h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well, they're pretty big now.

And Venus has disappeared. She escaped a week ago now and went off with her mum. I'm sure I heard the neighbour yelling at them when I was in the bathroom the next morning, and I definitely heard a grown-up cat and a kitten miaowing. But only the mother came back, and I have very strong suspicions that the neighbour got hold of the kitten and broke its neck or whatever. Because she never came back.

On asking all the neighbours the man in question said he hadn't seen it and even joked about "you can't tie them down, can you?". He may have been telling the truth, and although I don't like him, I can't imagine he'd lie, but then again, I might be wrong. Because I am absolutely sure he'd seen the kitten. It's sad when you can't trust people. The man's wife has always been so kind to us and they have 7 children and loads of grandchildren and they are always there, so I have always thought they must be nice people. She certainly is, and helps all the other neighbours more than anyone else, despite having such a large family of her own.

But they are country people and wouldn't get sentimental about a kitten, especially as they keep chickens. The man, certainly, wouldn't stop to notice what a beautiful animal it was.

So now we have three kittens, but the mother is at least still here. Had her spayed last week. She had to wear a collar to stop her licking the stitches open, but we took that off in the end - it seemed so cruel. Especially as they have all got diarrhoea again and they want to clean themselves up, and she was going mad not being able to catlick herself. She can't really even get at the stitches anyway because her mammaries are so swollen most of the time and they hide it.

The little ones continued to feed from herr, but they are taking less and less now, so soon her milk should dry up.

Anyway, I must go and clean out the cats' litter now as it pongs awful with this diarrhoea. I am giving them the drops that were prescribed for the mother before, but it doesn't seem to be helping. Hope it clears up soon - we've spent enough money at the vet's for one year!