As a cat lover, my family and I were quite shocked a few weeks ago to discover three kittens who had taken up residence in the rubble behind the shed in our back yard.
We first noticed the kittens scoping out our back patio one night. We thought nothing of it until we noticed them hunkered down behind the shed three days in a row. It was obvious that they were not visiting our yard but living in it.
The kittens appeared to be only a few months old, and they were very, very scrawny. We bought some food, which they ate voraciously, and we nursed them back to better health for about a week.
They were a cute trio, consisting of a male and female black and white, and a calico. At first, all three were very skittish. By the second day, however, the male was completely at ease around us. The females lost their flightiness but remained cautious.
We asked around the neighborhood, but nobody knew anything about the critters. We can only assume that they were dropped off/abandoned in the field behind out house by someone unable or unwilling to look after them.
Unfortunately, we were not in a position to keep any of the kittens, so we had no choice but to take them to the animal shelter. We hated to do this, but we figured they three together would get noticed a lot quicker than a single, adult cat. Plus, the local animal shelter does a great job marketing the animals in their care.
We were more than happy to tend to these little kittens for a week, and they actually made for pleasant company. However, this should never have happened.
It’s clear that they were deliberately left near our home. While we don’t know the exact circumstances surrounding their situation before we found them, it’s obvious that someone was acting irresponsibly.
And it’s very likely that this whole thing started with a cat owner who did not have their pet spayed or neutered.
If you have a cat, or any other pet, and you are not keeping it for the express purpose of a breeding line, do us and everyone else a favor: Take it to a vet and get it fixed.
