Skeptical Kitten
Everybody loves kittens. You could be the baddest, toughest person on the block, but still have a soft spot inside for kittens.
So it makes sense that if you were to find a litter of kittens in your yard, you’d take care of them. Especially if you live in an area with coyotes and other predators!
That’s exactly what twitter user @CuriousQuail did. Only the kittens just kept coming… And coming… And coming! They recently told their story of how they went from having no cats to having litter after litter of adorable kittens.
So buckle up, and keep your tissues nearby. We don’t think you’re ready for the amount of cuteness you’re about to be subjected to. Get ready to enter the kitten portal!
2 years ago today this first batch of feral little balls of fluff were found in our backyard and it’s not hyperbole to say our lives changed a lot as a result. At the time we had no idea how many more would eventually show up
WARNING: THREAD OF KITTEN PHOTOSHOOT pic.twitter.com/KGWOXqAC8Y
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
We knew absolutely nothing about taking care of kittens but since our yard was already a hotbed for coyotes and raccoons we knew leaving them outside meant death or feral cat overpopulation. pic.twitter.com/gGcKx8aCek
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
This is how Kindred, Smokey, Possum and Snowapple came into our lives. (The fifth kitten we found a home for later) pic.twitter.com/CWZzdaFGwV
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
Kittens are so good and pure. pic.twitter.com/mSvlvxLYvb
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
We spent a vast majority of time nursing them, keeping them warm and happy and they evolved into these like roving balls of love. pic.twitter.com/iolOMe4svp
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
So at that point, five kittens living in our house and a few weeks later @stardusticaye hears a meowing sound out in the rain. Enter a sixth Kitten; different parents, so we named him Jon Snow. pic.twitter.com/qeCsWO2kii
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
Unlike the character he’s named after, Jon Snow had siblings. A few days after we’d found him, this tortie appeared. A third and final sibling (a white one with calico ear markings) wasn’t found until much later. More on her later but this is BISON. pic.twitter.com/ERAWLwJtYc
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
So in the span of a few months we went from “no cats” to “there are seven kittens everything is cats”
How ignorant we were. pic.twitter.com/l5U4NARDE7
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
A few months went by before the Portal opened again. We started actively setting safe traps to trap and release the moms / dads but to little avail at first. Five more kittens surfaced one day in a bush out back. pic.twitter.com/H8y4Xjcaxm
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
“The Floofs”.
Of this litter, only Sparkle and Topaz stayed with us, the other 3 were adopted out. pic.twitter.com/lhyCe1KiWS— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
It understandably became a situation pretty fast but this time we knew what we were doing! Nursing and caring for the Floofs was pretty second nature. pic.twitter.com/jeH9PszcL7
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
They got free reign of the house pretty quickly, much to the chagrin of the older cats at first but then they integrated pretty well. pic.twitter.com/IrDxT06CaD
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
[Sparkle and Topaz growing up montage music] pic.twitter.com/m5drL7yucB
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
[More montage music] pic.twitter.com/1B8VsQ8X5e
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
However something something no good deed goes unpunished; a few months into Sparkle and Topaz’ reign of terror on the older cats, THE PORTAL OPENED AGAIN. Enter: The Soot Sprites! pic.twitter.com/TnnQvE6tps
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
This litter featured two long-hairs (Hagrid and Hermione) and three short hairs (Sloth, Skitters and Rainbow). pic.twitter.com/1H9OybqJez
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
We’re late-season time skipping like crazy here but to do the math properly we were at 13 cats in the rescue when shit got even crazier. We trapped (at long last) Jon Snow and Bison’s feral sister, Lilith, as well as the Mom of a huge chunk of these Kittens (Cutie) pic.twitter.com/bbWaFlJ4tw
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
Buuuuut as it turns out, Cutie had already given birth before falling into the safe trap. Under our house. Six new kitterns, discovered via a mewing sound in the bathroom vent. I climbed under the crawl space and pulled ‘em all into a pillow case. ENTER: The Fuzzles. pic.twitter.com/dBvmSnwH0i
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
Mastadon, Trout, Selmers and Salamander pic.twitter.com/DKoP1XFBGU
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
(Alphys and Shiny) pic.twitter.com/EE77Wo6KSr
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
We caught some dads too. We called this guy Zeus. pic.twitter.com/uWk7rMcjnQ
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
All of them got fixed and are now living happily in our Desert Art Colony. Cats are good, people. Everyone should rescue cats. pic.twitter.com/zhAy0ow5Qe
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
Every cat that ended up being born in our yard was the result of TWO unfixed female kittens being abandoned by their owners.
Two cats + feral toms = 24 kittens in one year, and that is with us ACTIVELY trying to trap/neuter/release. If we hadn’t? CATPOCALYPSE. pic.twitter.com/anwCidfPf2— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 27, 2018
A while back we did individual profiles on all the cats over on the Quailkittens Instagram so I’ll link those here – each link has a photoset and detailed description of the cat’s antics.
KINDRED!https://t.co/TeRTRK5LVy pic.twitter.com/SJh3oLgi6b
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
POSSUM! https://t.co/CuLXxO8i21
also she has her own thread here -> https://t.co/rRUX5LlxaB pic.twitter.com/oOJqR0ipSK
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
SMOKEY! https://t.co/k8zToKE8WV pic.twitter.com/TqZUxqiYAc
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
SNOWAPPLE!https://t.co/3DWYYdCedF
He also has his own thread here -> https://t.co/OhSXhB3yZi pic.twitter.com/UKkAT36O1z
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
JON SNOW! https://t.co/gdbbExNwFN pic.twitter.com/yYOBbHrVU9
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
BISON!https://t.co/E0hBlB6d71 pic.twitter.com/MZKnNPMfuc
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
SPARKLE!https://t.co/9aVrPXGPRF pic.twitter.com/2jxBge5FoB
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
TOPAZ!https://t.co/9gWuMYEiZZ pic.twitter.com/dpw5QAeaWO
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
SKITTERS!https://t.co/tBzc7vFqBX pic.twitter.com/0Hq1Q2B0ny
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
HERMIONE! https://t.co/zs2SMAjVhR pic.twitter.com/n1P0xrZRjX
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
SLOTH!https://t.co/NduoQC6qMJ pic.twitter.com/8LbkoqVRtc
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
RAINBOW!https://t.co/tA1mlAynvL pic.twitter.com/kmCDsG8Fvd
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
HAGRID!https://t.co/UVuSzMNKPD pic.twitter.com/6jKoi73sEc
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
LILITH!https://t.co/vGLub38DDR pic.twitter.com/HP6Gl4UZIy
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
CUTIE!https://t.co/Me2qNtUVCz pic.twitter.com/w3yttTzCOD
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
SELMERS!https://t.co/UifFHwgQ74 pic.twitter.com/tJ8yK8BtlA
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
TROUT!https://t.co/V8T3zrHJbs pic.twitter.com/RjNupjJ0HZ
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
SHINY!https://t.co/5TWT1DiwYx pic.twitter.com/HrxFmyShfE
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
ALPHYS!https://t.co/ebCR3gpE0N pic.twitter.com/e7QfF5UEyL
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
MASTADON!https://t.co/2MVlPLph8d pic.twitter.com/RjMkYfiTR4
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
SALAMANDER!https://t.co/HS5yuDl5in pic.twitter.com/kmomBRzzC7
— Curious Quail 🤘🏽🐈 (@CuriousQuail) March 28, 2018
