Tuesdays With Tag - A Tale of Two Kitties...

It's All Her Fault

Hi, Everybody!

I hope you'll read all the way through my post today. It's not the usual kitty rant. This has an interestin' twist at the end. Really. I hope you'll be as surprised as we were.

It all began a couple of years ago when Miss Shelly told us about the local feral cats havin' kittens up at their house. Actually, I think Claudette had her kittens under their lp tank, but it doesn't really matter. There were three kittens in that litter, and another mama cat had kittens, too.

One of the kittens disappeared. Miss Shelly thinks the other mama adopted that one, and they all went off into the woods after they got bigger. Claudette (named Groucho at the time) stayed around the farm with her kittens.

Then, winter came that year. At Christmastime, the kittens showed up on our porch to play in the snow. We watched them through the window. Leo and Crystal were the cutest! Of course, Boo and I were very curious about them.

Lyin' On The Driveway

Fast forward to last spring. Leo lived in the barn with Claudette and Crystal, and he never got the message that he shouldn't do the nasty with relatives. Shortly after, we found out that Claudette was expectin' - and a little later, so was Crystal. It was about that time that Leo took off for the summer. Gone with the wind.

Late last fall, Leo showed up again in the barn, but he looked real sick. He was poopin' all over the place, and it was gross. Claudette and Crystal didn't want to have anythin' to do with him, and soon after, he disappeared. Truthfully, Mom was pretty sad thinkin' he'd gone away to die. As for the girls, life went on.

Whenever Mom walks down to get the mail, her entourage follows. She turns around to see what looks like roadkill on the driveway. The girls flop down hopin' she'll stop to pet their bellies before she goes back in the house. (She always does.) If I'm out there with her, they chase me!  Crazy cats!

They've Taken Over Dad's Tractor

Over the weekend, we all got a surprise. The girls love sleepin' on Dad's tractor. He's not particularly thrilled with this. That's not the surprise, though. Mom started puttin' an old sheet on the tractor so the seat didn't get dirty. They don't seem to mind one bit.

She Is NOT Pleased

But then, she saw somethin'. Look up in the loft. Big Grey (the 'possum) left the barn a few days ago when the weather was real nice, so Mom was wonderin' who was makin' a mess of the workbench where she feeds the girls. Now we know who the culprit is. 

He's back! That's LEO up in the loft. He survived the winter (who knows where), and came back to the barn. Just what we need. Another freakin' cat!

"Tag, What have I told you about using bad language?" - Mom

"I'll quit sayin' it about the cats when Dad does."

Dad was not happy. He's not a fan of the cats, and they haven't even swatted him on the face or butt like they do me! He only tolerates them because Mom loves them. If he had his way, they'd all be on their way with little suitcases.

He's Back!

So, here Leo is again...eatin' the girls' food, sleepin' in their beds, and gettin' hissed at when he gets too close to them. Don't say anythin' out loud, 'cuz we don't want him to get wind of this, but Mom's gonna befriend him again. He was the first one to rub up on her and be all sweet when he was a kitten. Then he went all wild. So she's gonna have to earn his trust again, but she's done this with Claudette and Crystal. She can do it again with Leo.

Once they're big buds again, she's gonna get him tutored, vetted and cleaned up. No more kittens from this Tom boy! Then, she'll release him again so he can follow his muse. 

We're all happy that he's not dead, and Mom is glad to see him again. Dad, Claudette and Crystal? Not so much. Seems Dad has somethin' in common with the Barn Girls. Imagine that!

I'll see you again in seven. 'til then... 

"Been There, Chewed That!"