Bobbie and Her Kittens.

Bobbie and Hellcat have been at the old tree house every morning and evening lately. Hellcat has gradually become less fearful of me, but will still retreat to thick foliage if I approach too closely. 

I put food out for them at the tree when I feed the colony. She has eaten with the colony in the past, but always acted like an outsider. The others often greet each other with a sniff and rub. With her, they back off from the food and wait while she eats (except for Big Tom). I retrieve any uneaten food from the tree after she is finished. I don't want it attracting other animals to her sanctuary and it quickly attracts ants.

We have decided to 'adopt' Bobbie's other two kittens ourselves. In our community there are so many cats and kittens in need of a home that there is little chance of someone else taking them. They now have a good routine in our home and are getting along with our three other cats and four dogs. We are at maximum capacity and I will not foster any more animals - just an overnight if needed for a trip to the vet. We let them roam the house freely during the day, but keep them in the big dog crate at night. They are easy to hold and handle, but will often put up a chase to keep from being picked up. Patches is especially good at finding hiding places. Una is more social and curious with us and the household.