A Bertie update

Back in July, I told you about a new addition to our household - a tiny kitten that had turned up under mysterious circumstances in our driveway. We never learned where the kitten had come from but no one claimed the little mite and so we took her in. 

Bertie, about a week after we found her.

And, yes, it was her, although our first impression was that "it" was a boy, thus the name Bertie. Truthfully, at 12 ounces, there wasn't much to work with in determining gender! When I took her to the vet, the estimate was that her age at the time she came to us was probably four or five weeks. She was also full of parasites - not unusual for a feral kitten - so we had to deal with that. But Bertie took it all in stride, made herself at home, and set about putting us, including our two other cats, very firmly under her paw. 

Bertie, considering one of her humans.

Well, here we are three-and-a-half months later. Bertie is around five months old (estimated) and weighs in at 4.1 lbs. Things have settled down a bit in the household. Bella has come to an understanding with her new sister. She still hisses at her at times, but she also plays with her and Bertie knows there is no real malevolence in her hisses.

Beau has been slower to come around. He was used to being treated as the baby and he resents having someone smaller and cuter stealing his attention. He still chases her - in earnest, not in play. But she isn't afraid of him and she sometimes challenges him directly. He is slowly, very slowly, reaching some sort of detente with her.

Bertie at five months. She's sort of grown into those ears.

Bertie is very much a people cat. After all, people have been her universe since she was a tiny baby. She always wants to be in the middle of whatever we are doing.

That includes helping me with my blog. Actually, I think she may be plotting a coup in order to take over the blog. I'm sure she would have plenty to say! 

Wordless Wednesday: More Bertie

The throwaway kitten

We have lived in this neighborhood for 27 years. During those years, especially the early years, there have been a number of animals, mostly cats or kittens, that have been abandoned here or have found their way here after being abandoned. I came to think of them as throwaway kittens, a prime example of humanity's inhumanity. They were animals that had been betrayed and abandoned by the humans who should have cared for them.

We did our best to care for them and adopted many of them. When our children were growing up, hardly a spring or summer went by without them bringing another throwaway kitten home. The last of those adoptees finally died last year at the age of 16.

Four years ago, we adopted Beau and Bella who had been rescued by our younger daughter along with one of her friends when they turned up, abandoned, near that friend's house. Since then, we have not had the occasion - or the necessity - of adopting another animal. Until last week.

Last Tuesday, as I was getting ready to go to an appointment, my husband told me he had seen a kitten in our driveway earlier. As I pulled out of the driveway, I noticed that there was a kitten-shaped lump lying under the front end of his pickup. When I came back, more than an hour later, the lump was still there, so I went to investigate.

The lump was a tiny gray tabby kitten. It looked to be not more than five or six weeks old. There were no siblings, no mother anywhere in sight. It appeared to be all on its on. I'm sure it didn't get there by itself. No doubt it had had human help.

When I picked it up, I could feel that it was just skin and bones and very limp. I brought it inside and opened a can of cat food, unsure of whether or not it would be able to eat. I needn't have worried. The kitten fell on the food and, small as it was, devoured a good portion of it. Over the next couple of days, eating, drinking, and sleeping comprised its major activities.

After spending some time with him, my husband announced that the kitten had told him his name was Bertie. That made it official: He's been named, so that means he's been adopted. Beau and Bella are not amused.

By the weekend, Bertie was taking more of an interest in his surroundings, and my daughters, who were both excited at having a new "brother," came to meet him. My younger daughter weighed him on the food scale and found that he weighed 12.03 ounces. My older daughter took several pictures with her phone to record the event of their meeting.

And here's Bertie, sitting on the coffee table in our den on Sunday and wondering what all the fuss is about. Another throwaway kitten who has found a home with us.

This should never happen, of course. Please, if you have cats - or dogs - have them spayed or neutered. And if you have cats, in particular, keep them indoors. Cats who are allowed to roam can do inestimable damage to wildlife and they themselves are vulnerable to attack by dogs, other cats, coyotes (in some areas) or humans and their automobiles. The safest place for a cat is inside where he can entertain his humans and be cherished by them. The world does not need any more throwaway kittens.