I'm still so excited about what happened yesterday evening that I'm having a hard time focusing, but I'll try to post something coherent.

Some of you may remember that Mike and I spent some time a couple of weeks back constructing a little shelter for Stumpy, the sweet little stray girl kitty who has basically adopted us. She was pretty hugely pregnant at the time, and we hoped that we could give her a safe, comfortable spot where she could deliver her babies and care for them, and so we could keep an eye on all of them and hopefully find the kittens good homes. As it turns out, she checked out the shelter we built, but she delivered her kittens elsewhere - probably on the 29th of April. Still, we kept it out in the yard hoping that she might use it at some point.

Mike got home from work yesterday, fed Dub and Kali, and opened the back door to check on the outdoor kitties (Stumpy and Hoople are pretty much a regular presence in the yard these days, and we have a routine). The first thing he saw when he looked out was that one of them had left us a bird right outside the screen door. He went out, disposed of this little "gift" and fed the cats.

He had just come back inside when I arrived home from work, and he told me what had happened. Stumpy was standing on the other side of the screen door, eyes big and round, kneading the ground with her paws, and I said to Mike, "you know, honey, I bet it was Stumpy who brought us the bird. I wonder if she's trying to tell us something."

Turns out she was.

I changed clothes quickly and grabbed my camera. I walked with Stumpy to the back of the yard, and sure enough, when I bent down and peeked inside, I saw a tiny tumble of little ears and paws and tails - at least three kittens, but possibly four? It was a bit difficult to tell at first, but they were sleeping peacefully and looked to be in great condition. Stumpy was next to me looking so proud, and I petted her and told her what a good girl she was for bringing the babies over, and how we would do everything we could to help her care for them. And we will.

We've inquired about what we can do in the coming weeks to make sure the kitties thrive, and already we have a few people who may be interested in adopting the kitties when they're ready. As for Stumpy, getting her spayed is a priority. This little mama has been pregnant so many times since we have known her, and I think it's high time to give her a break and a better future. She's a sweet girl and she deserves it. I wish we could adopt her ourselves, but that's just not possible right now.

Anyway, the kittens are just beautiful, and we look forward to helping them along as they start their journey in this world.