The numbers here this year are overwhelming. With such a warm winter last year, the mating never stopped and kitten season seemed endless. In November, I was getting calls about kittens just days old! But now the weather is decidedly cooler, so I know the cycle has finally ended. The strays have taken refuge from the cold weather and mating is the last thing on the toms’ minds right now. The urge to mate has been replaced for the need of survival.

Working with strays and ferals is always a challenge. Taking a cat who has survived outside in the world, enduring God knows what, and confining him behind four walls can sometimes cause conflict with the other resident cats. As the kittens continue to grow, and suitable homes are not available, I am now dealing with several urinators and more aggressive alpha behavior. There is an influx of couch scratching on the “sacrificial” couch upstairs (the one place the cats can scratch without reprisals. We just had our drapes cleaned for the downstairs windows and not ten minutes after they were re-hung, McKinley came and baptized them thoroughly…….sigh…….

With the windy weather and hard rain, the cats have evacuated the outdoor enclosure, settling instead for the comfort and warmth of the house. Not that I blame them, but it does increase the stress on several of the cats having to share our home with others who used to be tiny and of little consequence.

All the kittens will be neutered next month. It is my hope after the surgery that I can find decent, loving homes for these wonderful creatures. They are now all socialized, loving beings. You can clip their claws, clean their ears and keep your skin and fingers intact while doing so. With the exception of Panic and Charlie who we are keeping- I will have 6 kittens in need of loving, caring homes.

Today, a special friend called me eccentric. It surprised me, but I suppose she spoke the truth as she sees it. I would rather spend a day in the company of my cats, then attend a Christmas Party where I would just end up sitting on a sofa trying not to spill my drink in my lap, or hiding in the corner wishing I were anywhere else but there. So yes, I guess in the light of society and how people function, I would be considered odd.

But I would take odd, over cruel, apathetic or boring any day of the week. These cats need me. We understand each other and they know they are safe here. They trust me to not release them into a home until I am100% certain that all their needs will be met.