Well, this is the story....
One of the cats who hangs around sometimes, and will disappear for months at a time, decided my barn would be a good place to have her babies.
I finally found them, and had been visiting them regularly, and grown quite attached to them, especially one I had named Opie. The moma cat was okay with me playing with them, she doesn't seem to mind me as long as I don't try to pick her up.
Well, disaster struck on Thursday.
About a month ago, someone had dumped this little dog out, and I
had taken him in, rather than see him starving, or killed.
He seemed to get along okay with the cats at first, so I thought it would be okay.
He just recently started chasing some of my cats!! He didn't hurt them, just chased them up a tree, or into the brush. I would yell at him, and tell him NO, but he doesn't listen very well.
I thought he was just playing, but I did not like my cats to be terrorized, and not sure what to do about this situation at all!!!!
Hubby says we can't tie him up...he won't have a dog tied up. ( he also nixed the idea of a kennel)
So Thursday I get home...and my husband says, there are two dead kittens in the yard....I went running out, and looked, and sure enough....one of them was Opie.
I just sat down in the middle of the yard, clutching these two dead kittens, and bawling my eyes out. I kept telling them how sorry I was.
I feel like it is all my fault. I know it was the new dog, the other two NEVER bother kittens. EVER!
And I'm the one who brought this dog home, thinking I was doing a good thing, rescuing him from the streets....and it has turned into something horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am sure I will get flamed by someone, and told how stupid it was of me to bring a strange dog home, with all my cats around, but I just didn't want to see him starve to death, and I kept such a close eye on him the first few weeks, and it seemed like everything was going okay.
Anyway.....I went and got the remaining three kittens, and brought them in the house. They are about 5 or 6 weeks old, I am guessing.
I put them in a big rabbit cage, and I managed to get the moma into the house to nurse them....then I put her back out. She comes up to the door now, since she knows where her babies are, and I let her in and she feeds them, then she starts whining to go outside, so I put her back out. If I kept her in the cage for longer than it takes to feed her babies, she would go nuts and I'm afraid maybe harm her babies. She does not like the cage at all. But she will stay in it long enough to nurse them.
I also got them to eat some canned cat food....so I think they will be okay. They are using the litterpan, and their bellies are full and round, and eyes very bright and alert, very healthy.
I sure as heck was not going to leave them out there for that dog to pick off one at a time.
I want to make an appointment for the moma to be spayed, if she doesn't run off again.
But what am I going to do about this dog???? There are other feral cats in the neighborhood, that may have kitties here, and I don't want them killed!!! And I don't like him chasing my other cats!!!
But noone wants him, I have tried to give him a good home, but no takers....and I hate to have him put to sleep....he is a sweet little dog...just not good with cats.
Anyway, the three kitties I have, two are long haired dark grey, and one is a light grey striped. (that one looks just like the pictures Vader posted of her new baby)
I will take some pictures, and try to scan them once they are developed...I have a scanner, but haven't used it yet.
Thanks for letting me tell my story, and sorry it is so long.
One of the cats who hangs around sometimes, and will disappear for months at a time, decided my barn would be a good place to have her babies.
I finally found them, and had been visiting them regularly, and grown quite attached to them, especially one I had named Opie. The moma cat was okay with me playing with them, she doesn't seem to mind me as long as I don't try to pick her up.
Well, disaster struck on Thursday.
About a month ago, someone had dumped this little dog out, and I
had taken him in, rather than see him starving, or killed.
He seemed to get along okay with the cats at first, so I thought it would be okay.
He just recently started chasing some of my cats!! He didn't hurt them, just chased them up a tree, or into the brush. I would yell at him, and tell him NO, but he doesn't listen very well.
I thought he was just playing, but I did not like my cats to be terrorized, and not sure what to do about this situation at all!!!!
Hubby says we can't tie him up...he won't have a dog tied up. ( he also nixed the idea of a kennel)
So Thursday I get home...and my husband says, there are two dead kittens in the yard....I went running out, and looked, and sure enough....one of them was Opie.
I just sat down in the middle of the yard, clutching these two dead kittens, and bawling my eyes out. I kept telling them how sorry I was.
I feel like it is all my fault. I know it was the new dog, the other two NEVER bother kittens. EVER!
And I'm the one who brought this dog home, thinking I was doing a good thing, rescuing him from the streets....and it has turned into something horrible!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am sure I will get flamed by someone, and told how stupid it was of me to bring a strange dog home, with all my cats around, but I just didn't want to see him starve to death, and I kept such a close eye on him the first few weeks, and it seemed like everything was going okay.
Anyway.....I went and got the remaining three kittens, and brought them in the house. They are about 5 or 6 weeks old, I am guessing.
I put them in a big rabbit cage, and I managed to get the moma into the house to nurse them....then I put her back out. She comes up to the door now, since she knows where her babies are, and I let her in and she feeds them, then she starts whining to go outside, so I put her back out. If I kept her in the cage for longer than it takes to feed her babies, she would go nuts and I'm afraid maybe harm her babies. She does not like the cage at all. But she will stay in it long enough to nurse them.
I also got them to eat some canned cat food....so I think they will be okay. They are using the litterpan, and their bellies are full and round, and eyes very bright and alert, very healthy.
I sure as heck was not going to leave them out there for that dog to pick off one at a time.
I want to make an appointment for the moma to be spayed, if she doesn't run off again.
But what am I going to do about this dog???? There are other feral cats in the neighborhood, that may have kitties here, and I don't want them killed!!! And I don't like him chasing my other cats!!!
But noone wants him, I have tried to give him a good home, but no takers....and I hate to have him put to sleep....he is a sweet little dog...just not good with cats.
Anyway, the three kitties I have, two are long haired dark grey, and one is a light grey striped. (that one looks just like the pictures Vader posted of her new baby)
I will take some pictures, and try to scan them once they are developed...I have a scanner, but haven't used it yet.
Thanks for letting me tell my story, and sorry it is so long.