Playing Hide-and-Seek

For several years I've seen what I originally thought was a pure black cat wandering through the yard. I never got close enough to determine the sex of that cat until this spring when SHE gave birth to a litter of kittens under the deck. That's when I noticed she wasn't truely black but more like dark, rich coffee with tints of brown swirling through her coat. She looked thin as a rail after giving birth so I started giving her a can of food every now and then. She was much appreciative and slowly became our outdoor cat. She would brush against our legs and bump into our hands as we spooned the can of food out onto a plate. We could stroke her and get a purr instead of a growl.

Eventually the kittens became large enough that she felt the need to move them to an undisclosed location I've yet to discover on the other side of the travel trailer.

The kittens grew and they began to appear on the lawn where they would stalk one another, attack grass stalks and bugs and generally do kittenish things. There were three of them. One gray tiger who seems afraid of the slightest noise and bolts for the other side of the trailer. I named it Tigger. One short-haired gay and white who is wary but not super wary of my opening the basement door to put food out. I haven't settled on a name for this one yet but it's got a white fur collar so maybe Prissy. (Now up to two cans of food a day plus a can of dry food and a bowl of water as all four are eating.) And the third kitten is nearly a twin of Miss Kitteh: long gray and white fur and ear tufts that stick out a mile. I call that one Fuzzball and it's the friendliest of the bunch.

Fuzzball will come to the food as I'm putting it out but I've yet to actually touch it.

This morning, while putting the food out, Fuzzball darted past me and into the basement through the slightly open door. It made a bee line to the dry food we have there for the indoor cats. After I finished putting out the food, I tried to get Fuzzball back outside but it darted around the boxes in the center of the basement and we went round and round. I couldn't leave the door open for fear we would have Coffee and Prissy joining us indoors.

I eventually lost sight of Fuzzball and things went silent. I searched under furniture and behind boxes to no avail. I think Fuzzy is still downstairs but I can't be sure. None of the other cats are helping to located the kitten. Might be a Code of Silence thing going on. Coffee and her other two are still under the deck and Coffee is looking longingly at the door. Could be she thinks I abducted her favorite--and she's being quite vocal about it.

Believe me, I'd put Fuzzy back outside ASAP--if I could find the little bugger.