One Little, Two Little, Three Little...

Kitties, four little, five little, six little kitties... seven...

I GET SO FURIOUS WITH PEOPLE!!

We live out in the country - FAR out in the country.  So far out no one comes to see us except true, honest to God friends.  Sometimes we are lucky enough for family to come see us even.  However, it is a chore to get here.

But here is the kicker!  People who don't want animals find us.  Farmers obviously have lots of land so they have lots of room for cats, dogs, whatever else you don't want. Right?  Just drop it/them off and they will find the perfect home to live at, right??  WRONG!

We live far off the road - VERY far off the road.  We have to go to the front to get mail and such and we go visit neighbors.  A few nights ago, Steve and I were checking on some neighbors and saw deer down the road.  We went to investigate and lo and behold the deer were gone, but there was a kitten.  I had him stop and pick the pour baby up.  We brought it home, fed it and loved on it and called it Tiger:

Tiger came with a price.  Tiger's mom came next:

And when she figured it was safe, she started bringing her kittens.  One by one... ALL of her kittens!  I swear the kittens just kept coming!  I have no idea how many we have now, but we have a tidy little number.  Here are just a few of them:

Tiger is the larger one on the right side.  He has to eat separately because him and Cutie (the calico) fight.  Cutie growls and Tiger swats her.  It is adorable to watch, and those two really like each other because they cuddle together to sleep.  I think Tiger is from a different batch - he is much larger than the others, but they are all tight regardless of which litter they came from.

This, my friends, is not Tiger and not a frog:

It is a timid tiger like kitty that I cannot seem to get near.

Sadly, there is another tiger like kitty that I cannot even catch where we caught Tiger I  :-(

I keep taking food to it, but no such luck as catching it.  It is alone and all its siblings are here  :-(

THIS TICKS ME OFF!  What ticks me off??  That people drop cats (or dogs) off and *we* (me, Steve, neighbors) have to do the dirty work taking them in to the pound or try to give them away.  I am *not* a cat sanctuary and I don't want to be!  Don't get me wrong, I love cats, but I shouldn't have to take other peoples drop offs and 'dispose' of them.  I shouldn't have to decide which of these adorable kitties I can keep and which to 'discard'. 

I AM NOT *THAT* PERSON!  I HATE giving kittens away!  I HATE being the bad guy!  I would love to keep each and every one - but I TAKE CARE of my critters - I spay and neuter, love and caress, talk to and hold, take to the Dr, get shots, bathe and brush all my critters.  I cannot take in 10 cats!!

STUPID people SUCK.

*stepping off of the band wagon and going to pick up a cute, cuddly dog that someone got when it was a puppy, then 'couldn't keep because the landlords said no', so they tossed in the back yard of a family member and don't have time for it.  

I will treat it like family and it will have a home that cherishes it.  Yes we will take it to get its first shots and spayed.  Yes, I will buy it its first collar, leash and bed.  I will probably give her the first bath and get her hair trimmed.

Ask me if I am annoyed about that.

Or maybe you shouldn't. 

Please do not get a pet unless it becomes a part of your family, don't rent a place that doesn't welcome your family member.  Don't get a pet if you can't love and cherish it, train it to be a polite member of society and love it unconditionally.  

And don't dump it so other's hearts break when we do YOUR job.

And don't ever get a pet if you cannot spay and neuter immediately - if you can't do all of these things, you DON'T HAVE MONEY OR THE HEART FOR A PET.

*now I am really stepping off my bandwagon to lower my blood pressure.*

If you need a cat, please let me know.  I have a few to share.