July 8

We’re all flaked out trying to endure the heat! Except for the newbies, they’re enjoying the heating pad!

These little guys are only a few days old but they are feisty and good eaters so I have high hopes.

 

The other kittens are getting along just great, hoping to be adopted soon.

Kitten Season 2010

Kitten season started at the end of April with 2 litters of 2 day old kittens. They only survived for 24 hours. We had a puppy that was 2 days old and he didn’t live much longer. Needless to say, things didn’t start off on a good note!

In May we got a small litter of 4 week old kittens; they were already on solid food. All 3 are female and they have been extremely healthy. We needed that! I’ve looked back and  I see that I didn’t take many pictures of them. We’ve been doing some major work on the house and I’ve just been too tired to photograph them. I did take a few shots.

 

 

I keep getting distracted! We’re moving furniture and trying to de-clutter; I can only do so much at a time before I loose my focus. While I was painting the trim in the stairwell, the kittens were underfoot and in my lap. When these guys got tired they began sucking on the black and white one’s belly! We’ve had kittens that were weaned too young and they tend to suck for pee, these guys are much more charming.

The black and white one then sucks herself to sleep!

 

Here are the current pictures of these guys.

Shortly after these guys got settled in, we got another litter of 3, this time about 2 weeks old. They were bottle babies, very affectionate. They have also been very healthy so they only had to be separated for a week. They are now in that long legged stage and are learning how to jump, climb, and go in circles! Every night they snuggle up next to our heads to go to sleep.

   This is the female.

The boys.

I need to get to my painting, this time watercolor. Life is slowing down to a normal pace so I should be able to get more pictures this week (as I take them!)

Christmas kittens

I know that Christmas is long past but I think of these little girls as Christmas kittens. A week before Christmas, our last litter was adopted and we were settling in for winter and tax season for me; this is the lull before spring kitten season gets underway. I got a call from a friend that is a student at ECU; she had just caught 2 five week old kittens that had been living under her porch. A few days later, she delivered them on her way home.

These adorable little fluff balls were very timid and shy. They never ran from us and they never played. Wherever the heating pad was, that’s where you’d find them. We close kittens up in the kitchen until they acclimate to our family, most kittens rush the door and try to escape every time you go in the kitchen. These girls never seemed to know that there was any place to go. They were very content to stay in their safe spot. When we started taking them to other parts of the house to be cuddled, as soon as they could escape, they headed back to the kitchen!

After a few weeks, they tentatively started playing with each other and then our cats joined in. As they became more comfortable with their surroundings, they became more active and it was harder to corral them to cuddle. I decided to move them upstairs to our bedroom, forcing them into close quarters with us. At first, they allowed us to cuddle them in bed, both purring up a storm. Our adult cats love kitten food so they were eager to get closed up with the kittens!Thus they are very social with other animals!

  Last week they were spayed by POP and got their rabies shots. It is time for them to be adopted.

This little girl is the most comfortable with us. She doesn’t really like to be picked up but she loves to climb in bed and get rubbed all over! She goes in circles trying to get everywhere rubbed at the same time! And the purring is non stop! Sometimes she will settle down and sleep at my side but most often, she hops down to play some more. Some nights she wakes me up several times wanting to be loved.

This little one is still shy. She lets me pick her up but she doesn’t like to be held. She has allowed herself to be cuddled some but she’d rather play with our hands and feet through the covers or sleep behind our knees. I think that she would be less shy if she didn’t have playmates to socialize with because she is a rather social animal. With a little one-on-one, I think she would bond with her human and be an excellent companion. I have a soft spot for her because she looks a lot like the cat we lost this summer; if you scroll down through earlier entries, you will see a picture of Pansy.

Quick update

I’ve been very lax about updating! My energy levels are low and it’s hard to get everything done. We need some sun shine!!

I named the kittens so that they could be listed on CARE’s website. The gray and white siblings are Ralph and Alice and the tabby is Munchkin. We were fortunate to be able to get them neutered through POP, it’s a great organization!

They are continuing to remain healthy and energetic.  Ralph’s eyes still water some, I think that the eye infection in August may have damaged the tear duct.

These guys are at the age where they gallop through the house, bounding over furniture, jumping into trashcans and unrolling toilet paper! When they tire, they find a warm lap to curl up in. They are very much a part of the family and I think we’ll miss them more than most when they’re adopted!

I hope that they will find good homes for Christmas!

Daisy’s waiting for a walk; must fit it in between rain storms!

Munchkin on her favorite spot, the heating pad in the kitchen.

Alice doing the rear-end wiggle, ready to attack.

  Ralph enjoying a snuggle with Daisy.

Spay and neuter adventure

We had our first experience with POP (Pet Overpopulation Patrol) on Saturday. It was wonderful! Two young women spent 12 hours in the mobile unit at Morrisville Outlet Mall spay/neutering, one animal about every 15 minutes! We picked our guys up at 7:00pm, they were the last 2. They were out of it Saturday night but fit as a fiddle Sunday morning, hungry and starved for affection!

POP works with low income families and various rescue groups in the area and can be reached (919)942-2250. In addition to the surgery, they receive their rabies shot and FVRCP vaccine. Such a wonderful service.

This is White Feet napping with one of the younger kittens. We used to name each kitten that came to stay with us but we’ve run out of names so we use descriptive terms! This guy has been with us for awhile, you can see pictures and information in earlier entries. His litter was older and a little wilder than the young ones we usually get. He is very friendly now and loves all his playmates, both young and old. He especially loves our lab, Daisy. His fur is medium length and so silky.

This little lady loves to curl up around your neck whenever you sit down. She has short hair but is just as soft as White Feet. She came to us mid-August and has spent most of her time downstairs with the younger kittens. She has been extraordinarily healthy (actually both have been) for an orphan kitten. She hasn’t spent much time with the adult cats but enjoys all the other animals. She’s sitting in my lap helping me type right now!

Adoption Time

So many things have been going on in my life over the past few months that taking care of the kittens has been more important than blogging. The 5 gray and white kittens were well and then a new baby came in with the sniffles. Nobody has gotten particularly sick but there have been some runny eyes. Their immune systems are getting stronger, nothing is slowing them down! They are eating heartedly and gaining lots of weight, making up for lost time! Naps are becoming shorter and play very energetic. I had a hard time photographing them, they won’t be still. Right now their favorite game is tossing dog food around the room and chasing it. Daisy sits back and watches them play.This is White Stripe, a little girl. My flash distracted her from her game.

There are 4 girls and 1 boy, the gray and white on the left, Gray Nose, is the male. Little White Feet is the miracle kitten of this litter, we came very close to losing her. It is wonderful to she her now.

This little girl, White One, is cold natured and loves to snuggle. I caught her in the middle of a wrestling match.

White face is just waking up. She is the plumpest one of the bunch!

These guys are litter box trained and eating Science Diet Kitten dry food. They all like to snuggle in the evening, it’s not unusual to have them lined up down my legs when I read in the evening.

September 9th

It’s been a tough few weeks since I last posted. The newest litter developed their mother’s URI and had terrible pink eye. I have never seen an eye infection like the ones we’ve had this summer! (An orange tabby had a bad one earlier and ended up having to have surgery.) The vet showed me how to clean the infection out from under their inner eyelids with a cotton swab; I was nervous every time I did it. The result has been worth it though, their eyes are finally clearing up with no damage. A few of the kittens got congestion in addition to the eye infection. They sounded like Donald Duck! Kittens that can’t breathe through their noses have a hard time eating and can become dehydrated quickly. I was using pediatric nasal spray and giving three of them fluids several times a day. I should be thankful that we only lost one, but …..

The remaining five kittens are doing great, they’re almost litter box trained and they are growing at a steady rate. One of the kittens had diarrhea so they are all being treated for coccidia, only a few more doses.

We call this little guy White Feet. We used to name each kitten that came into the house but we ran out of ideas so now they get named by identifying marks! He is going on three months now and is looking for a home. His fur is a little longer than the others and it is silky. He has spent his time living upstairs, away from the sick crowd so he has stayed healthy and energetic. He plays with my youngest cat and loves to snuggle with Daisy (our lab).

These guys are now adoption age (7-8 weeks). They have stayed healthy throughout this ordeal. There were four in this litter, one died the first night it was with us and the little calico died this week. The two that died were very skinny when we got them and never gained weight. The vet couldn’t find anything wrong with them; they just seemed to fail to thrive. These two have good appetites and are litter box trained. They have graduated to total freedom downstairs so they think they are big guys now! They love to snuggle when they tire of playing.