September 13, 2020. Holiday Island, AR. And Then There Were Two....

When Joan brought us three kittens and their momma (Miss Hissy), we were instant pet "parents" and we took to the feeding schedule even though the family didn't get very close to us and either dashed off when we came close or ate and ran when we interrupted their eating time. Pretty soon after they arrived one of the little ones was "lost" and we had no indication of what had happened to it.
Last week one of the kittens was by the water dish when I came outside. It had a paw in the water dish. I talked to her and actually got fairly close, but it didn't run off. It walked slowly under a nearby bench and laid down there and again I got close, but it did not respond or seem to hear me or see me. Later that evening, I found it sprawled out on the back lawn, barely moving, breathing very slowly. No indication of an injury or having had a run-in with another animal. It was Labor Day and we couldn't get hold of any of the vets in the area. Miss Hissy was about 30 feet away watching, but there was nothing she or I could do. The next morning the kitten was in the same place, it's paws tucked in toward its tummy and it was dead. I took it away from the cabin, dug a hole and gave it a "proper" burial. It was very sad to lose our second little one, unnamed and not knowing if either was a boy or girl.
The remaining kitten sleeps by our "bird-side" door on a mat which says "Wipe Your Paws", but we still can't get close to it and we see Miss Hissy and the last little one only occasionally. It is sad, but part of the life process with animals, and sometimes with people as well. We hope we will have the opportunity to get closer to Miss Hissy and Paws, but we will continue to give them food and water, and as it gets cooler, a place where they can be warm at night and safe from the perils of being outdoor cats. Maybe, one day, they will become members of our indoor family. Be safe.......and as for #1 and #2...........rest in peace.