Three Little Kittens, Have Lost Their......

......owner.  Yup, that's right - the owner has gone missing.  About two weeks ago, oldest daughter Rachel came home one day to find a box sitting smack dab in the middle of her small yard.

She lives on a corner, so her yard is bordered on the one side and the rear by alleys.  Wondering about how this box came to be parked in her yard, she approached it, only to find it contained three tiny kittens peeking up at her.

So it's a mystery.  Where did they come from?  Who dropped off these mini fur balls?  Why were they left in this particular yard?  And the biggest question of all:  What to do with them?

Of course, when Rachel's more-crazy-about-animals-than-any-other-kids-in-the-whole-world twin daughters saw these kitties, they thought the decision should be made to keep them.  All of them.  In fact, in no time the girls assigned names to the three kittens:  Blondie, Cupcake and Checkers.

However, there was one large and hairy problem with that plan, the family dog, Mason.  This friendly rottweiler would think they are great playmates, and would be glad to "rough and tumble" with his new buddies, but would probably smush them in his overzealous playing.

The other problem was that these kitties didn't appear to be overly healthy.  They obviously were in need of bathing and other medical care.  Taking any animal to the vet is often an expensive affair, but not as costly as taking three.

A plea was put out to all the family friends and relatives for homes for these poor little fluff balls.  Day after day inquiries were made.  Beggings commenced.

In the meantime, Rachel put a food dish and a small litter box into the cardboard box home of the kittens.  Daily she cared for them, feeding and cleaning the litter and giving them brief periods of exercise outside of the box.  At night they would curl up around each other, keeping warm.

In no time the tiniest of the three, Blondie, began to tug at Rachel's heartstrings.  Although Cupcake and Checkers would hungrily devour the provided food, Blondie would barely eat.  She was obviously the runt of the litter, and without sustenance her future would be uncertain.

After several days the kittens became more active, and it became clear that the cardboard box home was not going to work much longer.

At that point, the kitties were moved into the kitty condo children's playhouse in the yard, providing them with more space to play, yet still keeping them safe and contained.

When Rachel would open up the door and let them out, they would come running to her, purring and rubbing against her feet and ankles.

This story has both a happy and a sad ending.  The good news is that some relatives decided to take all three kittens.  These young newlyweds came and bathed the kittens, cleaned them up all nice and fluffy, and scheduled an appointment on the very next day to have them seen and receive whatever medical care was required.  After the examination, the veterinarian estimated that the kittens were only 3 to 4 weeks old when they were dropped off into Rachel's yard.

Unfortunately, the sad news is that Blondie, the favorite, somehow went missing during the night before the kittens went to their new owners.  All porches, yards, and outbuildings anywhere near the kitty condo were searched, and Blondie was not found.

Did a predator get into the playhouse?  Or did some person come and take (or take back) the littlest Blondie?  I guess we will never know, but happily Cupcakes and Checkers have found a new and loving home.

To be very honest, if I didn't already have a very large and energetic puppy at my house, I possibly, maybe, likely, most definitely would be thinking of taking one home with me.