Our new kitten is a real source of excitement around here.  Someone is always finding their way outside to hold her.  They constantly call out a status update to me. “Mom, kitty is asleep.  Mom, kitty is awake.  Mom, kitty wants me to hold it.”  etc.  

The kitten is usually found by the kids through out the day in a small space between the deck and the house foundation that faces to the east, and it is usually sleeping in the sunshine.  When the kids find it there, they lovingly pick her up and cuddle her. Sometimes holding her for an hour or more.  I have a lot of kids, and that is a whole lot of holding for this kitten.   

Today, the update was a new one… I heard…. “Mom, it’s an emergency!  Come quick!”…I said “what is the emergency?  Is the kitten ok?”  They said…”Mom,  the kitten is taking a nap with a toad!”



I said, “surely you are joking?!!!”  I came outside to see for myself, and I could not believe my eyes.  A huge fat toad was sitting on top of the kitten’s back.  They were both sound asleep in the sunshine. 

I hurried up and grabbed my camera to take a few pictures of this strange sight. Then I tried to gently push the toad off the back of the kitten.  He would not budge.  Then I noticed the toads arm was wrapped around the kitten and it was hanging on.  Just like holding the hair on the neck of a horse when riding bare back, this toad had a hand full of the kittens hair and was tightly hanging on while taking a nap on it’s back in the sunshine.



Pushing on the toad was not working, so I finally picked the toad up trying to get it to release the kitten.  But it would not let go.  Lifting the toad was also pulling on the kitten too.  So rather than taking a chance on hurting the kitten by pulling to hard, instead I laid the toad back down beside it and waited for it to release it’s grip.



He still did not want to let go.



The kids were all squealing “look the toad is going to eat the kitten!” and other silly things.  So eventually I started to panic too, and thought perhaps this toad could hurt the kitten.  So I picked it up again and helped it to release its tight grip from the kitten’s neck, and promptly put the toad under a different area of the porch. 

Go figure?  I have never seen anything like this before.  Perhaps the toad has been sleeping with the kitten since birth.  Perhaps it sleeps with the mama cat too.  Maybe the toad was not really asleep and perhaps the toad thinks the kitten is it’s mate?  Could the toad be trying to eat the kitten?  I have no idea.   But the two seemed comfortable with each other, as both of them just seemed to sleep quietly in the sun.    I have no idea how to explain this situation to the kids.  This is one of the strangest things I have ever seen.


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