Last week, Miss Wishbone was even friendlier than usual. She’s a very nice cat anyway, but she was wearing a little extra kitty lipstick, eye shadow, and high heels. I think she was looking for a date.

Occasionally, I see her beau for an eighth of a second. He’s a black tiger-stripe who likes to curl up in the middle laying box in the chicken tractor. It’s just the right size, nicely bedded with shredded paper (straw is too expensive after a year with only ten inches of precipitation), and the location is ordinarily quiet and secluded.

At least until some nasty human comes and opens the door while checking for eggs. The tomcat has yet to produce a single egg.

But he does make pretty kittens. Unfortunately, they are hissy. Miss Wishbone and her sister Miss Harpo have never met a stranger and will take copious petting from all comers. But their offspring require a great deal of remedial handling from day one. They learn to hiss around day four. Mother Nature gives them a courageous demeanor causing them to think they can, while no bigger than a human thumb, kill and devour a human single-pawed.

Let’s hope this spring brings sweet kittens who love to terrorize mice and other vermin, “help” in the garden by lying exactly where you’re trying to pull weeds, and curl up on a person’s lap. One added benefit is a cat that will train cow dog puppies to respect cats. One or two slaps is usually all it takes.