This is an e-mail from Joe and Susan.
Hello.We are animal lovers; cats in particular. For
quite a while we were being
visited by a stray, feral cat.
She was a beautiful looking
cat whom we named Molly.
Molly would visit us
seemingly whenever she
pleased. Sue and I noticed
that she was getting bigger
and was undoubtedly
pregnant. Then, for the
longest time, a much
skinnier Molly would visit us
less frequently and she seemed quite exhausted. She would come in the house, eat, and have a long nap. Then she would leave again. Sue and I figured she had her kittens outside somewhere and was visiting us for some food and a rest. Molly knew Sue and I had a kind heart and one day she tried to lead me to her kittens, but she would cut through backyards and fences and there was no way I could keep up. As time passed, Molly was at our house quite a bit, but there was no sign of her kittens. Given the harsh weather, wild animals and other factors…Molly’s kittens didn’t stand a chance.
As time passed we noticed Molly getting bigger. Yes, she was pregnant again. Sue and I decided that there was no way we were going to let Molly have her kittens outside. We set up a nesting box and put it in the spare bedroom. She was going to give birth soon, and if necessary, I wasn’t going to let her out of the house. I wasn’t going to take any chances this time. But it wasn’t necessary. Molly knew what the nesting box was for, and she knew that her litter had a greater chance of surviving if she had her kittens in our house. Having survived outside on her own for what we think was about two years, it’s was obvious that Molly was an extremely intelligent cat.
When the time came, Molly
literally came and got me
and took me into the spare
room. At about 3:00 pm on
September 20, 2013, Molly
gave birth to five healthy
kittens: Alpha, Smudge,
Gremlin, Jumper, and Bella.
In the passing weeks it has
been absolutely amazing to
see Molly perform her
mothering skills. I
witnessed her teaching the
kittens how to use the litter
box, how to drink out of a
water dish and glass, how
to eat hard food, how to
talk…the whole nine yards.
These kittens have been
using the litter box after
about 2 weeks of age.
There has not been a single ‘accident.’ There has not been a single case of diarrhea or anything like that. This mom has done such a good job that these kittens all use their scratching posts.
Based on the markings of the kittens, Sue and I believe that this guy here is the father. We named him Junior. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen him in a couple weeks and we fear that something has happened to him. The life of a feral cat is a hard one. Needless to say, Molly is scheduled to get fixed soon. We are not going to let this happen to her again. The vet did blood work on Molly and everything turned out fine. The vet was actually amazed at the beautiful condition Molly was in.
We have all the vet records for you, if you decide you want a kitten or two. Sue and I are not asking for payment. This is our charity.
In order to receive a kitten you must promise that he or she will not be declawed. We would prefer if they went to a home with children. Retired or semi-retired people would also be a good option. Of course the important thing is that you love animals.
Like I said, Mom is healthy. She has been tested for feline leukemia, etc, and she is fine.The kittens are also healthy. On November 26 they had two sets of shots and are due for their final set around Christmas time.
Many vets say it is ok to adopt out a kitten at 8 weeks, but my research has shown that the 8 to 12 week period with the mom is extremely important. It is during this time that the kittens learn much more subtle things like social interaction with other cats and humans. I am witnessing it with my own eyes…these kittens are learning how to talk! The difference is something like this: these kittens are being lovingly weaned from their mother, by their mother, and are learning to be independent yet well adjusted, as opposed to being ‘yanked’ from their mother where possible personality issues may occur. These kittens will be twelve weeks old on Friday December 13, 2013.
Alpha has already been adopted and Sue and I are keeping Smudge, so that leaves Jumper, Gremlin and Bella. Remember, if genetics has anything to do with it, these kittens are extremely intelligent. Also, they are above average in social skills. They eat hard food and are litter trained. If you are interested in one or two of the remaining three kittens, please contact Scholl Animal Hospital.