Goldie and the three marble kittens

Editor's note: Reader Dennis Wilcox submitted this heartfelt story of his experiences with stray cats and efforts to help them. It illustrates the challenges that occur locally and many other places while dealing with domestic animals.

Long ago in the semi-warm to cool months of spring in 2026, Goldie and the three Marbles came to me.

First, there was a little dark baby kitten and a gold one on our porch that I picked up easily in my hand and took them to our attached "shop", as I call it. Then a third dark one came with the mother slightly bigger and with the swirl patterns like the baby, yet not like a tabby (hmm?) 

And later there was another dark one, seemingly scared unlike the first three, led by a very determined limping mother eager to wean her babies and get them to solid food, whom I had been giving food to in an effort to help keep them from running to and fro through the neighborhood, hungry, i was guessing.

There were others too scrambling about, and very thin, up and down the trailer court during the colder months etc. They all, I learned later, were coming from one particular house, crossing the street and making their way to and from nearby trailers. But where they came from were needy people as I saw it, and I wanted to help, and because I pitied the kitties' struggles in the freezing cold through the winter, as it looked like the weaker gentler or younger ones were getting booted off the food line.

I grieved for the two little mothers as well, as they had obviously not been fixed, but were getting bigger and bigger through those early months of '26, up to the times of better weather. Then all of a sudden for a few days the two young kitty mothers stopped coming for food. And that worry turned to a surprise gift, when eventually to my amazement and deep concern, I saw, over a few days a mother coming across the yards with baby kittens being carried in her mouth one by one and she put them down in our side yard, where after some time eventually I was dealing with five baby kittens. I am guessing between them, total.. don't know to this day, but my neighbors said they found three babies in the back of their old pickup, yet sadly one was dead. But still, where are the other 2 or more?

Turns out i was naive in those days and tried to communicate to the neighbor, that, I think there are kittens under your house, and as poor as i was, I offered to pay for four of them to get fixed at the clinic that month, but all of this was returned with a vehement denial that any of his kitties were un-fixed etc etc., and to get the heck away from us! 

Of course because of the controversy, I never went back again; but the bigger kitties didn't stay away from us.

Because Goldie and several babies came as though in a second wave of precious little buds of life to our front porch (yes, and by one of those little tabby mothers). So in that one spring day, "Goldie and The 3 Marbles" were the gift kittens I put in the shop.

Eventually we got a routine of chores going: litter-box training and good food in three separate bowls with fresh water changes, and outdoor sessions 2-3 times a day in the fresh air and sun etc. But then the cold of fall began to be on my mind and the days of sunbathing outside, frolicking, running and wrestling gave way to snuggling for warmth through the nights and seeking sunshine ray locations in the mornings amongst the shop storage and waiting for that door to open: Goldie was so sharp: with every movement in the shop window to the house, he'd spot you and his eagerness would hurry you up to get that door open, when they'd all go charging outside again..yelling, yay! yay! yay! yay!

And as summer flew by without my keeping up, to my surprise my original call to Kootenai Pets for Life and county animal control, who both said they were overwhelmed with calls like mine, was miraculously returned by K-P's: saying, they had room for our few month old babies, if I still had need. 

I was exhausted from the caring for them along with chopping and stacking 7 1/2 chords of firewood, but thank God for Goldie and the crew who helped supervise, while the Marbles helped stack. Plus, I had other chores too, but being 81 has its limitations and I wasn't in tip top shape anymore; besides, the cold was coming on and I had no heat in the shop, etc., etc., so I had to thankfully say yes to Kootenai Pets.

And so that's where these precious little dolls have been for more than two weeks. The first week found me balling like a baby - blubbering something like, I was so busy with them I didn't know they got so deep in my heart-and now, it's over! But after today when I visited them at Kootenai Pets, they were spirited and healthy and growing, and as i sat with them and handled each one multiple times and hugged them close of course and kissed little No. 4 on her head to keep them tame etc, as they played in the little room and moved about my feet; No. 3 stretched up to me often looking me in the eye and asking for caresses like they all were used to and No. 4 needed some extra tender coaxing as she shies from us due to her not hearing well. 

That's why I visit and sit with them to keep them tame and calm, and it helps heal me, too, as I remember to rest in God's promise to me in prayer, that they will have a better home than with me in the shop or what I could provide; besides, I have learned that it's important to outlive your pets.

So that's my appeal in this article, that someone will give them a good loving home. 

Please go visit them at Kooteanai Pets For Life (Wed-Sat 11AM-3PM) or call 406-293-5735 and ask for "Goldie and The 3 Marble Kittens" or visit their Facebook page, and see that they are doing a tremendous service in sheltering care and providing medical and preparatory services for adoption. 

Remember them and Animal Control, to help support them, and may all who bring pets into neighborhoods do so responsibly.

Dennis Wilcox, Libby