Vermontcat,

Momma kitty is about 8 yrs old. She was young when I first
noticed her hiding under a car in the alley. She's had at least
three litters that I know of. I befriended her & fed her everyday
for a long time in hopes that I could trap her & get her spayed.
She trusted me enough to bring her last litter into my garage
for safe keeping. After they were old enough, Momma had the
spay surgery & the babies all when to good homes. I kept the
last two ,Redbud & Mikey. Blackie and Punkin were left in the
neighborhood by their former humans & I "adopted" them both
separately, Blackie first ,then Punkin. They have all adjusted
well with each other, thank heavens. I never tried to bring
Momma inside b/c she would never have adjusted to being so
close to a dog.(Buddy) She knows I love her & she gets what
ever she needs. Baby kitty and Sugar came later & they too
are not people oriented(except for me), so prefer to live outside (with shelter) .