Good story...turned bad

Yesterday afternoon my husband brought out two scruffy looking kittens from underneath mower. He left them within a few feet of where they had been and began mowing. I became worried about them since they are so little that he wouldn't see them if they wandered into the grass so I moved close to the porch steps. The mother cat finally showed up and moved the black and white one underneath my husband's work van but left the orange tabby where it was and disappeared again. I put the orange tabby with the black one and went inside, feeling they would be okay. An hour later, the wind had picked up and it was getting ready to storm. I ran out to check on the kittens and they were still under the van, with no mother in sight. I didn't know what to do. So I sat down and watched...I know it wasn't smart with the way the lightning was popping, but I'm an animal lover. The white cat that has two-three kittens that are slightly older than the two kept going over to the van to look at them since they were crying so loudly. She took the black one under the steps with her other babies and then went back for the tabby one which she took under the house. I could still hear the tabby one crying, which concerned me even more. After a few minutes of watching, the mother appeared. She was by the mower and then went to look under the van. I was able to get the kitten from underneath the van steps and put him back under the van. The mother then took him under the house and within a few minutes the tabby had quit crying. I was so happy!! I went back in and told my husband about the "babysitting" the cat had done until the mother showed up.


Now for the sad news...


This morning I took the dog outside and one of the older kittens was lying on the driveway, dead. It was soaking wet. I just assumed it had fallen into the large pond beside the house and for some reason hadn't been able to get out. So I went and buried it. I never thought to check the little plastic pond we have outside the side door. Once again, I'm taking the dog outside for a potty break and there's a second kitten floating in the little pond. I'm hoping the mother cat really did have three kittens so there is at least one left for her to take care of. So now I know the mother cat dragged one of the kittens out, hoping to save it, but it was too late.


I kept telling my husband that I wanted to take out the pond, but we just haven't gotten around to it. But it will get done this weekend, even if there will be a hole in the ground.


Sorry for such a sad story on a beautiful weekend......