Early History - Part 4

This post was originally published in September 2009 and has jumped to today's date when I was attempting to make a minor edit.  Sheesh !

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Over the next few summers and with the help of a couple of friends, Kim and Barb, we managed to take most of the kitties in to be spayed or neutered. We had about 16 cats fixed and then returned to the colony. Any kittens born were removed and homes found once they were old enough.

The last two cats to be captured were Ollie and Doodle and we caught them in the traps on the same afternoon. That summer Ollie had one last litter of kittens so I had to wait until they were old enough to fend for themselves before I took their mom away for a few days. At about 8 weeks old two kittens were caught but the third little cutie, I named Jingle, was just too smart, just like her mother. Ollie was the most difficult cat to capture in the trap for spaying. She was just not having anything to do with that trap, no matter how hungry she was not going in, but we finally got her. Jingle was still staying close to Ollie and we did try to get her at the same time, but no luck.

Little Jingle was finally captured when she was about 4 months old. I brought her home to socialize her which didn't take too long. I had a fur ever home for before we caught her so I knew she was only with us for a few weeks. The day I took her to her fur ever home I have to say I cried like a baby as I was leaving. Jingle was the first kitten that I had socialized, with great help from my husband, Mike. I knew giving her up would be tough and it was. Today Jingle is a happy, healthy 5 year old kitty and still very much loved.

In the 3 or 4 days that Ollie was away from the colony Jingle would show up for feeding with a male cat I had named Mistopholies. Jingle was his spitting image so I assumed that this was her father. Their black and white marking were so similar as was the fur length. It made me chuckle to think that since Jingle's mother was away, she went to her father for support, comfort and protection.