Not a Tarzan; but a Jane?

             Tarzan was born to Devil eyes.  Devil Eyes disappeared, but Tarzan stayed on.  Devil Eyes had managed to teach her kitten to eat solid food from the food we put out.  We were unable to tell Tarzan’s gender as from a distance the long black hair was everywhere on her.  It was not until Tarzan come bringing seven kittens that we knew Tarzan was a girl.  We considered renaming her Jane.  But Tarzan had already stuck.  And slowly but surely, her seven kittens met their demise from some predator. 

            Whether Tarzan continued to eat from our solid food afterwards, we did not know.  But we never saw her.  She was not present when the food was placed out.  One is not outside twenty-four hours a day.  How many cats come and go is not known.  What is known is that the food all disappears.  What started as one feeding a day has now turned into two.  There’s one in early morning and one in afternoon.  It is rounded off to treats in the evening when dishes are taken up to avoid wild animals from feeding. 

            Would we see Tarzan again?  She evidently was a wanderer.  Whatever survival techniques this cat has learned, she has been using them.  For in the backyard I finally see Tarzan eating from a bowl.  I have a habit of looking out a back window sometimes.  From here, I see the patio clearly.  This is where I put out cat food.  And excited I am on this particular day to see Tarzan again.

            Today, Tarzan is not alone.  Eating out of the bowl with her is one long haired black kitten.  I laugh as this kitten is the spitting image of her mother.  I look closer and there really is just one kitten with Tarzan.  It’s a good feeling to know that a cat that has lost so many kittens in the past has finally got one to survive.  But also; I can’t help but wonder how many kittens did she start out with?

            There’s a lot of sickness and a lot of deaths with strays.  There’s also a lot of excitement that comes with it as well.  It is entertaining to watch kittens play in the yard.  They seem to have not a worry in the world.  Then they grow up and are on their own.  This outlook on life seems quite familiar.

            If this little kitten of Tarzan’s continues to survive, we will be faced with the task of naming it.  And it is pretty certain that we won’t be able to get close enough to tell its gender.  Is it not a Tarzan, but a Jane?  I am sure that time will give us the correct answer.