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It is of course foolish, to meddle in things not human
15 years ago
To impose the "decency of humanity" among animals who live by their rites, rules and politics.
But it didn't stop me from housing a litter of kittens almost two months ago now, and it didn't stop me from nursing abandoned kittens from point of death back to life for almost 8 years now. Even after all this time that has passed, I learned not to meddle, the consequences for doing so, the risks it might warrant and joyous results it could have. But for the sake of humanity (who's? probably mine, another stupid human trick) I rescued a newborn litter and their ill-experienced mother the other night.
I live on a farm, at the end of a dead end road. Most of my neighbors are a good ways down the road, they seem to think that owning a farm means you love animals, and will collect them like pokemon. Well, we love animals but we have enough.
So the kittens (originally five in total) and their mother were being attacked by a dog, whom I ran off. And then inspected the scene for why the dog was closing in on a cat. I found four squirming little kittens, fresh into the world and one not so fortunate one that didn't quite make the cut. All were on an incline by an old shed far from the house. Quickly I gathered a box and material (having it on hand because the other kittens had just grown out of it, they're in their 'I'm adorable and crave to teethe on your toes' stage now) I piled them in. Anyone will tell you, never touch fresh kittens because the mother will reject your scent on them. Well this cat was uncaring of that, she hopped in the box with them knowing I was trying to help. I brought them back to my room, and there she stayed with them the first day of their life. It rained enough for puddles that evening and the incline was a leafy dirt bath.
Yesterday, we discovered momma cat has no litter training as I caught her in time before she let nature roar all over my floor. I let her out, she came back after a while, stayed with them a bit, wanted out again. I figured she wanted to go eat because she won't eat around the older kittens, they're all afraid of her. So trusting her I let her out. She disappeared and kept me up all night searching the eeriness that is the farmland at night as her kittens cried growing cold and hungry by the hour. I found her twice, but she would run to the woods, or hide under the house. I finally caught her this morning at sun rise, after listening to her poor kittens. I used to be able to make formula for kittens to aid in abandonment but I didn't have the supplies or the means to get it at such ungodly hours. The best I could do was move their box in vicinity of the heater to shake off the chill of the night.
Well with the mother cat returned, I am faced with at least one consequence. First there were five, then there were four, now there's three.
It sucks, but.. yeah. I'm running on little sleep, and well I'm fixing up a huge pet carrier for her to stay in at night with them.
But it didn't stop me from housing a litter of kittens almost two months ago now, and it didn't stop me from nursing abandoned kittens from point of death back to life for almost 8 years now. Even after all this time that has passed, I learned not to meddle, the consequences for doing so, the risks it might warrant and joyous results it could have. But for the sake of humanity (who's? probably mine, another stupid human trick) I rescued a newborn litter and their ill-experienced mother the other night.
I live on a farm, at the end of a dead end road. Most of my neighbors are a good ways down the road, they seem to think that owning a farm means you love animals, and will collect them like pokemon. Well, we love animals but we have enough.
So the kittens (originally five in total) and their mother were being attacked by a dog, whom I ran off. And then inspected the scene for why the dog was closing in on a cat. I found four squirming little kittens, fresh into the world and one not so fortunate one that didn't quite make the cut. All were on an incline by an old shed far from the house. Quickly I gathered a box and material (having it on hand because the other kittens had just grown out of it, they're in their 'I'm adorable and crave to teethe on your toes' stage now) I piled them in. Anyone will tell you, never touch fresh kittens because the mother will reject your scent on them. Well this cat was uncaring of that, she hopped in the box with them knowing I was trying to help. I brought them back to my room, and there she stayed with them the first day of their life. It rained enough for puddles that evening and the incline was a leafy dirt bath.
Yesterday, we discovered momma cat has no litter training as I caught her in time before she let nature roar all over my floor. I let her out, she came back after a while, stayed with them a bit, wanted out again. I figured she wanted to go eat because she won't eat around the older kittens, they're all afraid of her. So trusting her I let her out. She disappeared and kept me up all night searching the eeriness that is the farmland at night as her kittens cried growing cold and hungry by the hour. I found her twice, but she would run to the woods, or hide under the house. I finally caught her this morning at sun rise, after listening to her poor kittens. I used to be able to make formula for kittens to aid in abandonment but I didn't have the supplies or the means to get it at such ungodly hours. The best I could do was move their box in vicinity of the heater to shake off the chill of the night.
Well with the mother cat returned, I am faced with at least one consequence. First there were five, then there were four, now there's three.
It sucks, but.. yeah. I'm running on little sleep, and well I'm fixing up a huge pet carrier for her to stay in at night with them.
yay