Even Angels' Life ain't Easy

6h00

 "The youth can walk fast, but it is the elder that know the road." "Feeding a snake with honey doesn't mean that the snake would hold back its venomous habits." "Dogs don't actually prefer bones to meat, it is just that no one gives them meat." Ubuntu African Proverbs.    "I think sometimes we need to take a step back and just remember we have no greater right to be here than any other animal." David Attenborough                                   It is the time of year when many feral babies are born. You can see the unfortunate ones in many places outside, as quite a few folks here seem to regard pregnant cats a nuisance and kick them out or steal the babies from their mothers' loving paws and then place them in front of various houses, sometimes but not always, near animal friendly people. Anyhow, I ended up with 3 pregnant cats that were already for a while regular customers to my Cats' Table. Fleur, a lovely dark fur cat with blond streaks, had been looking for an indoor place for a while. I finally offered her a little corridor, where she gave birth to 4 sweet babies of different shades, 1 black/white, 1 grey/white, 2 brown fur, all a bit longer hair. Rosy, a friend of Fleur, simular colouring a shade lighter, sneaked in one day as we when out. When we returned we found her with 4 babies. All sweeties looking different, 1 tri-coloured (rare, always female), 1 yellow, 1 light yellow, 1 black, and amazingly her birth- giving place was spotless, not a drop of blood, quite contrary to Fleur (there was a lot of blood) . The 3rd mother, Jane, I took inside by mistake as she resembles one of my cats and I didn't realize that she was pregnant and unlike my little treasure not sterilized and neuteted. Normally vets here cut off a little corner of the patient's ear to mark them following the operation. As my cats live indoors I don't get this done, otherwise I would have known. Anyhow, Jane even had 5 babies, 1 died after a few days, all have dark fur. She doesn't seem to be an experienced mum, but tries her best. As Fleur's babies started to develope and wanted to explore their surrounding, I took her and her little family upstairs where I have 2 wooden houses for cats. She acccepted this, but once moved them temporarily to a plastic box. My cat mothers taught me that I can only make suggestions but they will have the final decision where they will raise their babies. Rosy decided not to stay upstairs, she took her babies downstairs underneath a tree. In my opinion not enough protected, a little later we agreed that she and her little ones stay in a plastic basket in front of the bedroom. This basket we afterwards moved to the room in front of the bathroom, so they will be less disturbed. Jane choose a cave in a big tree designed for cats. Just now she moved her babies to a big cardboard box on a bench, more light. Fleur, Rosy and Jane visit each other, view the little ones of their colleagues which were born a few days apart. Having spent most of their life outside, knowing their kids are okay and well looked after, Fleur and Rosy want to leave the house for an hour or two to see their friends, pay a visit to a good woman in the neighborhood and then return. I am always a bit nervous when they are outside (traffic, stone throwing children), but I respect their wishes and desire to take a bit of a break from their demanding babies. How I am going to cope with the expenses (spay and neutered, various medications, dental and other vet treatments etc.) I presently don't know, I shall cross that bridge when I come to it. Kitten food has become more expensive, also croquettes and various basic food for human consumption . Just like humans too, older cats are not always well. Changed behaviour, more tired, perhaps hidding, loss of appetite, tearing eyes, coughing, loss of weight, smell from the mouth (possibly teeth or gum problem, with bad luck even worse sickness) are some indications that the little treasures need help. Crying with pain is rare, so I don't always note in good time that my feral family member needs to see a veterinarian. Gorgeous black big boy Khalid had blood cancer. That horrible diagnosis was quite a shock for me. He was only approx. 5 or 6 years old when he passed over the rainbow, so sudden and much too early. I felt so helpless. A woman once left him in a cardboard box in front of my door 2 years ago. There was a note saying: "Please take him, I am too old to cope anymore." Strange, she and others never state the name of the cat/cats. Anyhow, Khaled (I named him after that great Algerian Rai singer) looked well kept, soon accepted his new name and turned out to be a feral gentleman. Not for a second did I regret having adopted him, such a great present from heaven! I loved cuddling with him and miss my lovely boy very much. Suzy, about the same age as Khaled, I discovered in front of my door one day, only a few weeks old. She had lovely brown fur with a reddish shine. Not always in a good mood, she would have preferred to be an "only child." For a while she put on a bit of weight, but then suddenly lost it again. When she started to eat and drink less, I took her to the veterinarian. She had a couple of infusions, seemed to get a bit better, but the blood test result left me with only little hope. Her kidneys didn't work well and she had anemia. Sweet Suzy also passed suddenly over the rainbow, another little

 angel left me. Every cat has her own character, her own life story. Once they become a member of my family they steal a part of my heart and when they are sadly gone for ever, leave me in mourning.  These sweet innocent angels are a present from heaven, but only remain for a rather limited time, much shorter here than in Europe, where it is not so unusual for a cat to reach an age above 20 years of age.