Woody & The Rescueteers - Spring 2021

Woody

& the Rescueteers The Tale of the Abandoned Kittens

Woody awoke from his nap to the sensation of warm sunshine on his fur. “It feels like spring!” Woody cried as he stretched his head and body low to the ground and hopped out the doggie door into his back yard.

Outside, he found his good friends awaiting him, ready for another adventure. There was Cal the calico, Reba the rat, Tex the tortoise and Chica the chicken. Together, they called themselves The Rescueteers, a band of passionate animal helpers.

“Woody!” cried Reba. “There you are, old pal! We were just wondering about you!” The rat sprung into the air and landed deftly on Woody’s back. “What’s our mission today?”

“Well, Reba, it feels like spring is in the air,” Woody replied. “And you know what that means…”

The Rescueteers looked around at one another in silence, their eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Tex was the first to speak up. “I know! It means there will soon be fresh grass to eat in the yard!”

“No,” Chica said. “This is the time of year when the humans paint my eggs!”

“You’ve all got it wrong,” Cal chimed in, between licking her outstretched back leg. “Spring means one thing for us animal rescuers, and one thing only: Kitten Season.”

“Ohhhhhh!” the group said slowly, in unison.

“You’re right, Cal,” Woody said, rolling over onto his back and wiggling from side to side for a nice long backrub in the grass. “That’s it. Kitten season starts in spring, so we have to keep our eyes peeled for any abandoned kittens that need our help.”

With that, The Rescueteers were on the move, beginning at the fence line to patrol the property for any signs of animals in distress. Reba scurried ahead, running up tree trunks and hopping onto fence posts to look out ahead, while Tex trodded along at the rear, with Chica along for the ride on his shell.

Just the week before, the group had noticed a strange cat in the far-west corner of the ranch, near the old barn. They could see she was thin and her fur looked patchy, so they approached to offer her some food. But before they could get to her, the cat sneezed three times and took off in a mad dash to escape them.

So, today, The Rescueteers headed toward the west corner to investigate. Sure enough, as they neared the barn, Reba halted and held up one paw, signaling for the group to wait. “I hear something,” she whispered. Rats are known for their ability to hear even ultrasonic sounds that people can’t detect. So, the group held their breath listening.

“Mew!” came a little squeaky sound from underneath the barn. There, in the corner, the group could see a litter of days-old, tiny kittens.

“Oh dear!” clucked Chica. “Should I make them a nest?”

“Put them on my back and we’ll carry them to the humans!” Tex bravely offered.

“No!” Cal stopped the rescue mission before it could start. “Wait! We don’t know if these kittens have been abandoned. They need their mother—otherwise we’ll be up all hours trying to feed them and keep them alive! We must wait and see if she returns.

And the mother mustn’t know we’ve been here or she might not come, out of fear.”

Woody nodded his agreement, and The Rescueteers silently, slowly reversed into the brush to begin their secret surveillance operation. Lying on their tummies and peeking out through the leaves, they waited and watched. And waited and watched. Hours went by, and the sky began to darken. The kittens again cried for their mother. The group was about to give up hope when suddenly, they saw the outline of a cat creep close to the edge of the barn.

Quietly, they sighed in relief as she lay down to nurse her tiny babies.

Woody and his crew crept back to the house to discuss what to do next.

“She needs help,” Cal said, her tail twitching with concern. “I can tell from her coat that she’s got fleas and I can see her ribcage right through her fur. She’s starving.”

“Plus, she sneezed a lot,” Reba chimed in. “I think she has a cold.”

“You’re right,” Woody said, with a wrinkled brow of worry on his face. “Plus, those kittens are so small and fragile. They’ll be in danger in the wild. We need to alert the humans.”

Together, they cooked up a plan.

Reba and Cal would have night duty, keeping watch on the litter of kittens to make sure no wild animals came to attack. (rats and cats are nocturnal anyways, so that made the most sense). Tex and Chica would take day duty, keeping track of how often the mother came to feed the little ones. And Woody would work on the next steps.

Once the kittens were old enough, the whole family would need to be taken to the veterinarian. And they wouldn’t go willingly. But, Woody had a plan.

A few weeks later, as the kittens were starting to look old enough to care for themselves, Woody and Tex carried a small cage over to the fence line. They all had saved up their dinners to act as a delicious smelling lure inside the cage.

Then, they all went back into hiding to see if their scheme would work. When evening fell, the mother cat led her kittens away from the barn and towards the fence. But before leaving, she smelled the food. She and her kittens crept into the cage for the snack, and the door closed behind them.

Immediately, the mother panicked and cried out.

But Cal was there in no time. “Fear not, feline!

We are your friends. We see you need help, and we promise not to hurt you or your babies.”

As the cat calmed a bit, Cal asked, “What is your name?"

She glared silently for a few seconds, before saying, quietly but with pride, “I am Farrah, the first of the ferals in these woodland hills.”

“What are the ferals?” whispered Reba, in awe, to Chica. Chica clucked and shushed Reba, “Ferals are the wild cats that roam outdoors and do not belong to any people. They are not house cats, like Cal.” “It is an honor to meet you, Farrah,” Cal continued. “My friends and I know a kind person who will bring you to a doctor and get you and your babies the medicine you need. She will return you to this spot afterwards. You need not fear.”

Though Farrah was tense and unsure, she responded, “You seem kind. I will have faith in your word and accept your help. I am much obliged.”

With that, Woody carried out the remainder of his plan. He took off, running to the house, barking up a storm. Once inside, he found Katie, his human, and jumped on her lap. “Whoa!

Okay, Woody! Wow, you’re excited,” Katie said, scratching under his chin lovingly. Woody barked and did a spin, then picked up Katie’s shoe in his mouth.

“What, do you want to go for a walk? Okay,” she said, putting on her shoes and grabbing the leash. Woody led Katie to the back of the property where Cal stood waiting beside Farrah and the babies. “What have you found here, Cal kitty? A feral cat and her litter of kittens? I’d better call Dr. Lovell.”

With that she went back to the house and called the veterinarian. Before long, the doctor had taken Farrah and her family to her clinic. The Rescueteers waited with anticipation for their return the next day.

“I hope Farrah is okay,” Cal worried. “She is so scared of humans. This can’t be very comfortable for her.”

“I know,” Woody said. “But it’s the best thing for her and her kittens. Plus, now she won’t have to worry about having more litters. She will be able to relax and take care of herself for once.”

“Uh, wait. What?” Tex wondered aloud.

“She’ll get spayed,” Chica chuckled. “It’s a surgery, so that she doesn’t have to have chicks…er, I mean have kittens.”

“Her three kittens are all boys,” Reba added. “So, they will get neutered, too. That way, they won’t take off to start families either. They might even hang out here and be our friends!” she exclaimed.

The next day, Dr. Lovell returned with the cage. She set it down and carefully opened the latch. The Rescueteers watched as Farrah cautiously stepped out, leading her sons.

“Her coat is so shiny!” Tex whispered.

“Yeah, and all of their tummies look full!” Chica cheered.

“And, there’s something different about their ears,” Tex added.

“They each got one ear tipped,” Woody explained. “Now, any human who sees them will know that they’ve already been to the vet. They won’t need to go in a cage ever again!”

As Dr. Lovell left, Cal walked closer to Farrah. “I hope all is well, Farrah,” Cal called.

“Yes, thank you, Cal. It was scary, indeed, but we got the care we needed. Now I can go about my feral life in freedom and health. My boys, Scout, Ranger, and Trooper, have made friends with your Katie. They’ve decided to stay near the barn here. They will look out for intruders and keep away gophers from the garden. In exchange, Miss Katie will look after them and provide them with food, warmth and medical care, should they ever need it.”

“That’s great!” the crew cried, coming closer to say hello to their new barn kitten friends.

They were shy, but not mean. And slowly they purred and stepped closer to rub their cheeks against The Rescueteers. Scout cuddled into the warm feathers of Chica, Trooper hopped onto Tex’s shell, and Ranger playfully chased Reba’s tail.

“Don’t worry, Reba. I won’t hurt you,” Ranger promised. “But if wild rats try to come into our territory, I will send them running!” he shouted as he pounced on a sprig of grass and wrestled it to the ground.

They all wished farewell to Farrah. She promised she’d stop by to look in on them from time to time, before disappearing into the woods.

“Well, another rescue is in the books,” Woody sighed with satisfaction. “I knew we could do it, team!”

Together, the Rescueteers walked back toward the house in the last light of a beautiful spring afternoon. “Let’s get some rest, Recueteers. There will be more animals to help tomorrow!”

“As always,” they laughed, looking back once more to see Katie setting out food, water and a bed for her new barn kittens as the sun set in the distance.

The End

Find the Hidden Kittens Then, color the picture!

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