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Monday, July 2, 2018

Status of kittens: variable.

Shadow brought back the kittens after that first road trip.
 [ETA: Nearly that entire link is about Smoky's loss, beware! :( "Smoky's grandmother brought us new feral kittens the following week, 18-April. They're gone now -- probably she decided to abandon them/lead them off to new territory."] 
Mother and kittens went away 2-4 more times since then for the day... then returned.

Twice this week they've all gone missing. Granted, it's idiot season -- where half the neighborhood blows up firecrackers day and night, a horrible experience for cats and dogs alike. Let alone lawn mowers.


Friday all the kittens came back late. I fed them wet food, knowing they'd be starving and thirsty.

Last night we got Nixie, hoarsely mewing, and Jack, at 11pm -- same time as Friday. But not their sister Cali.

Sunday I'd seen Nix at 9am, who then fled, but not his sibs. Back towards the far corner of yard. Shadow must've taught her feral kittens to climb fences... or to try to. Whenever the kittens vanish, I tell Shadow "bring back the kittens" and she realized that means I'll feed them wet food when they're home.

Last night, oddly, Shadow didn't want any wet food. The boys and her adult daughter Vee happily ate it.


Jack's got a bad foot now, and we haven't been able to catch him. He runs up for treats and then scampers away, as skittish as his mother, or maybe even worse than Shadow. Jack loves treats but humans are still scary.

His limping began Thursday evening, 28-June-18. :[ Going on walkabout Friday and Sunday could not have helped that.


Today we got Cali back. No sign of her brothers.

She has never wanted to be touched. I petted her thoughtlessly, and Cali began purring, and leaning into it. "Good girl, you made it home!" I said. Kept praising her.

Even the phrase "good girl" would get her purring.

I really hope the kittens stop fleeing and then having to spend hours returning. Maybe they're following Shadow. I wish they wouldn't. This could be her trying to abandon them. Or hiding from human noise.

In this heat -- lately it's been 85-90+ Fahrenheit -- they need to stay near water.

Please keep them in your thoughts. They're probably four months old now, give or take a little.



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