Life goes in circles. The last time I owned any cat was more than 20 years ago. In fact, I owned

[in2herbs]

4 at the same time. Well, a few months ago a stray cat birthed her 6 kittens in my barn. I was able to trap all of them and transferred them to a great cat rescue. Three of the kittens have been adopted but grown cats are not what people are looking for so I told the cat rescue lady that I'd take the momma cat after the kittens were weaned and she was fixed, which I paid for. That has occurred so as of today I am again a cat owner. A tabby. However, the momma was really attached to one specific kitten so when I went to pick up the momma she asked if I'd take the baby to help with their transition, promising that she'd take the baby back if it didn't work out. So I am the owner of a cat and a kitten. The momma is in hiding in the upstairs room, and the baby is hiding under the dresser in the same room. I hope they can find their food and litter box on their own. Momma was a good barn mouser but those days are over. She'll be an inside cat. I go into the room every hour for a few minutes and just sit quietly.

With all the fear and hate in the world under trump I swore to myself I wasn't going to let any animal be killed if I was able to rescue it and provide it a good home.

Being a stray - not feral - she'll need time to acclimate cuz right now her favorite thing to do is hiss and swat. But she better hurry cuz I've also got 2 dogs. Husband does not yet know about the kitten!

Don't know how to post pics but just wanted to share my good news.

[LakeArenal]

1. Try Postimage for posting pictures

So easy I use it. Congrats on your new babies.

https://postimages.org/

[Jeebo]

2. Have you ever watched "My Cat From Hell"?

I wish you well, but I've got a feeling I'll be seeing you on that show in a few months. I hope I'm wrong, though. I hope your new feline roommates will soon settle down well in their new home.

-- Ron

[in2herbs]

13. Never heard of it, but now you've got me scared. lol

[MLAA]

3. What are their names?

Lucky cats they are!

[in2herbs]

14. My H named the mamma cat "FE" pronounced Effie, but stands for feline extraordinaire. Haven't named

the kitty yet but I was able to hold him for a while. He was shaking really badly but by the end he was sleeping in my arms. FE is still in hiding.

[MLAA]

20. Ahhh FE is adorable. 😻

[spinbaby]

4. So nice you got a momma and baby

I have a mother and son. Even years later, they’re still very close.

[58Sunliner]

5. I adopted a stray, feral actually. She lived behind the washing machine for a while.

After 4-5 weeks of spending time in the bathroom and building trust, she finally left the room. I loved that cat. She was like a small dog. Always at my feet, or in my lap. I still miss her dearly.That was over 25 years ago. She was a Maine Coon. I called her Sugar Bear. She was a gift. Good for you.

[in2herbs]

15. Maine Coons are beautiful and hairy! That would be all I need two Maine Coons that shed along with

2 dogs that shed. Maybe I'd go into the rug-making business. Yeah, I'm going to give them all the time they need.

[lunasun]

6. I had a mama with kitten . She was a stray . Lots of love for 18 years and her son for 20

[Karadeniz]

8. I've found an unused bathroom is the best place to acclimate them. Have a hooded litter box.

They love the Cat Dancer toy. A brush lets you get them used to being touched, minimizing any retaliation. Thanks for helping Creation!❤

[in2herbs]

16. We have an upstairs suite that is a little over 600 sq ft that they will live in while acclimating.

Once they appear to be ready to venture I'll just leave the door open and they can come and go as they wish. The local pet store had a close-out sale on cat toys the other day -- $29/bag so I bought that.

[NNadir]

9. I was a good 25 years between cats. My sister-in-law asked if we'd "watch" her ex-husband's cat...

...while they were moving.

She's been here for 5 years.

She's a pain in the ass, but we love her.

[catbyte]

10. Congratulations! They'll warm up to you in no time.

What a wonderful thing to do. I hope all of you have many happy years together.

Oh, and http://postimage.org is a great way to post pics. Just follow the instructions and choose the "Hotlink for Forums" line after the picture is copied.

[in2herbs]

17. I will do my best. thanks for the instructions. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

11. Who owns who?

Dogs have pals.

Cats have staff.

(I love both, but I favour cats.)

[in2herbs]

18. Whether they're pals or staff because the weather around here will be hot until November they're all

going to have to become friends, which I think they will. The dogs don't want to go outside after 7 am. The cats will always be inside cats.

[liberalla]

12. Give them a few days and things should calm down considerably! Congratulations!

And thank you for opening your home and heart to the newcomers!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

19. I'm a cat person myself.

When I moved to Santa Fe 12 years ago I had three cats. Four years later they had all gone to (as I like to call it) that great litter box in the sky. By then I was beginning to travel more and it was convenient not to have to arrange for cat care.

Since this stay at home thing, I've been thinking about getting a cat. Tomorrow I'm visiting a local animal shelter to look at a couple of cats. One is 13 years old, the other 17. If it's feasible, meaning if they can get along, I may bring them both home. I personally prefer older cats, in no small part because they often have trouble being adopted. I know. Before I moved here I did volunteer work at a local animal shelter, and was always disheartened at how older cats would just stay there.

I'd been checking the shelter's site regularly in the past month. The first time I looked, they had three and a half pages of cats available for adoption. Right now there's half a page, seven cats available. I'm sure numbers for the dogs are similar. I have seen a couple of times that a lot of people are adopting cats and dogs these days.

I may have to completely forgo a couple of longer trips, 2 or 3 weeks each, that I'd hoped to do next year, but heck, we may not be doing that sort of thing for a several more years. Plus, I must be doing the right thing because I am just about giddy with delight at the prospect of having a cat or two.