Then; There Were None

            Out of four kittens, only one survived.  It was the offspring of Devil Eyes.  It was a solid black long haired kitten.  It grew up with us not knowing what it was.  Whether male or female, the extremely long hair and the distance the stray cat kept itself from us, made it impossible to tell its gender.  And so; we named the cat Tarzan.

            But Tarzan soon showed us what it was.  The cat turned out to be a she when she brought near the feeding area for strays, seven little kittens.  At first she moved them between flower pots and then slowly into an open shed she moved them.  I began to think we miscounted as next day there were only six.  And then; the next day there were only four.  The next day had us counting only two.  And then; there were none.

            The advice is not to feed strays as it would surely bring other wild animals.  But what killed the kittens?  They did leave small bits of kitten behind.  We had to find out what killed them.  Was it raccoon, opossum, skunk, fox, or just what was it?  It was two sleepless nights for us with the culprit showing himself.  Food placed in particular areas had us seeing a back yard infested with raccoons.

            Tarzan, or should I say Jane, has continued to stay around.  Apparently she will do this until she goes into heat and becomes chased by males.  Traps can catch raccoons.  But still it is illegal in the state.  And so, avoiding this act of nature happening again, the food must go.  Raccoons are nocturnal animals and so before dusk hits, the cat food and water is now taken up.  In case a raccoon lingers behind past daylight, there is no food put out until around nine.

            It was a scary thing staying up and watching inside the safety of the den the pack of raccoons in the back yard.  I did research on the internet looking for all I could about the raccoon.  The taking away of food seems to be working.  They learn a route where they suspect food to always be there.  There isn’t any now at night.  There is no indication left that they have now been around.

            I realize they say there are so many strays out there.  But how can that be as there are now seven less.  And this is not the first time cats or kittens have disappeared.  There are predators out there it seems for all different animals.

            What I thought was safety in my back yard turned out to be a death trap.  But still cats need food and water to live.  The food will continue to be put out and taken up.  One battle has already been won as we are certain it was raccoons.  It hasn’t taken the cats long to figure out new feeding time of nine.  Upon the picnic table and on the patio, cats are in wait for food and water.  And what is so surprising to us is that the cats didn’t stay around much in the daytime before.  But now, they are lying around more in the area.  Could they be feeling safer?  I know I feel something different about the back yard.  I really believe the raccoons are gone.  Perhaps that is the difference I feel.  Perhaps that is the difference the cats feel.  I will stick with what I am doing about the food.  If it stops working, I will change to another plan.  For now, it is working!

            Raccoons are pretty animals.  But they are known to carry rabies.  The raccoons must stay gone.