Bad Kitties

What an expensive mess two little girl cats can make!

Jessica got a precious bundle of kitty love for her fifteenth birthday, a soft yellow, pale gray and white calico. She named her Daphne. A few years later she found a lost black kitten, so tiny she probable hadn’t been weaned yet. “May I bring her home?” Of course. We would find someone to take her, I felt sure. Nora was so young and skittish, possibly feral, that I had to hold and love on her often. Needless to say, that created a bond between us, and I admit it was I who wanted to keep her. Jessica moved on and out and away, and had babies and other pets, and the cats she left behind have been mine for quite a while. I love them and they are part of my family, but . . .

Our garage has a small, “secret” opening that goes to the crawl space under the house that must be just big enough for a cat to get through. But not only has it been a good hideout for the kitties when they are outside, they have been using it for their litter box, too. That is not a good thing. I had picked up on the unmistakable odor at times, and my suspicions were confirmed last year when the termite inspector came. I had to do something. Today two middle aged men crawled under the house, pulled up the dirty moisture barrier, sprayed some sickeningly sweet odor remover that is still wafting through the house, and replaced the heavy black plastic over the moist earth. I now hear the whir of a saw as they are constructing a barrier for the awkward place where the entrance to the crawl space is. Will those cats be in for a surprise!

I love my kitties, but I could take a nice trip for what I am having to pay for their damages.