Midnight, Little Kitten Girl

She made her first visit with her mom cat, Frontier Cat, staying close to her side. Frontier was teaching her little kitten, Midnight, about our front porch. "Always found is a bowl of dry kitty food. A bowl of fresh water. It's a place of safety. And, don't mind the two cats looking out. Dino and Pebbles are friendly, indoor cats. "

Little Midnight had some kibble and water. She sat down next to her mom cat, nuzzled with her, and surveyed all to be seen. A few minutes later, they left for home. The short visit proved successful. We wondered whether they would return again for another visit. When Frontier had kittens in 2003, she brought them over for a single visit only.

The next day, Frontier was moving her litter from her primary home to her second home. (Both homes are quite aware of each other.) Along with Midnight was two tuxedo kittens. The sighting was short. The move was successful. The intent of the move was to be closer to our house, closer to the front porch, and to limit the number of street crossings. A couple of nights later, the whole family came for a visit. All had their kibbles and water. And, all the kittens were groomed by their mom cat. While Alex and Max, the tuxedo kittens, proceeded to play, Midnight settled next to Frontier. After the 45-minute visit, it was time to go home for the night.

With each visit, it was clear that Midnight was Frontier's favorite. She doted a little more on her little girl than her two boys. There was always extra grooming for Midnight, the extra nuzzle, the extra play. Alex and Max were good at playing together. And, when Midnight joined, their fun became even better. Frontier was quite proud of her little ones. They were growing fast and learning very quickly.

When you saw Alex, you saw Max. And, when you saw Max, you saw Alex. It was the same between Frontier and Midnight. They were always together. When it was necessary, Frontier would bring all three kittens to the porch and leave them a short while to check things out in the neighborhood. The instruction was to wait a few minutes for her return. Within five minutes, Frontier would be back on the porch. All three kittens welcomed her back by crowding around her, then all would have some kibble and water. After relaxing a bit, they would all head to their home across the alley.

All was going well. The end of June brought rainy and cool conditions. Then, it would be the 4th of July with all its fireworks. Frontier and the kittens came through the weather and the holiday quite well. No one became scared, no one was hurt, no one caught a cold.

At the same time, Alex, Max, and Midnight were beginning to lose their shyness with us. Though not ready for petting, they were ready to sniff the hand, sniff the shoe. They were also looking inside the house with curiousness, obviously looking for Dino and Pebbles.

Taken a couple weeks before her passing,
a group photo of Max, Alex, and Midnight (front to back).

Then, the eventful day came on July 9, 2004. Frontier and all three kittens came for a morning visit. They all had some kibble and water. Alex, Max, and Midnight played in the yard. After the 45-minute visit, they headed back across the alley, presumably home for the day. In the early evening, Frontier brought Alex and Max to the porch for a visit. She left them a couple times for about ten minutes and then came back. We'd assumed she went back home to check on Midnight. (It wasn't unusual for her to bring a one or two kittens over and leave the other at home.)

The next day, we found out what had happened to Midnight. Our mailman had told us he had seen Midnight, that she had apparently died while crossing the street near her home. It explained Frontier's behavior the night before. She brought Alex and Max to our front porch for safekeeping while she looked for Midnight to no avail. Over the next few days, Alex and Max were of immense comfort to Frontier. Though she was attentive to her boys, missing her little Midnight was quite evident.

While we only have two photos of Midnight with Alex and Max, we remember this little kitten with great fondness and rich memories. We will miss this little princess very much. Her sweet face, her sweet dispostion.