Meet the Feral Five: Little Bit, Ghost, Bruiser, Adventure Cat, and Hissy Kitty! They herald from a large a large feral cat colony that spans the border between Potlatch and Onaway, Idaho.

Kasey Kampster’s home is practically at the center of the feral colony’s range. She has a tender heart and a cat-killing dog, which is a rather unfortunate combination.

This summer two mama cats had litters on Kasey’s property—within reach of the dog. She managed to catch the sole remaining orphaned kitten from one of the litters. This time of year, both Helping Hands Rescue and Animal House Ferals are overwhelmed with kittens. She knew both organizations were already begging for fosters, so no help would be available there.

Not wanting the orphaned kitty to become a snack for her pooch, she posted a picture on Facebook asking for help. I told myself I wasn’t going to do it; I’d just lost a cat and wasn’t eager to take in another. Besides, Tabby is territorial and doesn’t like other cats. (Both Tabby and Storm were feral rescues from the same bloody colony.)

By the time I got off work, there still weren’t any takers for the orphan kitten. Sighing I got in the car and drove up to the Kampster’s, prepared to do my civic duty. I thought I was only picking up ONE kitten. I came home with FIVE!

I arrived to find Kasey’s husband on his knees, drill in hand, removing boards from the breezeway between the house and their deck in an attempt to catch kittens from the other litter. That litter was obviously sick. Between the three of us, we managed to catch all four of the tiny balls of fluff. I figured that if I was going to take one, I might as well take them all. That probably wasn’t one of the better decisions in my life.

There is big difference between nursing one kitten back to health, as I had done with Storm, and nursing five kittens back to health. I had Terramycin to treat the conjunctivitis in their eyes and kitten formula is readily available. But keeping 5 kittens clean is a never-ending nightmare, especially now that they are wallowing in the soft cat food before they eat it.

Over the past few days, the kittens have begun to sneeze and the oldest, Hissy Kitty, is congested. The vet thinks they need to be seen. I’ve contacted the two rescue organizations in the area. Animal House Ferals has generously offered to get the kittens spayed/neutered prior to them going to their forever homes but lacks the funds for veterinary care. Helping Hands Rescue hasn’t responded to either of the emails I sent–they are based in the LC Valley, not up here on the Palouse. That’s where you come in! Continue reading →