God Save The Kits

It was a split second decision. It had been drizzling for the past half hour as we sat absent-mindedly typing away at the local internet cafe and leaving now, we wondered if we should shoot home before driving the distance to the movie theatre in the rain.
“Yeah, might as well. I want to grab my sweatshirt in case the movie theatre is cold. I’m always cold in the movies.” I spat remembering the air-conditioned chill as we rounded the circle towards home.
“Alright, then let’s grab a bite.” Erik answered as we cruised.

Pulling up to our driveway gate Erik stopped at the edge of the gutter that ran past our house and down the street. Our adopted stray cat, Skivvels or Skivvels McNiblet formally, had given birth the night before under our driveway where the gutter, a forty foot dark and dank tunnel, ran. She had decided to give birth right smack dab in the middle, with a whooping twenty feet on either side to reach her birthing nest. Unable to: A) fit underneath ourselves B) reach or C) coax the mother and her kittens out we had left her to her natural maternal instincts figuring that it was as safe a place as any and if she really needed to, she’d move the kittens up to our house. As we leaned over the side and looked into the gutter the day’s rain had begun to spill down the road and right through where the new mother and her kits were making home.

“Do you think they are okay?” I asked with a deep concern for the lives of the little balls of fluff.
“I don’t know.” Erik answered as he made his way to the other side of the gutter where it once again opened up for viewing. “The water isn’t running through to this side, so it must be draining into something.”
“Oh, good.” and with that I unlatched the door and proceeded to snatch my sweatshirt ready to high-tail it off to the movies. On my way out I remembered how hungry Erik was and went to the kitchen to quickly grab him a snack he could eat on the way. I was reaching for a bag of crackers when Erik’s voice slammed me with panic.

“Molly! Come here!” He yelled to me a little too loud to be unimportant.
“What? What is it?” I scrambled out the door, my purple plastic poncho catching on the latch. He was at the gateway and heading towards the upper opening of the gutter.
“We need to do something! I can hear them.”
“What do you want me to do?” I asked lowering myself to my stomach and peering into the narrow tube. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the lack of light and I strained to make out Skivvels body against the trickling water. That is when I heard the cries. Like deflating squeaky toys they chirped in panic. Skivvel’s eyes caught light and shone in my direction. I could barely make out her hovering figure against the gray light that shone through the other end forty feet away. I squinted to see if I could locate the kittens, I thought I saw some movement at her feet, just lolling little bodies flopping against the rising water. The water was a torrent now, charging into the gutter and streaming towards the terrified mother and her babes. It had risen even in those few moments that I leaned over the side and it was getting deeper with the accumulated run-off.

“Skivvels, Skivvels.” I called her name to coax her out of the dark tunnel. I clucked and called to her as she began a deep meow, her eyes glowing like green and yellow disks in the dark. She was frozen. She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to leave her kittens, but she knew that they couldn’t stay either. My God, they’re going to drown if they don’t get out. The water is too high. The cries were heart wrenching.

She sat in the middle with a little body hanging from her mouth, the silouete falling against the dimming light at the other end. Trying to ease her out, we continued to call. Suddenly, I could see against the light that she was trotting toward the other end, tripping in the water and sloshing down the tunnel with the body stiff in her mouth.

“Erik! She’s going to the other side! Go! Go!”
“She has a kitten!” He called to me.
“Take it.” I coached as I made my way over. I leaned down and reached out for the kitten and Skivvels plopped the soaked body into my palm and immediately headed back into the stream. I ran with the delicate body mewing and crying in my hand to a cardboard box we had set up outside on our porch. It was alive, thank God. I wrapped the kitten in some fabric and headed back to Skivvels. Erik was still crouching at the mouth calling to Skivvels when I came rearing back.

“Molly, you call to her. She likes your voice.” I dropped to the ground and stuck my head into the opening.
“Skivvels!” I cried over the high pitched yowling of terror. I could see her fumbling with the kittens. “Skivvels! Come on baby, get another one.” At this moment we realized that we had no idea how many she had. She could have two or she could have six, we weren’t sure. But she made her way towards the light where she dropped another one into my outstretched hands. Delivering another kitten to the box I wrapped it close to its kin and headed back out. Erik was just scooping up another, a little black and white body that squealed with confusion and alarm. It clung to his wrapped wrist, its little nails catching the fabric and holding on with all of its might.
She came with another in her mouth, its limp body swaying with her scrambling steps. I plucked the kitten from her as she headed back into the darkness, her fur matted with wetness. I dropped the other off, four. I went back to the tunnel where Skivvels was roaming, calling out to her young in confusion.

“Are there anymore?” I called to Erik at the other end of the gutter.
“I don’t know.”
“She must be looking for another. See if one got washed down with the water. Go down to the end and look.” A steady stream had begun to flush through the gutter and was so rapid now I feared that we might have lost one in the stream. I called to Skivvels as she criss-crossed to either end, her green eyes wide and wild. She called up to me, shivering and confused.

“You got anymore Skivs? Any more babies? Are you just looking for your babes? Come on. I’ll show you where your babies are. Good girl, good momma.” I purred to her as I picked her up and held her under my arm. I brought her to the box where she circled her kittens and licked their heads. Erik brought me a towel and I took the three black and white ones into my lap to dry them as she licked the gray tiger kitten clean. Rolling over on her side I put the three kittens on the towel close to her to nurse. Purring loudly she stared at us bewildered. I don’t think she knew quite what had happened, but she knew that they were finally all safe.

If we wouldn’t have decided, in that split second to stop home, I don’t think there would be these cute little fluff balls on our porch right now. I’d like to believe that her maternal instincts would have kicked in and she would have realized that she needed to move her children, but she was just too wild with fright when we looked into that dark tunnel. The screaming of terrified kittens and the panic of danger was too much. If we weren’t there to have her swing the fragile bodies into our hands, I really don’t know.

But, alas. All is well and now we have a grateful mother and her four wriggling babies to attend to. Anyone want a cat?