A Sad June Night

A Sad Night in June 2013

My home has been rousing with kitten antics for the past three months. The eldest female had a litter, and two weeks later, her feline daughter that I had kept had another litter. There were gray twins that I kept from the first litter. Two weeks later, the second daughter cat had a litter.

I had to move. One litter was old enough to venture about the house, but "Mystique" and "Misty" had kittens who were too young to move about yet. The last night before I moved, I left the back of the house open.

I had moved my eight year old "Angel," "Mama Vanilla," and Mama Tiki," as well as all of their kittens. When I returned to the house in daylight, "Misty" and her two kittens were gone. I'd guessed she moved her little family outside, to get away from the noise and activity. I would have in her case--she never saw a human move before.

I had a bad relationship with that landlord, and it's really not safe for me to go creeping around the old hood looking for "Misty" and her two kittens, which are probably 10 weeks old by now. My previous next door neighbor is a feral cat feeder, and she said she would try to look out for them for me. I've NEVER moved and left a cat behind, much less one with two two-day old kittens. My heart still aches over "Misty" and her babies, and I need to get a friend to go cat hunting some weekend afternoon.

Before school let out for the summer, I had a neighbor or two and a few passing kids who took a kitten to be their own. For the past few weeks, there have been three gray kittens (two from the older litter), two white and gray kittens, and one black and orange Calico.

"Mama Vanilla" moved her brood four times. I wasn't messing with the babies a lot. They were just opening their eyes, and I pulled one little fellow out and cleaned his eyes with a wet cotton ball. The Mom had left him behind when she moved the kittens. I held on to him a couple of hours, left him next to his Mama when she was eating, and she took the baby back with the others. That was what I assumed. They had lived in three closets previously, and "Vanilla" found a good spot where she could jump up the chimney and get to them, but I couldn't.

With three adult female cats, two are spayed now, and a half dozen kittens, as well as my German Shepherd, it got to not be easy to keep up with all the four footers every day. Kittens show up to eat at different times, have their own private spots to nap, and I figured I was just missing somebody who was out of pocket. I noticed fewer gray kitties

There were three gray kitties who look like their mom "Tiki." She is still recovering from her spay surgery, and she's just a couple of years herself, and very thin. But I felt like something was wrong.

The day the kittens moved to the fireplace, there was meowing all afternoon. There was meowing the next day. The third day the fireplace had no meow sounds.

I live in a 3/2 by myself, with my pets, and I'm still unpacking boxes.

I looked into an open closet in the study, and there lay a gray kitten sleeping. I noticed ants crawling on her fur, and then I noticed flies--and I realized the gray kitten was in a permanent sleep. She just looked like she laid down for a nap and died.

I dealt with the body disposal rapidly. I didn't inspect the body. It wasn't warm, but she wasn't yet stiff either. I wrapped her remains, and disposed of the body without letting anyone else, of the critters, smell. They understand and it upsets them.

Later, I wandered back into the study, where I'm not spending much time yet. I heard no meowing, but decided to look in the nooks and crannies of the desk, as a litter of kittens had lived there before.

I found two dead kittens. There are no more baby meows. The mother has a plaintive cry, and she's letting her older kittens nurse, because her kitty titties are full.

There are probably five dead kittens in my house yet to be found. They will be stiff by tomorrow. A whole litter who never got a chance at life. And one older gray kitten who died mysteriously. This is all a mystery. I've NEVER lost cats like this before--maybe one from a large litter--but never a whole litter.

I'm shocked, too shocked to cry, and my brain keeps asking "Why," "What happened?"

And I'm holding my eight year old "Angel" kitty close to me tonight, and watching the others for signs of illness. Before the day is done, all the litter boxes are going outside to be cleaned anddisinfected.

I can't imagine what happened. I left word for a chimney sweep to call me tomorrow. I can't understand where something went so terribly wrong, and I'm so sad for the loss of little kitty souls.