Tag: tabby

Margerumalia – Kittens!

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – June 19, 2026

About two months ago I promised pictures of kittens in two months. The little darlings arrived on schedule!

I was sitting on the welcome mat at the front door like I do every morning, petting Rocket while she eats, when a cute little face peered out at me from the plants.

“Debbie,” I hissed in a stage whisper, “Kittens!” She heard me from the kitchen window and checked the opposite end of the house to see more.

I went inside to get a bowl of kitten food and we waited by the windows to take photos and videos of their antics. My favorite was when the little imps jumped up onto the window well covers I had installed last month, using them like slides in a playground.

We eventually counted six of them, five tabbies—like their mother—and one black kitten. One of the tabbies has white ears and white fur between the black stripes. The other four are indistinguishable from one another.

You can just barely see the difference in the photo below. The dim light under the bushes makes it difficult to see.

Look at that cute furry face! Can you resist the impulse to touch those soft paws? Shall we reserve one for you?

Last year we sent five kittens to the Humane Society. We were glad to learn that they were all adopted.

My story does take a turn, though. The kittens showed up on a Thursday morning and we spent two days replenishing their food bowls, giving them fresh water, and taking more pictures.

On Friday night at ten o’clock there was a terrible cat howl from the front steps and I raced to the door, flicked on the lights, and stepped onto the porch. All was quiet but I could barely see an animal circling the bushes in front of the house.

Was it Rocket? A predator? Maybe a pesky raccoon looking for a bite of cat food? We’ll never know. 

The next morning I petted Rocket on the welcome mat but didn’t see any kittens. I asked her about what had happened but she didn’t have an answer.

Then from the shadows of the bushes I spied the little black kitten who had a few things to say. His mother replied and I moved the bowl of kitten food toward the edge of the deck. The little fellah decided to brave my presence, having seen me pet his mother, and jumped up to eat. After a few seconds I moved my petting hand over to the kitten and petted him for about a minute solid.

I can’t tell you how amazing that was. Kittens born in the wild are not inclined to trust people but he saw the lay of the land and figured if it was good enough for Mama it was good enough for him. 

Since he was watching from the shadows, I decided his name was Shadow.

Since that morning, only Rocket has arrived at our front step to enjoy a bowl of food, fresh water, and a good dose of affection. We figured that she led the litter back into the ravine where they were born. Hopefully their need to eat more kitten food will bring them back soon.

Stay tuned!

TTFN

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If you were wondering why the June 12th Margerumalia didn’t appear in your INBOX until later in the day, there were two reasons. 

First, I accidentally set the delivery for PM instead of AM.

Second, I couldn’t fix the problem because a storm took out the internet service for a large part of the county. Metronet got it up and running early in the afternoon and I sent it out then.

Apologies for my role in the delay.

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My middle grade novel, The Most Amazing Museum of Los Angeles is available through The BookBaby Bookshop at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/the-most-amazing-museum-of-los-angeles

Margerumalia – Halloween Kittens

Eric Margerum

Newsletter – October 31, 2025

Here’s a bit of a fright: five more kittens! 

Three torties (tortoise shell markings), one tabby (already looking like her mother), and one black cat (a Halloween kitty).

If you’re thinking you only see four in the photo, zoom in on the black kitten in the middle of the kittenkaboodle*. Its head is down but if you can find the eyes, you’ll suddenly see the fifth kitten. It’s like one of those Magic Eye pictures. 

While you’re looking closely, check out the paw of the tortie to the far right. There’s a bright white patch on the toe, like a mani-pedi gone awry. But totally adorable. I’ve already started calling her Toe White.

We’re thinking we can drop one in the first five Trick-or-Treat bags that open up when we answer the doorbell. A trick that grows into a treat! Probably throw in a can of cat food for good measure.

So all that time we spent worrying about getting Tabitha back to her unseen kittens when we took her to the vet was absolutely accurate! And she’s now bringing them around for us to take over the feeding of the brood. We’re pretty sure they’re nesting under the deck by way of a small opening at the steps.

In my updates from the last few months I’ve mentioned how streetwise Tabitha is—dare I say cagey—and that she won’t walk into the humane trap we used before. 

I’ve imagined the old fashioned upside-down cardboard box held up by a stick, but you have to be there to pull the string, AND be ready to hold down the box during the thrashing of a frightened feral cat, AND have a way to transfer the cat from the box to a cat carrier. Not very practical.

I’ve also thought about childhood TV cartoons of a dog catcher carrying a big net on a stick. They don’t do that anymore.

Tabitha still needs to get those non-dissolving stitches removed, so stay tuned for more updates and more precious kitten pictures.

TTFN

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I thoroughly enjoyed my Saturday at Main Street Books in Lafayette, made several new friends and got to encourage a 12-year-old girl who already knew she wanted to be a writer. I could see her mother’s gratitude and approval for what I was saying. Their mutual thanks were really special to me.

I also got to reunite with some of the high school students I had directed in plays over the last few years. They were at the Farmer’s Market outside and were so enthusiastic about coming in to see me. They have a play coming up this weekend and I’m excited to see what they’ve accomplished under their new director.

After the book signing, Debbie and I visited one other former high school student working up the street. They are already out of college, also a writer of plays, and we got to talk shop between customers. They work at Scones & Doilies and let me tell you, walking into that bakery, the aroma alone will register an additional five pounds on your bathroom scale. And you won’t object because it’s heavenly! We bought a few treats, including gluten free options that Debbie could enjoy.

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If you received this email because it was forwarded to you by a subscriber, welcome. You can subscribe as well by following the link on my website: ericmargerum.com. A free story awaits you there.

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*kittenkaboodle—get out your scorecard, Eric has added one more word to the English language!