Spring Time on the Farm

Spring is the time of new growth and new life.

Springtime on the farm - that usually looks like a new vegetable garden, 

uncovering the perennial flower gardens, and litters of puppies and kittens, 

mostly kittens!  With one ‘official’ house cat (an outdoor cat with indoor privileges) 

and many barn cats, kittens were guaranteed.  

(An unintended double exposure that turned out well, the cat with
house privileges is in the middle)

Always the kitten litters were lovingly placed into an old cardboard box 

padded with clean rags.  Then the mothers could jump in 

 and out with the kittens safe in the box. 

 And sometimes there was sharing as the mother and kittens 

and an adoptive mother were all in one box! 

 Occasionally the barn cats found a spot so deeply buried 

in the stacked straw bales they we didn't see the kittens 

until they were old enough to be running around.  

 There was one time when the ‘official’ house cat came up to the door 

 from being outside, wanting to come in the house carrying a mouse in her mouth.  

Of course that was not allowed.  As the cat became more insistent and frantic, 

we could see it was not a mouse but a newborn kitten!  

So immediately a box was prepared and the kitten put in.  

Then the mother led us to the rest of the litter in a dark corner in the basement 

of one of the barns.  She couldn't rest until all her kittens were safely ensconced

 in the box in the house.  Then she was happy.

By Guest Blogger today, with thanks to the other Old Farmer's Daughter