Kittens and Cat Houses

For as long as I can remember I’ve been feeding stray cats and trying to make their lives a little easier. I’m sure most of you do the same thing.

First you set out food, then you make sure they have fresh water. When the weather starts to get cold you might set out a cardboard box with a blanket in it. Well I did all that and kept trying to come up with a better setup all the time. Finally in August of 2003 I decided to build a cat house.

This is how it looked during one of the winters since then.

It worked great and my cats used it more than the strays. Even at -20f or -30f  the cats were comfortable. Ultimately I built five more smaller houses. Three medium size and two smaller ones.

This is one of the medium sized.

And this is one of the small ones.

Now for the Kitten part of the story.

One night in late November, I walked out my back door and this is what I saw.

The Momma cat had been a regular visitor for food but I didn’t know she had kittens. Using a cunningly clever plan, I managed to catch them all, even the mother, who I called Patches. I got them all fixed and found homes for all the kittens except one who I kept and named Bug. I set the momma free and she still comes around for food.

This is the momma, Patches…

And this is Bug as a baby…

And Bug as a big boy…

This is Blondie…

And Robbie…

And Pixie…

And finally Smoky…