Our house is in a neighborhood close to the edge of town. We are near the end of a cul-de-sac, from which there are single-track trails leading up the hill to an old farm that now belongs to the City. The City mows a walking path around the perimeter of the field, and it’s a pleasant place to take the dog for his daily romps. There is also an old, falling-apart house in the field, which presumably served as the farmhouse before the City bought the property.
Last Wednesday evening, Tablespoon and I were walking Winston around the field. As we passed the old house, we were approached by a very brave and playful black and white kitten. His four siblings watched us more cautiously from the porch. We looked around for a mother cat, but she was nowhere to be seen. I sat on the edge of the porch and talked to the kittens while Tablespoon ran back to our house to drop off Winston and get a box. Upon his return, the kittens were easy enough to gather up and bring home.
We’re going to keep two of them, but are actively seeking homes for the other three. They are all quite well socialized, and all of them mastered the litter box immediately. There has only been one accident thus far, and it was while all 5 of them were hiding under our bed in the middle of a thunderstorm, so they can’t really be blamed for that. I think I am making the task of having them adopted more difficult for myself by attaching the caveat that I will only adopt them out to people who will commit to not having them declawed.
Here they all are, taking an afternoon nap on our (very messy) couch:

Aren’t they adorable? We are keeping the one second from the left, and the one all the way to the right, but we have not come up with names for them yet.
Any advice on finding homes for these little critters would be much appreciated. So far, I have posted ads on Craigslist and Freecycle and contacted the local animal foster program. The local humane society has a very long waiting list, so there is little hope of getting the kittens in there. I’m not in a huge hurry, as I’m thoroughly enjoying having five wonderful kittens marauding around the house. But they need to be immunized, and spayed/neutered, and I can’t afford to do that for all of them. And, perhaps most inconvenient of all, Tablespoon and I are leaving for vacation next Tuesday and will have to figure out what to do with them in our absence.
