Ten again

Meet our latest - and, hopefully, last - acquisition: Amber, here shown alongside Rachel. Amber is one of a litter of feral kittens born several months ago, all of them apparently healthy and strong. The mortality rates in previous stray cat litters were enormous, which helped to keep down the population. And most of those who survived developed eye infections that were apparently related to upper respiratory infections.

We had been prepared to deal with ten kittens, but the death of Gretchen took us down to nine. Amber once more brought us back to ten. All of the other cats love her, and she adapted very quickly to life with unrelated animals.

Catching her was simplicity itself. She had been watching me as I mowed the lawn, on what we had decided was the last day I could safely try to catch her. I simply set out the trap, unbaited, and watched her curiosity get the better of her as she went into the trap to investigate it - and set it off.

If anyone is interested, there are still several kittens and cats available for adoption. No shots, no papers. Act now! Quantities are limited.

Bonus picture: Here's Thor and BlueBear sharing a brotherly embrace last night.