As noted at the end of last year we had discovered 4 new kittens and tried to make a nice place for them in the dog house only to be turned down flat by Mamasita, the old hag. She apparently moved them next door to Casa Nostra which is vacant and in the long run we decided it was a good thing - especially for us!

Mamasita continued to pretty much live here and eat at both places and we kept her well fed so she could nurse (as was our logic - misguided or not). Day before yesterday as Margaret and I were coming home I reached to open the gate and saw Mamasita and one of the tigers out front, obviously coming from Casa Nostra. She took off and left the little guy on his own, Margaret tried to catch him to no avail. Later he came into the compound under the gate and was holed up in the flower bed, so of course, we put out food for him and Mamasita promptly ate it - she definitely knows how to take care of #1 and the rest are on their own.

We figured he was the lone survivor, life with mom is tough, you live or die, there's not a lot of love or parenting. Now, Midnight has been exactly opposite, though she was inside, she was always with the kittens and taking care of them all the time and would lay with them and purr as they fed. She's had a hard time with her health with one malady after another and so she and I have lost count of the trips to the vet, but finally she's back to healthy and she's really been very good about being loaded in the carrier and trucked off to Pepe the vet.

Now that she's healthy, last week we had her spade so we don't have to do this again. After a day we allowed her to go out for really the first time in 3 months and we didn't know if she would stay or go back out into the wild. We also allow the kittens to play outside now and Midnight stayed close with them and comes in at night. When she's out she plays with them like the kitten she still is, something she never did before, I think she was so sick, then PG and sick, she really didn't feel like it. Now she runs and pounces with them, but is always mindful of where they are and remains protective and concerned. Mamasita on the other hand is very much a "hands off" mother.

Yesterday I saw the little survivor, but then another head poked up and so it looked like two survived and having brought them back into the compound we thought maybe she'd return to the dog house, so I opened it and put in some cardboard, but so far our generous offer continues to be rejected in favor of flower beds and 44 degree nights in the open.

This afternoon I went down to feed the cats at 4pm and Mamasita, and what I thought was another cat were laying on the door mat on the terraza. As I reached for the door handle I realized it wasn't another cat - it was a pile of little ears and tails, yes, all four have survived in spite of the old hag and now she's brought them back to my door step?

So, I took a pic, sent it to Margaret and said "looks like we're back up to 14"! Of course they're wild as the wind, one came and ate dry food, so I'm trying to figure out the "what and why" of Mamasita bringing them not only back to the compound, but literally to my door step? - yes I know, it's pretty dumb obvious, but I keep hoping there's another explanation I'm missing like she just brought them by to say goodbye as they move on? - well, it could happen you know, in a Disney movie maybe.

Good grief, and Margaret is heading for the coast tomorrow for a weeks long "painting safari" and I'm left holding the bag - of cats that is? And Margaret? - yes Margaret is always quick to rub salt into the wounds by reminding me that it's all my fault for feeding OW when I first arrived two years ago.