. . . And Then There Were Seven (September 2012)

 Continuing on from the last post, where we met Tinkerbell and her kitten, Pixy-- before Tinkerbell was even finished nursing Pixy, she had a new litter that was born in late August.  

We'd already been considering how to catch Pixy and Tinkerbell to get them to a vet where they could be checked and treated for pests and fixed. Now we had to delay that visit for Tinkerbell until she'd finished nursing her newest litter, but we wouldn't wait that long this time to bring her in, since we'd just learned that a cat can become impregnated immediately after delivering a litter.  POOR CATS! 

It was probably unusual that Tinkerbell only had the one kitten, Pixy, when we met her...one can only speculate what became of the rest of that litter, but it had to have been a sorrow for Tinkerbell, who looked quite proud of her new litter.

She was also so protective of the new litter that once she'd moved them from under a thicket of asparagus ferns, where she'd delivered, to a more spacious nursery under the bougainvillea bush, where she'd been staying with Pixy, she was warry of letting even Pixy visit.  When pixy batted one of the kittens (Willow) back, after the kitten batted her first, Tinkerbell chased Pixy all over the backyard and tackled her for a fierce reprimand.  

Pixy insisted on being allowed to visit her new siblings though and was soon seen in the nursery with all of the kittens gathered around, looking as though SHE were the mother.

We went ahead then, with getting Pixy fixed, and then brought her into the house.  I had been sitting near the food dish each time I fed she and her mother outside, and had eventually been able to pet them as they ate.  So picking her up to get her to the vet had not been as difficult as I'd feared.  

A few weeks later, not wanting to risk Tinkerbell's fury, I very gingerly lifted her kittens one by one and carried them into the house, and then I brought in Tinkerbell.  She too, was not as difficult to pick up as I'd feared, and actually came quite willingly.  She actually seemed to understand exactly what was happening.  I'd left her for last, so that she could protect the ones that were still outside during the whole catch and carry procedure, as it was not unusual to see hawks on the wires above our backyard.

A couple of the kittens, Haiku and Sinbad, fought being handled, and whether it was from that experience of being brought into the house and deposited in a bedroom, or that was always going to be their attitude, they've remained disinterested in being touched.  

So, below are photos of Tinkerbell, Pixy, and the new litter (Sherlock, Willow, Sinbad, Haiku, & E.B. White) both outside in the bougainvillea nursery, and then, inside in their new room.

(Above image) Sherlock and Haiku

(Above image) Sherlock

(Above image) Big sister Pixy playing mother cat with Willow, Sinbad, E. B. White, and Sherlock

(Above image) After they were brought into the house, Tinkerbell with her new litter: Sherlock, Sinbad, Haiku, E. B. White, and Willow

(Above image) E. B. White has always had a unique seating posture--it reminds me of a frog

Willow has always had this pretty ladylike posture.

(Above image) And Pixy's face has always captured my heart.

(Above image) Pixy

(Above image) Sinbad and Sherlock playing

(Above image) Pixy is the one with the feather. Her sisters and brothers look on (or not) in varying degrees of interest.

(Above image) E.B. White seems to be watching Sinbad for signs of admitting defeat.

(Above image) E. B. still playing with Sinbad, and back in his frog posture, while Pixy's interest stays with the feather-string toy.

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