Macintyre Farm

Four

ANDREA POV

Callie was a kitten born from a previous barn cat that was run over by my Dad a couple years ago right after my girl was born. It was a complete accident but he felt awful. 

After that we triple checked before going anywhere to be sure no little creatures were around.  We knew there was no way to prevent accidents from happening, though, even when all of us were vigilant.

She was always smaller so when she got pregnant I was concerned it would not go smoothly. The entire time Callie struggled. While it was not a shock that she passed away while giving birth, it was still heart breaking.

I figured out she was in labor when I was visiting with Matilda first thing in the morning.  Cats liked being left alone when they're in labor but Taylor promised he'd keep watch.  He knew I would be there as much as I could, then every time I peeked in I would just make sure she was comfortable in the hayloft then give her space.

Everything ramped up by the time I was able to check after lunch.  Matilda was able to stand up then lay down twice for Gramps and me which was encouraging but the sweet meow I was used to hearing sounded almost strangled when it echoed through the barn.  I rushed up the hayloft ladder and found my sweet Callie with 2 kittens born and another stuck.  After assisting she easily gave birth to the 4th, but it was too late.

She lost too much blood.

Callie was able to clean the kittens a little but just slowly passed away after licking each of them a few times.  I had to hold each baby up to her face since she could barely move, but I could tell it mattered.  That she knew I was helping as much as I could.

I knew enough from our Vet and previous experience to be able to help all our animals during childbirth.  They did most of the work, anyway, and we knew when to call for assistance, but even if I called the Vet and he was in the hayloft within 10 minutes he would have been too late.  Callie was comfortable when I checked before going to Matilda then I was at her side within a minute of hearing her cry out.

My sweet calico cat reminded me for years that it was worth all the work.  Everything we did for our animals would pay off in the love they gave us and joy they had each day.  

That was what we could offer the world.

It was no surprise that I started night riding with Daylight even more when we found out about the kittens.  That was when I really got the chance to relax.  The wind in my hair, stars above, and the horse I loved and trained with me.  It was my chance to actually feel like I was doing something right.

Daylight does extremely well with bareback riding which I prefer when possible.  It was just easier.  We tried to make sure all of our horses got that opportunity when they were strong enough.  They deserved the chance to try new things and have challenges.

I got the kittens settled in my room then made a batch of formula with goats milk before grabbing two tiny animal nursing bottles so I could give them each a bite to eat.  We kept a stash of bottles in the house for situations like this.  

We had situations in the past, like Callie, where the kitten was young when they needed to be bottle fed.  This was the first chance I had to actually raise little ones from birth like this, though.  Maybe I should be intimidated, but I knew I could handle what was needed.

My Callie entrusted me with their care.  She knew I would make sure her babies were okay.  That they were loved and had homes where they would be cherished.

I also had to get them cleaned up more since the smell was making me nauseous.  My blow dryer helped get them warm after they were wiped down then we would help them use the bathroom until they could figure out how that worked.