Thanksgiving fur the SOS Cats

by Patches Jezabelle

It was a chilly autumn day and the feral cats of the SOS Cat Sanctuary began to emerge from the woods as a wondrous smell seemed to beckon them towards the little house. It was the place where a feral kitty could find good food, clean, fresh water and shelter from the cold; but today a truly fantastic smell led them onward, as though hypnotized by some powerful, yet invisible force.

Slowly they began to gather at the kitchen door and the feeding stations. They were a hardy and good-looking bunch, for good nutrition had helped to make their coats thick for the cold weather. And all were healthy, thank Bastet!

There was the calico Mamma, with her four little ones. Mamma, who had been born feral knew a good thing when she saw it --good shelter and food would help her kittens survive and grow healthy and strong. She had recently wandered into the SOS Cat Sanctuary when the hunters began showing up in the nearby gamelands and she thought it best to move the kits / Yes, it was safe here. But she was careful to teach her kits to be wary of humans. She had learned the hard way that all humans were not as kind as these people.

Of course the black kitty gang was there. A bit pushy, they were led by a tough long haired, male kitty, Tut. The other four black kitties were short-haired and sleek, with bright gold eyes. They always stuck together. And there was the gray long-haired kitty who always avoided them and would only eat under the mini barn.

PK and her brother BK emerged from the woods to claim their eating spots. PK was still a bit wary of going too close to the house. She had been "kat-napped" a few weeks ago and was transported to a mysterious place called "the vet's". The humans tried to explain to her it was so she wouldn't have any more litters of kittens and so she wouldn't die from dreadful diseases like rabies or distemper. She didn't like spending days in the "study", even if it was warm and comfy. She was happy to be roaming the nearby woods again and sleeping in the mini barn at night snuggled in the straw suited her just fine thank you.

Of course there were the "inny-outy" kitties. These were ferals who actually LIKED going inside the house to eat, and sometimes spent the night when the rains came or the wind blew fiercely. There were the three orange kitties, Tangy, Cremesicle and Francine. Full of vinegar and spit, they ran about everywhere. Although they did not like being touched, especially after being kat-napped like PK! But they liked sleeping indoors well enough! The grey and white kitties, Binky, CC, Nipsy, Bitsy, Tooky and Mooky, were practically household cats now. They actually loved being fussed over, much to the puzzlement of the other ferals. The two petite kitties, little Celeste and Stinky had already won a place in the household gang, the Kitty Tribe, with their delightful kitten antics.

The wondrous smell intensified and soon the cats were delighted to see big plates heaping with turkey carried outside by the female human. Still warm, the turkey steamed in the chilly autumn air and the kitties mewed in eager anticipation! They were even more delighted to see the human distribute the big plates of turkey at the various feeding stations. One of the Kitty Tribe cats told the ferals that it was a special day, called Thanksgiving. The humans had made a turkey just fur the kitties, so EVERYONE could be thankful fur their many blessings.

The kitties then bowed their heads and gave thanks, fur they felt truly blessed. They knew there were many feral cats in the world who did not have warm shelters, daily food and medical care. Yes, they did feel blessed! Then they tore into the turkey and ate and ate until they could eat no more!