Having these feral cats/kittens here has really been an education. We all watch the nature shows that do studies of animals in the wild. You see the cubs of wild cats staying close to home while mom is out hunting and you wonder how they know. 
These ferals are no different. They are so smart and have an incredible method of communicating. How do I know?
Some weeks ago – four, five? – the long-haired black mom Magic left the “nest”. Does she come back late at night? Unknown. (What is odd is that all the time I was feeding them out back by Irish’s pasture for over a year, she was there nearly every night for dinner. Now….?) And she left all her kittens. Of course, she left them in the care of Sweetie Pie (her daughter from last year and mom of two of the 8 kittens here!).
It is amazing how Sweetie Pie understands her task. She lies out on the perimeter of the kitten’s play area to protect them against whatever danger. She allows them to eat first at feed time. She is as good a nanny as any could be. But, then, one morning she was gone…so were her two kittens! I checked back numerous times after feeding to see if they came out – at least her kittens – to no avail. After well over a week, I came to the conclusion that they were gone for good. Was she dead? Picked up by animal control? Found another haven? It hurt my feelings – mostly for the babies, I think, because I know she transgresses the surface road out there – great danger for the unsuspecting.
It was interesting to see how her absence affects Magic’s kittens. They pretty much stay under the shed – except (oddly), when I am out there feeding them. The late afternoons, evenings and mornings are typically their play times. The air is cool and they are all over the place. Not so with Sweetie Pie gone. How do they know to stay hidden? It hurts my feelings that they ‘can’t’ come out and play. It’s not fair.
Three nights ago when Bob and I were out feeding horses and filling water buckets, I told Bob that I was resigned to never seeing Sweetie Pie and her kittens again. I had become attached to her and it was sad. After we fed, I went around to check on the kittens before going in (having fed them long before we fed horses) and lo and behold, there was Sweetie Pie! And her kittens! 
I couldn’t believe it! Where have they been? Wherever it was, they were very hungry so I put more canned food down for them (crunchies are always available) and they scarfed it up! What else was good was that all the kittens were out and about, playing and having a great time!
So far, Sweetie Pie is still here. Will she stay? I dunno. Does Magic ever come back during the night? I dunno. Road checks for “bad news” have revealed nothing…sort of ‘no news is good news’, I guess.