In memory of two kitties who died before their time.

Someone I know, although not well, sold their house and moved. They left behind their pet cats - 9 of them. Mama who was around 18 months at the time and her two litters. Her first litter was 4 kitties who were about 7-8 mo at the time they abandoned them and her second litter was about 4 weeks. I have been feeding them for 2.5 months, trying to find them fosters or homes (all the shelters are closed and a zillion people are posting trying to find homes for kittens) to take them. Even the one I volunteered at and did all the laundry for close to 500 animals during much of the pandemic can’t take them due to no place to put them. I live in 2 rooms with no place to initially isolate them from my cats while they get used to each other to foster them. Mama is pregnant again, probably due in about 2 weeks.

About two weeks ago one of the older kittens went missing. Then about 5 days ago another older kitten did. I was hoping against hope that someone had taken them. I found out yesterday both had been hit and killed by cars.

The mixed lynx siamese was such a beautiful, but shy cat. He took about 3 weeks to be brave enough to allow me to pet him, scratch him under his chin, etc. while he was eating and then briefly allow me to do so when he wasn’t. He was finally starting to let me hold him. Considering I only see them once a day for 20-30 min he had come a long ways with just that short contact.

The gray tuxedo was incredibly people oriented, following me around nearly tripping me as I walked, talking to me a lot while staring at me, wanting me to cuddle him like a baby and he’d wrap his front paws around my arm if he thought I was going to put him down. That he, especially, is dead just breaks my heart. He was such a loving cat and so attached to me and me to him. I feel like it is two of my cats who have died.

The only good thing that has happened from this is when I called someone in rescue (who, when I called her before but then and now can’t foster them due to no room) and told her what had happened is renewing efforts to find fosters for them so no more are hit by cars and so mama doesn’t give birth outside in the winter. One group she works with takes cats up north to shelters located in required spay and neuter states where there the demand for pets to adopt is higher than the supply. Hopefully these guys can go up north once they are fixed and have their shots (and in the case of the little babies and one of the older ones worked with before going so they will be less shy/cautious an so more easily adopted).

The photo if of those two cats with one of their brothers (the tiger in the middle also has never met a stranger and is incredibly loving) playing with a pine cone. That photo is from about a month ago.