Swimming in Cats

I am officially a crazy cat lady. Not only does Ty the kitten have a blog, and Ty and Tink are in residence in the basement (this is in addition to the five permanently ensconced cats upstairs, led by Turk, this blog's mascot), there are a number of cats who have taken up comfortable residence in the yard.

Pictured is PeeWee, an utterly charming 6-month-old who decided at some point that he loves me. He waits for me when I come home, walks at my heel to check the mailbox, purrs and cuddles in my lap at any opportunity. PeeWee has a shyer sibling name of Jackie (baseball fans will understand the name references)--Jackie will approach to sniff my fingers, but in general stays a couple feet away--but doesn't leave. PeeWee went to the vet (and purred and cuddled through the entire experience) for shots and is scheduled to get neutered this week.

Their mother, who is also the mother of Ty and Tink, is back, too, along with the rest of the litter. There were four, but I have only seen three--two black, two black-and-white. Mama has become quite affectionate, rubbing against my ankles and asking to be petted. One of the kittens, whose markings match Turk's (white spot on the chest, tiny bit of white in the armpits, bigger white spot on the underside between the rear legs), is very bold: comes out from under the bushes where they seem to be living and sniffs my feet and seeks attention. The others are shyer, but I have seen three of the four hanging out on our front stoop. I am hoping number four is just shy, not missing or hurt or worse.

Anyway, as winter approaches, all these critters need homes, because the yard is going to be too cold. My priority is homes for the cats currently outdoors for reasons of weather (all right, I confess: I am having a hard time with the notion of giving up Ty and Tink).

Which is all by way of saying that if you or anyone you know is in the market for a cat--AND WILL COMMIT TO GIVING THIS ANIMAL A GOOD HOME, PLENTY OF ATTENTION AND CARE, AND ADEQUATE VETERINARY CARE--I can hook you up. I might even be able to help with initial vet expenses.

There are lots of people and critters in the world in need of your help and love; these ones will give some love back.

UPDATE: It takes a village . . . or at least a neighborhood. Turns out the entire street has been feeding the outdoor kittens, and my yard has become an obligatory stopping-point for kids on the way home from school for kitten-viewing. Number four is indeed AWOL, but my next-door neighbor suspects one of the teens who wanted to adopt one did in fact do so. Meantime, the kids across the street made a kitten bed out of an old crib mattress, and have been coming to sit on my steps to play with the kittens after school (until my neighbor told them they should probably stay outside the fence unless I'm home). Apparently, the various moves Mama has made with the kittens include to the house across the street, and the boat of a neighbor. (Also learned that PeeWee and Jackie were born in the yard of the house on the next corner.) And it seems the daughter of the neighbor two doors down might be interested in one or two of the kittens, as her cat Cecily (who used to visit here regularly--we came to know her because she also has Turk markings, and would come look in our window at her doppelganger) apparently went out one day and failed to come home. (Very sad. We like Cecily a great deal.) Meanwhile, it seems that members of at least four households on the street have been stopping by regularly with food for the kittens; no wonder they look so healthy. Now if we can get people interested in the older cats as well . . .