Even More Animals

Well done, you've stuck with it. Here's the next batch.

Molly Back to those bin cats who gave birth in early 2016. Molly was one of the ones who disappeared to look after her babies. At the end of the season I caught her and had her neutered when the volunteer vets were here. I kept her in Bear's cage while she recovered from the anaesthetic but when I opened the door to release her, she climbed on the sofa and there she stayed. Molly turned out to be another supermum and ultimately moved in four of her kittens. She is a very gentle girl with a much less ferocious mothering style than Zelena. She's also generous, adopting Gizmo into her brood.

Ginger Ginger was Molly's kitten from the May litter. I'd never seen him before but, bold as brass, he followed his Mum up the drive for dinner the day after she was neutered. He moved right in and never had a moment's trouble fitting in. He loves his siblings from the September litter and was very protective of them when they were small. He spends a lot of time outside but knows which side his bread is buttered and is always indoors when he's hungry, wants comfort or when the weather is bad.

Monty, Ella and Timmy These are the kittens from Molly's litter in September 2016. I thought I'd dodged a bullet by getting her neutered at the end of the season. Then my neighbour's little girl asked me if I'd seen the kittens and informed me Molly had been 'giving them milk' by the bin at the bottom of the drive. It was only a matter of time before Molly taught them to move into the garden and come to the balcony for food. As the weather turned they made it into the house and stopped going out altogether. .
Despite being constant residents these three were very nervous and it took many months before they would come near me or let me touch them. The boys are a bit braver. They sometimes seek out fuss and have even made it up to the bedroom to sleep a few of times. Ella is more wary and spends a lot of time in the garden with her Mum. But they all know the score now and all three are at the head of the queue when it comes to mealtime.

The Jessie-alike (Jesse) Jesse looks very like a a cat I used to have (Jessie). He has been around for a few years and has a wide stomping ground. I used to give him biscuits if he happened to be at my local bin but he’s always been happy doing his own thing. Until Zelena and Molly began their recruitment drive and encouraged him up to the house. I’m pretty sure he’s one of their baby daddies. He has a distinctive white tip to his tail and so do many of the kittens. I managed to get him neutered at the end of the 2016 season when the volunteer vets were here so he won’t be responsible for any more. But now he's decided he belongs, coming to my windowsill at least twice a day for food and hanging around for fuss when his bowl is empty.

Black Jack Another one of the baby daddies from the bin, recruited to the house by Zelena and Molly. There's not much doubt that Monty & Ella are his. Black Jack was doing the rounds scrounging what he could from nearby houses but, like Jesse, he's now a regular fixture on my windowsill. I went on a neutering drive in early 2017 when a couple of the female bin cats were pregnant and was fortunate enough to catch Black Jack and put an end to any future family planning while I was at it.

No Ears The one that got away. No Ears was heavily pregnant and the main reason why I went on the early 2017 neutering drive. She lives at a bin en-route from Mum's house. I drop Mum's rubbish there on my way home and give No Ears biscuits if she happens to be around. Being pregnant and hungry she went further afield looking for food and found out where I live. She's a canny girl who's been living on the streets for a couple of years so, although I can stroke her and pick her up she wouldn't come anywhere near me with a cat box in sight. I had to give up and she had her kittens at Easter. I'm hoping she'll take them to the hotel next to her bin in season but for now she's still a permanent fixture being fed at my house.

Emily Back to those bin cats who were pregnant in early 2016. Emily was the last of those 3 musketeers. She disappeared to do her own thing after giving birth but turned up again in early 2017. Pregnant again, I was fortunate enough to catch her this time and prevented 2 more kittens being born. A familiar story, she's now attached herself to the house and turns up regularly on the windowsill demanding her share of food and willing to fight her Fred is a very nervour boy corner to get it.

Fluffy Fred Fred is a very nervous boy but, miraculously, I managed to catch him on my 2017 neutering drive. He won't even come out of hiding until I walk away from the biscuits so it speaks volumes for the powers of sardines and a quick shove into the cat box. Poor Fred is so pretty and his manly bits so little in evidence that he'd been shaved and an incision made on his stomach before the vet realised he was a boy. The error was corrected and Fred's no worse for wear. He still comes for dinner but gets chased off so he needs lots of supervision to be certain he gets his fair share.

'In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is Freedom, in water there is bacteria'
Benjamin Franklin