Kittens

Near the end of winter, my parents' cat passed away.  He was a stray that had found his way onto their back deck and stayed for many years.  He was good-natured and enjoyed the family.  My parents had made a place for him on the back deck where he was protected from the weather but could come and go as he pleased.  He was so old that he had lost most of his teeth and sometimes wobbled when he tried to jump up into your lap. 

It had not been but about a week since his death that another cat arrived it seemed to take over this spot in my parents lives.  This time the cat was a female.  They named her Cally since she was a calico.  She was also very affectionate and stayed.  Well, time passed and Cally kept getting plumper and plumper and plumper.  Finally,  I looked at my parents and said, "I don't think she is fat; I think she is pregnant!"

Much to my surprise my parents got very excited.  Mom ran and got a bowl of milk.  Dad grinned from ear to ear.  And then mom gave her a long lecture on the birds and the bees and see how that man had up and left.  Three more weeks passed and Cally looked as if she was about to burst.  We were beginning to wonder if she would ever have those kittens.

Then, at dusk yesterdayday, my daughter had gone to feed up the chickens, and came running back into the house.  "Kittens! I hear meowing coming from in our shed."  Out my husband and I went.  Mom came over from next door.  We stood at the ramp to the shed while my husband went in to have a peak.  At the very back, lay Cally still in the process of birthing kittens.  There were at that time two very wet little bundles!  We quietly left and closed the door so that Cally could finish in peace, but just how many did she have?

We will just have to be patient and see this afternoon.