We’d seen nothing of the kittens in the woodshed for days – hardly surprising, really, given how wet it’s been – so it was lovely to go round the corner of the house and see a small pair of ears sticking up out of a hollow in the woodpile.
As quietly as possible I dashed back into the house for the camera and spent the next few minutes gently edging as close as I could to the woodshed without alarming the owner of the ears. Finally I got close enough to see that there were in fact three pairs of ears, but sadly no sign of the fourth, which had belonged to a very pretty tortoiseshell and white kitten. It’s a hard world for feral kittens and we don’t think she’s made it this far.
If we were here permanently, I would be sorely tempted to try to tame these three little darlings, but as we’re not, I don’t feel I can interfere. All we can do is to leave them to be cared for and taught by their semi-wild mother and quietly admire them from a distance for their amazing beauty, grace and agility. Me, a cat-lover? Perish the thought. J
Beautifull pictures Perpetua.
ReplyDeleteIs there no French equivalent of Cats' Protection who could help, perhaps by getting the mother and kittens speyed?
Just a thought.
Thanks, Ray. They came out much better than I had expected, given that I couldn't get too close.
ReplyDeleteThere's a big problem with feral and semi-wild cats in France and the refuges are overwhelmed with kittens and strays. Our particular problem is that the kittens' mother is actually one of the farm cats from the neighbouring farm, who obviously thought our woodshed was an ideal spot to have her kittens. Not a stray, but simply untamed.
I doubt we have a hope of catching any of the as they simply disappear behind the piles of wood at the slightest sign of threat and won't let us come near them however hard we try.
Lovely pictures of gorgeous creatures, thank you for sharing them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Catriona. Glad you enjoyed them. The kittens are just so beautiful and I'd love to be able reach out and stroke them, but can only adore them from afar...
ReplyDeleteEchoing your previous posters, but they really are lovely pictures of lovely kittens. Ax
ReplyDeleteThey're so beautiful and your pictures really capture them at their wild and cute best! I hope they continue to thrive.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Annie. I've always loved cats and find kittens totally irresistible. Once we're too old for our peripatetic lifestyle, I'll have cats again.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathy. They are, I think, particularly appealing kittens, especially the greys, but on reflection, I don't think I've ever seen an unappealing kitten. We can go days without seeing them, so I try to snatch photos whenever they appear.
ReplyDeleteHello Perpetua:
ReplyDeleteWe are cat lovers and we adore these kittens .In fact, we have loved every kitten we have every seen so it is a wonder that we have had the strength not to bring them all home!
There is something in our view so particularly appealing about feral cats since one has to admire their ability to take advantage of every opportunity for food or shelter. Our friends who live in the HUngarian countryside have gradually built up a collection of 7 feral cats who now turn up twice a day at the kitchen window for a meal!
Hello, Jane and Lance I've obviously got a group of real cat-lovers following my blog :-) Thy are really beautiful kittens and look to be in excellent condition, though it's sad there are now only three of them. I bought some cat food when shopping on Friday and will start putting some out to help their conscientious mother. Even if it only tides her over until they are weaned and independent, it will help.
ReplyDeleteLove the kittens! I'd have adopted one myself except my husband is allergic to cats.
ReplyDeleteHi Linda, yes, aren't they gorgeous? Sorry you can't have a cat of your own, but some people, like your husband and one of my sisters, really are very allergic to them
ReplyDeleteSadly, after the dreadful weekend weather here, only two of the kittens appeared today and we fed them for the first time. The fluffy little grey one at the bottom of the last photo was nowhere to be seen. Sigh... Let's hope the weather improves and our feeding them helps the others to grow up.
Love the photos!Count me in as a kitten lover, too. I'd have a house full of them if left to my own devices. I'm sorry to hear that another has disappeared and I hope your feeding them will help the two survive. It's hard to leave nature to its course as we know it to be "red in tooth and claw."
ReplyDeleteThanks, Penny, and join the club. Yes, it's hard to accept that I can't just try to tame these as it wouldn't be fair to them. Hopefully, by the time we leave in September they will be big and strong and able to fend for themselves. To be honest, having them here is as big a temptation to be permanently in France as I've experienced :-)
ReplyDeleteTWO of your sisters are very allergic to them! I have to take an inhaler, eye drops and anti-histamines whenever I visit a house where a cat lives. Even with this phamaceutical battery, a couple of years ago I once had to be driven back home in the middle of the night from Kingston-upon-Thames by The Husband because I was in the grip of an asthma attack so fierce that I was trying to survive with my head out of the window (!).
ReplyDeleteNeither of us were getting any sleep...
He drove back to our friends after he'd deposited me back home and checked I could again breathe properly (after I'd found an inhaler with a bit more poke to it), had his breakfast with them and then came back home with The Dog, The Daughter, and our stuff.
I've lived with this allergy since my late 20s, but I don't talk about it much, so perhaps you didn't realise. Thankfully, I have only one or two triggers, the main ones being cat druff, thick dust and some mould spores.
I am NOT allergic to The Dog so all is well in my world...
Gosh, I never knew that, Baby Sis, even though we always had cats until about 8 years ago. That's probably because our cats lived outside so much and the house was so big and draughty that the dander didn't build up to a detectable level.
ReplyDeleteDespite being asthmatic myself I always managed well with them, though I do find myself more sensitive when I visit a house with a cat now we don't have any ourselves. I still love them with a passion though.
I am so taken by your writing that I didn't look as closely at the kittens (will go back and view them now :-)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your consideration for your neighbors (in finding another morning activity besides mowing).
I think you are doing the right thing by not interfering with the kittens. I attempted to "save" a tortoise shell feral kitten (completely abandoned) but "Lily" as I called her, did not make it.
At the veterinarians, I noticed a woman who seemed to return weekly, each time with a stray cat. I wondered if she made it her duty to get the cats spayed... before she released them back out into the wild.
Hello, Kristin, and thanks for visiting. I think part of the fun of living in another country, even if only fr part of the year, is learning to adapt to different social customs, sch as not making noise at the wrong time (with which I agree wholeheartedly).
ReplyDeleteSadly we're now down to one single kitten, the grey tabby, though whether this is because others are now venturing further afield I can't say. We now give it a little food each day, not enough to become dependent, but hopefully enough to enable it to grow up.
Brief update on the kitten situation: we again have two!! Th second reappeared with the sun today and they are staying very close to each other :-)
ReplyDeleteStop Press! We are again a three-kitten household. Fluffy grey has reappeared, apparently none the worse for his absence:-)
ReplyDeleteHooray! So glad to hear that there are three again! Thanks for keeping us updated.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Penny. We were very surprised to see it reappear, having feared the worst, but they are obviously growing up and becoming more adventurous and wide-roaming. Still lovely to see them playing amongst the piled up wood :-)
ReplyDeleteMedical Bulletin Update - all three of your sisters are allergic to cats, although in the case of S2 it is horrendous sneezing and itchy eyes that predominate, she says. As she is visiting you there soon, it's as well no taming has happened and there aren't a mum and three kittens in your living room.
ReplyDeleteDelighted the little grey kitten has reappeared. Somehow I thought it would, or maybe it was I just hoped it would as it was my favourite from your photos. I love grey cats and if they have blue eyes all the better.
I find my problem with staying in house where a cat lives indoors is that the owners (especially if they are out at work) often aren't aware how much of the time the cat sleeps in the spare bedroom. They change the sheets and pillow cases but any counterpane or throw often just gets reused, and that is what sends me off the scale within minutes of going to bed...
No chance of that, Baby Sis, we still can't get near them :-)
ReplyDeleteOur cats were never allowed upstairs, so bedrooms were kept clear. Even I couldn't sleep in a bed on which a cat had been sleeping without feeling the effects. In Prague last year I had to wash my bedclothes because their cat used to sleep on the spare bed. Not while I was there he didn't!
It would be easier to keep our house here in France low allergen because of the lack of carpets and soft furnishings. My house dust allergy is always so much better here :-)
Oh dear Perpetua - I'm sorry Oscar caused you problems because of sleeping on the single bed in the guest bedroom. I'll make sure that all the bed sheets & duvet covers on both beds have been washed & Oscar completely excluded, before you return in September.
ReplyDeleteRicky, I was so surprised that it caused me problems as I thought I was almost immune nowadays, but I realised I'd been mistaken. It didn't even occur to me to mention it when you got back, as I was OK as long as Oscar didn't come into my bedroom. Mind you, he made his disapproval obvious :-)
ReplyDeleteDid S2 and her DH arrive safely with you guys? Hope you all have restful weekend. We are flying to Malaga on Monday for The Husband's Niece's wedding. I've been told by the bride on FB that It's Very Hot In Spain. Must remember to pace ourselves...
ReplyDeleteIs "my" little grey kitten still there?
Arrived safe and sound, thanks, and are being lucky with the weather so far (says she with fingers crossed)
ReplyDeleteHave a great trip to Spain and be careful with the heat. I gather it is VERY hot in Spain, Greece and Turkey.
All the kittens have now apparently packed their belongings in their red-spotted handkerchiefs and set out to find their fortune elsewhere. We keep looking for them but haven't seen a tail or a whisker since Tuesday. The little grey one was my favourite too. Sigh.....
They are magnificent....photos and cats. I wonder how they are doing now. I love your comment about how when too old for the peripatetic life you will have cats again.... it made me realise that although I hope this wandering phase of life lasts a long time.....there will be benefits of the next. possibly less exciting phase. We will be the carers for cats again Perpetua. Fondest wishes Janice
ReplyDeleteHi Janice. Yes, I too wonder how they are doing and whether I will recognise any of them if they are still around on our next visit. I think I probably will, as I spent a lot of time looking at them and one of the tabbies was starting to become a little tame.
ReplyDeleteOne day I will definitely have cats again - when I am old and wear purple with a red hat....:-)
What lovely looking little kittens they are :-)
ReplyDeleteThey were gorgeous, Maria, and three of them were still around as young adults last year.
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