The trapping was about to begin. Momma Kitty, Leena, and Roo I caught by the scruff of their necks and carried them to the waiting cages in the gallery. Three cats in one day, what a deal. S1 and S2 were a little more wary and it took two cans of salmon to entice them into the trap. So, I now had five cats to be transported to the vet and get their medical needs taken care of (neutering, spaying, shots). Squad Car would not enter the last trap, so I called it day and my trapping neighbor hauled them to the vet the next day.

I left Squad Car alone for the next couple of days. I think she was very lonely with everyone else gone to the doctor. I did not see her at all for the next three days. The weather stayed warm so she was not going to suffer from the cold.

On the fourth day, I got all of the trapped cats back at the gallery. They had been kept for a couple days in a protected place so they could heal and recover their strength. By this time they were ready to get back to the wild, or so I thought.

I released Momma Kitty, S1 and S2 but Leena wanted to stay in the gallery. Of course everyone scatted and ran for their favorite hideouts the minute the cages were opened. Not Leena. She came up to me and rubbed against my leg and started purring almost as if saying “I don’t belong with them, I belong with you”. I took her into the gallery and she was happy as a bug in a rug. Explored for a while then got up in my lap and went to sleep. I thought I had a new gallery cat. After her nap, I fed her some good wet cat food, and from then on, I had a new master. After about a week in the gallery, I took her home and introduced her two my three cats at home. So, she now was a home kitty. I will talk more about Leena later and what happened at the house with her. Right now, all I can say is if she was a diplomat, the Middle East would be at peace right now.

Let me give you a description of the all the felines occupying the storage building behind the gallery. Momma is a small black and white cat with a very serious expression all the time. I guess I would be serious if I had to take care of three of my kittens and two strangers. Two of her kittens are almost one hundred percent Siamese. Blue crossed eyes, the great coloration, and they talk a lot. One male and one female. The third kitten in her litter is the runt. She was about half the size of the other kittens and was having a hard time with cold and wet weather. She is black and white just like her mother but not very serious.

The forth kitten is a strange mix. She has some Siamese in her but does not have the typical coloration. Her eyes are very light blue and not crossed and her coat runs from white to tan to light brown. A very striking and beautiful kitten. Of all the cats, she was the most friendly. Came right up to me and rubbed up against my leg and purred like crazy. Wanted to be friends with any and everyone.

The last kitten is gray with black spots and is going to be a very large cat. Her paws and claws are huge. She was a little standoffish at first, but after a couple of dishes of good cat chow, she warmed right up to me. I could pet her, but no picking up was allowed.

The dilemma was if all these female kittens get pregnant! Talk about your population explosion!! I had to do something to prevent being up to my knees in kittens.

My neighbor across the street is a cat trapper. She had become involved in trapping, spaying or neutering, and getting feral cats adopted. What a blessing for me. Well, she gave me a few lessons on trapping and supplied the traps for the great cat trapping expedition that is to follow.

So that we can keep the scorecard straight, I named the cats. Momma Kitty, S1 and S2 for her Siamese kittens, and Squad Car for her black and white kitten. The two cats from the different litters are called Roo and Leena. Roo is the gray spotted cat, and Leena is the Siamese mix. I named her Roo because she can jump like a kangaroo. Leena is a good Russian name and also she leans against just about anything and purrs. So, now we know whom we are talking about in the commentary.