But the story begins much earlier, back around January when deep south Texas
normally experiences its coldest time... drizzle, north winds and temperatures
in the 40s. I know that's not cold compared to other areas, but we are used
to temperatures well into the 90s and 100s for much of the year, so when it
drops into the 40s and 30s, we really feel the cold.

I noticed that the feral male Oliver (a big, black and white long-hair) had
taken into his care a small tortoiseshell (obviously a female) kitten we named
SweetiePie. We couldn't get near her and were unable to trap her. So we put
out extra food for her and the rest of Oliver's clan, who were all young males,
along with towels and blankets and cardboard boxes to shelter in from the bad weather.

Spring came and brought maturity to her puny body... and still she avoided
our traps. With maturity came the intact neighborhood male cats who had never
come into the yard before because of the resident feral males.

Before long, we knew the worst... she was pregnant, and still she avoided the
traps. We put out special food for her and kept on eye on her size. We knew
she stayed in our yard and the one next door.

On June 2, 2001, I saw her laying in the shade, panting and restless, and we
knew her time had come. The next morning, she showed up at the food dish,
skinny again and ravenous... she had had her kittens, but where...
and how many... we didn't know.

Late in the day, we saw her go into the spiky tangle that is asparagus fern
and heard the faint squeaks of her kittens. We rejoiced, because we knew they
would be safe in our backyard and maybe, just maybe, we could "rescue" them.

Later that night, our sprinkler system kicked on and she brought the kittens
onto the big back covered patio. We could just see them behind the woodpile
through the patio door. We tried to stay away so she wouldn't leave, but it was
a major in-and-out door, and each time she would leave the kittens and then
come back as soon as we were back inside the house.

Then "Allison" hit land and some of the storms that spun off came through
here. Where SweetiePie had hidden her kittens was just where the porch roof
leaks, only with a tropical storm or hurricane. We can't MAKE it leak for the
roofer to fix! While lightning was striking and setting the palm trees down
the street on fire, the impossibly loud thunderclaps scared SweetiePie off
the porch and in a panic over the fence! We were afraid for her and for the
kittens. When the rain started pouring onto the kittens, I scooped them up
(only a handful each) and put them in a cardboard box I had prepared with a
towel, and dried their tiny saturated 3-day-old bodies with a soft towel.

We have two screened porches on the patio... one is fitted with screening
and chicken wire so our cats can go out there in safety through a catdoor in
the laundry room... the other is just screening... but they are connected to
each other with doors. So I took the box with the kittens into the first
porch, left the outside door open and sat down close enough so I could reach
the door, but to one side so I wouldn't be a threat.

As the storm slackened off, SweetiePie came back, looking for her kittens.
When she finally realized I had them near me, she started into the porch,
then ran out. She would almost get to the kittens, then she would be afraid
and run out again. Each time she left, I moved the kittens further from the
door, and from me. Finally, I leaped from the chair and closed the door.
SweetiePie leaped to the kittens to protect them, and we stood there staring
at each other for a long time.

We opened the door to the second, protected, porch and moved the kittens in
there. SweetiePie soon followed. We left her alone to nurse the kittens and
clean them to her satisfaction. We closed the catdoor to the house so our
inside crew wouldn't bother her, and left the litterpan out there. We slipped
some food and water out to SweetiePie, and then left her in peace.

We discovered the next morning that feral cats don't use covered litter pans!
What a mess, especially on a pebble and concrete floor... *sigh* So it was
off to WalMart for the smallest kiddie wading pool. I cut out one side and
filled it with scoopable cat litter.

Since that time, we have watched with great delight as the kittens' eyes
opened and they started crawling around the porch, just on their bellies at
first, but later on shaky legs. We spent time each day with them on the
porch... at first just me, when SweetiePie stopped growling at me, and then
Cassie, when SweetiePie stopped growling at her. The kittens came to know us
and crawl all over us, just like the boxes and toys we put on the porch for
them. It got so that I could even pat SweetiePie on the head (on good days,
even down her back) when I went on the porch to feed them.

But I could see SweetiePie watching outside her confined porch, seemingly
longing for the yard she could no longer get to. Her feral friends all came
to the screen several times a day to check on her and the kittens, and
sometimes even laid down next to the screen. We knew we could never tame her
and keep her happy in the house, although the kittens were adjusting very well.

The kittens were eight weeks old and past due to be separated from their
mother. We made arrangements with our veterinarian to have SweetiePie spayed
so we could release her. Our only problem would be getting her to the vet's.
Although I could pat her, I was unable to pick her up to get her into the
carrier... I can show you the scars... lol. In the end, our vet came to the
house, got her with a tranquilizer and a net, and put her in the carrier. He
was used to dealing with feral cats and knew how to handle her. Her stitches
were internal and dissolving, so there would be no return trip.

The afternoon we released her, she took off and went under the bushes and we
didn't see her until the next day when she showed up to eat with her friends.
It was like she had never been gone.

The kittens were still on the back porch, waiting to go inside until after
they had their first shots. That accomplished, they started longer and
longer "visits" inside to acclimate the inside cats and the kittens to each
other. It went better than expected, I think because there were five of them
and the sheer numbers overwhelmed the older cats. The older cats headed for
higher perches from which to watch the youngsters, and the hissing and
snarling has subsided from almost constant to just occasionally.
Eventually, they will all learn to co-exist.

As for SweetiePie, she still checks on the kittens, coming to the porch to
see them when they are outside playing, and other times looking in the patio
door. In the beginning, she was checking every five minutes, it seemed, but
now it's only once or twice a day. And for the first time in SweetiePie's
life, she has some meat on her bones... she is still skinny and will always
be skinny, but her hip bones no longer stand out through her fur.

As the kittens get older and we can get some decent pictures of them,
we will put each on his/her own page like the "big cats." For now,
enjoy the candid shots on this page.

The kittens are as follows:
Tasha, long-haired marmelade female;
Levi, short-haired tuxedo male;
Bailey, short-haired white male with orange tail, hat and two spots;
Davy, long-haired tabby mackerel male with white feet; and
Jesse, short-haired black and dark grey male.

UPDATED! Sept. 4, 2001
Today, we took the five in for their "permanent" (annual shots)
of leukemia, rabies, distemper, etc., and found they are growing like little
weeds. Originally, Davy was the biggest and Jesse was the runt of the litter.
At one time, we weren't even sure that Jesse would make it because he was so
laid back at mealtime! Well, times have changed! Today they were weighed, and
Tasha is now the lightweight, although I'm sure she thinks she is just
dainty and feminine! Yeah, right!!! She tackles any of her brothers without
mercy and they usually run! The new order of weights is:
Tasha, 3 lbs. 5 oz.
Bailey, 3 lbs. 7½ oz.
Jesse, 3 lbs. 15½ oz.
Davy, 4 lbs. 2 oz.
Levi, 4 lbs. 6 oz.

UPDATED! Nov. 19, 2001
Well, the deed is done... The kittens were neutered today, and I worried every
minute until they came home. Needless to say, they are all walking a little
funny, but in a day or two, they will be fine. And Tasha's stitches are all
internal, so she, and her brothers, won't go back to the vet's until they
are due for their annual checkup and shots next September.

They were weighed, and Jesse continues to move up in ranking, although Davy
looks larger because he is long-haired and fluffy.

Tasha, 5 lbs. 6.5 oz.
Bailey, 6 lbs. 5.5 oz.
Davy, 7 lbs. 4 oz.
Jesse, 7 lbs. 5 oz.
Levi, 7 lbs. 14 oz.

UPDATED! Jan. 7, 2002
We weighed the kittens today, just a week past their 7-month birthday.
They have probably reached nearly full-growth now, although Davy has still
not grown into his feet... only time will tell.

Tasha, 6 lbs 8 oz.
Bailey, 7 lbs. 8 oz.
Jesse, 9 lbs.
Davy, 9 lbs.
Levi, 10 lbs.

UPDATED! June 2, 2002
Well, today is the kittens' birthday... so we weighed them: Tasha, 9 lbs. 8 oz.
Bailey, 9 lbs. 8 oz.
Jesse, 11 lbs.
Davy, 11 lbs. 8 oz.
Levi, 14 lbs. (what an oinker!)

Up-to-Date photos are in the Kitty Photo Album.

This page was begun on Jun. 24, 2001