Feral Portrait: Lil Mama

Introducing Lil Mama

She is the mother of over half of the cats I now feed.  She is Very fertile.  Every 4 1/2 months, like clockwork, she produces another litter.  She is also very wary of traps or tricks that might end up getting her spayed.    She won't fall for anything.   Of all the cats I feed, she is the one I would most like to trap, and she is also the smartest when it comes to avoiding getting caught.  Alas, she is very intelligent and knows what to avoid.  She takes no chances and has a poor opinion of those who do.

She lives underneath the Mobile Home next door.  It keeps her fairly safe, since most dogs can't fit through the opening she uses.  She keeps her kittens hidden away until they are about 6 weeks old.  Then  slowly, you will see the new litter, poking out their ears first, big eyes on the new world.

Once her kittens are weaned, she brings them out to the feeding area and from then on, they are on their own.  She bats them away from her food, she hisses at anyone else (human or feline) who might come close to her.   She has NO interest in becoming tamed and keeps a healthy distance between herself and the world.   She is very good at setting boundaries.

She is a pretty little thing, the smallest of all the cats and very well-groomed.  She is also always in a  Bad Mood.   She is the personification of Grumpy.  She is perpetually mad at the world and all of us who are in it.  She tolerates no nonsense from the other cats and is not the slightest bit sentimental. Tiny though  she is, the other cats all respect her and give her lots of room.  No one ever tries to fight her for the food.  She gets what she wants.  Period. 

I have no idea how she manages to raise such wonderful  kittens who are so eager to be tamed.  Her children seem to have inherited her intelligence, but not her trust issues.   But to give her due, she is a survivor.  And she keeps her kittens safe while they are young.

I Will trap her and get her spayed.  I don't know how, but she is too darned fertile not to.  She will never forgive me, but  then, she doesn't like me much anyway.  After she is caught, she will still come around and get her food.  She is no dummy.