The Garden Cat

MUMSIE, so called because she had two litters of kittens under our house before I managed to trap her and get her speyed.  She lives in my front garden and spends time under the front deck or on the front deck in the sun if no one is around.  She has a warm snuggy bed for winter under the front steps away from all weather, lined with warm woollie blankets.  She is 10 years old and has lived her whole life here.
She is feral but not totally wild.  The only time she has ever been touched was when I trapped her and took her to the SPCA to be speyed.
Born under the house at the back of ours from a totally wild mother, I remember her as a tiny tiny kitten, distinctive as she was the only one in the litter that was white and black, and the only one who survived or stayed around.
I never tried to tame her as I already had a tamed feral kitten and another adult cat who was well advanced in old age.
I would see her from time to time, so small and skinny.  I always put food out when I saw her, but usually the other bigger feral/stray cats ate it.  Somehow she survived and learned to fend for herself when there was a free meal going.
Time went on, 9 or10  months maybe. One day I went under the house for something and heard a cat hissing at me.  Investigation turned up this small cat curled up in a dirty old broken down cardboard box full of oily cloths and thick blue plastic cord/rope.  I went closer and the little cat shot out of the box like an ice cube on glass.  Left behind were 4 tiny tiny kittens, eyes tight shut.  Probably only a day old.  The little feral cat's first litter. That was when she got the name Mumsie.

Mumsies first litter

I carefully (wearing gloves) lifted them out, and replaced all the manky contents with newspaper and ready to throw away clothes and covered that all with an old soft dog blanket.
I left food and clean water and asked my family to not disturb her if possible or else she would take them off somewhere and we would never find them.  My intention was to let the kittens get used to me and hopefully by the time they were weaned  they would be tame enough to take to the SPCA for rehoming.
Mumsie moved them round a couple of times in the first week, but always stayed under the house, so I was able to locate them and return them to the  broken down box.  Eventually Mumsie and kitties stayed put, probably aided by the food and fresh water put there every day.  I only touched the kittens when Mumsie was not there.
At about two and a half weeks the kittens obviously needed to be where they could move round more so Mumsie took them further under the house into another cardboard box where they were able to totter round.  Another two weeks after that Mumsie started leaving them alone for longer periods and they were crying and climbing out of the box.  They were all pretty tame by then, and eating well so I bought them into my garage for the next few weeks.

Mumsie was able to get in through a partially open window to feed them if she wanted, but she could not get the kittens out.  The little kittens became very tame and thrived well.  They learnt to use a litter tray and when they were  7 weeks old they went off  to the SPCA.  I have a friend who has worked there for years.  She kept an eye on them and after they had been vetted and vaccinated they went up for adoption.
Poor little Mumsie called for them after they went, but fairly quickly she stopped looking and went on with her life.
She continued to come and go, never letting me or anyone else get closer than about 6 feet to her, even if she was eating.
I fed her regular from then on...............

Mumsie under the house.