Family of Cats

Closely watching Issac travel through the gulf. Hoping it does not hit New Orleans. For completely selfish reasons as Bill and I are headed there for vacation on the 4th. If a plane can land, I will be there no matter what...........

The facility where I work and my view from the office is the Wissahicken Park. Since I started at FBHS five years ago, there have been several employees who leave out food and water for the many stray cats that roam the area. Sometimes, I see a raccoon (better than the walls in my 3rd floor office) or a squirrel at the bowls. Lately, I have been seeing a family of grey cats/kittens. As a matter of fact, I saw one kitten at the bowls when I left work this afternoon.

What fascinates me the most about this family is how protective the mother cat is. She is always close by either laying on a picnic table or in the wooded area just beyond where her growing family feeds. She keeps a close eye on her babies and at the slightest sound alerts them back to the woods.

The kittens are pure grey as the mother is grey and white. I counted three babies. They seem to be about ten weeks old and I am sure it will not be long before they leave their mother and head out in the woods alone. I used to question whether or not it was the right thing to do by feeding the stray cats, as they keep having babies and the cycle of birth and death continues. Honestly, I love watching them and it brings so much peace in the middle of a crazy day. It also makes me want to catch one and bring it home. Strays are clever. I remember playing in Laurel Hill Cemetery as a kid and trying to catch a stray kitten that lived underneath one of the mausoleums. I clearly remember it was an orange tabby and he/she was fast on those four little feet. I never did catch him though I tried for hours. I never gave it a thought as to whether or not my mom would allow me to keep it as we always had pets growing up. Maybe one day, I will tell you about my ducks.

For now, how wonderful the world would be if human mothers cared as much for their own kids as many do not and will throw the kid away for a bag of dope.