Spring is in full swing! Soil-tilling and seed-planting activities are underway.  Fresh-turned soil adorns the vegetable garden.  The strawberry beds have been cultivated and weeded.

Pear blossoms are in full bloom.

The chicks have been ordered.  The brooder house has been cleaned and made ready for their arrival next week.

Manure spreading is being done.  Rain could soften the soil so that the machinery could get stuck.  Thus, we have to be diligent at getting the manure in place before the storms come.

Some of the drama of springtime other than the crops, gardens and livestock presented itself three days ago.  My husband found a litter of abandoned kittens in his machine shed.  They had been left to the cold environment under a machine that could run them over.  The mother had no interest in making a nest for them and suckling them.  One kitten showed signs of life, so he brought the lone white kitten to me in the house.  Emergency work began.

My daughter, experienced at nurturing abandoned kittens, and compassion-filled, wrapped her hands around the half-dead body and clutched it to her chest.  With a little warming the kitten began to move and show signs of life.  I, in the meantime, found a heating pad, whipped up a recipe of orphan kitten formula and found a nice medicine dropper to use for feeding the little creature.  My other daughter got busy locating a box and rags in which to bed down the tiny baby cat.

When the kitten became lively and comfortably warmed, we began feeding her.  She did not understand the dropper right away.  Neither did she have much experience at using her sucking reflex.  We had to teach her that the dropper was her friend.  Her rooting reflex made her squirm a lot while we patiently tried to get food in her little tummy.  She took some nourishment and cuddled up with my daughter.  While she slept, the heating pad in her box kept her warm.

It is my job to nourish and clean the kitten now that my daughters are gone.

The kitten lost its umbilical cord yesterday, so she is growing up.

She can sleep 8 hours if her tummy is extremely full.  But in the day time, she prefers small and more frequent feedings.  That works alright.  I have to feed her once at night, so I set my alarm for 3:30 AM.  She is generally stirring by that time and ready for some stimulation.

Until then, enjoy your spring.

If you would like to learn more about this little kitten tale, I will write more about her soon.

If you need a formula for orphan kittens or puppies refer to this website, dated August 26, 2015.

We have a card that illustrates  an old manure spreader.  See it in our catalog.

photo credit: Bird and Blossoms via photopin (license)