We set up a trap to get Mitsy before she delivers her kittens, but to no avail: each time we do this, she does not show up for one or more days. Coincidence? Or does she have earlier experiences with traps? In the (frigid) weekend of March 21 we only see her flash by once. The trap is not set because we have a business commitment that requires us to be at our computers for 2 solid days. Mitsy returns on Monday evening for 10 minutes and looks like a very different cat. No more big belly… She obviously has had her kittens. But where are they? We will never find out and we will never meet them either…
We return the borrowed traps to the rescue group and decide we want to keep an eye on this cat. Our hope is that one day she will bring the kittens to our yard. Maybe around week 5, when they are starting to eat solid foods. Or even as early as week 3, when many cats tend to move their litter to another location. Our shelters are beckoning, but they get no response. She obviously has access to better accommodation than our humble abode…
We relocate the security cameras on our property to find out more about this cat’s comings and goings. This is the start of a 3 month period, in which the alerts of our cameras direct our days. Even Suzi, our resident cat, reacts to the bleeps! When Mitsy “enters the building” we rush to put fresh food out for her and we watch her from behind the window. She seems unfazed by our presence, as long as we keep our distance.
After a month I do an experiment: I bring out the food and instead of going back into the house, I sit in our backyard. I have my phone with me, so I can watch Mitsy without direct eye contact outside.
By now, she no longer runs and hides around the corner of the house when we put out food. Instead, she hangs out under our AC Unit until the coast is clear. She seems to be conditioned to the sound of the sliding door closing and on this day, the early afternoon of April 19, she is already halfway out of the AC Unit when she realises I am still outside. She studies me for 30 seconds. I sit silently, watching her via the security camera app on my phone. Then hunger wins and she crawls towards the food. Cautious, but not overly alarmed. This is a great milestone, I think! A first step towards a possible socialisation process. And I am particularly happy when I see that one of the cameras captured me and her in the same shot!
