A fox barked somewhere in the distance, and a few moments later an owl hooted right outside her window. She gave up on sleep and picked up her phone from the nightstand to check the time. It was just after one a.m., an hour since she'd last checked on the cat and her newborn kittens. She'd intended to look at them every two hours during the night, but since she was awake, she might as well go and check on them now. She hadn't wanted to alarm Chloe, but kitten number six concerned her. She was smaller than the others, and although the mother had accepted her and she certainly had enough nipples to feed a litter of six, the runt of the litter was sometimes pushed away by the bigger siblings. Jennifer slipped out of bed and donned the thick sweater that Owen had loaned her over her nightgown. Putting her feet in ballet flats, she tiptoed to the bathroom and opened the door, turning on the recessed lights over the sink rather than the main light, so as not to startle the feline guests. "Hey there, Mama Cat.
