Two of the my strays had babies. Last night we had a bad storm. I noticed that the kittens were out from under the porch where they normally stay, so I went outside to put them back under the porch so they would be safe from the storm. I started hearing them mewing, so I went to check on them. Some of them were out from under the porch in the rain & hail, so I went out there to bring them in to safety and dry them off. I was only able to rescue five of them: the others were too far under the porch for me to be able to get. After I got the babies dried off and settled in, I went back to check to see if any more of them had come out. The momma cats were starting to haul some of the babies off into the neighbors' yard and put them under a steel sink, which really didn't offer much protection. One of the momma cats dropped 2 of the babies, and just left them there in the pouring rain. I was freaking out cuz I couldn't get to them, as there's a fence between the neighbors' yard and ours. I spent most of the night worrying and bawling my eyes out like the wuss that I am cuz I couldn't get to them.
I kept the other babies that I was able to get to in the house all night. This morning I put them back out with the momma cats. One of the momma cats started hauling the babies over the fence and back into the neighbors' yard after I put them back out. While I'm sitting there trying to figure out what to do to get them back and put them back under the porch (I really don't want them in the neighbors' yard as it's not safe over there: dogs get into that yard and could kill those babies), Randall tells me that he's gonna go over there and hand them back to me over the fence so I could put them back under the porch. Okay, so like WHY didn't you tell me that you could get over there LAST NIGHT!!
I didn't know that, or I would have done it myself!!
Sometimes he really ticks me off!
Anyway, we got all the babies back into our yard, and they're all okay - thank the Lord!
But I'm worried that they'll squeeze back through the fence, and get back into the neighbors' yard again, and as I said, it's not safe over there. I got the idea that we could put some chicken wire on that fence, so at least the babies can't squeeze through there anymore. But I'm worried that the momma cats will continue to haul the babies back over there.
I can't understand just why the momma cats didn't haul the babies to safety back under the porch when the storm hit, instead of just leaving them there screaming their poor little heads off like they did. It just about killed me to witness that.
I'm amazed that the hail didn't kill any of them, or that they didn't drown. I probably was nuts myself to be out there in the hail trying to rescue them all - especially with my back being out and barely being able to move right now - but I just couldn't stand to see them out in that horrible weather.
I'm wondering if maybe I should have let the momma cats try tending to the babies themselves.
It seems that the one momma cat is worried about me being around the babies: I think that's why she hauled them over the fence after I put them back outside. She seems kind of nervous when I'm out there feeding them, and will hiss at me sometimes. I'm hoping that she'll now realize that I won't hurt the babies, after seeing that they were all alright after I had them in the house last night, and she'll relax more now and keep them under the porch/house where it's safe.
Did I do the right thing by rescuing the babies that I was able to get to, or I should I just let nature take its course and let the momma cats tend to their babies? I don't know if I did the "right" thing or not..
I can't understand just why the momma cats didn't haul the babies to safety back under the porch when the storm hit, instead of just leaving them there screaming their poor little heads off like they did. It just about killed me to witness that.
I'm wondering if maybe I should have let the momma cats try tending to the babies themselves.
