When we were just days into Covid lockdown an unknown cat showed up on my patio -- very pregnant. So I put out a box for her and in the morning there were 3 little darlings ... weeks of being "trapped" at home and everyone was so unhappy. Except me, who had 3 tiny babies to play with! Momma cat was so sweet and let me pet her and play with her babies. I named her P3 (a princess with 3 babies) and as they grew up she got less friendly to me and then she left. A year later she showed up again, with 3 more babies. And then this year I didn't see her in the spring, so sad.
Well, 2 days ago she showed up -- fatter than a football!! I put out a box and towel layers. We went out to lunch today and came home to find just a few drops of blood on the cement. Two babies in the box, still wet! There was no evidence she gave birth in there, so not sure where she had them. I searched the yard and cannot find any evidence. But she brought them right to the box in my entry and let me pick them up and pet her right away. Happy Happy!!
And then I fed her, which she loves. Dry food is always available outside but new moms get some canned food a couple times a day, for extra nutrition (and bribing them to love me). And then I got out a frozen/ice bottle and now she is laying on that. I figured it would keep her cooler in the box but DH says she is probably using it for pain relief after giving birth!
P3 never stays around after she weans the babies, so I haven't been able to get her fixed. But the babies end up very tame and stick around. In the old days I could find homes for kittens, but people are not out and about as much since covid, so they don't walk by the house to see them and fall in love. They just stay here and live wonderful lives. Cute babies get expensive, but they are worth it!!
One of the original Covid kittens (Lola) spends much of her time in the entry and she was crawling all over me when I got the babies out to look at them. She doesn't know they are related, she just thinks they are interesting. In a few weeks they will be out and about and she will have new friends to knock around!