It’s been a rough week since I last wrote. After being quite visible, the kittens vanished, leaving me as bereft as if I’d owned them for years. (How quickly we fall in love in love with these heartbreakers!) For three days, Mama Grace showed up for breakfast without them in tow, looking quite unconcerned with their whereabouts. As she stared at me, I demanded to know, what have you done with Baby Blue and Frankie? Aren’t you alarmed? Shouldn’t we alert Scotland yard? It made no impression – or so I thought – and she ate her breakfast and went on her way, oblivious to my worry.
It turned out Mama Grace was playing games on me – what is the equivalent of cat-and-mouse between human and feline? A few days ago I waited while she gobbled down breakfast, and when she was done, she headed down the sidewalk toward the bridge – something I’d never seen her do. I followed her a few steps. She stopped to groom herself. She walked on another distance and I followed. And she stopped again. We did this several times, all the while she continued to look back at me. She finally disappeared off the sidewalk and down into the ravine, and I ran to catch up. Just as she disappeared into the dense vines, I caught a glimpse of two little furballs scampering into the vegetation with her. I sighed with relief, but it was momentary.
Where she had chosen to lead them (smart mama) was a rocky, steep spot where no trap could be placed. And the sidewalk was too high above the spot for them to jump up to eat. It would make trapping them nigh unto impossible. But I made the best of it. In the following days I took food down to the area, and had to lower it down with the ‘grabber’ device I use to retrieve garbage. I talked to them soothingly, knowing they were just out of sight, and then moved away. They came cautiously out of the bushes, then immediately lunged at their food as frantically as fat men at a bake sale.
But I was aware that time was flying past. In order to trap kittens easily, you need to get them before they learn too well how to manage life as a feral. And before they learned to mistrust everything about the world’s most destructive, thoughtless and violent species – which would be mine. This morning when I woke up, I did a little meditation to St. Francis and all the good energy out there that watches over critters. Give me a break, I thought, I’m only trying to do some good here. Bring them to me so I can catch them and ultimately find them the love they deserve.
When I arrived at the sidewalk, Mama was there – and so were the kittens. For the first time, they were in a spot that made access to the sidewalk easy and doable, even for the little bitties. I raced to get the food prepared, and put in on the sidewalk close to the bushes. Mama came up to eat… followed by the kittens. I stood there quietly – still working on getting them used to me – and they ate with gusto. My eyes welled tears of gratitude, sensing I’d gotten some major help with this stroke of ‘luck.’ I’m hoping to get them on Monday – it seems like the right day. Wish me luck.
They are so sweet!