Kitty Ranchin'

I would like to tell you about my wild Arab kitty ranch.
Last year a momma cat and her two half grown kittens showed up in my back yard.
We named the kittens Sister and Brother. They were inseparable. Brother an Sister kept each other warm. Brother seemed to know he was bigger and stronger and needed to stay near his delicate sister. I fixed them beds with blankets on the chairs,and eventually they got tame enough to come inside and eat. They were still skiddish, but every now and then we could pet them. Sister was small,vulnerable, beautiful,and very cautious. She was a calico with beautiful dark eyeliner and a trusting ,gentle look in her eyes. Brother was ginger and white with long-hair. He was bold and would laze around like he was to the manor born. They had the best manners of any persons I have ever known, which I am sure came from their humble,well mannered calico mother.
After I went to the U.S.A. for 7 months sister disappeared. I saw brother once or twice after I returned and then he too disappeared. Momma cat still comes everyday for her treat,and has not lost her beautifully gentle manner. I think she has another caretaker feeding her because she has a dashing green plaid collar that matches her eyes. Mind you there is no veterinary tag as these cats are much too wild to catch.
After my return from the the U.S.A. another little cat family appeared in my backyard. At first we were afraid of 'little momma' as she seemed aggressive and attacked us through the glass door. As I started putting food out for her and her half grown family of three she became quite affectionate. She is a little' scary 'affectionate as I think someone has probably mistreated her. She rubs my legs with frenzied fervor that is reminiscent of a fanatical religious person. Sometimes she gets so excited she bites my house shoes or the back of my fuzzy yellow house coat when I walk away from her. She comes into the house like she has a gold plated invitation. Her 3 kittens are untouchably wild. I have named the smallest kitten, Inkblot. He is black and white like his mother ,but with black inky splotches on his face. Phantom has one grey side of her face and one white like 'the phantom' in Phantom of the Opera. The other kitten I have named Scarecrow because he has a triangle of gray colour around his nose like the scarecrow in Wizard of Oz. Phantom and Scarecrow are long-haired grey and white kittens. Inkblot is typically Arab shorthair like his mother. There are in addition to 'the family' 2 male cats that come around at night to eat,but have remained outside the circle. One is a ginger short-hair with a muscular neck and battle wounds on his face, and one is a ginger and white long hair. I don't think it is 'Brother.' He is too large.
'The Family' come every night to eat. I have laid cushions and blankets on four chairs for the little family. They love their little beds in the evenings, but I have no idea where they reside during the day. Little Momma and the original Momma cat come during the day and seem to have a bit of a Mexican standoff going on. Momma cat being older,wiser,and larger wins the skirmishes, but Little Momma comes running into the house after a defeat and takes sanctuary behind my legs. Sometimes the whole family comes in the house at dusk and act like kids let loose at Disney land for the first time. They run and pounce and hide in joyous excitement over and under every item in the living/dining room.
Today Brother was sited early in the mists of the cool Arab morning, but then disappeared. We will never know what happened to Sister of the gentle trusting eyes.
When I go to the USA for Christmas I will leave plenty of cat food with my Indonesian neighbor and hope she feeds them every night as I do.
I have a daughter I will call moonbeam[because she is so hard to get a hold of] ,who loves the cats and would take over the ranching business if she could, but alas she is on a completely different continent. Moonbeam has kitty ranchin' in her blood.
What will happen to my little herd when I leave Arabia forever? It troubles me. I will pray for them and maybe get The Paws group to catch them and put them up for awhile with medical treatments, but that is temporary. They will eventually have to let them loose,then who is going to feed my little herd,put blankies out, freshen their water, let them in the house for their Disney-like cat adventures?
Being a kitty rancher is a great responsibility.