Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Motherhood

My sweet Gemma is a mom. There is a woman who feeds cats in the train parking lot and I ran into her yesterday. She knew about Gemma and said she likes to hang around the train tracks. The woman said Gemma is a mom to three kittens, two boys and a girl. The daughter was hanging around because she was hungry, and she looks just like her mom! Adorable. So my dear Gemma is getting fed. She's obviously not spayed. I'm not sure I like this. Well-nourished cats tend to have larger litters, which obviously defeats the work and purpose of rescues. This woman said she has humane traps but is afraid to use them (other cats will see their friends getting trapped and won't go in). Well, isn't neutering even five cats better than none? I told the woman that I was able to pick up Gemma, so getting her to the vet shouldn't be an issue. And that I would be more than happy to pay for the spay. Gemma's kittens look almost old enough to be parents themselves, so I hope some vet visits will take place amidst all this feeding. It's actually quite irresponsible of that woman to feed the cats. They are learning to depend on humans and losing their hunting instinct. And by feeding them, the kitties are healthy, strong, and robust in their breeding.

I still love Gemma. Maybe if I open my car door they will all pile into my car for a trip to the vet. :) "Come on kittens! This lady is taking us to the vet!"

2 comments:

emily said...

Are you taking them to the vet? I completely agree with you...while the woman's heart may be in the right place, it's only causing a larger problem.

goo2girl said...

If I meet Gemma again, I will take her. But I can't keep her from her babies for too long or they might get scared. Ideal would be taking Gemma in the morning and bringing her back that night. Although those stitches wouldn't be ideal for her to have.

See, if Gemma tells her kittens to hop into my car, we could keep the family together. They can all get spayed/neutered and heal at Chateau de Chat.