the other cats. Her activities did not lead me to believe any of the kittens had survived, until the other day.

Last week she showed up with a kitten similar to Car-E. It was shy and hid in my flowerbed, so I didn’t get a good look at it, but I was happy to know that at least one of her kittens had made it.

The following day, two kittens were munching along with the adult cats on the front porch. They shied from me but it was good to see them eating.

Another two joined them the following day, but that was all. Three were tabby-like and one was grey. I set out more palatable food.

It had been dark when I saw the four, so I took a better look in the daylight and saw the fourth was closer to being black than grey.

Okay, you guessed it. The shyest one is black and that makes five surviving kittens.

So far these are barn cats, but anyone who wants to adopt one please contact me. I’d love to find them good homes. They are old enough to be pets.

BTW: you’ll have to help trap your new pet as they are too fast for me. But boy oh boy, they are so cute. Too bad I can’t afford to take them all in. That would make me one of those crazy cat ladies and I’m crazy enough without a houseful of cats.

Susan Manzke, Sunnybook Farm, N8646 Miller Rd, Seymour, WI 54165; sunnybook@aol.com; www.susanmanzke.net/blog