Cats!

I mentioned yesterday that we have outdoor cats. To be honest, I prefer having indoor pets, but since we rent, we cannot have indoor pets (cats or dogs).

Our first two outdoor cats arrived around Christmas, 2023. My daughter is a cat lover to the core of her being, and she gently wooed them, and won their hearts. They both were quite timid and skittish at first, but they soon accepted all of us.

This is Dusty. She was the first to come to my daughter, on Christmas Eve. A few days later, she brought her "sister."

This is Calico. She is a real beauty, with silky fur.

In April they each had litters of kittens. Some went to new homes when they were old enough, but some stayed with us.

This is Midnight (aka Pudge), one of Dusty's kittens. She is a sweetie, sometimes a little clingy. It almost seems as if she claims me as her person.

This is Sirius Black, aka Sirius. He actually has a very serious look on his face. He's a big boy, and a big sweetheart. He's one of Calico's kittens.

Here's Mustache Felix, aka Felix. He's our beautiful tuxedo boy. He had been rehomed, but that didn't work out, so he came back to us. Another of Calico's kittens.

This is our sweet, sweet Charcoal, another of Calico's kittens. She has soft, silky fur like her mama.

Meet River Song (aka River), another of Calico's babies. My daughter is definitely "her person," although she does tolerate the rest of us. She's a sweetie. Her fur is coarser than Calico's or Charcoal's, but she has pretty markings.

In August, Dusty had her second litter of kittens. And Calico had her second litter in September. Sadly, Calico's kittens didn't live.

Meet Orion Black (aka Orion). He's one from Dusty's second litter of kittens. He's kind of sweet, but ornery to the other cats, especially the girls.

Last but not least, this is Oliver. He's also from Dusty's second litter of kittens. The others in the litter went to new homes. Oliver doesn't "play well" with the other cats, so sadly is isolated from the rest. He and Orion both have yet to be neutered. And both really need to be rehomed. They would make excellent barn cats!

I love it when I have a kitty escort on my morning walks.

The morning (or evening) feeding frenzy is also fun!

Do you have pets? I'd love to hear about them in the comments below.

If you'd like to hear more about the kitties, you can follow my daughter's blog: Crazy Kitties and Dumb Diabetes.