Rooster P's First Kittens

Rooster Poot (hubby's name for her) came here back in the spring and adopted us, mostly hubby. A couple of weeks ago she literally made a nest out of the leaves in the open car shed and had four kittens. She kept them here for several days, before moving them into an abandoned boat in front of the house, which hubby covered with a tarp to keep them dry.

These pictures were made the day after they were born. They are beginning to open their eyes now.

Yesterday, she moved them to our kitchen door stoop, and they started appearing and disappearing. One time we would look and there would be different numbers or different colors. The next time it would be different kittens. We couldn't figure out what she was doing and why.

This morning when I looked out there were two kittens, but different ones from last night. I got a cup of coffee and looked again, just in time to see Spotty B, one of the other cats, get a kitten by the nape of the neck. I yelled at her to drop it, but she grabbed it and took off out the driveway with it.

Mystery solved! Spotty B is stealing Rooster P's kittens and poor little Rooster P is stealing them back. It's funny, but it's also sad that Spotty B wants the kittens bad enough to steal them from a loving mother cat like Rooster P. It reminds me of stories about women who lose, or can't have, babies and want them so desperately that they steal some other mother's.

Rooster P and her babies

Spotty Belly, the kittenapper

Bloomer is just amused by it all!

Nothing much we can do about it, but hope they work it out. They're not fighting or anything, just moving kittens back and forth. Maybe they can both mother them! I've seen cats do that before.

Nothing like early morning drama to wake one up! :D