And even MORE kittens.....

I was tagged in a facebook post.  Someone had heard kittens again, in the dumpster at Circle K.

Shoot, I thought, I bet that gray female had another litter.

I'd caught her last three---Twinkie, Sitka and Wrangle, back in late July I think it was, along with two adult males, one of them gray, whom I thought would be the mother.  But nope, he was a he!  Those two adult boys, brothers, are living it up in the gorge now, even have heated beds.  Twinkie went to a friend of mine while Sitka and Wrangle went up to Lake Oswego.  I have a friend there who is a most excellent kitten tamer.   She renamed them Jade and Sadie.  Jade tamed fast and got a home and just recently, Sadie did also. 

I tried to catch the gray female, once I realized the gray one I caught was a boy, off and on for two more weeks, but since the cats are not fed at the Circle K, I never intercepted her.  Now, I thought, was my big chance.

I arrived, after seeing that post, about 10:00 p.m. in the parking lot.  What I saw however was a crowd of maybe a dozen people, all trying to find the kittens.  Holy bottle babes!

It took me awhile to convince them this was not good, that they were likely feral with a feral mom and all this activity would not make it easy to find and catch them. 

That didn't end it though.  Circle K clerks were inundated with people wanting to look for the kittens.  They even received a call from someone wanting to know when their dumpster would be emptied.  Someone must have felt it should be searched before it was emptied for kittens.

And me, just trying to discreetly trap them, felt frustrated.  Every time groups of people showed up to search, I knew that would set me back a day in ever trapping them.  Nonetheless, I set kitten traps and checked them every two hours day and night, from a distance through a fence, until I was near collapse.  I couldn't go on.  I posted online that they were gone, that she'd moved them, trying to slow the flow of people looking and went to bed.  I slept 12 hours.

Finally, yesterday, when checking back, I spotted mom.  She stared at me poignantly.  I went to give her food and water.   Ten minutes after I did that, she brought out two kittens.  It was almost as if she was telling me, "Here, take them.  Please!  I can't handle them anymore."

Mom

 I trapped two, very quickly.  I left with them and came back, wondering if there were more.  I set a small trap but one bigger than a kitten trap.  I hoped to catch mom.  Instead within a couple hours, I caught two more kittens.  I don't know if there are more.   I don't think there are.  I was told by a neighbor who looks down on the area, that there were only four.

Calico kitten heads into kitten trap

But mom needs caught and fixed.  I asked my friend with the friend in the gorge who took her brothers if she thought he would take her too, if I catch her.  She says she'll ask.

Who did I catch?  The usual mix for the Circle K crowd---a long hair calico, a long hair muted calico, a short hair tabby on white boy and of course, in that bunch there had to be a Siamese.  Yes, one Siamese mix boy.   Trapping other times there, with other mothers, I've caught a lot of Siamese kittens.

The little calico girl is priceless.  She prances around, arches her back and already sits on my lap. 

This is the calico, or maybe better called tabical, her calico markings are mixed with tabby stripes.

The two boys, including the token Siamese of the mix

The girls, the muted torti long hair on the right

Four more kittens.  Yup.  I hope I catch their mom and end that cycle.

Somebody is feeding her elsewhere.   She doesn't touch dry food, so she's getting fed somewhere.

Bonita is still here, but I believe going to my friend's vet on Tuesday.  I've called Bonita by a few names since getting her fixed for the House of Cats in Albany only to have her refuse to leave the trap when I tried to return her.  Turns out she is functionally blind.  She likes my bathroom. I clean her eyes and pet her every day.  She's gained weight.  She uses the litter box and she likes me and trusts me.  However, I am hoping very much my friend adopts her.  She thinks she will, besides taking her to her vet for eye assessment.  Which is wonderful.  A great gift.