Responsibility

Two weeks ago, I started to notice that my youngest stray, Nightwing was starting to put on weight. Not surprising, since I know two other neighbors in my building also feed him and the other strays. Good, I thought. I'm glad people are kind to the strays. It's a tough life for stray cats. Any bit of kindness helps them survive and thrive in a dangerous world.

Last week as I fed him, I thought, Hmmm, he is getting a bit chubby. But it made me feel happy, because he looked content. Nightwing was no longer a small kitten. He was a young adult now, and I was proud of how far he had come from being a scared, wild kitten at the dumpsters to a street wise cat, smart enough to know where to get a good meal and find a safe place to rest.

Today, as I fed the cats, I was suddenly struck by how rotund Nightwing was. Then it hit me. He wasn't fat. He was pregnant! And he was a she! Nightwing is a female, and she's carrying kittens!

Good Lord, all this time I thought my little stray was a boy. I thought he didn't have testicles because he was too young and hadn't gone through puberty yet. Well, I was wrong. So wrong! And now I've got a knocked up cat!!! A teenage soon to be mom!

I was dumbstruck at the realization. At work, one of my coworkers told me how cats get it on, just like dogs, with the male cat usually biting the head of the female and lots of yowling from them.

I suddenly thought to last month, when I caught the upstairs neighbors pet black cat, Black Panther, sitting on top of Nightwing, growling and biting his head. I chased him away, because I thought he was being territorial and being mean to poor Nightwing. Three nights in a row, I had to come out when I heard the crying and yowling and had to chase Black Panther from attacking poor Nighwing.

To my horror (and dismay), I now know that they weren't fighting, but instead, they were getting it on! And I was interrupting their S&M session! The little kinky freaks!

How was I suppose to know? We had cats on the farm, but I never ever saw them get it on. Not like dogs. Dogs will do it anywhere, anytime and you know what they're up to. They'll do it in the middle of the road, at the entrance to a church, in the school yard in front of small children. They don't care. They'll do it right in front of you as you're sitting on the veranda on a hot day sipping iced tea. Dogs don't care. They just go at it.

But cats are secretive. I've never seen them get it on. It always seems to happen in the dark. Even fascinating, my coworker told me that female cats have this special ability to chose the father of each kitten. So each kitten can be only a half sibling with all its litter mates! What whores!

For minute, I experienced this irrational thought of calling Nightwing a slut, an irresponsible skank, whoring the night away. I can't believe I'm now dealing with a teenage cat mom! How could this happen? Then I realized, it's nature, and the cats are doing what comes naturally. Who am I to judge?

I suddenly thought of old cat, Storm Shadow. He was always friendly to Nightwing, sharing meals and even napping together. They even greet each other with a kiss to this day. Was he a possible father to her kittens, too?

All I know is, things need to get done before those kittens are born. I'm trying to entice the knocked up stray to settle in my place. No luck. She'll visit and groom herself or explore for ten minutes, then she's at the door, ready to leave. I'll keep trying, because I don't want those kittens being born outside. It's still cold and wet this time of year.

I've all ready informed my upstairs neighbors that their cat knocked up the stray cat, so these kitties are their responsibility. There will be no deadbeat cat dads around here! If you didn't want kittens, then you should've had your cat fixed!

So far, they're excited and trying to do the same thing, coax the soon to be mommy stray to come into their apartment. No luck yet, but they're still trying, even though their cat seems none too pleased at having to share his space. Well tough luck! If you didn't want to share your space, then you shouldn't have knocked up another cat!