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Kittens can be Trouble Chapter 1

Kittens can be trouble, just ask Marbles, a stray mother cat that had made her home behind Mr. McKenzie's old red and white barn. Marbles, so called because she was mostly white with black patches, was the name given to her by Mr. McKenzie's grandchildren, Kyle and Hunter. Mr. McKenzie tolerated her presence around the yard, since he expected her to keep the population of field mice and moles down to a reasonable level. That being where the furry critters weren't clambering to spend the long northern winter inside his farmhouse.

The trouble began on late summer day, when Mr. McKenzie was inspecting the potato patch he had planted near the barn. He was grateful for the sunny skies and the warm weather after a few days of cool rainy weather. There was a lot of garden work that needed doing before the cool winds of autumn arrived and now was the best time to do it. He never suspected that something was afoot among the rows of potatoes.

Just as he set about pulling out bunches of unwanted weeds, he caught a glimpse of something scurrying out from the rows of potato plants, quickly vanishing into the tall grass at the edge of the garden. At first, he thought it might be an annoying field mouse or even a chipmunk. However, when he saw another slight movement in the garden he immediately recognized the furry creature as a kitten. Looking closely among the rest of the potato plants, he we even more surprised to find six rather tiny kittens crouching closely to the ground, poised to scurry into the tall grass for shelter if necessary.

"Darn kittens," Mr. McKenzie muttered to himself, feeling a little surprised by the discovery. These garden visitors bore the distinctive markings of Marbles and another stray tabby cat that roamed the local farmer's barnyards. One was white and black like Marbles, another was a picture of the stray tabby and the rest were a mixed up version of the others. Including the one that had taken shelter in the grass, Mr. McKenzie counted six kittens altogether. He wondered what Mrs. McKenzie and grandchildren would think about their surprise guests.

If there was going to be trouble around the farmhouse, kittens were sure to be behind it.

For Mr. McKenzie, kittens were always a problem, especially whenever it came time to find new homes for them. Finding new homes for an unwanted litter of kittens would be especially troublesome this time of the year, especially in the rural farm country they lived in. Most folks had cats, and those that didn't usually had both dogs and cats. Kittens made for good playmates for children, but for farmers they were mostly just underfoot.

But these were new kittens and they were in his garden after all. It would be better to just leave them be for now, he thought to himself. Maybe when they're older and able to fend for themselves, they'll probably just wander off and make a new home in the barn of one of the neighboring farms. Best thing to do right now, he thought, is to just leave them be. Marbles will be sure to take care of them.

And that's just what she did until the day the kittens found themselves trapped in a deep hole with no way out.

Learn more about this author, Francis Jock.
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