A few days ago, we discovered that a pair of stray or feral cats had a litter of four kittens in the storage area outside of Chris’s shop. There’s two orange and white kittens, one tabby kitten and one calico kitten. They all look like they will have long hair like the daddy.
The parents
The father kitty I would say is definitely feral. He’s very skittish and runs almost immediately when he sees us. The mother is wary but not as quick to run in a way that makes me think she may be more stray than feral. Since finding the kittens, I’ve started putting out kitten food for the mom in hopes of gaining her trust. She already seems to know that I bring food and she doesn’t need to run. At one point yesterday, she actually began walking toward me, but stopped about halfway and went back to the food. Daddy cat was nearby, and it was almost like he warned her to stay back.
The kittens
I’m not able to get too close to the kittens, but there are four and they appear to be in good health. I think they are about 4-5 weeks because they are still nursing but have their eyes open and are playful and curious. They have the instinct to run and hide, but one in particular immediately peeks out from it’s hiding spot and watches me.
Since the mother is taking care of the kittens, it’s my understanding that it’s best to wait until they are a bit older before trying to move them. With shelters and rescues limited by COVID-19 related restrictions, this is especially true.
In the meantime, I plan to keep an eye on them and try to get them used to my presence. Today, when I put food out for Momma kitty, she came within eight feet of me and began eating while I talked to her. That’s closer than she’s ever come before.
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