What Kind of Mother....an Adoption Story

Have I mentioned James' dislike for cats? Ok, well if I haven't, James does NOT like cats! So, you can imagine his excitement when a feral cat showed up on our farm and had a litter of kittens three weeks ago. Now she didn't have them in the back corner, out of the way (James probably would have been sort of ok with that) but instead, in the middle of a wood pile that we have been working on splitting. Its a pile of wood just thrown there, not neatly stacked. In other words, it could collapse on the kittens at any time, especially if we start moving the wood around to split and stack it.  Well, isn't that just dandy! Dilemma, dilemma.....

James and I discussed our options and decided to move the kittens out of the wood pile so we could continue our work. We prepared a large plastic cooler with blankets and placed the four kittens in. We put the cooler next to the wood pile so the mama would still find them. (She is no where to be found while all of this is going on, by the way. She is terrified of people.) Our plan was to slowly inch the cooler further and further away from the wood until it was in a spot that we could all be happy with.

That evening, after putting the kiddos to bed, we were glued to the back window; watching and waiting for mama kitty to come back. At dusk, just when we could hardly see through the darkness, mama kitty came back. To our surprise, she did not crawl into the cooler and nurse her kittens. Instead, she moved them one by one back to the stacked wood piles. This was perfect! She could have the quiet of being way back on the property to raise her kittens, my kiddos could still see the miracle of kittens growing and James has his wood back. There was only one problem......mama kitty only took three of her kittens! So, we decided that we were going to move the forth one for her. Otherwise, this poor kitten would never survive. We moved her babe, no problem. The mama kitty cared for all four back in the wood pile. Life was good, everyone happy.

Then last week.....

We check on the kittens, as we do most days. They are gone! I was relieved honestly, that the mama had taken them somewhere else to live. I like them, but do not want more cats right now. I was pleased that the mother was caring for all four of them as well. I quaintly walk across the yard, thinking of how great this has all worked out, pass the woodpile, i.e. birth place of kittens, and I hear the tiniest little kitten cry....OH NO!!! Mama has moved them back to the working woodpile. James will love this! I examine the pile and a tiny gray kitten comes strolling out, crying the whole way, and wants picked up. I care for the tiny babe, all the while looking for her brothers and sisters or mother.  No luck, they aren't there. The mama cat ditched this kitten AGAIN!!! What the heck!?!??! I give the kitten some food and water and put it back in the pile; thinking on what to do next. I scour the yard looking for mama and kittens, no luck.....Just great....

James comes home from work and I tell him all about our tiny visitor. He is determined to find the rest of the cats and give mama back her kitten. He ends up finding mama and kittens in the tall, tall weeds of the sheep field behind our farm. He puts little Lucky, by now the kids have named the poor kitten, back with her family. All is right on the farm again.

Until this morning! I go outside to do my morning chores and hear, of course now recognizing, a tiny cry....Lucky is back, alone, and crying.....Lucky me...I guess I am going to officially adopt this little fluff ball, why keep fighting the inevitable. That is until James hears about this.....

I wouldn't trade this life for anything! Dew Thyme Farm is so full of life and joy! I am so blessed to be able to have these crazy experiences!