Ginger,Sox and Little Won.

by Fran
(Devon,England)

Triplets together.

THE WILD KITTENS STORY:
A friend who lives nearby in an old Mill had several kittens which were going to be put down,so I said I would be happy to have one.My last,almost human and much loved cat died 8 years ago and thought it would be difficult to get another cat who was such a character. I awaited the arrival of my new kitten,but to late;they had all been put down.Then a few months later the friend called to say there were more kittens,did I still want one?Of course!A day or so later they called again and said they had 2 that were inseperable,but VERYwild and pretty scruffy.Fine-I`ll have both.They arrived in 2 cardboard boxes in the middle of a thunderstorm at the end of last June;they left the boxes and off they went.I decided the best place for them for a day or two was my warm,dry garden shed,which I`d made a secondary mesh door for,to prevent escape till they got used to their new surroundings and also the main door could be left open for them to watch outside goings on. Opened first box:scruffy thing looking like bedraggled rat darted out,up the shed wall and took refuge under the bench.Opened second box;Imagine my amazement when out flew not one but two skinny,matted haired kittens who flew around the walls and shed floor before also taking refuge under the bench!Rushed back indoors...another bowl,more bedding,bigger litter tray etc!A few days of coaxing,crawling under the bench,enticing with food and toys and they soon got into the routine of not biting the hand that feeds them and using their litter tray.Two Toms,Ginger and (a grey tortoise shell with white paws)Sox and the little runt of the three who the other two used to push out of the way as soon as their food arrived.She was Little Won(as she won everyones heart!)After a couple of weeks they managed to get out one evening and I thought they would never come back.Eventually gave up around midnight and went to bed almost in tears.The next morning all three were sitting in the shed waiting for their breakfast! We built them a huge outdoor run with cosy sleeping quarters.They had all their injections and then would happily play in the garden most of the day and quite happily wander back into their run for meals and sleeping.If it was wet they would play together in the run and I could sit in there with them. They all became very affectionate,very quickly.Ginger would retrieve a ball if it was thrown for him(all day long if I had the time!)Sox would chase everything that moved until he was totally exhausted and then just fall down and instantly go to sleep.Little Won would follow me everywhere and always bring me leaves and twigs as presents. I set up pet insurance for them and the day before it came into effect Sox came crawling back with an injured back leg,possibly hit by a car or kicked by a cow in a nearby field.Rushed him to the vet,where he had to have several operations and his leg and hip pinned in several places and then when he came home after a week he had to be kept in a 2`6" x 2`6" cage for 8 weeks until his leg was healed.(he was unbelievably laid back about it)and of course was completely spoilt!)Vets bills were nearly £1000.Meanwhile Ginger and Little Won formed a wonderful bond and would often sit beside Sox cage for hours. The day before Sox was due to come out of his cage,Ginger was knocked down and killed outright by a car.He was evidently walking along the road close into the edge,a neighbour saw it happen.I brought him home,wrapped him in a blanket so the other two didn`t see him and took him to the vets to have him cremated.I wish I`d not done that,and buried him here in the garden he loved so much. Sox and Little Won pined for him for a long time. Since then they have become indoor cats and adapted to it very well and are inseperable;even though I don`t think it`s totally fair on them as they love the outdoor life.When the weather is better they can go in their run again;but I am so afraid anything will happen to them if I allow them total freedom again.They are SO special to me.My partner who was never really a `cat` person loves them as much as I do.Sox has really formed a bond with him;when he goes off to bed Sox trots off behind him,whereas Little Won stays with me until I`ve locked the door and put out the lights,then she follows me to bed.
Sox ought to be re-named Rambo;he`s now a huge cat and thinks he`s a real `tough guy`,he can open doors,windows and any cupboard he fancies having a nose into while Little Won(who is still little and dainty!) just sits by looking demure!Sox will torment the life out of her and they roll around the floor `play` fighting.They are both SO special to us,an endless round of enjoyment,fun and love with a fair amount of mischief as well.