Holy Smokes this weather is unreal. Glad we aren’t traveling on the holiday weekend, suspect there might be some nasty surprises in store for those who are.

Last night, I couldn’t sleep. I kept hearing the semi-feral kittens upstairs ramming the door trying to get out. So sad, if they were outside, they would be fighting to stay alive. They would be joining with other cats, finding food, hunting for prey and finding a safe place to hide out. So this morning, I decided to take them out to the barn and let them go. Sometimes, some of the cats and kittens just can’t adapt to captivity no matter how “safe” we deem them to be.

They immediately both took off scampered up the ramp to the loft and got lost among the stray hay bales. Later, when I was walking the pasture, I noticed they both were eating from the feral feeders near the barn.

When you work with traumatized kitties for a long time, there are signs they give out when they aren’t keen on being in kitty alcatraz. I rarely saw them when I went into the room and when I spent the night with them, they never came out of hiding. Just the sight of another human would set their ears flat back and their tails would tuck and eyes dilate. Not good signs and stressing them out, keeping them in a large room which is really just a large, luxurious cage just shut their systems down. So they are outside and will have food, shelter, fresh water daily all the mice they can catch and the other barn cats for company. Sometimes, even when you want to win- you can’t. It was important for them to eat and feel comfortable and now they are in their element. They have taken up residence under the hay barn. I know now that they are living on their terms, they will warm up to me over time without feeling forced into it.