Cats and Birds and More Cats

We figured out why the blue jays are so raucous and territorial when the neighborhood cats come into our yard. The other day we were out front and noticed one of them on our next door neighbors front window ledge kind of pecking at the window and hopping around. It was a pretty big bird but its tail feathers were short and Keith was saying that it must be a baby, albeit a big baby. Sure enough, we spotted a nest up in the tree in the neighbor's front garden and figured that the baby bird belonged in that nest. Keith kind of shooed it into the tree thinking that it got out and got lost and the whole time we are standing in our neighbor's front yard looking at this bird, the mama and papa bluejay are eagle eyeing us from the tree in front of our house.


Later Keith was talking to our neighbor and she said she has been watching the baby for weeks, with the parents either coming to the nest to feed it or feeding it right there on the window ledge. So that's why it was hanging around on the ledge, waiting for dinner, I guess. And that's why the parent birds are so vigilant every time a cat comes near.


And, speaking of cats, I hadn't seen much of the black and white stray mama cat that produced the litter of kittens that we were feeding however many months ago. I had hoped that she had moved on to greener pastures or gotten taken to the pound or found some other sucker to feed her or something. But, no...yesterday before dinner Keith was doing some watering and clipping of overgrown flowers in the back yard and I hear this loud GODDAMMIT! and rush to the door to see what's wrong, and he found kittens YES KITTENS in the back yard hiding behind the shed. Along with black and white mama cat.

So, I go out to look and here are three little kittens hiding behind some wood that was leaning against the back of the shed, three little kitten eyes staring up at us. Argghhh.

Time to play kitten round up again I guess. And NO we will not feel sorry for them or start feeding them. Even though their little faces are so cute and pitiful and their little eyes are so innocent...NO WE CAN'T KEEP THEM KEITH NO MATTER HOW CUTE THEY ARE!