Is what I'm doing okay?

This morning when I got up to let the chickens out of the coop, Hazel had just got back from hunting. She had caught a small mouse or a baby mole/vole. Little Fern was chomping on it, and anytime anyone else came near her she growled at them. lol It was cute.

I LOVE that Callie and Ninja are comfortable enough here now that they play. They used to be so on edge all the time that they just sat there frozen. When we were down here looking at houses to buy, we found a pet boutique and found a fabric banana completely stuffed with catnip. We bought it for Nora b/c she LOVES bananas. Well, she doesn't play with it anymore, so I put it outside for the kittens. None of them had played with it until tonight. Ninja found it, and he loves it as much as Nora did! He got totally jacked up on catnip! haha!! It was really cute! I also put one of these things out http://www.kongcompany.com/products/...roo/kickeroo-1 that we had bought for Thomas b/c he loved the homemade one the rescue gave us but got a hole in it. He never played with it. Callie loves it though!

Hmm.

When I got up to let the chickens out this morning all of the cats were gone. Now it is 9pm and I go to shut the chickens up for the night and I see Ninja. He is here by himself, which he has never done before. He is being SO cute, though!! Talking to me, rubbing on everything, and laying on his back rolling from side to side, with his head upside down looking at me.

He has gotten SOOOOO close to touching me, but when he gets about 3 inches from me he jerks away. I have just been sitting out on the patio talking softly to him, but not trying to touch him at all. I'm letting him make the first move. He walked behind me once and lightly grazed my back.

I don't know why he is here alone, but I told him he can stay here as long as he wants to.

Last night all the cats where here. Hazel went out hunting, and she brought a big fat rat back for her babies. GROSS!! They ate the whole thing overnight, though. She is such a good mama!!

Today, up until this afternoon when they went out hunting again, Ninja and Callie were here during the day!! It was the first time they have ever been here in the daylight. They are getting closer and closer to letting us actually pet them. If only I can keep my son from being too forceful with them.

Btw, I think it is so stinking cute when these teeny tiny kittens climb a tree!! haha They think it is so much fun, and they always make me laugh.

Huge progress tonight!!! Ninja rubbed against me a couple times tonight. So, while he was nursing on Hazel, I thought I would try to pet him and see what he did. At first he jumped a bit, but he settled back down and just looked at me. He started purring away! He would roll over so I could pet his belly, and a couple times he would pull his leg forward b/c he wanted me to scratch the back of his leg (Nora and Walter love that too). I sat and pet him for about 45 minutes! Once he rolled onto his back and was batting at my hands. SO cute!

He is still kinda skittish and won't come up to me the same way Hazel does, but he has no problem with me reaching out and petting him if he walks by or is nursing.

Just catching up here and on the progress !!!!! OH little Ninja sounds like a real love-bug for sure. I think they will all soon follow Hazel's lead in becoming more and more affectionate as the days go on. WOW, Hazel sound's like a perfect mom finding the rats and mice for her kits . I love those Kickaroo toys! And I am sure the catnip is a huge hit to them and something new. You are really making them feel at home at your place. I love hearing about this little sweeties. Glad it is going so well and they are all happy and healthy

Sorry I haven't been on very much lately. Just catching up with this thread.

You asked what I meant by a normal feeding schedule. I always went out to feed the cats first thing in the morning. I tried an evening schedule, but we'd get raccoons and possums raiding the food bowls overnight. I fed enough so that everyone had their fill with some left over to make it thru the day. I emptied any leftover food at dusk to avoid other critters from eating.

Hearing the story about your neighbor, it's obvious that the cats are bonding to you as caregiver. Cats love routine and if you start a strict feeding schedule with them, they'll move in permanently.

What great progress you are making with them!

We don't have a problem with racoons or anything eating the food at night, even being out in the country. It is actually easier for me to feed them at night b/c the chickens can't eat it (they love cat food and it isn't good for them in large quantities and anytime I leave food out during the day they gobble it up). When it is only Hazel here, I will feed here once during the day and once she is finished I take it up, but then leave a large amount of food out for her at night so she can eat when she wants. When the kittens are here, I feed them a few times a day and then do the same as with Hazel at night. Does that make sense?

My only concern would be that eventually, wild life will find the food source if you keep leaving food out at night. I learned rather quickly to only feed in the morning and late afternoon. I have a menagerie of wild animals that started coming around at dark, even coyotes. Just keep that in mind.

Update - Sorry it's been a while, but there really hasn't been much to update. Same old, same old. Hazel would have the kittens here for a day or two, then take them somewhere else for a day or two.

Now, I don't want to speak too soon, but I think they have moved here permanently. Ninja and Callie have never stayed here during the day, they always go back up by our neighbor's house. For the past three days, though, all 8 of them have been here all day long.

Ninja and Callie are getting more friendly each day. Callie will let me pet her now on a regular basis!! She is so cute! She has the cutest little voice, and she likes to talk to me. Her purr is adorable and so huge for such a little bitty cat. LOL Two nights ago Ninja caught a bunny and brought it home for everyone to eat. I walked out on the porch and it was out in the grass. He RAN over to it, grabbed it, and brought it over and set it at my feet. I was so honored!!

All of them are still fully convinced they need to be indoor cats, and we have to fight them off every time we go in and out of our house. lol I'm just afraid of them possibly having FeLV, and I haven't been able to get Hazel tested yet (my sister just had her first baby, my first job as an aunt lol, so we're having to save up so we can go visit them).

We are definitely keeping Wilbur. He has claimed me as his. Every time I go outside he RUNS over to me and wants to be picked up, or if I sit down he jumps into my lap and will lay in it forever. If I'm standing and don't immediately pay attention to him, he will start to climb up my pants like I'm a tree! LOL

AWWW Wilbur, he is a keeper. I loved seeing all of the photos you posted . They are all beautiful kittens and I am hoping they can all get adopted out somehow with the help of a rescue in your area. They sound like they would make wonderful, indoor, loving kitties. Wish I could take a couple. OH kittens, are just so darn cute .

I am still hoping you will see Ninja appear today , I am thinking of you and know this is taking a toll on you... for baby Ninja

Well, I never saw Ninja again. Now, I haven't seen Hazel or the kittens in over a week. They were here last Saturday (9/3) during the day, but left in the evening, and I haven't seen them since. I'm not sure what to think about that. I don't know if something happened to Hazel and the kits just don't know how to find their way back, or if the neighbors gave them away or did something to them. I don't know. It's weird for Hazel to be gone for more than a day or two, at the max. Even if the babies aren't here, she usually is at least a couple times a day.

Callie, on the other hand, has been here consistently for almost two weeks, and has been here 24/7 alone since Hazel and the kits disappeared. She is either on our front porch or in our wooded area. If I call her she will come. She is also getting much more friendly. She is still skittish, and doesn't like it if you come at her too fast, but if you let her approach you on her terms, she LOVES to be petted and will purr up a storm. She loves to have her ears scratched. She is also very talkative, well, more like SCREAMative. LOL She screams instead of just talks. It's really cute. She is so soft and just a sweet little cat.

I miss my Wilbur, though.

That is very, very odd that Hazel and the kittens (except Callie) are all gone for over a week. I seriously wonder if they were also getting fed by the neighbors and they trapped them or took them somewhere ???? This just is not the norm. Once a mom cat finds such a safe and secure place as your yard and porch for herself and her kittens, she will not stray like that unless for a very good reason or to keep herself and the kittens from harm. There was no harm to be done to them at your place. So I just can't figure this out. I wonder if that is where Ninja went .. Can you ask the neighbor's if they have seen them. I would be worried too. So sorry, Kara I hope they come home today.

We are wondering if they were out hunting or something in the pasture behind our house and they got caught by a pack of coyotes. One night the coyotes were REALLY loud and close (even the dog was freaking out). All of a sudden we heard them attacking something in the pasture, and now that we think of it, it sounded like a cat howling and screaming really loud. At the time we thought it was a dog or a calf. It was about that time that we stopped seeing them. If that is the case, I feel so bad for them b/c that had to be a terrible way to go. I hate that they go out there, b/c there is no way to escape. At least here and at our neighbor's house there are a ton of trees to run up, but in the pasture there is nothing.

Oh no!! D:
I really hope Hazel and the kittens come back!!

That is just terrible news. My gosh, I hope that wasn't them. I guess if they don't come around very, very soon then you can assume it might have been them in that field that night . My heart is breaking at the thought of that fate for the kitties. I am sure you are sick to death over this too. Just so sorry, Kara . You did such a great job for that family of cats. If I were you, I would take Callie IN today. Somehow, someway bring her inside. I would be worried for her life now too.

Well, it has been over two weeks since we saw Hazel and the kittens.

Callie becomes more friendly each day. She LOVES to be petted now and craves attention. She also cuddles with our dog when she is outside. It is really cute. I think she is just so lonely now, since she is basically an orphan. Poor girl.

I am quite sad to hear this..... I then can only imagine how you must feel. . Well, Cailie must be missing everyone and I certainly hope she stays safe. She is just beautiful......

I can't believe it. I just can't believe it.

Tonight, around 7:00 I went out to talk to my husband, who was standing by the road talking to his mother on the phone (our cell phones suck out here, and that is one of the only places you can get reception lol). I was standing there when a black and white cat came walking up.

I said "Templeton???" He actually stopped and looked at me. "Is that you??" He walked up to our driveway, turned, and RAN towards our house! He remembered! Templeton was always the most skittish of all the kittens, but he actually quickly warmed up to us, and was talking to us and letting us pet him (which he never really did before!). It is definitely Templeton b/c he has the little black mustache.

I can't believe he just showed up! It was 5 weeks ago today that they disappeared! Weird, huh??

DS and I decided to try walking up the road to see if we could find any others, and Templeton and Callie came with us. We ended up finding two more!!! We found Henry and Puffin! OMG I just can't believe it! They followed us home, and Templeton actually led the way back, like he was saying "Come on guys, this is where I want to live now!" Once we got back they seemed scared at first, but quickly remembered where they were.

Callie was SOOO happy to see them!! She was wrestling with them and trilling and chirping! She has been so lonely, and now she has someone to cuddle with at night!

I know I keep saying it, but I just can't believe it!

I can't believe this either and I can't believe how happy I am to hear this news . It is incredible Where have they been ? This is very odd. To be gone for five weeks like this and then just appear. They have to have another place where they are living and possibly being fed. Well, I hope they stay put this time I am sure Callie was happy to see them again. How sweet

Callie never leaves like Hazel used to, so I'm sure they are here to stay. She is here 24/7, so I think they will stay here with her.