A mama whos still a kitten herself

Mama is linked to the story of the kittens in another post. As they took different paths we split the stories.

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Mum is under 1 years old herself. Still a kitten whilst she raises a family of at least 3. Usually they have larger litters than that so its possible some didn't make it under the harsh conditions and strain on meals. First time mums can have 1 - 3 litters so hopefully this was the case with mum and she hadnt had other litters and was able to keep all alive. Imagine the pressure of keeping 3 kittens alive outside with no medical support, reliable food, warmth and having to leave the kittens exposed to predators during time mum goes hunting.

They were spotted and posted in a local fb group. No charities locally were able to take them on due to not having capacity. They were all unneutered and more importantly hungry, locals had been kindly feeding them which may have kept them alive.

Female cats can become fertile at 4 months old so between having mum and her kitten, there was a chance of a lot of babies throughout their lifespan. After their first litter they typically have 4-6 kittens per litter and can have those 2 - 3 times a year. Thats 8 - 18 kittens a year. Cats then remain fertile for around 8 years. Going with the higher estimate that is 144 kittens they could birth. Kittens to be cats with no resources or medical care. A lot of these cats end up inbreeding locally then have health conditions such as a higher risk of Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), and heavy parasite loads. And much more horrible early endings that leave them suffering. Essentially, its not a good life and neutering in that environment is crucial.

So we trapped mum with her kittens, they were all trapped in only 12 hours which we were suprised by. We were glad though as one trap was in a cemetery (a school gate lined up to it) so checking that at 3am is very creepy. You dont realise how consuming trapping is until you try it, takes up your whole day as theres no device to let you know if the trap is closed.

Unfortunately we were between a rock and a hard place with mum. You either keep her inside until spring, a cat that has spent her whole life outdoors now being forced to stay in until better weather 6 months away. During which time she is entering it still scared of human interaction and has shown no willing to change her views. Or give her the option of going outdoors now she knows the alternative and allow her to make her own decisions. The weather was against us as we wanted her to find an alternative place to sleep before the cold weather came in. If the weather wasnt on the decline we would have kept her inside for longer.

We believe in freedom of choice but you do want her to know the other option of a soft warm life and you dont want her to be left in the cold. Its a hard choice. But we wanted her to decide for herself.

For better or worse, we let her out. We opened the door and left her to her own devices. I'll show the video of her deciding her life ahead. The life she wants to lead.

We brought a camera for it so we could see what she chose as the whole time she was with us she was on night shift so we wouldn't have seen her during the day. I was convinced we'd never see her again, and on the first night we didnt. Night two however, along pops her gorgeous face. She comes by multiple times and eats those snackies. Weeks go by and she is still visiting every night multiple times a night. We're going to lock her in again if the weather gets particularly bad.

There is a difference between keeping someone safe and keeping them captive. To love is to never forget it.