Swimming Upstream and Cat Sitting

  Have you ever tried swimming up river? I have and it was a bust. The current is pretty relentless. Some days that is how life feels ~ like you are swimming upriver and you can't win for trying. Ah well, you  just keep swimming :)

  My husband is away for a few days (actually five! I did not realize how long five sounded when I set the trip up!) and I am taking care of my four children plus my friend's eleven kittens, two mother cats, and a dog. The cats are mother and daughter and this is the daughter's first litter. Her mother and her have been sharing kittens without bias, both squished in a basket together nursing kittens and trying to keep all eleven of them happy. The older mom (and grandma) is named Bootsy and she is as calm and cool as they come. She is a seasoned mom who knows her kittens will survive life. She takes time to herself daily to get some sun and fresh air. Now Turtle (the new mom) is a whole different kettle of fish! She is more than concerned about each and every kitten. When we hold one she is there and literally taking it out of our hands with her mouth if the kitten squeaks. She has moved all eleven kittens once (I found them behind a deep freeze) and gave me a heart attack. I moved them all back to the basket and left the two moms curled awkwardly around their kittens again. The next day I went back and Turtle had moved all but three to behind the freezer again. She had left Bootsy with three that may have been her actual kittens but if they were she had three more for sure that Turtle had taken as her own and Bootsy had not batted an eye lash. So I moved them all back again although I tried to outfit Turtle with her own special basket beside Bootsy's. I gave Bootsy five kittens and Turtle six. We shall see what happens tomorrow.

  I have five days without my husband and four days till my friend gets home. So here we go!


                            Here is Turtle with all eleven while Bootsy is away on a break.

                                       Kittens squirm a lot and I could not get a clear shot!

                                  Oh! It meowed and Turtle comes to protect and preserve.

                                           Both moms in one basket together.

One of the things I love most is that Bootsy often licks Turtles head when she comes to nurse the kittens and at one point they had their paws touching (resting on the kittens) ~ it was honestly incredibly special and beautiful to observe.

                              The children are loving being kitten sitters. Me, not so much.

Here we all are before our Charissa girl moved out, my husband went away for a break, and my sister moves out to house sit!