Four Tiny Tabbies

In April I housed a feral cat for a while so she could have her kittens, be spayed and returned to her colony. It was the evening of the 23rd and I had just returned home from work. I went out to the garage to check on Gina just to find that she had a kitten with her. This little baby was still wet and she was cleaning it.  I had expected that there would be more signs that she was going into labor so I had not given her a fresh blanket that morning. I quickly had to change out the blankets in her kennel for clean ones. While I was fetching the blankets she gave birth to her second kitten. In the litter box. A littler box full of clumping litter. I quickly whisked kitten number two away to the sink for a rinse off.  After I removed the litter box and put a clean blanket and some towels in there I left her alone. By 11 PM that evening she had given birth to four beautiful little tabby kittens.

Three of Gina's Four babies

This whole situation was very exciting and new to me. This was the first time I had ever actually seen a newborn kitten. Sure, I have bottle fed many kittens, but I have never seen them this new. They were all so tiny and precious. I was amazed that their little tiny claws are not retractable at birth, and by how tiny and perfect their little faces were.
Gina was a first time mom, and out of her element. She would take a kitten or two and keep them with her on one end of the kennel while leaving the other two kittens on the other side. I worried that they might not get enough to eat, so periodically I would take them and bottle feed them just so I knew that their bellies were full. They all seemed  to be doing really well.
A few days after they were born I went out to feed Gina and I heard muffled mews across the garage. I counted the babies in her kennel and there were only three! One of the kittens had squeezed through the kennel bars and fallen on the hard concrete floor. I followed the sound of the kittens cries and discovered it across the garage. That kitten had boogied itself about ten feet away from where it landed. What a trip for a two day old kitten! I checked the kitten over, and it seemed fine. A little cold feeling, but not injured as far as I could tell. I took it inside and warmed it up and fed it. Then I put the adventuresome little thing back with it's mother.

To find out more read the next installment titled:

Tabbies in taxis