Animal Paradise

I have written before about the ranch nearby where we go several times a week to care for two gorgeous horses whose owner can no longer ride them. We were there yesterday, grooming and getting lots of horse affection.



This, of course, is Caroline's dream place come to life. But wait -- can it get any better???



Thanks to the heartless people who abandon unneutered animals down by the river nearby, various feral cats have made their way to the ranch where there are lots of cozy hiding places and abundant food. And now that spring is here, they are having kittens. This is Caroline holding a kitty who opened its eyes probably just a day or two ago.

And rest assured that the Ranch Ladies (the owners of the place) are handling this responsibly. As they locate feral cats on the property, they catch them, have them neutered and given appropriate shots, and then work with Forgotten Felines, an organization that rescues feral cats, assesses them for domestication, and finds home for them.

So, as they find kittens around the ranch, they try to get them used to people so they can be adoptable all that much more easily. That means that Caroline can poke around the place to look for kitties and play with them to her heart's content.

Oh, look! There's one now!



When you've not been around tiny kittens in a while, it's easy to forget how small and funny they are.



Pretty cute, huh?



This guy totally cracked me up -- he's constantly surprised by the existence of his back legs and tries to chase them and bite them.



The black cat looking on is his adoptive mama. She's a spayed female who actually lives here, and she's taken some of the feral kitties on as her own babies.



Ranch Lady's hand rubbing this guy's tummy gives you an idea of how tiny he is.



"Is that the paparazzi?! AACCCKK!"