We can accommodate seventy felines in our
cattery, and are nearly always close to capacity, so it was
fortunate for the tabbies that their farmer owner telephoned
just after we had had a wonderfully successful week of re-homing.
Cats are mature at 6 to 8 months old, carry kittens for about
2 months and can conceive again within 10 days of giving birth,
so it is possible for a female to give birth to five litters
a year, each litter containing from three to five kittens.
The farmer had attempted to control the breeding of these
semi-feral barn cats, but as you can see, one tabby looks
very like another, some slipped through the neutering net
and in no time at all there were twenty! We happily agreed
to take fourteen and here they are (all except Basil, who
successfully evaded the camera).
After eighteen months of constant, gentle work by our cattery
staff and volunteers, ten tabbies were tamed and found happy
homes. The other four (including Basil) are still very wary
of strangers and have been given the freedom of the Sanctuary
whilst we continue to socialise them.
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