Barn KITTENS!!!

So a little over 2 months ago, this gray and white cat starts hanging around my barn. We board, she's one of the resident cats, but she decided that she wanted to be in our little barn rather than any of the other larger 3. She'd come in every night while I was feeding the minis. I'd shoo her out, she'd run out a stall, and then come back in through the top door while my back was turned! Eventually she started following me around each time she saw I was about to close the barn up, and she'd stay in every night.


I didn't think a whole lot of it until I noticed she was getting incredibly fat. Barn Nazi thought she was getting into my grain bins. I said unless she got opposable thumbs and figured out how to open tupperware I think not!!! Then she got pretty big and round, we all decided she was probably pregnant. (No duh, I say now... there are 8 adult cats that I know of, 3 are females, NONE are fixed!!! ) Mama cat dissapeared for a few days, I wondered where she went. Nobody saw her for over a week until...

I went to go get a bridle from my tackroom, my friend and I looked at each other and almost simultaneously said "Why are the walls meowing!!??!?!"

She'd had the kittens in my tackroom!!!

She left them in this hole in the wall of my tackroom until Barn Nazi found them, so she had to relocate. She then put them in the hay barn behind my pens, and I didn't see them until a few days ago when...

I went looking for them because the barn owner offered me pick of hte litter (and if they stay here they will breed their father and produce more inbred little kitties!) so I tried to find them. I shine a flash light on Mama once I find her behind some pallets, she comes out, leads the kittens out one by one, waits until they are all to me, one is in my lap, then leaves!!!! Like "Whoo my babysitter showed up, now I can go!" They were almost 5 weeks old then. Mama cat is so cool, I think we've really bonded. I'll be sad to leave her when we move in to our place. This has turned in to a daily experience - I go over to the hay shed, she comes out, soon as all the babies come she's off to go eat.



These are the two females I'm taking home: The gray is Piper, and calico Pumpkin.




Pumpkin




Piper!


This little dude, we are also taking home. My friend fell in love with him and she's paying to get him fixed, so she gets to keep him on our new place too. This is Pipsqueak - otherwise known as "Squeaker" cuz when you cuddle him he squeaks. He's always the first one out to crawl on our laps.




This one we call Tater Tot because she's so fat she gets stuck in the boards of the pallet.


Another adorable female





Oh and for those interested, Xena's hives are dissapearing!!!!! I just might get to actually play with her soon!
Mesa's leg isn't swollen anymore so once it's clean enough to give her a bath so I'm not riding a muddy mess, I'll try her cradle bridle.

I'm a kitty owner! I'm now a real ranch person, lol!!! Guess I need a blue heeler next?