Ven, gatita y gatita
With mice and rat poop all around the van, someone breaking into our coffee and strewing it around the dashboard, listening to them scamper in the walls and ceiling while we’re trying to sleep, we finally got some kittens.
First we thought we would adopt our uncle’s cat, but that never happened. But we were feline-primed. We’ve put out sticky traps (can’t use anything that would hurt our dogs!) and we caught one mouse and one…possum?
It drug that sticky trap at least 16 feet, and from the hair left behind we thought it might be a cat, but those teeth marks…possum.
I was at Mercado Independencia with our neighbors, looking for chickens. We went across the street because we could see cages in a shop. Turns out they had no chickens, but right away 13-year-old Emilio pointed to the kittens and said, “You should get one!” Because I’d been complaining about shaking mouse poop out of my clothes.
I think it was the sad sight of four kittens in a cage sized for a hamster, but I brought home two. I wanted the black one of course, since they are the eptimome of cat. But the gray one was so fiesty, clearly the most energetic and curious. And shouldn’t they have each other?
I started feeling guilty as soon as we headed home - I never make big choices that will impact our whole family without consulting Phillip! I texted him “I have a surprise for you” as if that made up for it.
When I came in the gate he saw the newcomers and smiled right away. Phew. But it’s been a lot of work.
We set them up with a bed, food and water in the shed, since we know lots of rats hang out around there, coming through the wall from the neighbors, who have horses, roosters, chickens, dogs, at least one miniature donkey with a monstrous bray.
The kittens hid under the floor for two days. We would shine our phones’ lights around to make sure they were still alive. Would the rats eat them? What about a possum? Googling provided contradictory answers.
Should we try to catch them and bring them into the van? But cats need to feel safe in their space. We waited.
Day 3 the kittens emerged and took over the whole homestead.
They climb everything, eat the dogs’ food, sleep in our bed. More cute cat videos to come.