Kittens and Trees, Oh My!

It's been an exciting week.

We had kittens born to two moms, one of which I didn't even know was "with kitten," 

and a tree almost take out our roof. 

Patio is the white/tan one -- she didn't look a bit pregnant!
Cali Mae is the calico in front.
They are both feral cats that have been living in our yard.

The tree belongs to our next-door neighbors, but a couple of huge limbs are over our house. This tree has had a split in its trunk for years but had recently begun making creaking sounds. Not often, just sometime.

and it's got this yuck sticky looking stuff on it.

Sap? Fungus? 

I don't know, but it's YUCK!!

So Wednesday the weather turned colder and there were predictions of storms that night. The wind was breezy to heavier-than-breezy all day long. The tree was creaking. Creeeeeeking. Spooky creeking of a door in a horror movie. Just before the monster comes to get you. I began to get nervous.

I noticed a couple of guys in neon green vests talking to my neighbor right outside my office window. Then they were looking at the spooky tree.

So I go out to see what's what since it impacts my roof. My neighbor hires them and they say they will come back after they finish another job in town.

Enter the kittens. The kittens whose nest is against the corner of our house directly across from the tree. The kittens who might be hurt by falling limbs; mama cats who might be hurt.

And then, both mama cats happened to get hungry at the same time and appeared on the patio to eat. I took the opportunity to move the five kittens into a big dog cage that my neighbor let me use. Took it to the patio. Cali Mae and Patio run under the shed. Got the kittens settled on towels in the cage and covered it on all sides with towels. Anchored the towels so they wouldn't blow away. Aimed the opening toward the house so it was more protected from the wind.

And did those mamas appreciate my efforts? No, no and double no.

But in the meantime....

After about two excruciating hours of listening to the wind pick up and the creeeeeking to get louder and almost constant, the tree guys return. Climb on my roof. Chainsaws start. They cut the limbs and lower them with ropes, throw them into the front yard. Limbs fall into the back yard.

But the kitties are safe. And smaller cut limbs were leaning against the house, right over their little nest. 

The tree guys were looking out for them!

And this monster was right in front.

And did those mamas appreciate my efforts? No, no and double no.

After the tree guys left for the evening, Cali Mae sneaked two of the kittens. I thought she went under the shed. We saw her later on on the roof of the shed, eyes on the cage with the kittens.

Patio was watching too from the steps to the shed.

Nervous Nellie Cali down from the shed roof.

 By the time I went to bed, those bad mamas had left the three remaining kittens in the cage.  ALL NIGHT. Alone. Those kittens were all bunched up in the farthest corner of the cage.

And it rained and the wind blew. And the tree held -- the tree guys had shored it up with ropes and a ladder.

So Thursday morning the moms come to the patio to get breakfast. Looked in the cage. Cali Mae snags a kitten and heads off -- not to the shed as I thought, but to the original nest. The one right by that creeky tree. One by one she got them while Patio was babysitting in the nest.

I still can't believe they took the babies back to what is now a compromised nest (at least in my opinion, but apparently not in theirs). The trouble is, the tree guys will be back to finish taking down the tree. The limbs on my neighbor's side have to be cut, and then they will cut the trunk level with the fence.

And those cats will be right there while they are doing it.

sharing at:

Friendship Friday at Create with Joy (kitties will lift your spirits)

Happy Friday at Blog-She

Caterday at A Cat-Like Curiosity

♥♥♥  For Caterday, I am sharing the new kitties, and the fact that I am grateful for the tree guys who saved my roof from the evil creeky tree and watched out for the kittens and mamas in their nearby nest. Even though I know those cats were completely freaked out.....


♥♥