The Cats of Maguire Farm, Page 6

Talic had babies!

We knew Talic was due to have her kittens any day, so we were watching her closely. I noticed she was acting differently this particular morning. She was talking to me a lot (meowing) and when I called all the cats for a treat she didn't get up right away from the cat bed we have on the porch. We waited and watched her. It was now bedtime. The kids were finishing up their nightly showers and Stephen had gone off to bed. I walked outside and Talic meowed at me. I looked down and noticed blood on the cat bed. Then I noticed one little kitten. I picked it up and it felt cold. I called the girls outside. Amie was still in the shower but was rushing as fast as she could and was finished her shower in record time. Since the kitten felt cold and was still wet the kids and I decided to carry the whole cat bed inside the house. Since Talic was not used to being inside, she tried to pick up her kitten and move it, but was not sure where she would go. We were able to calm her down and she relaxed again inside the house. Katie picked up the kids phone line and called the main line to wake Stephen up. He came down the steps and we all explained why we brought Talic and the kitten inside the house. Amie told him Talic was laying on the kitten. Stephen assured her it was to keep the kitten warm and he went into a speel about how cats have been having kitten outside for thousands of years without human help and that Talic would have most likely had the rest of her kittens had we just left her alone. He suggested putting the big dog crate on the porch and getting a small box to put inside the crate and leaving her alone. At this point, Amie, Sara and I were still stuck on moving Talic inside for the night, Katie didn't care either way. We explained that the crate should be in the living room and were trying to decide what to do with the inside dogs to keep them from scaring Talic. Stephen just sat on the steps looking down at his 4 girls, shaking his head with a slight smile on his face. He realized he was out numbered and it was a lost cause to argue with a bunch of emotional females and announced he was going back to bed.

A blonde girl wearing a teal blue shirt holding a tiny newborn orange kitten.

Well after Stephen went off to bed and the kitten was all dry and felt warm again, my logical side kicked in and I realized Talic would be happier outside where she has lived all her life. Leaving the girls to watch over Talic and the kitten, I went outside and set up the dog crate with everything Talic would need. We then moved Talic out onto the porch to have the rest of her babies and I sent the kids off to bed.

A calico cat laying on a colorful towel in a cardboard box inside of a dog crate nursing her kittens looking content.

I checked on Talic before I went to bed and saw she now had at least two more kittens, however it was dark and hard to see.

In the morning Stephen and I went out and got the official count of 5 kittens, three orange and two blackish!