One morning in June 2004, 4 kittens and their mother appeared on my back patio. The next morning, 1 more kitten and one orange tabby mother joined them. This is the beginning of the Cat Tribe. The kittens were already 3-4 weeks and were still nursing and would nurse from either mother.

It started with water bowls and rapidly progressed to food and then I was taking pictures of them. The kittens were just old enough to be a hoot to watch. The orange tabby mother never liked the food I put out and hardly ever came around except to feed the orange tabby kitten. The tortoiseshell mother and the 5 kittens ate whatever I put out. When they were all old enough to climb over the wall, they moved into a pipe in a ditch behind my house.

I was guilty of coaxing them back with food though. I missed them! Eventually, they came for meals all the time. Then a grey female tabby joined the group. She was about 1 year old. Then it was trapping them and getting them spayed/neutered 6 cats at one time. Right before this, the tortiseshell mother disappeared and has never returned. The black cat comes and goes but doesn't eat with the tribe when I feed them. He seems pretty well though. Four of the original kittens and the older female, Mariah, live on the patio and porch. They have bedding and protection from cold and rain. They are doing well as of early 2005.

UPDATE May 2005, 2004 Cat Tribe: Lucius, the black cat, returned after 4-5 months of being away from my house. He brought with him, 3 white cats as buddies. (No jokes, please!) These white cats had a home, they may still have one, I don't know, before because they are quite friendly. They often show up for meals and hangout with the Cat Tribe.

I have not seen Chloe, the kittens mom, for several months.

I have two Persian females that live inside with me; they are both well.

UPDATE June 2005 or Cat Tribe 2005:

The mom cat who's litter I adopted last summer got away from me when I tried to catch her for spaying last year. I got all her litter from last summer though.

I caught sight of her from time to time the last two months and I suspected she had another litter somewhere. She came with them about 3 weeks ago. So, these pics are for the latest group that Chloe brought me for about 10 days of shelter and food. They have been gone for about 1 week now. I'm going to see if I can find them hanging around in various places in the next weeks. Sometime in the next two months I'm going to try to catch some of them and get them spayed, chiefly, Chloe herself. The kittens are old enough for that and she's certainly overdone it for herself! She's contributed enough kittens to the world. She's been an excellent mother though. She always makes sure they eat before her and hissed/growled etc., at any other cats who came to near her babies.

UPDATE August 2006:Chloe surprised me last October 2005 with yet ANOTHER litter. Two lovely orange male kittens and she came on the back patio over Columbus Day weekend. I almost dropped the coffee cup I had in my hands when I saw them. Two months later, she and the two male kittens and one more from the second litter in May of 2005 were caught and fixed. The END OF THAT! She was very worn and tired looking and was full of milk since she was still nursing the litter from June. She began to look better and her milk dried up and she's filled out some in her small frame. She's also gotten very vocal and doesn't hesitate to tell me what she thinks and wants!

Kirby and Omar are the orange boys and they are almost a year old now. All the rest of the kittens are full grown. Two cats from the first litter, Felix and Blanca, have disappeared but the others, Tortiegirl, Morena and Lucius are still with me. The others are Dartangan, Theo, Cissy, Porthos, Kirby and Omar and their mom, Chloe. Mariah, the grey Tabby, is also still with me. Two inside cats are still with me. All the cats are doing well. :)

I do need some new photos of them.

UPDATE: October 2007: All the cats are still doing well. My two Persians have gone to cat heaven; Mariah, one grey tabby female, has moved inside with me. the others still live on the front porch.

NOTE: Outside cats all fixed thanks to AZCATS--see banner above!