here we go. I’ll post videos to youtube and share those later.
8/12
8/15
8/17
This morning (the eyes are starting to open)
As I noted, their eyes are starting to open (probably will be open by Saturday?) and they’re starting to groom themselves. I’ve got that on one of the videos.
@lisaviolet When I bottle fed my baby it was amazing what seemed to be reflexive (for example grooming, wiggling one’s raised butt before pouncing) and what learned behavior from their mom (like some dominance behaviors and slowly lowering and raising eye lids when content).
@Kyeh@lisaviolet Yeah when I have fostered cats it has broken my heart to give them away. On the other hand had I not given away some I’d have had 11 cats at one point in time and that is too many for me to handle.
I sez to my husband the other day that we need to start handling them to get them use to hoomans.
He sez back “yes, we don’t want to have a repeat of Jackie”, who was a total feral from the moment we brought him in. It wasn’t until the last year of his life (after we had someone in rescue trap him here in the house, take him to a vet who worked with ferals and get him fixed) that he was a nice cat. We were really sad to lose him to cancer.
But it sounded to me like we may be failing another foster situation.
@Kidsandliz@lisaviolet@narfcake Yes, I knew that about torties and calicos, but one of the dark ones looks all black …? And orange tabbies tend to be male, but aren’t always?
@Kyeh At the time, we were into the Simpsons. We had a Bart and Maggie, then we got this little orange and white kitten from my mom. We named her Lisa. Her middle name was my mom’s name. Violet.
When I first came online (August 1, 1996), it was to look for help in getting a feral to come down out of the rafters in our garage (we tricked him into going into the garage to catch him). His name was Red Rafter.
Once online, I noticed there was a plethora of various iterations of the name Dianne. So, I picked one of the cats’ names.
Red finally left the rafters a year later. All that time, I climbed a ladder to feed him, change the water and clean the litter box.
I took some pictures of the boys to show how much they’ve grown. (Not easy to do because they’re either sleeping, eating or moving.) They’ve all grown.
They are getting used to the litter box and show interest in eating (except mom always beats them to the food, she definitely has food issues, who knows how long she was on her own before she came to us).
@lisaviolet They’re enchanting! They’re going to make darn sure that all the kitten fur you washed off those jeans is restored, and then some. Such funny babies. So has the all-black one turned out to be a girl?
@lisaviolet They are so cute and so funny. I learned to always make my bed when I got cats and the habit sticks today. Too much cat hair, and other “presents”, otherwise… Mine weren’t that interested in laundry.
Because otherwise you’d be calling them Thing 1, Thing 2, etc, and when you kept at least one of them its name would then be “Thing Thing” which is the name of campus (where I rescued her from) kitty who I said I wasn’t going to be keeping… and now 3.5 years later she knows her name and when I call her comes running purring loudly (she is one of those “grateful” cats).
@Kidsandliz@Kyeh@lisaviolet And what is wrong with Thing One and Thing Two -exactly? We intentionally used those names. Use just One and Two in practice though. One was Kitty or Lil Kitty until we ended up adopting her daughter and she became Thing One. One was found pregnant and the rescue fostered her until the kittens were ready to be adopted. Two went to a family and got returned later. We brought her home thinking Mom would bond well with kid - nope, hissy fit. We did have a semi-feral Three for a short time. Youngest rescue broke the mold.
@Kyeh@lisaviolet Thanks so much for the videos and pics and letting us follow their development. They are sooooo cute. I feel kind of like grandparents…get to watch, but can give them back when something needs to be done. How’s the mom and does she care for the kittens, too? Care for the human mom, too.
@DTominator@Kyeh Natasha is doing well. I don’t know if it was because she didn’t eat much when we brought her in (remember, she was loose in the neighborhood and we’d never seen her before that day) or just hormones, but she had a voracious appetite followed by some pretty nasty smelling, colored poops.
But that seems to have gotten better at this point, where she’s not eating so much (she ate a case - 24 cans - of kitten food in less than a week!).
But she checks on them and cleans them and does the mom thing.
This was yesterday and you can see where the kittens are getting to big to all fit at the food bar at the same time (and their little teeth are coming in).
She’s a very affectionate kitten herself with an affinity for Temptations treats.
@Kyeh@lisaviolet because they just showed up right after getting invested into @lisaviolet’s by coincidence.
And I just meant to share a pic elsewhere but got carried away. Cause Kittens and so I always slightly feel like I’m highjacking. Especially if I were to post here in her thread. I’d like to see the whole journey if she has time. Ive never had a actual mom and births. I have had stray kittens but only one at a time. Not the full chaos of 4 functional kittens never mind she’s going to have 6. Although at least Natasha was adjusted ahead of time and I assume they are more handled but still. Kittens bounce off things.
I can create a thread for them and @ you it you want when I figure out names if you want more kitties.
I’d like to know what’s up with Natasha and kittens in here
@lisaviolet@unksol I’m all in favor of a whole new thread for yours! I think there are a lot of us who think there’s no such thing as too many pictures of baby kitties.
One of the gingers hissed at me this morning. It was adorable! It looked kind of like it was hacking up a hairball, but I was warned to watch for the hiss.
Just cleaned the litter box in the bathroom. Mom saw the dog and bit my foot. (She had kicked his ass earlier today before I had a chance to latch the door, yet, still, he follows.)
Damn it, dog, get the hell away from the door! I am not leaving the house, the front door did not open, I walked down the hallway, that’s all, you do NOT have to follow me everywhere I go!
So, armed with the advice from a couple of rescuers on facebook, I called the vet and asked about getting mom spayed. (She was a fucking terror this morning, I had to sit with the dog so he could eat his breakfast in peace. She went after him, she went after a couple of the other cats, just nuts.)
Shannon (the receptionist), when I told her that the kittens will be ten weeks old next week, said “they’re weaned, they’re just using mom as a pacifier now”.
Natasha will be getting spayed next Monday. Maybe that will help calm things down around here.
@cf1 Well, it’s her own damned fault if she’s stressed. She’s the one who was dragging a kitten out of the safe room (that was funny), which lead to the bedroom being made accessible.
She’s the one who called to them from the other side of the barriers until the kittens breached them (Wendy made a straight up 30" jump to get to the top of the wood barrier) and it was useless to leave them up.
And now, when she’s not outside (funny thing, she leaves the other guys alone when they’re in the out), she lays in one of the cat trees in the living room (we have a bunch), just watching.
Here are the cat trees. I noticed after I looked at them that there’s a couple of kittens playing at the top of one of them. Nat is laying on one in front of the fireplace (the clock doesn’t work, need batteries, so that’s not what time it really is).
@lisaviolet I think the kitty-momma hormones are clouding her brain. She looks pretty relaxed there. The cat tree is awesome. Those kitties have it so lucky
@cf1@lisaviolet
That’s one fantastic kitty jungle gym you’ve got there! My niece needs a kitten! It’s like jumping through hoops in CT just to adopt a cat! God forbid someone thinks you have the wrong color eyes, they pass judgement about everything! She owns a horse farm for Pete sake and has two dogs that she rescued! It’s a darn shame that she’s been treated like she has just trying to get a cat. Wow I got myself ALL worked up, time to chill and go back to look at cute kitty pics!
@Lynnerizer it’s the same thing in parts of Texas. Shelters are begging for adoptees but when a friend of mine was searching online, all she got was dead ends. She would fill out an application and never get a response. She finally went to Petsmart one Saturday during an adoption event and fell in love with a little black and grey tabby and got to take him home that day.
@ironcheftoni@Lynnerizer from around here (Midwest rural) idk that they would give much credit to online? I wouldn’t. Show up/talk to staff/see all the kitties/play with one or several. When I volunteered I’d let whoever I could out to play at least the group kitten cage for the one they thought they might like and give the kids some toys and sit on the floor and let them all play.
Obviously they have a “background check”. Who is your vet, what pets do you have, are you up on shots, if you are out of county check with your local it there is a reason you are going out of county etc . 10 minute free application.
If it’s your first maybe some pointers
But it was usually great! We’ll see you tomorrow and they would deal with it in 24 hours. Come back for the meet and greet. Bring dog if you have one. Sign here you’ll get them fixed/keep them indoors/return them if you have to surrender them.
Most shelters at least here don’t have the resources to post every cat and even if they did. You don’t really get a cat “online”
So, Nat is doing fine, she’s recuperating nicely. I got this little photo of her yesterday afternoon.
The kittens spend very little time at the milk bar. She gets up and walks away.
On the kitten front, since they now have the run of the house and are slipping right into the daily routine, I’m enjoying listening to my husband tell them that they’re not very nice. The kittens have zero bounderies and are good at pushing their way into the food the other cats are getting (he feeds them in the morning) even though they get the exact same food as the other cats.
He speaks to them as if they’re humans.
I still have the problems with them when I’m doing the litter boxes. They think they’re helping by hanging on the sides of the box or even jumping in when I’m scooping.
I was so frustrated yesterday, I kinda yelled “Avengers! Assemble! Somewhere else!” as I removed another kitten from the box so I could finish.
This morning, the kittens have realized they do not have to play in one room at a time, they can start in the office and zoom through the rest of the house.
Mom is right there with them.
We have glass doors on the bathtub. I keep them open a crack to let the air flow through (the window is on one of the walls in the tub). Somehow, a couple of the kids got into the tub this morning and made all sorts of noise.
Earlier this week, I was wondering what was up with Phoebe, one of the Friends kittens born in 2004. She was avoiding her place on the sleep center in the living room. I found out why.
The kittens discovered the baskets. Phoebe isn’t pleased with this.
Little Bitty Dawg has become quite annoying when the kittens are playing. He stands up and growls and barks at them (from his position on the sofa). They are no where close to him. Telling him “no” is not working.
Now, when he barks just because they’re playing, he gets to go outside. He can still bark if they attempt to steal his meals.
@lisaviolet lol. Coco gets this weird growl going on if any of them come “in range”. Doesn’t seem to be food related. They go in and eat out of her bowl. They play with her food ball. But if they get right up next to the couch. Gerrr. Or if she’s playing with the ball and they get in eyesight while she’s eating something… It really sounds funny.
I get her point of view. She was alone with KitKat and then she was alone with twixy. Now she’ll just be chilling and 4 hypersonic missles come randomly flying down the stairs and she’s suddenly surrounded… Even if they don’t want to mess with her, just play with each other.
@lisaviolet it’s hard to tell what her deal is. Dartanyan had been wandering around and she’d been “asleep” or ignoring him. I called him up on the couch and he jumped next to her and she noticed and growled and I got him to move higher and it stopped.
Now he’s snuggling in the crook of my leg and she’s still on my feet. Something about her seeing them/them getting to close.
They can do a foot away and it’s fine but something about her seeing them
@lisaviolet you’d hear me going “dartanyan I don’t think you want to do that, come over here.” “Watcha that is not a good place she’s not going to like that.” “Alex come here” “coco. Coco it’s ok. Baby”
She’ll adjust eventually I’m sure. She could kick their ass but she’s never been a fighter and they are a perceived threat
My two five-month-ish dudes are getting mellowed out nicely; mom was feral, and it took me a while to get them away from her, but they’re both completely nonaggressive. One gray tabby with white feet and chin, one orange tabby with white feet. The gray one can be safely picked up; he doesn’t even go cactus. The orange one sometimes allows being picked up, but he’s the more skittish of the two, and is easily startled. Both of them understand the value and source of scritches.
@werehatrack pics or it didn’t happen… Idk how to do a pouty emoji. (We want the pics)
The three adventures are all good but a little energetic. One resident hates them with a passion. One just kinda turns her head like “yes? Can I help you”
1 only wants to play. Mom hisses but comes for treats. It you get her in with chicken she purs and starts needing the carpet. But won’t leave her kingdom upstairs
@unksol She’ll be TNR if I can ever get her back into the trap. She’s smart, that one. But I can haz plan. By the end of next week, I think she’ll be back on her home turf and no longer a kitten source.
@cf1@werehatrack lol they did unwind the toilet paper but it was needed. They are unholy terrors technically. Knocking over and climbing everything. Are they technically messy/dirty… Not so much
@werehatrack the trap is stressful. I think after one they are usually done. I’m betting that Snickers was the dumb one who got trapped unintentionally in an unbaited trap but she was alone in there for a bit while Alex and D’artagnan pitched a fit. I picked D’artagnan up and brought her in the trap. Then I baited it cause had to get Alex. Caught mom… Didn’t expect that. Then somehow caught Alex and I assume whatcha together so they were less stressed.
She’s probably not getting trapped again and leaving out a live trap with food I wood get tons of critters
The kittens breached the 30" barrier this morning. I opened it so they could get out. Mom kept calling them.
Natasha caught a juvenile mouse in the garage this morning and brought it in. I guess mom thinks it’s time they learned to hunt. I took the dead mouse from the kitten who was batting it around the hallway and put it outside.
Nooby has been watching the kittens with interest. Nat is tired of his shit and chased him away. Twice so far. I think he finally went outside.
Some guy that I was texting with last year about trying to find a Himalayan kitten just messaged me last night. He’s got a litter ready to go! I’m SO excited to go see them in person. Here’s the pictures he sent me.
Last Sunday, Wanda was down. I thought maybe she’d hurt herself climbing or rough housing since she was having a hard time walking.
The other kits were fine. Then Monday, Carol started showing signs. As did Wendy, Goose and Steve. Bucky was fine. Carol was the worst, though.
Tuesday morning, minutes after the vet’s office opened, I called the vet to see if I could bring Carol in, since her symptoms were worse than the other kittens. When the vet got in, I was called back and told I could do a drop off (my vet’s office is very busy). After the vet had a chance to check her over, I got a phone call with a plan. Testing for disease, complete blood panel, x-rays…I mentioned that since it was happening with the other guys, I kind of doubted that they all had some sort of bowel obstruction, so, no x-rays. I okayed the estimate.
So, a couple of hours later, the vet couldn’t find any actual problem. She diagnosed an upper respiratory infection. Carol got fluids (I can give fluids if needed, I just wasn’t sure of the amount). When she came home, she just slept with her brothers and sisters.
Bucky and Natasha were running and playing throughout the house. Then, just like that (snaps fingers), Bucky crashed.
Tuesday night, the kittens slept on a blanket on the floor, with the sliding glass door open and a fan on them to keep them cool. (Suggested by the vet’s office.)
Six kittens. Six sick kittens.
On day four (yesterday) Wanda had perked up quite a bit. Wendy was right behind her. Not 100%, but a lot better, interested in food, running around a bit. This morning five kittens were looking for breakfast (three didn’t eat, but Wendy and Wanda were sure hungry) and Bucky is still sleeping. Bucky may get fluids today.
From what I read, URIs can last from seven to ten days, so we’re doing better than the average. We have no coughing or anything like that, just fevers, inappetence, and lethargy.
I’m hoping they’re all showing decent improvement by this weekend.
@lisaviolet Gosh I am glad they are all, but Bucky, improving. Hope he improves too. The next mystery is where the first one got it from though… I also hope none of your other cats get sick.
@unksol Goose wanted up on the counter this morning. He tried jumping up, but could only make it about 30 inches. Brian picked him up and I thought he was going to put him on it (No! no! don’t get him started so soon!), but he just gave him a little hug and put him back on the floor.
@unksol I have to place empty cereal boxes across the edge of my countertop to keep one of my cats off. If I forget and she sees me looking her direction when she is up there she immediately jumps down… before I can even say, “Get down” (which they all know the meaning of). It’s clear she knows she shouldn’t be up there and goes up there anyway.
@Kidsandliz@unksol Toby, like a lot of cats, loves “exotic” water, so when I’m not in the kitchen he jumps up and tries to find a pot or a bowl in the sink with water in it. If I show up he jumps down. So yes, he knows better too.
@Kyeh@unksol Yeah my one is up to drink water out of whatever is in the sink - including soapy or dirty (so I have to be really careful). Damn cat is removing my ability to let dishes sit in the sink all day. Spoil sport that she is. (grin).
@Kidsandliz@unksol Exactly. The plus side is, Toby gets really excited when I put fresh water in his bowls (he has three around the house) - almost more then when I give him food! Not sure if it’s the water itself or just having me wait on his little lordship.
@Kidsandliz@Kyeh they don’t do that and the kittens just have a water bowl upstairs.
But since they are running the house they also have access to the filtered fountains. An old design pioneer pet ceramic and a drinkwell platinum.
I only bought them years ago because KitKat had a urinary tract issue and the vets said anything that encouraged him drink more water… And anything was better than another $1000 bill and stress.
I was thinking about getting the kittens one but I don’t recall them being $50. but $50 x 5 cats lol not that big a deal. He used to follow me into the bathroom and leap to the sink and cry to turn the sink on to drink anyway
And this morning? Kittens are back to normal. All of them. Lots of yelling at the older cats who wanted to go outside (cat door is set to “in only” because the Avengers figured out cat doors a few weeks ago), but just stood there like statues or ran away when I shooshed the Avengers away from the open door.
And since the pee pads we put down for the dog during the night/early morning had become toys for the kittens, getting him out first thing is a must. But then he wants back in and we have to fight the kittens off while he tries to figure out if it’s safe to come back inside yet. So, he just stands there. While I try to keep kittens away from the door. Brian actually got out of bed to say “maybe he doesn’t want back in”. Uh, yeah, he does.
Brian helped keep the kittens away from the open door and all is well.
@lisaviolet well as long as their healthy right? I dont let them out but if I had your setup and temps I would when they are ready. Slightly jealous. They are just all over when they want to be. I was going to take a pic cause three of the kittens were there just now and as I thought it they literally just split and walked away… I’ve had 6 in frame at once but not got a good one. Momma I only get down the stairs when tossing treats… Will try and get a pic next time
@unksol My big concern with the kittens being outside is the hawks (daytime) or owls (nighttime).
I’m just not comfortable with the idea. If there were just one or two, I would feel safe watching them with me out there. But not with six.
We don’t have any skinny adult cats. Even Natasha has put on a fair amount of weight since her spay (used to be, you could feel her ribs with no effort).
But these kittens are just so tiny, I can’t help but think they’d be nothing for a sky predator to pick up. Those birds are huge.
@lisaviolet yes… Did not think of that. If they are around that could not end well. I would think they’d have better places to hunt but. Never thought about a hawk grabbing a kitten…
@lisaviolet@unksol hawks and owls would take off with my niece’s ducks on a regular basis. They also had night time creatures (at least one fox viewed them as the dinner bar) that would get them too - and not just babies. they had to keep them in a large chain linked enclosure with a roof when things got too bad.
@Kidsandliz@lisaviolet I thought of hawks picking off chickens. That would just be… You are going to lose some. Cats are usually so aware and so fast… But I don’t know that they really consider attack from above. Especially with how quiet/fast a diving bird of prey is.
@Kidsandliz@lisaviolet and you know. A cat is well armed and can twist and bite/get claws in you. If they are even remotely feeling threatened. Probably not worth it for a bird unless its starving cause the attempt could kill it. But kittens…
@lisaviolet@unksol Cats can be injured by birds though. A friend of mine’s cat took down a half gown hawk that was bigger than he was (made me sad she left her cats roam as I am sure they killed numerous birds). He ended up pecked on the neck by the bird and got a big infection. The cat didn’t even eat the hawk.
@Kidsandliz@lisaviolet I just meant for a hawk you assume they don’t do for prey that can critically injure them. A struggling cat with a kick in the wing might cripple a hawk. I mean the cat/kitten is dead but the hawk is fucked if it can’t fly. MAD
Some reasons not to hunt adult cats. but with kittens. Clearly you don’t want them to look like snacks
@lisaviolet
My guess is the kittens got sick from the cats that go outdoors. They probably have a higher immunity to stuff bc they come in contact with the other animals that come in your yard even if indirectly.
Soon enough, they will be bigger, and mobile, and active, and everywhere. And because they are around humans from the start, they’ll be socialized, and that means you get to have them pestering you.
I have two older kittens at the moment that were neighborhood ferals that showed up in my yard. They’re about 14 weeks old, noncombative, but still terrified of us. But not so terrified that they won’t lick gooshy treats off of our fingers. Their mom, however, would rather shred humans than be seen by them. I’m trying to figure out how to get her out of the kennel cage and back into the live trap for transportation to one of the TNR vets to be spayed. She’s definitely not going to socialize, no way. And I’d like to still have all of my appendages after handling her. She’s 100% unwilling to go anywhere near the trap.
A doll just flew out of nowhere and landed in front of my face. I looked up and
Yes that is d’Artagnan tiny little head sticking out. He walked the wall, jumped over there, down the tree, was playing, then back up the tree and back out.
Coco has never even been over there, only KitKat. I was thinking about taking it down and relocating. Or putting in a bridge. Or scrapping it. Has to be 13 years old by now and a lot of wear. Idk why but I find him being up there very… Satisfying.
@Kyeh I’m just strangely happy it’s been used. Idk if the rest will follow. This is the full extent of it.
KitKat used to sleep in that top basket sometimes idk 18 feet up?
Just had it from an old apartment and then the house had this wall/lofted ceiling/shelf. Well…lol
@unksol That’s pretty neat!
I don’t know if you saw my tale of woe last year- I thought I was going to adopt 2 gorgeous Savannah cats from a guy who was leaving the country. I spent a lot of time clearing space for a huge cat tree that was coming with them; then got a friend to help me move that and a bunch more stuff over here for them; and then the guy reneged and claimed that the breeder demanded that he return the cats. So I was stuck with the giant tree when he left, mid-pandemic, and had no cat at that point. I even went on Nextdoor trying to give it away. But then I got Toby. And he ignored it for several weeks, but suddenly discovered it and loved it. So - long story, but it worked out okay!
@Kyeh well that sucks. I honestly can’t recall that far back on the pet threads but two Savannah’s would be a heck of a handful. One of my friends has two and they have a lot of power as teens/adults when they play/jump to you. And setting up for them and then having them yanked… At least Toby looks to be a very happy kitty.
This height and space is definitely interesting to watch them run amuk in… Some armakat I bought years ago and is still holding on and looks huge from the bottom cause the way the upstairs case is.
@unksol I’d be worried a cat would fall off the cat tree on that shelf. Every single one of my cats has fallen off a cat tree at least once some more than that. Usually the fall has happened while play with another cat (that has been the typical reason) but sometimes because who knows what reason. Several times I think too deeply asleep and rolled off.
@Kidsandliz coco has jumped exactly once from the wall and that was because I spooked her when she was younger. Which. Poor decision making on my part. She literally runs the wall at a full sprint. Well she did till the kittens moved up there. Wasn’t a way to stop her.
KitKat fell once and only because the “landing” platform had been hit so many times the OSB had started to wear out and deflect… And he’d put on some weight. He scared the crap out of me but it’s directly above the love seat cushion so he gently bounced.
I need to reinforce that. But the kittens weight nothing. And need to check on the worn rope. Not saying it’s not a valid concern but I’ve never seen a cat not be aware of their altitude. I have seen them be crazy and playing and decide to jump down which would be to the wall. Or the shelf. But other than choosing to jump to a safe location they are Velcro on sisal. And it’s fully wrapped. They can’t grab a half wrapped pole. I’ve never seen a kitten “fall” like that. I have seen them slide/fall off me. Cause I’m not a flat stable pplatform and the ground is a foot.
Also he’s been the only one over there… So no playing. I honestly didn’t think anyone would have the tiny big balls to go there. Since Coco never had them to follow KitKat and there was no one around to teach him. I’ll be keeping an eye on them off course.
Kittens yesterday, free range of the house (except the office and garage - garage because the door to the backyard is open during the day for cat access).
And because kittens attributed to my super crap night’s sleep last night, today, I will watch them and when they are asleep, I will wake them.
Nah, I won’t.
Cleaning litter boxes every morning now, we really need to stock up on cat litter.
Nat attacked both Ike (who was just getting a drink of water in the dining room) and Jingles (who will never be in the genius category) yesterday. I hope she quickly realizes her kittens are in no danger. Brian says we need to keep spray bottles with water handy.
@cf1 Just one dog and he is having a hard time of it. He and mom cat got off to a bad start, not his fault, but it hasn’t gotten better.
You think he’d have learned by now to give her and the kids wide berth. Nope. Nope. Nope.
The kittens were just tuckered out when I got that photo. They had been playing for hours, I had tossed all of their toys out there. On the trees is where they finally settled down.
Yanno, I had all of these head images of little kittens, cuddling against my neck and head, purring and being sweet.
I have no idea where I got those images. Reality isn’t even close to what I thought it would be.
@lisaviolet Maybe he just thinks they are really cute and wants to snuggle with them. If you look at ads and stories and crap, they always show cute, innocent little kittens snuggling or whatnot. Lies! All lies! (But still cute)
@cf1@lisaviolet lol they will be holy terrors till they grow out of that burst of energy phase.
I get the Walmart special kitty 40 lb boxes cause it’s $10 a box. And is the only off brand that actually clumps well that I know of. Other ones I tried have been very meh. I have stacks of tidy cat buckets but at this point it’s way cheaper to buy the Walmart stuff and poor it into one of the buckets and keep the bucket near the box. I use another for deposits. It’s easier to top off the litter box from the bucket than the cardboard box.
@lisaviolet What a wonderful picture! That little tortie in the middle is so photogenic - and she seems to know it. I’m sorry they don’t cuddle with you - maybe when they’re a little older?
@cf1@Kidsandliz@lisaviolet I do hope it doesn’t take 2 years. Mine definitely need some time but since she’s been handling them since they were born they might pile on sooner than later between the chaos. They are doing their midnight sprints at the moment.
Mom not adjusting stresses me the most. Snickers being skittish fine but she has her siblings and the the house. Mom refusing to come down and just going around her every day… she can’t do that for 15 years lol
@cf1@lisaviolet@unksol When the babies are at an age that mom starts treating them less as babies might help. The double stress of in a new house with other animals and people (food or no food) with babies may be more than she can handle well.
While my feral (5mo when caught) was willing to let me pet her, hold her, etc. fairly early on she really only started to initiate close contact with me probably a year later. She did sleep with the other cats sooner than that (everyone was having a cow for a while, longer than the usual new cat in the house adjustment) and as long as other cats weren’t competing for space by me she’d do that, but to do it with other cats right there took a lot longer.
@cf1@Kidsandliz@lisaviolet momma came down for a whole 30 seconds. I can deal with her just being around and not liking me. That is fine. Just not her spending her whole life up there. I did catch them trying to nurse off her yesterday so the whole pacifier/hormones might be a thing but… Since there are no fights might just let her work through it
Boys are definitely getting snipped when they go to the vet. The girls. I guess it’s they need it. A spay is more invasive and so far not needed since they are indoor. But might be needed with this many
@cf1@Kidsandliz@Kyeh@lisaviolet not yet but she won’t let me touch her. That would be a whole tricking her into a carrier and then she’s going to be a handful for the vet and then she needs to be monitored while she heals and then she is never ever going to trust me again.
That would be fine for TNR but she’s already inside. So. Idk. Letting her figure it out. Was just some progress that she actually came down.
@cf1@lisaviolet I feel bad about making the ups guy haul heavy stuff down my crappy drive. They can’t pull up/back down. I grab a couple boxes at Walmart every 2 weeks but if they could pull up and unload a pallet in the garage…
At the vet’s with Spot this morning (he has a fat chin), Brian brought up getting the mini-Avengers fixed.
Made appointment(s) for December 2. Six carriers. Brian has ideas for me decorating the carriers that include the Avengers logo, photos of the kitten in the carrier and their name and their aka name (their avenger name).
So, I guess this is about it for the baby kitten updates.
They are all fixed. They are all doing well. In a couple of weeks, they will have access to the great outdoors (well, the backyard, anyway).
They came through the surgeries with no lasting effects. Wendy and Wanda did have some throat problems from the intubation, but they had resolved by the next day.
And they are making up for the down time, which really wasn’t all that long.
Mom has started pushing them away when they try to nurse. She still hangs with them and plays with them, but feeding them is no longer her purrview. (See what I did there?)
It’s not that things haven’t been crazy around here (they have, but nothing of import, really) but I’ve been having a hard time staying focused on any one thing.
The kittens were allowed out of the bathroom earlier this week and have shown no interest whatsoever of leaving the room since. But Natasha has other ideas. She wants the kittens out. And although she can come and go as she pleases that’s not enough.
We started blocking off the house and the office, giving the kittens access to the bedroom and hallway. Mom can easily jump the barrier to the office (she’s way better than me, my toes keep catching on the wood going over and I’m afraid I’m gonna faceplant at some point).
Just one day I pulled the foam up (since the kittens were climbing to the top anyway) and opened the door, she’s been adamant we leave it that way.
But there’s Nooby, who is extremely territorial and I worry about him and the kittens. And the dog. The poor little dog who’s terrified of her (and rightly so). He sleeps in the bed and it’s not fair that the other, elderly cats don’t have the access to rooms they’ve had for years. So, we’re trying to deal with that. It’s not really an issue during the day, we have the office door to the patio and the living room door to the patio open (our house is U shaped) so the critters can get to most of the rooms. But not at night.
Wednesday night, I locked her in with the kittens, just had the lattice door latched. Last night, that wasn’t going to work for her (shoulda named her Karen). I’d take her out, she’d be okay for ten minutes, then cry to get back into the room. I’d put her in the room and latch the door. She’d be okay for ten minutes, then want out. Crying, scratching…after an hour of this I said “fuck it” and put her in the room and shut the actual bathroom door.
If she was unhappy, I was blissfully unaware at that point.
Here’s a link to my blog post through the end of last month.
I’ll post some photos later. Now that the heat has subsided (I’m useless when it’s hot, I’m useless when the house is closed up, blinds pulled and the air conditioner is on) and there’s actual natural light in the house, I should be more energized.
But the kittens are growing nicely, they had their one month birthday a week ago. They’re eating and drinking and pottying in the big kitty litter box with clumping litter (I started them out in a smaller box with non-clumping litter). Mom isn’t spending nearly so much time with them, but she does lay in the hallway, close to the open door.
@cf1@unksol I’m going crazy this morning! She does NOT want them in the bathroom. She’s dragging them out (she can’t lift them up, they’re too big) and into the bedroom.
@cf1@lisaviolet I only kept them in a day or two but they were too big and mobile already so I let them have upstairs to go bonkers… 3 like me. Snickers did but is being weird. Mom hisses and then cries at me and then rubs up and starts to kneed the carpet when you give her chicken but makes no attempt to escape though she could. I think she’s confused.
@cf1@unksol Keep in mind, females can still come into heat when they’re nursing…
Nat is actually doing better now that she has room to stretch out. We’ll just have to deal with it. If I have to sleep on the sofa for the dog, I will.
He’s an old Shiztu and won’t harm the babies, but Natasha doesn’t know that. If it weren’t for the dog, I wouldn’t be being so cautious at this point. I’m not afeerd of the dog, I’m afeerd of what the cat would do to the dog.
@Kyeh@unksol Damn. It’s just amazing. I am so glad you’re letting them grow up with mom in the picture.
Over on FB, folks who haven’t been following the MCU kitten saga ask me questions I’ve already answered. Last night, someone asked about feeding mom, that maybe she needs a good supplemental food to take care of the kittens after seeing the photo of them partaking of her food bar in the bedroom. “They are so big!” she said.
Forget that I had posted how I spent over $100 on Royal Canin mama/kitten food that she wouldn’t eat (after eating the first cans I bought). And how Fancy Feast kitten food had her stool so huge, weird colored and nasty smelling that I actually put a call into the vet about it, not even considering it was the food.
@Kyeh@lisaviolet I’m def not willing to expose myself to that level of arm chair captains lol. Purrina kitten chow has always seemed sufficient/no one’s going hungry or complaining about it.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Granted mine came in ready to eat. They are still nursing some but everyone seemed to know that was food and have some. Who knows what they were eating outside.
They definitely are not reliant on her but she isn’t stopping them
@Kyeh@lisaviolet they had almost cleared the bowl. Lots of bare space. Refilled jus now they chow down. Every day. The wet/premium food people can get bent. If you have the time/money to feed them wet great. Some with medical issues even need it. But they should not get judgy. Some pretentious people feed them raw. Or cook for their dog. That’s fine if you have time
But you took in a random starving mom that probably someone kicked out or didnt care enough about. Shelters have hundreds of cats.
Unless they are actively doing tnr of a vet offering services/medical advice. They should mind their own damn business and enjoy pretty kitties
It wasn’t so much the “high quality” comment, it was the fact that it was even said. Yanno?
Like I’m not feeding her at all.
But I’d gone on at length in previous posts about what she was getting to eat and the problems I was having with her even eating it.
I wanted to shout back “yes, damn it, she IS getting supplemental food! Read my damned wall!”
BTW, I gave the kittens Fancy Feast kitten food yesterday morning, mom ate a fair amount and last night, she had another one of those big, stinky, obnoxious poops. We were on the patio, she pottied in the laundry room litter box and we could smell it outside.
I’ve been online since 1996. I’ve had cats my entire life. Granted, this was the first in house born litter, but we have taken in lactating moms and their kittens. Like what you’ve done, @Unksol.
This ain’t my first rodeo and it annoys the hell out of me when I’m given advice that I didn’t ask for.
@Kyeh@lisaviolet you should think no one would take on a cat without knowing how to feed it. But people in cities half ass feed them. Let them be outside.
You obviously know what you’re doing and have a cat paradise and I’d be pissed off too. If they are healthy and happy. Mind your biz people
And ok barn cats. If I had a barn sure. Maybe the strays could be TNRed and live out there
@Kyeh@lisaviolet I opened the gate yesterday and today. They’ve. Well D’artagnan led Alex and Whatchamacallit down. Once. They seem to be more focused on the gate for some reason even though it’s open.
@Kyeh@unksol For the first time since kittens, one of the cats, the substantial Spot, a very big kitty, jumped over the barrier.
He came face to face with Wendy. This tiny, black, furry thing, all puffed up and sideways at him. He sniffed her, she hissed, he hissed, he turned around, ran and cleared the 18" foam barrier with inches to spare.
@Kyeh@lisaviolet lol they have met coco and the first interaction was like that but just giving them access to the house. Plus they have been hammering the gate and escaping so it’s open
@lisaviolet@unksol Yeah, people have no business telling you how to do this - I just figured if they’re so set on “being helpful” they could pitch in some funds, haha. But I was being facetious; I don’t think they really would.
I wonder why the Fancy Feast has such stinky effects?
@Kyeh@lisaviolet they’ve been sprinting up and down the stairs for a bit then whatchamacallit pounced on a cat scratcher. “Broke” it made a bunch of noise and they all retreated
@Kyeh@lisaviolet@unksol Catching up on the conversation. The mom cats know when they have a good thing going and all of these felines seem very happy and satisfied. The proof is in the pictures and videos of their interactions with you. I think you are doing a great job of caring for all of them. I wouldn’t know or feel comfortable trying to manage all that you are doing.
That Fancy Feast problem sounds bad. Does mom have stomach discomfort before letting it all out?
@DTominator Since the hive minds on Facebook have had similar problems feeding Fancy Feast kitten food to adult cats, I’m going with it’s just too rich for the adult digestive system to handle it.
And I have to keep in mind, I have no idea what her diet was before we got her. She ate a huge moth the other day when she was on the patio. She left the wings.
And she’s incredibly thin. Her fur is very shiny and it looks very healthy. She doesn’t seem like she’s in any distress at all.
But a vet visit is in her near future. Once I’m okay with taking her away from the kittens for a couple of hours.
And on more “arrrghh!” news, Bucky was in the office this morning. Not the best way to start the day.
She ate a huge moth the other day when she was on the patio. She left the wings.
When I lived in a house I used to see the back legs of lizards, headless crickets and grasshoppers and murdered toys roaches. They each had to learn, and it only took once, that roaches don’t taste good - always saw puke with roach in it when they were in learning mode. LOL not, (was gross to look at).
@DTominator@Kidsandliz Yeah, last week I saw the kittens checking something out on the dark runner and I looked at it. Legs and head of a lizard, torso gone.
Then Nat puked in the hallway. Cat food. I went back into the bedroom and looked a little more closely. I found the torso. I had missed it on my first pass.
@Kyeh@lisaviolet blah. Well hopefully that will fix it. I really need to run the monsters in but momma is still not thrilled with me. And Snickers is just. Nope. But they are getting huge. Can’t keep dragging my feet. Sigh.
@cf1@Kyeh@lisaviolet they are being very kind about all using one litter box. That I’m scooping twice a day in the bathroom they started in. I might need to put another one up there.
Technically they have access to 4 if they found the one the residents use since there is nothing stopping them. They have breached the basement. Spent hours running the main floor. Cats aren’t messy other than the litter box. As long as they use it. You don’t want to give them a reason not to.
Coco doesn’t like them at all and she is the the best kitty and that’s a whole thing hiss and run away
I don’t give them a chance while I’m cleaning iy. I pull it out and put the scoop in back lift it up 45 degrees and all the loose clumps are in. dump in bucket. Do the reverse for the other side. Tilt again get the stuck front, tilt again get the stuck back. Top off if needed. I’m sure they’d be sitting on my scoop it I tried to do it differently.
They try and get in what but it’s fast with my scoops and they learned to wait a minute quick
Aunt killed their ferret in the dryer so. Checking appliances is good
the only low one I have is to try and convince the old girl to not shit/piss on the floor kitties have no problem in or out of all the high sides. And everyone kicks less out
This evening we packed up The Dudes (our two still-not-named 8-month-ish kittens) and hauled them to the mobile low cost vax vet for their booster of one of the vaxes. The tech made the mistake of trying to extract Orange Dude from the carrier, and much hilarity ensued. Grey Dude was more cooperative. I fear that we are edging closer to the cat-naming precipice.
@werehatrack This is how Thing-Thing kept her name… I was NOT. GOING. TO. KEEP. HER. (rescue cat - fucking student abused her - broke off teeth and chipped bones in her jaw - and then dumped her on campus when the school year ended) so I refused to name her. I just called her thing-thing. And…um…well…almost 4 years later there is this cat I have whose name is Thing-Thing. She’s the most loving, grateful cat.
@lisaviolet Did the vet give you an estimate of her age? She must not be very old herself, huh? Do the orange guys have stripes, or are they solid orange?
@Kyeh Vet didn’t say much about her age, probably under a year old.
The boys have stripey legs (which you can see if you click on the image and open image in new tab, which makes it a lot bigger) and are solid on their backs.
Right now I have onesies on all of the girls to see how they handle them. So they aren’t so weirded out next week. They seem to be okay with it. Not happy, but I think it should be okay. Better than an E collar.
@lisaviolet they did KitKat pretty young. Right after his shots. That was 2008. No idea how old he was since he was hiding in a parking lot but still “hold in one hand size”, functional maybe 2-3 months . Not big like the monsters running crazy here. They get big faster than I remember.
But that was also one guy… Not 6 or spays. Good luck. Wish your vet luck on hers lol
@duodec I have video of Bucky and Steve re-enacting the fight scene between Captain America and The Winter Soldier from the movie Captain America: Winter Soldier.
@Kyeh I cheated and got little velvet collars that have velcro. Goose is green, Bucky is blue and Steve is silver. Well, gray, but we’ll pretend it’s silver.
@lisaviolet@tinamarie1974 Now you will have a bunch of escaped cats with no catnip to bribe them into staying in your backyard where they can get their daily fix.
@lisaviolet@tinamarie1974 Ahhhh - your cat bait. You lure them into your yard and then they are so high they can’t get out. And this is why you have so many cats. Sneaky.
So far we have six. Three gingers, one tortie for sure, and two more black kittens.
At the food bar:
@lisaviolet Kittehs!
Need to get my scritching fingers warmed up to start passing out head scritches.
@lisaviolet What a good mommy!
@lisaviolet So adorable!!! Congratulations to you and momma kitty. And thanks for sharing this tender moment.
All cleaned up! She did such a great job for a first (and last) timer.
@lisaviolet They arranged themselves in such an artistically pleasing way! (Or did you do that?)
@Kyeh Not me, the only time I’ve touched them is to change the bedding in the box.
@lisaviolet Clever little kittybabies!
Here’s a short video.
@lisaviolet So many heads need the scritching!!!
@lisaviolet Awww… I love the cute little sqeaky sounds they make too! Thanks, and I can’t wait to see more, please!
@lisaviolet Too much cuteness for a wet Friday morning. Thanks for sharing with us!
here we go. I’ll post videos to youtube and share those later.
8/12
8/15
8/17
This morning (the eyes are starting to open)
As I noted, their eyes are starting to open (probably will be open by Saturday?) and they’re starting to groom themselves. I’ve got that on one of the videos.
what a difference a couple of days make. Well, ten days.
Carol, August 19
Carol, August 29
@lisaviolet Beautiful baby!
@Kyeh I know, right?
I took this yesterday, they were two weeks old. Look at how big they’re getting!
Eyes are open, the recognize my voice and are starting to groom themselves (and one another) and play.
I really need to get the videos up on youtube for sharing.
@lisaviolet When I bottle fed my baby it was amazing what seemed to be reflexive (for example grooming, wiggling one’s raised butt before pouncing) and what learned behavior from their mom (like some dominance behaviors and slowly lowering and raising eye lids when content).
@lisaviolet Eek – they are getting so big! They still have baby ears but look more mobile. So cute. So very cute.
@lisaviolet Can I come over to play?
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet Me too!
I don’t know if I could stand to foster kittens because I’d want to keep them all…
@Kyeh @lisaviolet Yeah when I have fostered cats it has broken my heart to give them away. On the other hand had I not given away some I’d have had 11 cats at one point in time and that is too many for me to handle.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh koff…koff…
I sez to my husband the other day that we need to start handling them to get them use to hoomans.
He sez back “yes, we don’t want to have a repeat of Jackie”, who was a total feral from the moment we brought him in. It wasn’t until the last year of his life (after we had someone in rescue trap him here in the house, take him to a vet who worked with ferals and get him fixed) that he was a nice cat. We were really sad to lose him to cancer.
But it sounded to me like we may be failing another foster situation.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet
In other words, your husband might already be expecting them to be around all their lives?
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh Looks like it’s official.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet
Whoa! Well, it should be fun!
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh Well, that’s one word for it. I just ordered some tattoo markers for the boys so I can start calling them by their names.
Mom kept cleaning the Sharpie marker off. Hopefully the tattoo markers will last a little longer.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet So all the marmalade kitties are boys, and all the dark ones girls?
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @lisaviolet AFAIK, the majority of torties (and calicos) are female.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh Yes.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet @narfcake Yes, I knew that about torties and calicos, but one of the dark ones looks all black …? And orange tabbies tend to be male, but aren’t always?
@Kyeh @lisaviolet @narfcake Orange tabbies aren’t always male - I have seen a few who are not - but most are.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @narfcake Yes, one of the dark ones is all black. That’s Wendy.
We’ve had two orange girls, Katie Blue and Lisa Violet. Lisa was actually orange and white, but mostly orange.
Spot is a tri-colored male. A calico. Sure, he’s just got a couple of spots of black, but he definitely has three colors.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet @narfcake
Your namesake! So orange girl kitties get named for other colors, apparently?
@Kyeh At the time, we were into the Simpsons. We had a Bart and Maggie, then we got this little orange and white kitten from my mom. We named her Lisa. Her middle name was my mom’s name. Violet.
When I first came online (August 1, 1996), it was to look for help in getting a feral to come down out of the rafters in our garage (we tricked him into going into the garage to catch him). His name was Red Rafter.
Once online, I noticed there was a plethora of various iterations of the name Dianne. So, I picked one of the cats’ names.
Red finally left the rafters a year later. All that time, I climbed a ladder to feed him, change the water and clean the litter box.
@lisaviolet This was true devotion; what a lucky cat. Did he (Red) join your crew after that?
I just took this little video. They’re growing up so fast!
@lisaviolet THANK YOU …
!!!
At my house this morning:
@lisaviolet You are going to have escaped convicts from that box in no time at all.
@Kidsandliz I think so.
@lisaviolet I want them!!!
I took some pictures of the boys to show how much they’ve grown. (Not easy to do because they’re either sleeping, eating or moving.) They’ve all grown.
They are getting used to the litter box and show interest in eating (except mom always beats them to the food, she definitely has food issues, who knows how long she was on her own before she came to us).
Bucky
Goose
Steve
Aawwww you will post pics, right??
@tinamarie1974 Yes, I will. So far there are two gingers and one tortoiseshell.
I think she started on the next bunch.
@lisaviolet
Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly!!
@tinamarie1974 I love torties and calicos!
We had to say goodbye to our tortie just last month.
@rinrinrin oh it is always hard to lose a fur baby. I am sorry!
Awww baby kitties!!
/giphy meow
Solid gingers? I would be doomed.
Wow, so exciting! I can’t wait to see them all and follow their progress! Poor mama-kitty looks exhausted, though.
@Kyeh can you imagine giving birth to six? OMG
@tinamarie1974 Nope!
Well this little kitty picked the right person to take care of her and her babies. Have fun watching them!
(The background noise is all of the fans…stupid, stinking, hot summer just won’t go the hell away.)
@lisaviolet They’re enchanting! They’re going to make darn sure that all the kitten fur you washed off those jeans is restored, and then some. Such funny babies. So has the all-black one turned out to be a girl?
Oh, duh - I was just rereading the thread (what a saga!) and you said that all the black ones are girls.
@lisaviolet They are so cute and so funny. I learned to always make my bed when I got cats and the habit sticks today. Too much cat hair, and other “presents”, otherwise… Mine weren’t that interested in laundry.
@lisaviolet This made my day! And two are halloween colored!
@lisaviolet The cuteness is overwhelming!!
FIRE THE BIRTH CANNON!!!
Beautiful! Thank you @lisaviolet for helping mama & her kittens!
I was informed in the past half hour that we have, once again, failed at fostering.
“Why else would we be naming them?” he asked…
@lisaviolet
Because otherwise you’d be calling them Thing 1, Thing 2, etc, and when you kept at least one of them its name would then be “Thing Thing” which is the name of campus (where I rescued her from) kitty who I said I wasn’t going to be keeping… and now 3.5 years later she knows her name and when I call her comes running purring loudly (she is one of those “grateful” cats).
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet
My good friend adopted 2 cats from his ex whose “real” names were ridiculous. He just called them Big and Little for all the years he had them.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh @lisaviolet And what is wrong with Thing One and Thing Two -exactly?
We intentionally used those names. Use just One and Two in practice though. One was Kitty or Lil Kitty until we ended up adopting her daughter and she became Thing One. One was found pregnant and the rescue fostered her until the kittens were ready to be adopted. Two went to a family and got returned later. We brought her home thinking Mom would bond well with kid - nope, hissy fit. 
We did have a semi-feral Three for a short time. Youngest rescue broke the mold. 
No new photos, but how about some video? Taken today. They’ll be a month old tomorrow.
@lisaviolet Are they actually using the litter box now?
@Kyeh Yes, they are! A couple of them are eating wet food and kibble, as well.
Isn’t it fun watching them grow up?
@lisaviolet Yes! It happens really fast, though, doesn’t it?
@Kyeh It does. I’m amazed. Absolutely amazed at how fast it’s happening.
@Kyeh @lisaviolet I cannot believe it has been a month already!!!
@lisaviolet @tinamarie1974 Me neither!
@Kyeh @lisaviolet Thanks so much for the videos and pics and letting us follow their development. They are sooooo cute. I feel kind of like grandparents…get to watch, but can give them back when something needs to be done. How’s the mom and does she care for the kittens, too? Care for the human mom, too.
@DTominator @Kyeh Natasha is doing well. I don’t know if it was because she didn’t eat much when we brought her in (remember, she was loose in the neighborhood and we’d never seen her before that day) or just hormones, but she had a voracious appetite followed by some pretty nasty smelling, colored poops.
But that seems to have gotten better at this point, where she’s not eating so much (she ate a case - 24 cans - of kitten food in less than a week!).
But she checks on them and cleans them and does the mom thing.
This was yesterday and you can see where the kittens are getting to big to all fit at the food bar at the same time (and their little teeth are coming in).
She’s a very affectionate kitten herself with an affinity for Temptations treats.
Thank you for asking.
@DTominator @Kyeh @lisaviolet still hoping for some when they are more mobile. Ketehs! Never enough
@DTominator @lisaviolet @unksol
How about some more pix of yours, unksol?
@Kyeh @lisaviolet because they just showed up right after getting invested into @lisaviolet’s by coincidence.
And I just meant to share a pic elsewhere but got carried away. Cause Kittens and so I always slightly feel like I’m highjacking. Especially if I were to post here in her thread. I’d like to see the whole journey if she has time. Ive never had a actual mom and births. I have had stray kittens but only one at a time. Not the full chaos of 4 functional kittens never mind she’s going to have 6. Although at least Natasha was adjusted ahead of time and I assume they are more handled but still. Kittens bounce off things.
I can create a thread for them and @ you it you want when I figure out names if you want more kitties.
I’d like to know what’s up with Natasha and kittens in here
@lisaviolet @unksol I’m all in favor of a whole new thread for yours! I think there are a lot of us who think there’s no such thing as too many pictures of baby kitties.
@Kyeh @lisaviolet I just tried to do a whole “warriors of the clan of unksol”
I.e. we could post one of all our pets. Took like 15 minutes then it just died. Granted my uploade sucks
Yay!
I bet the local mice are observing, but not celebrating.
How are the kittehs? We need pictures please!
@ironcheftoni Here ya go. Taken yesterday.
One of the gingers hissed at me this morning. It was adorable! It looked kind of like it was hacking up a hairball, but I was warned to watch for the hiss.
Look at that little tongue!
@ironcheftoni @lisaviolet OMG - and those itty-bitty paws!!!
@lisaviolet SO Cute!! She is being such a good mama
Keep the pics & videos coming. They are quite Cute.
Just cleaned the litter box in the bathroom. Mom saw the dog and bit my foot. (She had kicked his ass earlier today before I had a chance to latch the door, yet, still, he follows.)
Damn it, dog, get the hell away from the door! I am not leaving the house, the front door did not open, I walked down the hallway, that’s all, you do NOT have to follow me everywhere I go!
@lisaviolet maybe throw the leash one way and run the other lol
So, to celebrate trash day, here are a couple of recent photos.
Steve and Bucky
Wendy and Goose
Mom (she has a vet appt this morning) and kids yesterday - they are getting so big
@lisaviolet You can barely see Mom in the last picture.
They are so adorable. I miss having cats but not enough to go out and get one.
So, armed with the advice from a couple of rescuers on facebook, I called the vet and asked about getting mom spayed. (She was a fucking terror this morning, I had to sit with the dog so he could eat his breakfast in peace. She went after him, she went after a couple of the other cats, just nuts.)
Shannon (the receptionist), when I told her that the kittens will be ten weeks old next week, said “they’re weaned, they’re just using mom as a pacifier now”.
Natasha will be getting spayed next Monday. Maybe that will help calm things down around here.
@lisaviolet Good luck! It sounds as though she is really stressed right now.
@cf1 Well, it’s her own damned fault if she’s stressed. She’s the one who was dragging a kitten out of the safe room (that was funny), which lead to the bedroom being made accessible.
She’s the one who called to them from the other side of the barriers until the kittens breached them (Wendy made a straight up 30" jump to get to the top of the wood barrier) and it was useless to leave them up.
And now, when she’s not outside (funny thing, she leaves the other guys alone when they’re in the out), she lays in one of the cat trees in the living room (we have a bunch), just watching.
Here are the cat trees. I noticed after I looked at them that there’s a couple of kittens playing at the top of one of them. Nat is laying on one in front of the fireplace (the clock doesn’t work, need batteries, so that’s not what time it really is).
@lisaviolet I think the kitty-momma hormones are clouding her brain. She looks pretty relaxed there. The cat tree is awesome. Those kitties have it so lucky
KRULL! A SKULL! BRETT HULL! AWESOME!
@cf1 @lisaviolet Now you can’t use this photo for a phony alibi!
@cf1 @lisaviolet
That’s one fantastic kitty jungle gym you’ve got there! My niece needs a kitten! It’s like jumping through hoops in CT just to adopt a cat! God forbid someone thinks you have the wrong color eyes, they pass judgement about everything! She owns a horse farm for Pete sake and has two dogs that she rescued! It’s a darn shame that she’s been treated like she has just trying to get a cat. Wow I got myself ALL worked up, time to chill and go back to look at cute kitty pics!
@Lynnerizer it’s the same thing in parts of Texas. Shelters are begging for adoptees but when a friend of mine was searching online, all she got was dead ends. She would fill out an application and never get a response. She finally went to Petsmart one Saturday during an adoption event and fell in love with a little black and grey tabby and got to take him home that day.
@ironcheftoni @Lynnerizer from around here (Midwest rural) idk that they would give much credit to online? I wouldn’t. Show up/talk to staff/see all the kitties/play with one or several. When I volunteered I’d let whoever I could out to play at least the group kitten cage for the one they thought they might like and give the kids some toys and sit on the floor and let them all play.
Obviously they have a “background check”. Who is your vet, what pets do you have, are you up on shots, if you are out of county check with your local it there is a reason you are going out of county etc . 10 minute free application.
If it’s your first maybe some pointers
But it was usually great! We’ll see you tomorrow and they would deal with it in 24 hours. Come back for the meet and greet. Bring dog if you have one. Sign here you’ll get them fixed/keep them indoors/return them if you have to surrender them.
Most shelters at least here don’t have the resources to post every cat and even if they did. You don’t really get a cat “online”
So, Nat is doing fine, she’s recuperating nicely. I got this little photo of her yesterday afternoon.
The kittens spend very little time at the milk bar. She gets up and walks away.
On the kitten front, since they now have the run of the house and are slipping right into the daily routine, I’m enjoying listening to my husband tell them that they’re not very nice. The kittens have zero bounderies and are good at pushing their way into the food the other cats are getting (he feeds them in the morning) even though they get the exact same food as the other cats.
He speaks to them as if they’re humans.
I still have the problems with them when I’m doing the litter boxes. They think they’re helping by hanging on the sides of the box or even jumping in when I’m scooping.
I was so frustrated yesterday, I kinda yelled “Avengers! Assemble! Somewhere else!” as I removed another kitten from the box so I could finish.
They did not assemble somewhere else.
This morning, the kittens have realized they do not have to play in one room at a time, they can start in the office and zoom through the rest of the house.
Mom is right there with them.
We have glass doors on the bathtub. I keep them open a crack to let the air flow through (the window is on one of the walls in the tub). Somehow, a couple of the kids got into the tub this morning and made all sorts of noise.
Earlier this week, I was wondering what was up with Phoebe, one of the Friends kittens born in 2004. She was avoiding her place on the sleep center in the living room. I found out why.
The kittens discovered the baskets. Phoebe isn’t pleased with this.
Little Bitty Dawg has become quite annoying when the kittens are playing. He stands up and growls and barks at them (from his position on the sofa). They are no where close to him. Telling him “no” is not working.
Now, when he barks just because they’re playing, he gets to go outside. He can still bark if they attempt to steal his meals.
@lisaviolet lol. Coco gets this weird growl going on if any of them come “in range”. Doesn’t seem to be food related. They go in and eat out of her bowl. They play with her food ball. But if they get right up next to the couch. Gerrr. Or if she’s playing with the ball and they get in eyesight while she’s eating something… It really sounds funny.
I get her point of view. She was alone with KitKat and then she was alone with twixy. Now she’ll just be chilling and 4 hypersonic missles come randomly flying down the stairs and she’s suddenly surrounded… Even if they don’t want to mess with her, just play with each other.
They also kind of stole her upstairs bed.
@lisaviolet it’s hard to tell what her deal is. Dartanyan had been wandering around and she’d been “asleep” or ignoring him. I called him up on the couch and he jumped next to her and she noticed and growled and I got him to move higher and it stopped.
Now he’s snuggling in the crook of my leg and she’s still on my feet. Something about her seeing them/them getting to close.
They can do a foot away and it’s fine but something about her seeing them
@lisaviolet you’d hear me going “dartanyan I don’t think you want to do that, come over here.” “Watcha that is not a good place she’s not going to like that.” “Alex come here” “coco. Coco it’s ok. Baby”
She’ll adjust eventually I’m sure. She could kick their ass but she’s never been a fighter and they are a perceived threat
Basket this afternoon:
Everybody but Bucky:
Bucky:
@lisaviolet He’s a loner, huh?
Yesss! Fingers crossed it all goes smooth.
/giphy Mothers
My two five-month-ish dudes are getting mellowed out nicely; mom was feral, and it took me a while to get them away from her, but they’re both completely nonaggressive. One gray tabby with white feet and chin, one orange tabby with white feet. The gray one can be safely picked up; he doesn’t even go cactus. The orange one sometimes allows being picked up, but he’s the more skittish of the two, and is easily startled. Both of them understand the value and source of scritches.
@werehatrack pics or it didn’t happen… Idk how to do a pouty emoji. (We want the pics)
The three adventures are all good but a little energetic. One resident hates them with a passion. One just kinda turns her head like “yes? Can I help you”
1 only wants to play. Mom hisses but comes for treats. It you get her in with chicken she purs and starts needing the carpet. But won’t leave her kingdom upstairs
Don’t do the cat math
@unksol
@unksol @werehatrack Cuteness! Looks as though they’ve been busy
@werehatrack dawwww. Good kitties.i hope mom is ok. If she’s just not an indoor canidate maybe TNR?
@unksol She’ll be TNR if I can ever get her back into the trap. She’s smart, that one. But I can haz plan. By the end of next week, I think she’ll be back on her home turf and no longer a kitten source.
@cf1
They figured out that they could steal the bog roll from the box on top of the vanity, and you know what kittens do with those…
@cf1 @werehatrack lol they did unwind the toilet paper but it was needed. They are unholy terrors technically. Knocking over and climbing everything. Are they technically messy/dirty… Not so much
@werehatrack the trap is stressful. I think after one they are usually done. I’m betting that Snickers was the dumb one who got trapped unintentionally in an unbaited trap but she was alone in there for a bit while Alex and D’artagnan pitched a fit. I picked D’artagnan up and brought her in the trap. Then I baited it cause had to get Alex. Caught mom… Didn’t expect that. Then somehow caught Alex and I assume whatcha together so they were less stressed.
She’s probably not getting trapped again and leaving out a live trap with food I wood get tons of critters
@unksol @werehatrack
Beautiful tabbies!
The kittens breached the 30" barrier this morning. I opened it so they could get out. Mom kept calling them.
Natasha caught a juvenile mouse in the garage this morning and brought it in. I guess mom thinks it’s time they learned to hunt. I took the dead mouse from the kitten who was batting it around the hallway and put it outside.
Nooby has been watching the kittens with interest. Nat is tired of his shit and chased him away. Twice so far. I think he finally went outside.
The kittens are playing in the living room.
Next couple of weeks are going to be so much fun.
@lisaviolet is
https://lvdesigns.com/store/product.php?productid=17678&cat=246&page=1
Still good/still got some stock?
@unksol Yes, I store it in the freezer.
@lisaviolet may have to get the monsters some for their first round lol
@lisaviolet @unksol Maybe that will civilize them and get their mom to be friendly.
Kittens at two months (Sunday).
They had access to the office for a couple of hours yesterday morning. Nope, nope, nope.
No work to be done in the office with kittens, too many places to get into that aren’t the safest.
@MtnViewRanch at some point though you have to trust that their kitten logic will function. Or you’ll drive yourself nuts.
@MtnViewRanch Too distracting
Some guy that I was texting with last year about trying to find a Himalayan kitten just messaged me last night. He’s got a litter ready to go! I’m SO excited to go see them in person. Here’s the pictures he sent me.
I’ll take my own pictures when we go check them out, hopefully tomorrow!
Natasha has been spayed. We pick her up within the hour. She did fine.
Brian just assembled and cleaned one of the large dog crates. I need to get food and water in the bowls.
This morning, I took this picture of Wendy. That’s my crochet project bag, which is hanging on our coat rack in the dining room.
@lisaviolet Cuteness overload!!! Did she get into that bag by herself?
Glad that Natasha’s spaying went well.
@Kyeh She did. I was doing a headcount and there she was.
@lisaviolet
OMG. That’s almost too adorable!
@lisaviolet Witch! She’s a Witch!
@lisaviolet @unksol Yes, it’s a perfect Halloween set up with those colors!
@Kyeh @lisaviolet I’m just saying she got up there somehow and tried to blend in. If you see a small broom…
Oh right. Right. Kitties. Wendy. 30" jump. They do that shit. Sometimes straight up.
Sounds like a herd when they all go running
Last Sunday, Wanda was down. I thought maybe she’d hurt herself climbing or rough housing since she was having a hard time walking.
The other kits were fine. Then Monday, Carol started showing signs. As did Wendy, Goose and Steve. Bucky was fine. Carol was the worst, though.
Tuesday morning, minutes after the vet’s office opened, I called the vet to see if I could bring Carol in, since her symptoms were worse than the other kittens. When the vet got in, I was called back and told I could do a drop off (my vet’s office is very busy). After the vet had a chance to check her over, I got a phone call with a plan. Testing for disease, complete blood panel, x-rays…I mentioned that since it was happening with the other guys, I kind of doubted that they all had some sort of bowel obstruction, so, no x-rays. I okayed the estimate.
So, a couple of hours later, the vet couldn’t find any actual problem. She diagnosed an upper respiratory infection. Carol got fluids (I can give fluids if needed, I just wasn’t sure of the amount). When she came home, she just slept with her brothers and sisters.
Bucky and Natasha were running and playing throughout the house. Then, just like that (snaps fingers), Bucky crashed.
Tuesday night, the kittens slept on a blanket on the floor, with the sliding glass door open and a fan on them to keep them cool. (Suggested by the vet’s office.)
Six kittens. Six sick kittens.
On day four (yesterday) Wanda had perked up quite a bit. Wendy was right behind her. Not 100%, but a lot better, interested in food, running around a bit. This morning five kittens were looking for breakfast (three didn’t eat, but Wendy and Wanda were sure hungry) and Bucky is still sleeping. Bucky may get fluids today.
From what I read, URIs can last from seven to ten days, so we’re doing better than the average. We have no coughing or anything like that, just fevers, inappetence, and lethargy.
I’m hoping they’re all showing decent improvement by this weekend.
@lisaviolet Gosh I am glad they are all, but Bucky, improving. Hope he improves too. The next mystery is where the first one got it from though… I also hope none of your other cats get sick.
@lisaviolet poor guys/gals. That would freak me out. I hope they are all on the mend
@Kidsandliz No idea where it came from, but Charlie was putting out some awesome sneezes this morning.
I hope that’s just a one off.
POPSOCKETS! COURT DOCKETS! FOLK ROCK HITS! AWESOME!
Mew mew mew
Well you got up there figure it out. Or do I need to come get you. He figured it out
@unksol Goose wanted up on the counter this morning. He tried jumping up, but could only make it about 30 inches. Brian picked him up and I thought he was going to put him on it (No! no! don’t get him started so soon!), but he just gave him a little hug and put him back on the floor.
Kitkat has the only one on the county. Coco. Never even did that. So I’m with you. No putting on the counter. Hopefully they stay off.
Not the end of the world but… It it can be avoided…
@unksol I have to place empty cereal boxes across the edge of my countertop to keep one of my cats off. If I forget and she sees me looking her direction when she is up there she immediately jumps down… before I can even say, “Get down” (which they all know the meaning of). It’s clear she knows she shouldn’t be up there and goes up there anyway.
@Kidsandliz @unksol Toby, like a lot of cats, loves “exotic” water, so when I’m not in the kitchen he jumps up and tries to find a pot or a bowl in the sink with water in it. If I show up he jumps down. So yes, he knows better too.
@Kyeh @unksol Yeah my one is up to drink water out of whatever is in the sink - including soapy or dirty (so I have to be really careful). Damn cat is removing my ability to let dishes sit in the sink all day. Spoil sport that she is. (grin).
@Kidsandliz @unksol Exactly. The plus side is, Toby gets really excited when I put fresh water in his bowls (he has three around the house) - almost more then when I give him food! Not sure if it’s the water itself or just having me wait on his little lordship.
@Kidsandliz @Kyeh they don’t do that and the kittens just have a water bowl upstairs.
But since they are running the house they also have access to the filtered fountains. An old design pioneer pet ceramic and a drinkwell platinum.
I only bought them years ago because KitKat had a urinary tract issue and the vets said anything that encouraged him drink more water… And anything was better than another $1000 bill and stress.
I was thinking about getting the kittens one but I don’t recall them being $50. but $50 x 5 cats lol not that big a deal. He used to follow me into the bathroom and leap to the sink and cry to turn the sink on to drink anyway
Ike watching Nat through the screen door yesterday.
@lisaviolet That is a goat perched on that scratching poll. LOL
@Kidsandliz Ike.
@lisaviolet He is wearing a fabulous cat costume to disguise he is a goat on a pole.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet
I just get a “can I help you?” Vibe.
Yes I just wanted the pic. As you were
And this morning? Kittens are back to normal. All of them. Lots of yelling at the older cats who wanted to go outside (cat door is set to “in only” because the Avengers figured out cat doors a few weeks ago), but just stood there like statues or ran away when I shooshed the Avengers away from the open door.
And since the pee pads we put down for the dog during the night/early morning had become toys for the kittens, getting him out first thing is a must. But then he wants back in and we have to fight the kittens off while he tries to figure out if it’s safe to come back inside yet. So, he just stands there. While I try to keep kittens away from the door. Brian actually got out of bed to say “maybe he doesn’t want back in”. Uh, yeah, he does.
Brian helped keep the kittens away from the open door and all is well.
Looks like things are back to normal.
@lisaviolet well as long as their healthy right? I dont let them out but if I had your setup and temps I would when they are ready. Slightly jealous. They are just all over when they want to be. I was going to take a pic cause three of the kittens were there just now and as I thought it they literally just split and walked away… I’ve had 6 in frame at once but not got a good one. Momma I only get down the stairs when tossing treats… Will try and get a pic next time
@unksol My big concern with the kittens being outside is the hawks (daytime) or owls (nighttime).
I’m just not comfortable with the idea. If there were just one or two, I would feel safe watching them with me out there. But not with six.
We don’t have any skinny adult cats. Even Natasha has put on a fair amount of weight since her spay (used to be, you could feel her ribs with no effort).
But these kittens are just so tiny, I can’t help but think they’d be nothing for a sky predator to pick up. Those birds are huge.
@lisaviolet yes… Did not think of that. If they are around that could not end well. I would think they’d have better places to hunt but. Never thought about a hawk grabbing a kitten…
@lisaviolet @unksol hawks and owls would take off with my niece’s ducks on a regular basis. They also had night time creatures (at least one fox viewed them as the dinner bar) that would get them too - and not just babies. they had to keep them in a large chain linked enclosure with a roof when things got too bad.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet I thought of hawks picking off chickens. That would just be… You are going to lose some. Cats are usually so aware and so fast… But I don’t know that they really consider attack from above. Especially with how quiet/fast a diving bird of prey is.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet and you know. A cat is well armed and can twist and bite/get claws in you. If they are even remotely feeling threatened. Probably not worth it for a bird unless its starving cause the attempt could kill it. But kittens…
@lisaviolet @unksol Cats can be injured by birds though. A friend of mine’s cat took down a half gown hawk that was bigger than he was (made me sad she left her cats roam as I am sure they killed numerous birds). He ended up pecked on the neck by the bird and got a big infection. The cat didn’t even eat the hawk.
@Kidsandliz @unksol The kittens are three pounds at best. Easy prey for a flying predator.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet I just meant for a hawk you assume they don’t do for prey that can critically injure them. A struggling cat with a kick in the wing might cripple a hawk. I mean the cat/kitten is dead but the hawk is fucked if it can’t fly. MAD
Some reasons not to hunt adult cats. but with kittens. Clearly you don’t want them to look like snacks
@lisaviolet
My guess is the kittens got sick from the cats that go outdoors. They probably have a higher immunity to stuff bc they come in contact with the other animals that come in your yard even if indirectly.
Look at those fat little tummies!
Soon enough, they will be bigger, and mobile, and active, and everywhere. And because they are around humans from the start, they’ll be socialized, and that means you get to have them pestering you.
I have two older kittens at the moment that were neighborhood ferals that showed up in my yard. They’re about 14 weeks old, noncombative, but still terrified of us. But not so terrified that they won’t lick gooshy treats off of our fingers. Their mom, however, would rather shred humans than be seen by them. I’m trying to figure out how to get her out of the kennel cage and back into the live trap for transportation to one of the TNR vets to be spayed. She’s definitely not going to socialize, no way. And I’d like to still have all of my appendages after handling her. She’s 100% unwilling to go anywhere near the trap.
@werehatrack Yikes! Can the TNR vets give you some sort of sedative to put in her food?
A doll just flew out of nowhere and landed in front of my face. I looked up and
Yes that is d’Artagnan tiny little head sticking out. He walked the wall, jumped over there, down the tree, was playing, then back up the tree and back out.
Coco has never even been over there, only KitKat. I was thinking about taking it down and relocating. Or putting in a bridge. Or scrapping it. Has to be 13 years old by now and a lot of wear. Idk why but I find him being up there very… Satisfying.
@unksol I bet he’s loving it!
@Kyeh I’m just strangely happy it’s been used. Idk if the rest will follow. This is the full extent of it.
KitKat used to sleep in that top basket sometimes idk 18 feet up?
Just had it from an old apartment and then the house had this wall/lofted ceiling/shelf. Well…lol
@unksol That’s pretty neat!
I don’t know if you saw my tale of woe last year- I thought I was going to adopt 2 gorgeous Savannah cats from a guy who was leaving the country. I spent a lot of time clearing space for a huge cat tree that was coming with them; then got a friend to help me move that and a bunch more stuff over here for them; and then the guy reneged and claimed that the breeder demanded that he return the cats. So I was stuck with the giant tree when he left, mid-pandemic, and had no cat at that point. I even went on Nextdoor trying to give it away. But then I got Toby. And he ignored it for several weeks, but suddenly discovered it and loved it. So - long story, but it worked out okay!
@unksol
@Kyeh well that sucks. I honestly can’t recall that far back on the pet threads but two Savannah’s would be a heck of a handful. One of my friends has two and they have a lot of power as teens/adults when they play/jump to you. And setting up for them and then having them yanked… At least Toby looks to be a very happy kitty.
This height and space is definitely interesting to watch them run amuk in… Some armakat I bought years ago and is still holding on and looks huge from the bottom cause the way the upstairs case is.
@unksol I’d be worried a cat would fall off the cat tree on that shelf. Every single one of my cats has fallen off a cat tree at least once some more than that. Usually the fall has happened while play with another cat (that has been the typical reason) but sometimes because who knows what reason. Several times I think too deeply asleep and rolled off.
@Kidsandliz coco has jumped exactly once from the wall and that was because I spooked her when she was younger. Which. Poor decision making on my part. She literally runs the wall at a full sprint. Well she did till the kittens moved up there. Wasn’t a way to stop her.
KitKat fell once and only because the “landing” platform had been hit so many times the OSB had started to wear out and deflect… And he’d put on some weight. He scared the crap out of me but it’s directly above the love seat cushion so he gently bounced.
I need to reinforce that. But the kittens weight nothing. And need to check on the worn rope. Not saying it’s not a valid concern but I’ve never seen a cat not be aware of their altitude. I have seen them be crazy and playing and decide to jump down which would be to the wall. Or the shelf. But other than choosing to jump to a safe location they are Velcro on sisal. And it’s fully wrapped. They can’t grab a half wrapped pole. I’ve never seen a kitten “fall” like that. I have seen them slide/fall off me. Cause I’m not a flat stable pplatform and the ground is a foot.
Also he’s been the only one over there… So no playing. I honestly didn’t think anyone would have the tiny big balls to go there. Since Coco never had them to follow KitKat and there was no one around to teach him. I’ll be keeping an eye on them off course.
@Kidsandliz I will admit I never saw KitKat not sleep in the baskets. Can’t roll out of those. So. Will watch for that
@unksol it’s more the play fighting on the shelf I’d be worried about.
@Kidsandliz it’s way broader than the wall… And a lower drop. And over the couches. Can’t keep them off the wall so. I think they’ll be ok.
Kittens yesterday, free range of the house (except the office and garage - garage because the door to the backyard is open during the day for cat access).
And because kittens attributed to my super crap night’s sleep last night, today, I will watch them and when they are asleep, I will wake them.
Nah, I won’t.
Cleaning litter boxes every morning now, we really need to stock up on cat litter.
Nat attacked both Ike (who was just getting a drink of water in the dining room) and Jingles (who will never be in the genius category) yesterday. I hope she quickly realizes her kittens are in no danger. Brian says we need to keep spray bottles with water handy.
@lisaviolet How in the world did you get them to be in a display like that?
I feel sorry for the dogs. They must be so confused.
@cf1 Just one dog and he is having a hard time of it. He and mom cat got off to a bad start, not his fault, but it hasn’t gotten better.
You think he’d have learned by now to give her and the kids wide berth. Nope. Nope. Nope.
The kittens were just tuckered out when I got that photo. They had been playing for hours, I had tossed all of their toys out there. On the trees is where they finally settled down.
Yanno, I had all of these head images of little kittens, cuddling against my neck and head, purring and being sweet.
I have no idea where I got those images. Reality isn’t even close to what I thought it would be.
@lisaviolet Maybe he just thinks they are really cute and wants to snuggle with them. If you look at ads and stories and crap, they always show cute, innocent little kittens snuggling or whatnot. Lies! All lies! (But still cute)
@cf1 @lisaviolet lol they will be holy terrors till they grow out of that burst of energy phase.
I get the Walmart special kitty 40 lb boxes cause it’s $10 a box. And is the only off brand that actually clumps well that I know of. Other ones I tried have been very meh. I have stacks of tidy cat buckets but at this point it’s way cheaper to buy the Walmart stuff and poor it into one of the buckets and keep the bucket near the box. I use another for deposits. It’s easier to top off the litter box from the bucket than the cardboard box.
@lisaviolet What a wonderful picture! That little tortie in the middle is so photogenic - and she seems to know it. I’m sorry they don’t cuddle with you - maybe when they’re a little older?
@cf1 @lisaviolet Maybe they will cuddle more when they are out of that 2 year long phase of demented toddler?
@cf1 @Kidsandliz @lisaviolet I do hope it doesn’t take 2 years. Mine definitely need some time but since she’s been handling them since they were born they might pile on sooner than later between the chaos. They are doing their midnight sprints at the moment.
Mom not adjusting stresses me the most. Snickers being skittish fine but she has her siblings and the the house. Mom refusing to come down and just going around her every day… she can’t do that for 15 years lol
@cf1 @lisaviolet @unksol When the babies are at an age that mom starts treating them less as babies might help. The double stress of in a new house with other animals and people (food or no food) with babies may be more than she can handle well.
While my feral (5mo when caught) was willing to let me pet her, hold her, etc. fairly early on she really only started to initiate close contact with me probably a year later. She did sleep with the other cats sooner than that (everyone was having a cow for a while, longer than the usual new cat in the house adjustment) and as long as other cats weren’t competing for space by me she’d do that, but to do it with other cats right there took a lot longer.
@cf1 @Kidsandliz @lisaviolet momma came down for a whole 30 seconds. I can deal with her just being around and not liking me. That is fine. Just not her spending her whole life up there. I did catch them trying to nurse off her yesterday so the whole pacifier/hormones might be a thing but… Since there are no fights might just let her work through it
Boys are definitely getting snipped when they go to the vet. The girls. I guess it’s they need it. A spay is more invasive and so far not needed since they are indoor. But might be needed with this many
@cf1 @Kidsandliz @lisaviolet @unksol Has mom been spayed? I really commend you for taking care of them.
@cf1 @Kidsandliz @Kyeh @lisaviolet not yet but she won’t let me touch her. That would be a whole tricking her into a carrier and then she’s going to be a handful for the vet and then she needs to be monitored while she heals and then she is never ever going to trust me again.
That would be fine for TNR but she’s already inside. So. Idk. Letting her figure it out. Was just some progress that she actually came down.
This morning after doing the litter boxes, I told my husband the next time he goes shopping, he needs to pick up a pallet of cat litter.
@lisaviolet this is one of things that is good to have delivered
@cf1 @lisaviolet I feel bad about making the ups guy haul heavy stuff down my crappy drive. They can’t pull up/back down. I grab a couple boxes at Walmart every 2 weeks but if they could pull up and unload a pallet in the garage…
At the vet’s with Spot this morning (he has a fat chin), Brian brought up getting the mini-Avengers fixed.
Made appointment(s) for December 2. Six carriers. Brian has ideas for me decorating the carriers that include the Avengers logo, photos of the kitten in the carrier and their name and their aka name (their avenger name).
I just stared at him.
@lisaviolet Your cats have taught you well.
And so it begins. Beyond repair.
The kids found that tissue boxes are great toys. Pushed to the floor (or someone’s head was in it). More curiousity.
Goose went tearing through the house with a mouthful of tissue.
@lisaviolet I mean that’s fixable. Little bit of solder and electrical tape. Never had a cord nawer though that’s not good.
So, I guess this is about it for the baby kitten updates.
They are all fixed. They are all doing well. In a couple of weeks, they will have access to the great outdoors (well, the backyard, anyway).
They came through the surgeries with no lasting effects. Wendy and Wanda did have some throat problems from the intubation, but they had resolved by the next day.
And they are making up for the down time, which really wasn’t all that long.
Mom has started pushing them away when they try to nurse. She still hangs with them and plays with them, but feeding them is no longer her purrview. (See what I did there?)
And life goes on.
Thank you for taking this journey with me.
@lisaviolet thank you for sharing. I assume they’ll show up on one of the next pet threads if you have time. Good luck.
@lisaviolet @unksol
I hope you both keep sharing kitty pix whenever you have time!
@lisaviolet Thank you for sharing this adventure, and I wish you and the kitties the best. They’re in good hands.
I love the little kitten pics, keep posting them.
It’s not that things haven’t been crazy around here (they have, but nothing of import, really) but I’ve been having a hard time staying focused on any one thing.
The kittens were allowed out of the bathroom earlier this week and have shown no interest whatsoever of leaving the room since. But Natasha has other ideas. She wants the kittens out. And although she can come and go as she pleases that’s not enough.
We started blocking off the house and the office, giving the kittens access to the bedroom and hallway. Mom can easily jump the barrier to the office (she’s way better than me, my toes keep catching on the wood going over and I’m afraid I’m gonna faceplant at some point).
Just one day I pulled the foam up (since the kittens were climbing to the top anyway) and opened the door, she’s been adamant we leave it that way.
But there’s Nooby, who is extremely territorial and I worry about him and the kittens. And the dog. The poor little dog who’s terrified of her (and rightly so). He sleeps in the bed and it’s not fair that the other, elderly cats don’t have the access to rooms they’ve had for years. So, we’re trying to deal with that. It’s not really an issue during the day, we have the office door to the patio and the living room door to the patio open (our house is U shaped) so the critters can get to most of the rooms. But not at night.
Wednesday night, I locked her in with the kittens, just had the lattice door latched. Last night, that wasn’t going to work for her (shoulda named her Karen). I’d take her out, she’d be okay for ten minutes, then cry to get back into the room. I’d put her in the room and latch the door. She’d be okay for ten minutes, then want out. Crying, scratching…after an hour of this I said “fuck it” and put her in the room and shut the actual bathroom door.
If she was unhappy, I was blissfully unaware at that point.
Here’s a link to my blog post through the end of last month.
I’ll post some photos later. Now that the heat has subsided (I’m useless when it’s hot, I’m useless when the house is closed up, blinds pulled and the air conditioner is on) and there’s actual natural light in the house, I should be more energized.
But the kittens are growing nicely, they had their one month birthday a week ago. They’re eating and drinking and pottying in the big kitty litter box with clumping litter (I started them out in a smaller box with non-clumping litter). Mom isn’t spending nearly so much time with them, but she does lay in the hallway, close to the open door.
@lisaviolet You’re keeping all of them!? You are a kind and brave soul. : )
@cf1 Yes. We are. Now we can’t die until we’re really, SUPER old. Not just old.
@cf1 @lisaviolet somewhere there was a post where her husband was like “so you’ve started naming them huh? So they are staying huh? Ok”
@cf1 @unksol I’m going crazy this morning! She does NOT want them in the bathroom. She’s dragging them out (she can’t lift them up, they’re too big) and into the bedroom.
ARRGGGHHHH
@cf1 @lisaviolet I only kept them in a day or two but they were too big and mobile already so I let them have upstairs to go bonkers… 3 like me. Snickers did but is being weird. Mom hisses and then cries at me and then rubs up and starts to kneed the carpet when you give her chicken but makes no attempt to escape though she could. I think she’s confused.
Dartanan is the ring leader leading the escapes
@cf1 @unksol Keep in mind, females can still come into heat when they’re nursing…
Nat is actually doing better now that she has room to stretch out. We’ll just have to deal with it. If I have to sleep on the sofa for the dog, I will.
He’s an old Shiztu and won’t harm the babies, but Natasha doesn’t know that. If it weren’t for the dog, I wouldn’t be being so cautious at this point. I’m not afeerd of the dog, I’m afeerd of what the cat would do to the dog.
Jingles is a very mellow little guy.
@cf1 @lisaviolet but wouldn’t mom want to drag them out cause they need to learn to function outside of their little “den”?
I doubt she would forcible drag them out if she believed they would be under threat. Although I get dog cat interaction
@cf1 @unksol I think she dragged them out because she was feeling crunched. Not a lot of room in the bathroom to spread out.
It didn’t have anything to do with protecting them.
The day they were born:
This afternoon:
See what I mean? They’ve gotten huge!
@cf1 @lisaviolet @unksol I love the way they alternate, orange-black-orange-black!
@Kyeh @lisaviolet they are still “relativity” small. The giants are still all over her a few times a day. But no shortage of kitten food.
I am trusting her to tell them when to fuck off
@lisaviolet @unksol Yeah, I’m sure she’ll stop letting them nurse when their teeth get too sharp!
@Kyeh @unksol Damn. It’s just amazing. I am so glad you’re letting them grow up with mom in the picture.
Over on FB, folks who haven’t been following the MCU kitten saga ask me questions I’ve already answered. Last night, someone asked about feeding mom, that maybe she needs a good supplemental food to take care of the kittens after seeing the photo of them partaking of her food bar in the bedroom. “They are so big!” she said.
Forget that I had posted how I spent over $100 on Royal Canin mama/kitten food that she wouldn’t eat (after eating the first cans I bought). And how Fancy Feast kitten food had her stool so huge, weird colored and nasty smelling that I actually put a call into the vet about it, not even considering it was the food.
Anyway, I took a little video this morning.
@Kyeh @lisaviolet I’m def not willing to expose myself to that level of arm chair captains lol. Purrina kitten chow has always seemed sufficient/no one’s going hungry or complaining about it.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Granted mine came in ready to eat. They are still nursing some but everyone seemed to know that was food and have some. Who knows what they were eating outside.
They definitely are not reliant on her but she isn’t stopping them
@Kyeh @lisaviolet they had almost cleared the bowl. Lots of bare space. Refilled jus now they chow down. Every day. The wet/premium food people can get bent. If you have the time/money to feed them wet great. Some with medical issues even need it. But they should not get judgy. Some pretentious people feed them raw. Or cook for their dog. That’s fine if you have time
But you took in a random starving mom that probably someone kicked out or didnt care enough about. Shelters have hundreds of cats.
Unless they are actively doing tnr of a vet offering services/medical advice. They should mind their own damn business and enjoy pretty kitties
@lisaviolet @unksol You could ask them for financial donations for food if they’re that concerned.
@Kyeh @unksol
Sunday rant.
It wasn’t so much the “high quality” comment, it was the fact that it was even said. Yanno?
Like I’m not feeding her at all.
But I’d gone on at length in previous posts about what she was getting to eat and the problems I was having with her even eating it.
I wanted to shout back “yes, damn it, she IS getting supplemental food! Read my damned wall!”
BTW, I gave the kittens Fancy Feast kitten food yesterday morning, mom ate a fair amount and last night, she had another one of those big, stinky, obnoxious poops. We were on the patio, she pottied in the laundry room litter box and we could smell it outside.
I’ve been online since 1996. I’ve had cats my entire life. Granted, this was the first in house born litter, but we have taken in lactating moms and their kittens. Like what you’ve done, @Unksol.
This ain’t my first rodeo and it annoys the hell out of me when I’m given advice that I didn’t ask for.
One of my pet peeves.
@Kyeh @lisaviolet you should think no one would take on a cat without knowing how to feed it. But people in cities half ass feed them. Let them be outside.
You obviously know what you’re doing and have a cat paradise and I’d be pissed off too. If they are healthy and happy. Mind your biz people
And ok barn cats. If I had a barn sure. Maybe the strays could be TNRed and live out there
@Kyeh @lisaviolet I opened the gate yesterday and today. They’ve. Well D’artagnan led Alex and Whatchamacallit down. Once. They seem to be more focused on the gate for some reason even though it’s open.
@Kyeh @unksol For the first time since kittens, one of the cats, the substantial Spot, a very big kitty, jumped over the barrier.
He came face to face with Wendy. This tiny, black, furry thing, all puffed up and sideways at him. He sniffed her, she hissed, he hissed, he turned around, ran and cleared the 18" foam barrier with inches to spare.
@Kyeh @lisaviolet lol they have met coco and the first interaction was like that but just giving them access to the house. Plus they have been hammering the gate and escaping so it’s open
@Kyeh @unksol Our guys have a couple of weeks to go to get to that point.
I don’t trust Nooby. At all. (See my comments in your Warriors thread.)
@Kyeh @lisaviolet yep saw. Coco bopped a kitten going sideways at her a few weeks ago. Hershey/mom is not interested at all
@lisaviolet @unksol Yeah, people have no business telling you how to do this - I just figured if they’re so set on “being helpful” they could pitch in some funds, haha. But I was being facetious; I don’t think they really would.
I wonder why the Fancy Feast has such stinky effects?
@Kyeh @unksol Yeah, I get it.
The bad stool? I heard from more than one person their cats had the same reaction. Not kittens, but adult cats.
Weird.
@Kyeh @lisaviolet they’ve been sprinting up and down the stairs for a bit then whatchamacallit pounced on a cat scratcher. “Broke” it made a bunch of noise and they all retreated
@lisaviolet @unksol
Too rich for them?? Strange …
@Kyeh @unksol Maybe.
@Kyeh @lisaviolet @unksol Catching up on the conversation. The mom cats know when they have a good thing going and all of these felines seem very happy and satisfied. The proof is in the pictures and videos of their interactions with you. I think you are doing a great job of caring for all of them. I wouldn’t know or feel comfortable trying to manage all that you are doing.
That Fancy Feast problem sounds bad. Does mom have stomach discomfort before letting it all out?
@DTominator Since the hive minds on Facebook have had similar problems feeding Fancy Feast kitten food to adult cats, I’m going with it’s just too rich for the adult digestive system to handle it.
And I have to keep in mind, I have no idea what her diet was before we got her. She ate a huge moth the other day when she was on the patio. She left the wings.
And she’s incredibly thin. Her fur is very shiny and it looks very healthy. She doesn’t seem like she’s in any distress at all.
But a vet visit is in her near future. Once I’m okay with taking her away from the kittens for a couple of hours.
And on more “arrrghh!” news, Bucky was in the office this morning. Not the best way to start the day.
He was very pleased with himself.
@DTominator @lisaviolet
When I lived in a house I used to see the back legs of lizards, headless crickets and grasshoppers and murdered
toysroaches. They each had to learn, and it only took once, that roaches don’t taste good - always saw puke with roach in it when they were in learning mode. LOL not, (was gross to look at).@DTominator @Kidsandliz Yeah, last week I saw the kittens checking something out on the dark runner and I looked at it. Legs and head of a lizard, torso gone.
Then Nat puked in the hallway. Cat food. I went back into the bedroom and looked a little more closely. I found the torso. I had missed it on my first pass.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet
comfort food or fancy feast…which is worse?
@DTominator @Kidsandliz Well, the comfort food was just puked back up.
I thought something had died in the office or just outside of the window (I had to go check), but it was just the litter box.
I’ll go with the Fancy Feast.
The cause of the nasty smelling poop is official.
Giardia. Nat has giardia. Picking up meds later for both she and the kittens. A week’s worth.
I’m pretty sure this won’t be the most fun aspect of my life.
@lisaviolet Ohhhhh - glad you found a solution, but yikes. Good luck! Is it pills, or liquid?
@Kyeh Liquid panacur
@Kyeh @lisaviolet blah. Well hopefully that will fix it. I really need to run the monsters in but momma is still not thrilled with me. And Snickers is just. Nope. But they are getting huge. Can’t keep dragging my feet. Sigh.
@lisaviolet still selling that “black tar”? Like most of my home projects the cat nip and many other seeds are still in the drawer.
@Kyeh @lisaviolet @unksol They look almost grown-up already. It looks awfully tidy for a house with more than two cats/kittens.
@cf1 @Kyeh @lisaviolet they are being very kind about all using one litter box. That I’m scooping twice a day in the bathroom they started in. I might need to put another one up there.
Technically they have access to 4 if they found the one the residents use since there is nothing stopping them. They have breached the basement. Spent hours running the main floor. Cats aren’t messy other than the litter box. As long as they use it. You don’t want to give them a reason not to.
Coco doesn’t like them at all and she is the the best kitty and that’s a whole thing hiss and run away
More baby kitties
Baby Kitty Cam
@cf1 Oh, wow - cheetah kittens!
@Kyeh Aren’t they cute? I can’t wait until they get big enough to move around and play.
@cf1 YES!
Good for Natasha! She is a good mother but six seems like enough. Wendy is too cute.
I believe that it is time to mention this piece of wisdom:
Weasel Help
One of our cats is named Weasel, BTW.
(And often Dammitweasel!)
@werehatrack @lisaviolet lol mine aren’t that bad. They know when I’m cleaning it though and the kittens are like.
https://theoatmeal.com/comics/universe_cat
And are right in it.
I don’t give them a chance while I’m cleaning iy. I pull it out and put the scoop in back lift it up 45 degrees and all the loose clumps are in. dump in bucket. Do the reverse for the other side. Tilt again get the stuck front, tilt again get the stuck back. Top off if needed. I’m sure they’d be sitting on my scoop it I tried to do it differently.
They try and get in what but it’s fast with my scoops and they learned to wait a minute quick
Aunt killed their ferret in the dryer so. Checking appliances is good
@werehatrack LOL on the weasel help
@lisaviolet @werehatrack this of course requires a high sides litter box to work like at least the pic
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Van-Ness-High-Sided-Cat-Litter-Box-Giant-Color-May-Vary/14935915
the only low one I have is to try and convince the old girl to not shit/piss on the floor kitties have no problem in or out of all the high sides. And everyone kicks less out
Oh, no! I hope they get better soon. That is a lot of sick kittens.
This evening we packed up The Dudes (our two still-not-named 8-month-ish kittens) and hauled them to the mobile low cost vax vet for their booster of one of the vaxes. The tech made the mistake of trying to extract Orange Dude from the carrier, and much hilarity ensued. Grey Dude was more cooperative. I fear that we are edging closer to the cat-naming precipice.
@werehatrack This is how Thing-Thing kept her name… I was NOT. GOING. TO. KEEP. HER. (rescue cat - fucking student abused her - broke off teeth and chipped bones in her jaw - and then dumped her on campus when the school year ended) so I refused to name her. I just called her thing-thing. And…um…well…almost 4 years later there is this cat I have whose name is Thing-Thing. She’s the most loving, grateful cat.
@werehatrack you do realize only proper nouns are capitalized in the middle of sentences, right?
Almost as big as mom now. And she’s still nursing.
And she plays with them. It’s almost like “cool, now they’re big enough to do something with!”
@lisaviolet Did the vet give you an estimate of her age? She must not be very old herself, huh? Do the orange guys have stripes, or are they solid orange?
@Kyeh Vet didn’t say much about her age, probably under a year old.
The boys have stripey legs (which you can see if you click on the image and open image in new tab, which makes it a lot bigger) and are solid on their backs.
@lisaviolet Wow, so she’s barely beyond kittenhood herself.
The boys look like little mountain lions!
I know how that feels. On the other hand, those babies are super adorable.
I saw this for the first time today!
Vet called yesterday, she wanted to bump up the surgeries to next Wednesday instead of the following week. Yeah, the day before Thanksgiving.
The vet is ready to give birth and she’s taking off a week sooner than she had originally planned.
The kittens will be 13 weeks old next Tuesday. It seems pretty young, so I googled early spay/neuter. I am relieved.
https://be.chewy.com/early-age-spay-neuter-for-kittens/
Right now I have onesies on all of the girls to see how they handle them. So they aren’t so weirded out next week. They seem to be okay with it. Not happy, but I think it should be okay. Better than an E collar.
@lisaviolet they did KitKat pretty young. Right after his shots. That was 2008. No idea how old he was since he was hiding in a parking lot but still “hold in one hand size”, functional maybe 2-3 months . Not big like the monsters running crazy here. They get big faster than I remember.
But that was also one guy… Not 6 or spays. Good luck. Wish your vet luck on hers lol
@lisaviolet @unksol
You vet is being spayed too?
Actually my human kid finally!!! got spayed after kid number 5 (oldest is 8 ).
@Kidsandliz @unksol I think it’s more a wish me luck with my babies and the vet luck with hers type of comment.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet lol I assumed I did not need to specify but of course :p. One human litter one can litter.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet err. Cat litter
@lisaviolet @unksol yeah I know…
/giphy walked into the trap
How are the kitty babies doing?
I wish they would stay kittens. I remain a non-fan of cats in general, but kittens are awesome.
POPSOCKETS! ROAD ROCKETS! SONNY CROCKETT! AWESOME!
@duodec I have video of Bucky and Steve re-enacting the fight scene between Captain America and The Winter Soldier from the movie Captain America: Winter Soldier.
Bucky kicked Steve’s butt.
@duodec @lisaviolet
How do you tell them apart?
Are they showing different personalities already?
@Kyeh I cheated and got little velvet collars that have velcro. Goose is green, Bucky is blue and Steve is silver. Well, gray, but we’ll pretend it’s silver.
@lisaviolet Ohhh - good idea. Do they try to get them off?
I guess the girls are different enough to not need collars?
@Kyeh Yes, they are. Carol has a lot if light coloring on her feet and Wendy is solid black. That leaves Wanda.
@lisaviolet I think we need more pictures to check this out!
@lisaviolet hoping you can send me your website. I’ve serm to misplaced it and I know someone who is interested in some catnip
@tinamarie1974 Ah, geez, I’m out right now. Thanks for thinking of me, though.
@lisaviolet @tinamarie1974 Now you will have a bunch of escaped cats with no catnip to bribe them into staying in your backyard where they can get their daily fix.
@Kidsandliz @tinamarie1974 There’s still fresh stuff. There will always be fresh stuff.
@lisaviolet @tinamarie1974 Ahhhh - your cat bait. You lure them into your yard and then they are so high they can’t get out. And this is why you have so many cats. Sneaky.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet @tinamarie1974 Oddly enough, sometimes the fresh stuff is ignored. Dried, not so much.
@Kidsandliz @tinamarie1974 @werehatrack
Right. The live stuff is more of a playground for them. They play hide and seek in it, sleep in it. Rarely do they munch on it.
We have a good crop going this year.
@Kidsandliz @lisaviolet @werehatrack that is A LOT of nip!