Rodent Control: Part 3

At the end of May 2017, Ginger had her first litter of five kittens: The females we named Buttercup, Grace, and Caramel Cup*.  The males were Rex Jr. and Dragon.
    *This kitten was named by my youngest sister, who was four at the time.  She had three different names for that poor cat (Watermelon, Birthday Cake, and Caramel Cup). and kept bouncing back and forth between the names until I told her that it would confuse the kitten (and the rest of us!) if she didn't choose a name and stick with it.

     Having kittens around was a fun experience for all of us, especially as they started to get older.  I loved it when they started trying to balance on three paws while licking the fourth paw.  They wouldn't have quite enough balance yet, and they'd tip over.  Then they would get up and look confused.
     One time while playing with them, my siblings and I put all the kittens in a bucket and took them to see Mom.  Ginger either was dragged along as well or she came of her own free will to keep an eye on her kittens, but she ended up standing guard over the bucket-full of kittens, looking quite proud of herself.
     Below: Clockwise, starting on the left: Dragon, Buttercup, Rex Jr., Grace, Caramel Cup.

But also, the older they got, the more annoyed Mama Cat got.  She would start walking away whenever the kittens tried to nurse.  On the occasion that the kittens did manage to get themselves a snack, Ginger would lay (or sit) with a very irritated expression on her face, like she is in this picture.  Sometimes she would even get up and walk away in the middle of lunch.  The kittens would follow her, not giving up so easily.
     Rex Jr. was the first kitten to be sold.  Buttercup and Dragon followed, and then we sold Grace to a friend of ours who lives not too far away, so we still see her once in a while.
     Caramel Cup was the last to go, and I think she enjoyed having her mother to herself.  By this time, Rex (Sr.) and Davy had gotten used to the kittens, and they would sit or nap together.  In this picture (taken shortly before Caramel Cup left), Ginger and Rex are cuddling with Caramel between them, who had fallen asleep eating.  Davy looks like he's keeping watch over them, but he was probably just waiting for Rex to wake up so he could beat him up :D
     Next week will be the last part of Rodent Control, and I'll have more to say about the second litter of kittens.

The older they got, the more playful they got.  They would wrestle with each other and just about anything that moved.  We liked dragging sticks or strings along the ground and watching the kittens pounce after the "prey".