“Uhhhh… DT has a few things to sort out at work today…” the head of Galpin Media — where I work — texted me along with a screenshot of a text from a colleague, reading: “Do you know who owns this Jeep? It has a cat inside that gave birth to kittens..” The Jeep in question is my “Holy Grail,” a super-rare manual transmission Jeep Grand Cherokee that I bought for $350 and am turning into the ultimate budget overlander. The vehicle has been sitting in the Galpin lot since I towed it from Detroit to my current home of LA; the “Grail” is filled with hundreds of parts I’ve amassed for the project, and now — among those parts— are kittens. Really, really cute kittens. Take a look, and prepare for your heart to melt.
Here’s the text from Chris, head of Galpin Media:
You’ll notice an orange-and-white momma-cat sitting atop a mint-condition passenger’s seat out of a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. That’s a comfortable seat, so I commend the cat’s choice.
After receiving that text message, I checked out my rather dilapidated machine, and — while working through the guilt associated with neglecting a vehicle this fine — I gazed at a Jeep with two of its doors wide open; someone at Galpin had clearly been making sure the kittens weren’t getting too hot. (I’ve since rolled down the windows and closed the right front door so as not to take up too much precious parking real estate).
In that open rear door are lots of parts, as I mentioned before. There’s an entire rear axle, lots of interior trim, seats, a snorkel, brake parts, an entire lift kit, and on and on — it’s a bit of a mess. Have a look:
I didn’t see any cats on the right side of the Jeep, and even the driver’s door revealed only what most people would see as junk, but what I see as potential. But upon opening the second-row driver’s side door I was hit with a blast of unadulterated cuteness:
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For those of you who can’t see the Instagram video above, behold!:
My heart melted into a pool of conventional 10W-30, and not just because these kittens are so absurdly cute, but because they are among the only living beings on earth who actually appreciate a manual transmission Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ like I do! They’re adorable, and also they have great taste! Look at how comfy they look in that machine; they’re into it! (right?)
I’ve been returning to the Galpin lot every night to feed the momma cat. She’s really hungry, eating an entire large can of wet-food in what has to be record time. “Is she even chewing it?” I wonder.
Every night she lets me get a little bit closer to her, but the nearest I’ve ever gotten is about eight feet; then momma-cat walked away. She doesn’t seem afraid of me — she doesn’t scurry away or anything — but she’s clearly not comfortable with me getting too close. And I get it; we humans have done some pretty bad things in our history, and I get the impression that this cat is a history buff. So I’m facing a bit of an uphill battle here trying to gain Zee’s trust.
Yes, I’ve started giving these cats names. I know, I shouldn’t! But momma cat there is Zee, and this little cat sleeping in my brake rotor is Jay (together, that spells Zee Jay, or ZJ, the platform-name of the first-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee):
I haven’t named the other two kittens, but they’re equally as heart-meltingly cute. Look at this little orange one!:
And just below the orange one, what do I see?!:
I’ve placed a little bowl of water in the Jeep (it’s dry every morning — I need to put a bigger bowl in there), I’ve rolled all the windows down (it doesn’t seem too hot in there to me, despite the 100-degree weather lately), and I’m making sure the mother is well-fed and that she’s drinking enough. I assume she’s returning to the Jeep every now and then to nurse her kittens. She can get in through the windows and doors, but I suspect she’s entering the Jeep from the transmission shifter-hole down below. I’d previously discovered a Calico cat accessing my Jeep in that manner before; check it out:
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My friend, who volunteers at a cat-rescue organization, has been talking with her colleagues about how to proceed with these cute fluffballs, which are going to join a rather large population of cats already hanging out in that Galpin lot. In fact, one night, while I was feeding the momma cat, another seemingly-pregnant kitty came out of nowhere to check things out:
To prove that’s not the momma cat, here are the two of them next to one another:
It seems the move right now is to feed the momma cat (who, I suspect is already being fed by someone who frequents the lot) so she can nurse her kittens until they’re old enough. The ASPCA has guidance on how to handle feral kittens that seem healthy and whose mothers are around; here’s the organization’s advice:
Provide Food, Shelter and Monitor
It is likely mom is taking good care of her kittens. Provide mom and her kittens with food, a dry and clean shelter, and continue to monitor their well-being. Once the kittens are able to eat wet food on their own, around 4-5 weeks old, you can bring them into your home to provide foster care and prepare them for adoption*. Visit this site for information on how to care for the kittens.
Prepare a Trap-Neuter-Return-Monitor (TNRM) plan for mom (and her kittens if they are not friendly with humans and older than 8 weeks of age) that will help keep them out of an animal shelter and set them up for long, healthy lives outdoors as community cats.
If you cannot provide foster care for these kittens or if you need additional support providing a TNRM plan for mom and her kittens, contact your local shelter or rescue to see if they can help.
So that’s the plan; fairly soon I may work with local experts to trap momma and her kittens, and at the very least have them spayed and neutered to keep the population under control. And, if possible, maybe I’ll try to foster and then adopt out these cats. But I’m not sure yet (feral cats may never warm up to humans, so that may be tough, and also I’m overseas for two weeks starting Sunday). My friend and I will continue working with the local animal rescue organization to make the right call.
If it’s up to me, I might want Zee and Jay in my life, long term. They’re cute and they like ZJs; what more could you want out of a pet?!
…but I do travel a lot. So I’ve got a lot to think about.
“Do you know who owns this Jeep?”
Um… Eleanor Abernathy from the looks of it.
Wow – I had no idea her character had a name.
Thanks, mysterious stranger!
Oh, she’s got a whole crazy backstory and everything.. an MD from Harvard and Yale. Intelligence through the roof.
It just so happens that her mental illness has gotten the better of her, so now she’s just a hoarder that occasionally throws cats at people. It’s actually quite sad if you look into it beyond the writer’s room laughs.
Aaah substance abuse. It’s hilarious until it isn’t.
You already named rotor-kitty. I always say pet names just come to you: I would have called her Rotor, obviously
Of course, their formal name is often quickly discarded in favor of, Stopthatdamnit, GitdownIsay, Ohyouwantsomedoya, for example.
My denizens are Percy (Scruffy Boy) and
Maggie (Kin I have my ankle back, please?)
I was thinking Caliper since it’s all snuggled up against the rotor.
Little squeaky Calipurr.
They should all be named after car parts.
Oh, yeah: that’s way better
The surname “Ya Bastard” works too:
https://www.nulon.com.au/products/aerosols/start-ya-bastard-instant-engine-starter
Haven’t driven anything that needed it for a looong time now—but I so want a can just for display.
4 cats, 4 stroke engine, you have intake compression power and exhaust, or suck squish bang and blow
obligatory
https://img.ifunny.co/images/faa20b11ba9c75879bbb319f2f5f97eb584944a62eca01964792e26ce2f0a267_1.jpg
Oh that was good
Thank the kitties you don’t have to worry about rats in your car.
If you decide to keep them, please commit to keeping them inside full time. Feral cats are a destructive invasive species that we tolerate because they’re cute.
I’m amused that after discovering animals were getting into your carefully sourced collection of parts your response was “that’s neat” and not blocking the access point. Oh well, enjoy the smells.
From the derelicts he has rebuilt he is immune or used to the smells.
“Feral cats are a destructive invasive species that we tolerate because they’re cute.”
Says the human.
Humans aren’t cute.
Point taken.
You do know a cat is not either indoors 100% of the time or feral, right?
Allow me to rephrase, as you seem troubled: Pet and non-pet cats allowed outside are a destructive force on native species that should be curtailed whenever possible.
David “Bubbles” Tracy.
I think you are going to need new glasses. (-;
D’AAAWWWW KITTIES!! I’m glad you’re feeding them, but would expect nothing less. 🙂
Over the past several years I have acquired the role of “transient cat feeder”.
One afternoon I was working on a project and a black and white cat came out of the landscaping, meowing and very tentative. We had already inherited an indoor cat and had food and dishes available so I started feeding him; of course he hung around. Then I found out he lived a few houses away: not a stray, he just liked the food (and apparently the service) at our house.
There must be a communication network (CAT5 or similar) because each year we seem to have a few different ones come by for various lengths of time. A brown one has been visiting for several years. Right now there’s a youngster hanging around for his three squares a day + extensive nap time. I think he lives here now.
Anyway, it looks like Zee was dropped off by some [sub]human. Remember: low voice for a cat, high voice for a dog. 🙂
The cats are probably saying that about my house. They’ve been coming for about 20 years. They’re all neighborhood cats and they just like to hang out, I even let them inside the house. Know all their names – Gizmo, Roger, Jagger, Maverick, Bae, and the latest one is Butter.
I get the benefits of owning a cat with none of the responsibilities.
That’s excellent! And you make a good point: there’s no litter box for a visiting cat. 🙂
I do worry about them though, even the ones who seem to have homes. Life can be tough for an outdoor kitty, but if they’re hanging around here they’ll be safe.
Yeah sometimes they don’t come for several days and I worry something might have happen to them (and some of the earlier ones never did come back, not even the owners knew what happened to them 🙁 )
But they don’t want to stay indoor forever though, eventually they will ask to be let out when they had enough.
A friend of mine once had a regular visitor he named “Phillip”, because the kitty would come in, fill up, and leave.
That’s fantastic! I may need to borrow it. 🙂
A friend of mine had a cat I thought was named Rascal due to pronunciation.
After a few incidents my friend spelled his name out for me. Wrathskull! That made more sense.
About 5 years ago my bestie and I returned to his shop after a day of autocross and another tech there showed us to his parts car in the back where a cat had given birth to a litter of kittens in his Merkur XR4ti. I kept peeking on on them for about a week when mama hadn’t been seen for a day or two. I scooped those fluffballs up and took them to the local no-kill cats only shelter, but not before my brother in law and his wife snagged a particularly floofy black kitten. That kitten turned into an even floofier little monster now named Merkur. He has quite the attitude befitting of his start, but when I see him now and then I get a brief head bonk followed by an immediate mild hiss for daring to think he wants affection. 10/10, good cat.
Probably want to take a few steps to make sure your ZJ does not become a Flea-J.
“Probably want to take a few steps to make sure your ZJ does not become a Flea-J”.
Best way to do that is to waft some food or pharma (NOT pool!) grade diatomaceous earth in there. Its a powder of tiny glasslike shards that kill fleas, ticks etc but is harmless to larger animals like cats even if they eat it. I’ve been dusting my cats with it for years to keep fleas off and its done them no harm whatsoever even though they ingest it while grooming. If anything that knocks out any internal parasites too.
Borax on the carpet and upholstry, not the cat works as well. It’s bitter tasting so I doubt the cats will go out of their way to ingest it but even if they do its half as toxic as table salt.
That mix also works great against other bugs like roaches. Borax can even kill mold and mildew and odors. Neither of these compounds expire, smell or harm surfaces and both are super cheap so its probably worth treating any car that’s sitting around. You can just vacuum them up later.
Hell yeah! I love cats. I have assorted feline friends throughout my neighborhood. Unfortunately my wife is horribly allergic so we may never be able to own any, but they’re amazing animals. I’m glad you’re doing your best to care for them and consulting with professionals.
You may have to keep all of them before all’s said and done. You’ve been chosen, and they can be very picky. I vote we poll the commentariat for names though.
Well, you already have Jay and Zee so you might as well name the other two Ice Tea and Ice Cube and squash the whole beef.
(Also, how is that going away party article coming along?)
I would name the other kittens One and Two: depending on the arrangement, DT could have 1JZ or 2JZ.
Frankly it doesn’t really matter, because 99 times out of 100 a cat won’t answer to its name anyway. The 100th time is a coincidence. 🙂
.
Good talk, dude 😉
COTD
Ice Tea and Ice Cube?
I believe you mean Nas and Big Pun.
He’s got 99 feuds and an Ice ain’t one.
Very true, but I was thinking more along the lines of the East Coast v. West Coast battle from that era.
Fact of note: I was bartending at a club where the next club over was having a Big Pun concert. When my bar closed I was in the alley helping to take out the trash from the night. Big Pun was sitting down against the wall in handcuffs w/a bunch of cops. One of his crew shot off a round in the venue. I said, “Oh shit! Big Pun what did you do?” He looked over at me and uh…let’s just say he wasn’t pleased with my question. hahaha
Proving once and for all that the Internet is for pictures of cats, they have now invaded the automotive space in their quest for total domination!
“Proving once and for all that the Internet is for pictures of cats”
Dude! Don’t you know? The internet is MADE of cats!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zi8VTeDHjcM
Yeah, anybody remember keyboard cat? ❤
Can confirm the internet is dominated by cats – I’m the admin of my cat’s facebook page, and he has roughly 100 times as many followers as I do!
When I was a kid my dad had a project car in the driveway that was a convertible. The top was trashed and he just had a tarp bungied over it.
One day I was walking into the house and I heard multiple meows. At the time we only had one outdoor cat (who we knew wasn’t spayed) so I was confused but already guessed what it was. Started listening and heard them coming from the car. Opened it up to find 2 kittens in the back seat. From their size we guessed they were 4-6 weeks. We didn’t even know she was pregnant that time. (It was an ordeal with my parents where they’d forget about getting her spayed and by the time they would remember she’d be pregnant again.)
Got them out and got them situated in momma cat’s house and area in the back yard. Next day they were back in the car. Day after that when I opened the back door I found a third kitten. We did eventually find homes for them.
If you’re getting that close to the mother, she’s almost certainly a stray or a runaway rather than feral. (Big difference, trust me. Your locals will confirm it’s a big difference too.) If you’ve been able to get that close to the kittens with mom present and not be attacked, she’s probably human familiar.
Also take note of her body language; mom’s tail is loose out to the side, ears up. And under the Jeep, she was fairly relaxed in your presence. That tells me that she is at minimum used to human contact; just not this human. She’s not frightened or anxious. (Watch the tail; tucked, curled tight, or lashing means back off.) Even when you got close in the open, she was only nervous, not frightened – ears are up, not flat.
The fact that she made eye contact at all means she’s almost certainly not feral. Especially since she went right to the food with you there. And hasn’t shredded all the seats. That’s domestic behavior. Make sure the first thing they do when mom’s trapped is check for a microchip.
You really are a person of many hats.
Seriously.
I’ve always been an animal person. Used to volunteer when I was able. (I can’t foster; I’d adopt way too many.) And boy howdy do I know ferals.
Because there’s currently a feral rescue (mom was completely untouchable) screaming in my ear for attention. Also happens to be a bengal mix. Don’t adopt a bengal mix if you value your sanity. Also don’t foster from a feral mom if you haven’t already decided to adopt them.
And when you have multiple cats, well, you have to learn to read their body language fast.
“I’ve always been an animal person.”
I’ve always just been a person who loves animals.
My spirit animal is a dumb old dog.
So.. your spirit human is Joe Navarro?
“Also don’t foster from a feral mom if you haven’t already decided to adopt them.”
Yep, failed foster here. I ended up with a mom and one of her kittens. She wasn’t a feral though, just really shy. It took a long time but she became one of the cuddliest cats I’ve ever known. Great mouser too.
Sooo is this the Catopian now?
Always was.
COTD.
I presume you mean “Cat Owner of The Day.” 😉
‘Owner’?
I’m resident chef, valet, and doorman for my critters—and, they frankly think the service here sucks
I’ve been reduced to Facebook Page admin and personal chewtoy for my little feline monster – he’s attempting fame, fortune and world domination through cat poetry (which I also have to edit and publish!)
Well, don’t leave us hanging: post a link!
If you keep one, you might as well keep two. There isn’t really a big delta in care needed from 1 to 2. Also (from my experience) cats that have lived on the street and have decent personalities tend to be the BEST.
Both of ours are former street cats and they have been pretty great cause they know what the alternative life is like. But you gotta get them before they are old enough to go full feral…
And if you have two or more they can keep each other company. Yes, I’m serious: it’s good for them to be able to play, bond, etc. One kitten alone can easily become withdrawn.
^ totally agree. Other pro tips: Get flushable litter and put the boxes next to a toilet, and have automatic feeders. It’s almost too easy, and clay litter smells gross anyway.
“Get flushable litter”
YES!
What he should NOT get is clumping litter. Kittens eat litter and the results are very bad.
This stuff is the best, and it smells real nice when it’s new. Been using it for over a decade in a bunch of garbage old apartments/houses with terrible plumbing… never had an issue
https://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/dust-free-lavender-scented-cat-litter/
It’s a clumper though. Not good for kittens or toilets. Great for adult cats.
Baking soda sprinkled in the litter helps keep odors down and can be flushed. It’s probably not great for the kittens to eat but at least it won’t clog them up.
David, youve gotta keep Zee and Jay! I understand traveling a lot, but cats can handle humans being away a bit better than dogs- my rule has always been 3 days/4 nights before really needing a checkup on my guys (Lincoln, Fram, and Diesel). But cat sitters are endless, or I am sure you can con a coworker into doing it!
Plus cats might lick you clean.
Currently away from my cats for five days. Not a big deal up to a week or so.
And people say a manual ZJ isn’t a pussy magnet.
Nobody’s ever said that.
A manual ZJ isn’t a pussy magnet.
Gotta try a different crowd, then!
I just wanted to prove his statement wrong in a silly, single sentence.
I know nothing about the vehicles vaginal magnetism. In fact I don’t think that’s a real thing. If I had my way with it.. the term “pussy magnet” would never be spoken again.
It’s kinda weird and misogynistic.
You never hear someone say dick magnet? Though that should be a much more common inference.
Aww. Now your Jeep has a cat back system! I hope they find good homes if they are picked up.
Your open hand aprouch is all wrong, David. Get down low to eye level if your knees still bend, and hold out your index finger with your arm straight out from your body for max distance. Let the cat come to you and touch your finger. Don’t try to pet it’s head after! Just gently open your hand eventually and let it snuggle it’s head or body against you.
Do this every time, and you’ll be best buds in no time. No better friend in life than a fuzzy pussy.
I did this exact approach! (just not while taking the selfie)
Don’t forget the slow blink! Lock eyes with the cat then sloooooowly blink your eyes at her. She’ll likely do the same in return. Once you get that, you’ve built trust.
I don’t like the Trap-Neuter-Return-Monitor (TNRM) plan. Feral cats do a lot of damage to ecosystems. Birds/lizards/etc species have gone entirely extinct with the help of outdoor cats.
“Feral cats do a lot of damage to ecosystems. Birds/lizards/etc species have gone entirely extinct with the help of outdoor cats.”
OK human.
Right, humans are to blame for releasing the invasive species.
I find this type of thinking to be a little anthropocentric. But, I’m a believer of Gaia theory so it doesn’t really matter. The earth is self regulating. We are just one of the millions of creatures on it. It’s not our fault it’s just our nature.
We weren’t the first living things here and we won’t be the last.
But in the meantime, between our birth as a species and our inevitable non-existence, we have amassed tons of good, cool stuff and skills. Like cars, pets and pizza.
A human pointing fingers at cats as agents of extinction. That’s quite a glass house you’re living in.
If you’re that upset about extinction scrap your car before you murder a cat:
https://phys.org/news/2021-09-roadkill-local-extinction-mammal-populations.html
There can be two (and many more) issues that can be addressed separately.
If I have a flat tire, I’m not going to ignore it because there’s a CEL, too. They’re different problems with different solutions.
Have fun with your unintended consequences as Australia did after they poisoned millions of feral cats only to be plauged by mice and the venomous snakes that eat them.
Fun fact: Those venomous snakes also eat lizards and birds just like the non venomous cats that were killed. Good job Australia!
If you don’t have a home for them it’s better than the Ignore-Multiply plan
That’s silly. Cats are part of the ecosystem and their impact is artificially dampened by human domestication. The natural order of things would put cats at the top of the food chain if humans didn’t exist. Other species will adapt or go extinct. Extinction isn’t some horrible thing, it’s the way evolution works.
My first thought was DT, Torch, and Beau as names.
Glad to see you are feeding them and these orgs are the way to go if you can’t take them. Worst case they are fixed and become barn cats.
Don’t worry about cats and traveling, they do well on their own for a 3 or so days and rather prefer it that way. 🙂 Watch out though you could end us as a Feline Overlords Manservant.
Of we could arrange transport, I would take one though I live on the other coast.
That could get confusing.
“I saw DT crawling around the back of the ZJ.”
“Torch was raptuously staring at tail lights again.”
No no, that would be great actually. I demand more of cats named after DT, Torch, and Beau spoken of out of context.
I was thinking Commander, Dispatcher and Scrambler. Gladiator is another option.
The kittens are CJ, TJ, LJ, XJ, and YJ. Unless you go with Renegade, Laredo, Sahara, and Rubicon. And Levi, of course.
Just imagine if DT didn’t like cats.
Then they’d end up being named Liberty, Compass and Patriot.
I thought it was 3 kittens. Then the answer is clearly ZJ, TJ and CJ, and the momma is SJ.
Since you went there, shouldn’t momma be Willys, then the kids are CJ, TJ, and ZJ?
I was thinking SJ – Senior Jeep, but forgot about the MJ and have changed my mind and now thing the momma should be MJ, for obvious reasons.
Britta wants one of them, but probably not enough to fly to LA.
I’ll bring one!
In his next series, David will retell the story of how he drove across the county with a refurbished i3 and a ten week old kitten riding shotgun…