Caramella
The love of stray cats
An animal-loving gentleman has lost his heart to stray cats and even built them their own refuge. There are cosy cat beds, water and enough food for homeless cats.
A few weeks ago, Caramella, who was very pregnant, sought refuge in this cat house and a few days after her arrival, she gave birth to three beautiful kittens.
The young cat family now lives at Gut Aiderbichl in Maria Schmolln
Our animal rescuers came with a transport box into which Caramella and her kittens Kiwi (brown), Litschi (black) and Pepino (grey) got on without any problems. The journey went to Gut Aiderbichl Maria Schmolln in Upper Austria. There, Rosi, the caretaker, was already waiting for the young velvet paw family. Everything was prepared for the cats' arrival: a quarantine room, cuddly cat beds, food bowls, toys for the little Schnurre tigers.
In a few days, the little ones will be six weeks old and it is simply a joy to watch them play, grow up and cuddle with Caramella. They come out of quarantine after the health check, deworming and the necessary vaccinations. After this "compulsory programme", they go out into the green grass with the other cats. And then: let's see if there are people who would like to take Caramella or one of the young kittens into their home?
The life of stray cats
Stray cats are descendants of unneutered house cats with outdoor access. If we now consider that a cat can have kittens two to three times a year, an interesting extrapolation results. A cat has three to five kittens in a litter - mostly females. At around five months of age, these female cats are sexually mature and can already continue to reproduce. A single cat can produce more than 12,500 offspring in five years. Humans can counteract this with castration. A lot of suffering in southern Europe or in Austria, Germany etc. could be spared the newborn cats, if the adult female cats were neutered. Stray cats settle on farms, on rubbish dumps, in industrial areas, in garages and garden sheds in winter. Unfortunately, despite the obligation to neuter, there are pet owners who neuter their cats too late or not at all.
Caramella and her babies are very bright
Stray cats, with exceptions, tend not to be socialisable and always want to go back to the wild. With Caramella, Kiwi, Litschi and Pepino you immediately feel that they are happy to have caring and feeding people around them. They listen to the voices of the carers, are happy when you play with them or cuddle them.
Mum Caramella, at two years old, still has a long life ahead of her and the three baby velvet paws look full of confidence into the world. Your life would be even more perfect if you decided to take in one of the presented house cats.
They come on quiet paws like messengers of silence, and gently, very gently, they creep into our heart and occupy it forever with all their might.
- Eleonore Gualdi
