"Lilah" was a feral cat that entered my life in March of 2007. I first saw her when I was looking thru my kitchen window. A beautiful grey kitty sitting on the tarp covering my picnic table from the elements, her green eyes pierced thru the cold and straight to my heart. I wondered where she came from, and how she was out there in the cold! I thought surely, she must be lost or belong to someone in the neighborhood. I grabbed my digital camera and snapped a few photos of her in case someone was looking for her.

 My father was in a nursing home with dementia at the time, which was within walking distance of my  home. I thought a picture of this beautiful kitty on his bullentin board would bring a smile to his face, plus I thought maybe someone would see her and claim her.. So, her photo ended up on his bulletin board.  As the weather was still winter and cold, I started putting some dry food out for her "in case she was lost". She must have come around when I wasn't looking, the food was always eaten. Sometimes we would see a little pair of grey legs hiding behind the trash cans near the driveway, or hear a rustling along the side of the house when we were near there. My father passed on, I retrieved her pictures. No one claimed her. The seasons passed on , Spring and Summer and we saw her scuttering along the fence sometimes, assuming she "belonged to someone". I wondered where she was going and always where she was when the weather was bad. I found myself looking out the window frequently scanning the yard for her.

Then Fall came, and the next door neighbors announced that a "cat had 2 kittens in their bushes and they were making so much noise they were keeping the family awake at nite, and they hated cats!" Well, not knowing what to do, I called my sister, a devoted CAT LOVER like myself. Her husband had an old trap, and I decided I would try and catch or trap the "2" Kittens and Mommy! I had no idea what I was doing or what I was in for, I just wanted the kittens safe. Easier said then done. After trying many methods and watching these "now 4" kittens and Mommy come round the trash cans and under the bush by the driveway where I was putting food, they woud not be trapped. They developed a regular routine and would come several times a day. They were so close, but if I would try and open the door, they would run like squirrels! I finally caught 2 kittens by tying a string on a large cat carrier and pulling the string thru the door when they went in. This was 2 weeks in the making.

Poor Mommy was so upset, the second 2 were harder to catch. Two days later, I caught them as well, but Mommy was not to be caught. I put the kittens on my back enclosed porch, not knowing what to do with them!  They were "Feral" kittens, they had not had any handling by humans and didn't want any parts of anyone.  The found a good spot to hide under a TV cabinet.  Mommy was outside the windows and they were having quite the chorus of catterwauling for 2 days! I enlisted  the help of my son and daughter to help catch and hold them on the porch.

They were like little wild cats. They climbed the brick walls, blinds, hid and ran from us . We took turns swaddling them and holding them. They instinctively knew how to use the litter pan provided, and found the most comfy place on the porch- a stuffed chair with a blanket. They all curled up together. They LOVED the canned kitten food in the bowls and ate like they were starving. They seemed happy to be with each other, but poor Mommy would stand up outside the windows  and call to them with her ears back and her paws bent, helpless to   save her kittens. I felt a sick pit in my stomach, and wished there was another way to help them... She watched my movements and was outside watching the kitchen window in the morning for me to open the blinds. She would then run around to the driveway bush, and I would put out large amounts of food which she gobbled. She didn't understand how they were "in" and she couldn't get them. My husband pleaded for me to find somewhere for them to go. The meowing was quite disturbing to him and my 3 cats inside. I didn't quite know what to do.

I spent hours on the computer, searching, researching Animal Rescue Groups, e-mailed, called, to no avail. Everyone was"FULL"  or didn't accept "Feral Cats" only "adoptable cats/ kittens". I named them Charlie, Lucy, Sally and Linus once I was able to determine their gender  "Charlie" was first held by human hands by my sister's husband, the nite we caught him, and she became attached to him immediately.(even though he bit her husband when he put his hands in the carrier I caught him in).  At least he had a possible home..but we still had to find a place for the other 3 and what about Mommy?

Well,after MANY MANY phone calls and web searches, my dear sister found a wonderful Vet nearby that had a "Kitty Window" and kitten room her practice. She in fact provided Vet care to Ferals (many vets do not). So, we made an appointment to bring all 4 babies to be examined and vaccinated in her office. "Charlie" was held in a separate cage to start the socializing process. He went home with my sister the next day, and we began to socialize him, quarantined from her other adult cats, in her bathroom.. I visited the kittens to hold them a few times at the Vet's office, and happily, they all went to loving homes.

But What about Mommy?

"Mommy" simply vanished from sight for a few weeks, then reappeared on Thanksgiving Day! I gave her a plate of Turkey cat food, she happily gobbled, then wasn't seen again until January, on a warm Spring like day, in my back yard at dinner time, with a roaming male. When it was apparent that this was not a happy sight (she was rolling around on the ground, in heat) I immediately marked my calendar for 60 days. 60 days to trap her before another litter may appear on the scene. In the meantime, The night after I had placed the kittens at the Vet, a Rescue Group named "Kitty Colony" had e-mailed me that they may be able to help me with the kittens. I told them they had been placed with a Vet but Mommy still was out there. I contacted them again after the sighting in January, and I began in ernest to trap her.

Not so easy! She had witnessed the trapping of her 4 kittens and then saw them in my enclosed porch, so she was not going into the trap so easily. In fact, I tried a variety of disguises for the trap -between branches, covers, uncovered. She would come at specific times to eat,either reach in and get food out of the trap, or refuse  to eat for fear of the trap! One week before my target date, I was ready to give up. Then I had an idea- cover the trap inside and out with paper bags. I went food shopping that eve, with my daughter  home to "monitoring the trap". Well, by the time I made it to the frozen food secton, my cell phone went off!

"There is something in the trap!! But since you covered it with paper bags, I don't know what is in there!!" (we had a "Skunky" that roamed at nite and well, it was getting dusky out)... She bravedly tried to peel off a corner of paper, and lo and behold, we had "The pregnant Mommy cat".

Now what to do? I called the Rescue and they gave me instructions. The also said I had to call her something, and since we watched the movie "August Rush" that nite, a woman whose child was taken from her was named "Lilah" and she was so beautiful, I had to name Mommy "Lilah".

She ended up delivering 7 kittens (one died at birth) a week later, and a very nice foster family cared for her through the delivery and the weaning of her kittens. They tried to socialize her and even though she was not aggressive, she was indeed feral and didn't warm to people. So, she bonded with another feral they were caring for that also had kittens, and she is now residing on a Farmette in Lancaster to live out her life, free from traffic and being watched over by the owners. She of course was spayed after having her kittens. The foster family now owns 2 of the boy babies, and the other 4 were adopted.

 That is how I came to sew "stuff for cats". I made my first attempt at a bed for Lilah and the kittens, and a dozen baby blankies for the kittens. Since then, I have become hooked on making "Cat Stuff" and have improved my designs. I love making them knowing kitties will enjoy having a nice place to sleep and nice toys to play with! So, if you see a roaming cat, don't assume they "belong to someone". Most likely they do not, and could use a kind helping hand to have a better life! Please visit the link at the bottom for Alley Cat Allies to find out how you can help!

The "Lilah Mouse"  was designed to support Homeless Kitties!