Kittens at the shelter

So I mentioned I went in on Friday and I met the "kids" at the shelter after they got neutered.  I was so happy to see them and it seemed they were happy to see me.  The woman who had Eliza and Ezra before me said they reacted badly to her, but they were very open and friendly with me... so I tend to believe they were happy to see me.  I think Ezra was a little hung over from the surgery..

Then the staff put them back into their cage..

Epitome of Preoccupootion

I got way too many photos like that last one.  I had my little point and shoot with me.  I am not a fan of the quality of photos with it, but I didn't want to bring my great big camera to Topeka so this ended up in my purse and hasn't been taken out yet.  I also met these kitties out in the lobby.  They are labeled as barn cats, but the longer they sit there the more likely it will be they will trust people and become house cats.  They are apparently very smart..

Learning to unlock the door

Your next kitty WILL come from a shelter.
You will come to the shelter and pat me.
You will give me real live dead shrimps
HypnoKitty has spoken.

SunPuddle Wrestling

Sorry for the delay in the post.  I was waiting for my gif maker to stitch this together and after several futile attempts I gave up.  it is currently still working on it, but it has been for almost an hour - and in the mean time I went to PhotoBucket, uploaded the images and made a slide show..


This was a seriously slow motion wrestle match, and I think the slide show does it justice! :)

I did make this gif..

Kitten Massage

I've mentioned a few times that I like to give Kitten Massage to stressed out kittens.  I tried to make videos of it, and Eliza and Ezra were willing to oblige me for a few minutes, but I couldn't give them the entire 'treatment' since they weren't all that willing.  The main focus of "kitten massage" is to hit all of the points on a kitten that have built in reflexes for them naturally.  A kitten while still nursing has many.  The back of the neck where mom would scruff them to move them.  Their cheeks where mom licks them to clean them distributes scents back and forth and is well received if you can avoid getting their whiskers involved (just beyond the lips and behind the whiskers)  The belly to some extent because mom would lick that to help aid digestion, this is one of the first places kittens stop responding as they grow up.  And finally their tushie.  When a mom grooms a kitten the kitten will throw it's legs up in the air and splay their toes to 'make room' for mom to stimulate them into urinating.  This is usually the second reflex to go.  Sometimes you can get an adult cat to do it when they are relaxed and happy - aka I can do it on Jack quite easily most days.  I tend to 'tickle' him behind his knees and upper thighs.

Unfortunately neither Ezra nor Eliza was in to splaying their toes for me, but you can see how much they love kitten massage.

Where are the boys??

No pictures, you'll just have to imagine it

I walked into the kitten room this morning and Mom was out as was Eliza and surprise surprise Arina.  I looked and looked and couldn't find the boys ANYWHERE! (well looked and looked entailed looking in front of me then turning around.. I mean I didn't actually search) so I made a mental note who was not out for lovin and realized it was all of the boys.  I started calling "Where are the boys?!?"  and Fedele popped up out of the laundry basket.  While I was givin lovins to him Ezra started rubbing against my ankle.  Nario was on the cat bed that is under the couch (the one he is jumping out of in that wonderful action shot) he really likes it there.  I thought about pulling it out from under the couch, but I think he really prefers it right where it is so I keep leaving it there.

See, I over fed them last night (gave them four cans instead of three) so they weren't hungry this morning.  Point taken, if I want an outpouring of love and adoration I need hungry kittens!

Eliza and Ezra

Eliza's cute tongue

Checking out my lap all on her own

Sniff Sniff

Belly Time

Either "Hello" or "oh if I must"

Ezra Tongue

Seriously, how does he see anything through all those whiskers??

beauty shot #1

Look at those eyes, that nose.. isn't she beautiful?

Caturday - Kitten edition

The worst has passed

Well to go look at them all now you'd not know they suffered from anything worse then a case of the sniffles.  Occasionally there is a horking cough type noise, and there are a few more sneezes then I'd like, and everyone has snotty noses, but the mayhem that was in the kitten room was pretty normal.

Nario still isn't completely himself.  Not that anyone who didn't know him prior to last night would notice.  When Eliza showed up on the couch and enticed him to wrestle he took her paws down.  Probably could have done so with a paw or two tied behind his back.  Ezra showed up when Eliza was crying "UNCLE ALREADY!! Geeze" but he just sat down a foot or two away. Not quite sure why he showed up if he wasn't going to help.  I eventually went and broke things up, and Nario then started with Ezra.  I'm not exactly sure he wasn't actually trying to win and not just playing... but I "saved" Ezra.

now if we can just get that snot to go away..

Eliza Eliza Eliza

Hello, whatcha doin?

What's over there??

What's Over here???

EZRA!!!

What?  goodness would you let us out of the cage already??

Bonus almost belly shot of Ezra..

Mixing kittens

Eliza and Ezra's cage really needed a good cleaning, and the kittens all really wanted to play together, so for a few minutes they did.

Must remember that my flip camera has sound and turn the TV off while recording.  Feel free to turn the volume down real low so you don't have to deal with it.

Edited: oh great, the edited video didn't make it on youtube, it should have, but it didn't.  so you have to listen to me tell Fiorella to get out of Eliza and Ezra's box.. 

Ezra & Ollie

This is Ezra

When I first put hands on Ezra, I couldn't get over how much he reminded me of Ollie.

This is Ollie

My husband finally met Ezra this weekend and he too commented on how much Ezra reminded him of Ollie. Ollie was an incredibly grumpy cat, but he was a very outgoing friendly kitten (puberty hit him hard as we didn't neuter him till 6 months per the vet's recommendation - which is yet another reason why I believe in pediatric neutering)

Ezra is all tense like adult Ollie was.  He's got a black spot on his white toes like Ollie had.  Ezra has a white belly unlike Ollie though.  He's also got a bit of white on his lip like Ollie, but he is missing the 'dribble' down the neck to his white bib that Ollie had.

So there are some distinct differences.  But after my husband mentioned the similarity I couldn't help but think about Ollie 'coming back'

Many people believe their beloved pets come back to them again.  I find that to be a very interesting idea, and I do like the idea of us getting to work at different issues until we get them right, but I can't really get my brain around it.  But then there is a lot I can't get my brain around, and I'm OK with that.

So lets just go with this is a possibility.  I know we all come at this from different religious and philosophical perspectives.. This isn't intended to be a study, just an explanation as to why I was walking around the house holding a kitten and got lightly leaky eyes last night.

So most of me KNOWS this is NOT Ollie.  But part of me couldn't help but play with the possibility that it was an option.  Wouldn't it be fun if, wouldn't it be cool if sort of thinking.  Ezra was having some trust issues so I was walking him around the house holding him close.  I decided to show him to some of the resident kitties.  I am guessing The Crew has come to accept this is part of life now as they no longer hiss when I show them kittens; they get to look and whiff but not touch.    Ezra had more then enough after the third kitty and started hissing when I would introduce them...

which led me back to the whole reincarnation thing.  If this WAS Ollie, how confused and ticked off he would be to be so much smaller then his family.  I could just picture Ollie the kitten trying to take over his old place in The Crew and trying to be Alpha again - and trying to jump up on top of the fridge again.  If it was Ollie would The Crew recognize him and give the kitten Ollie's respect or would they put him in his place for being the youngest and the newest..

and yes, at some point my head exploded from the logic paradox.

It was a fun little mental exercise to play 'what ifs'  and I thought you might enjoy the mental image of Big Ol Grumpy Alpha Ollie coming back as a kitten.

more progress

*giggle* sometimes I'm just so amazed.  I don't want to take an ounce of credit, as I was the shy kid in school and I know it takes a LOT to overcome where these kittens are.. Just give them the safe environment and the opportunity and they can learn to trust.

When I went down to the kitten room last night I brought a book and I decided to ignore the kittens.  There is little that a kitten likes less then being ignored, and that includes being held when they are scared.

Remember that Rene named them.  Fiorella for the mom Fedele for the serious boy (the redder one), Ariana for the little girl and Nario for the buff boy

Well Nario wasn't having ANY of it.  He danced around me, attacked my skirt viciously, tried to climb my leg and was in and out of my lap..  Fedele came around a few times but Ariana was perfectly OK with being ignored.  Fiorella came up and wanted attention, then she proceeded to make biscuits on the pillow next to me.

While I sat there and attempted to read my book, Eliza sat at the front of the cage looking at me.  Finally she couldn't stand it any more and MEOWED AT ME FOR ATTENTION!!  *smirk*  yup, ignoring is almost as powerful as food bribes :)

I went over and opened up the cage to which she slunk back. Ezra wanted NOTHING to do with me thank you very much.  So I wiggled my fingers at Eliza and she batted at them *awww* and interacted with me.  She even LICKED ME!!!  Ezra started worming his way over ever so slowly to see what was going on.. which is something.. but he wouldn't interact.  So I gave them belled balls.  Up to now they haven't had toys. I know I sound so mean, but I wanted them to be bored and looking for interaction when I showed up.  Well balls were a hit. Ezra had so much fun that I got to roll the ball to him several times with out his flinching.

Of course this interaction meant I was ignoring the others.. as previously stated Nario is NOT a fan of that and tried to climb me several times, did random dances on my skirt and was generally just off his rocker..   Fedele is OK with me now.  He's not my biggest fan, but I do that thing he likes so I'm no longer something to run away from.  Ariana.. she runs... but at least when I'm not looking she now gets up closer to me, so that's something.

I did cuddle time with Ezra, he wanted to leave.  He purred, but he was looking for every opportunity to get away.  Eliza let me cuddle and coo over her.  Ezra trusts me enough now that he doesn't try to escape when I put him down... which again is something on the win column.

This morning, Fiorella and her kids were all out and visible when I walked in the room (first time for that!!) Eliza came right over to eat, Ezra was slower, but he came, and he let me move him to the other side of the dish so I could add more dry food to his other bowl.  He looked concerned but he just went back to eating

We do have some sneezing going on, but nothing else yet.  Fingers crossed that ends now and we get Fiorella and her kids back to the shelter and in to good homes right quick.

Meet the new kids

The female is short hair grey with white – Eliza.

 The males is a fluffy black with white – Ezra

You can't see it, but he does have a full milk mustache

Rachel, another long term foster home for the shelter (we started at the same time), took these two.  They aren't exactly feral, but they have that "please oh please go away and most definitely do not touch me" vibe.  Having seen first hand the transformation of Agatha/Dorian/Henry she asked if I wanted to take them and see if I couldn't help them out.

It is going to be harder, as they are a little older and they are 'wary' not 'scared'.  You'd think that would be easier to deal with, but usually you simply have to show scared that nothing bad is going to happen.  Wary means rebuilding confidence and trust.  My current female foster is wary.. and while she was hiding last night when I went in she was out and about and I was able to put hands on her easily a few times.  she is going to need a home that accepts that she needs a little time.

ANYWAY... Back to Ezra and Eliza.  I set them up in the cage and they both said please go away.  I gave them a litter box, they said please go away.  I gave them dry food, they said please go away (and when I went away they went right to the food) I gave them water and they kept eating but Ezra was hesitant trying to decide if he should retreat to the corner.

These amenities they get 'for free'  Everything else comes with trust.

I got some raw food (all fosters got raw) and they were both VERY interested.  Interested enough to walk toward me and get near me.  They liked it enough to let me pat them.  When it was gone I opened up a can of food.  They were still hungry, and I gave small bits.  They would eat it quickly and then be in a position to realize they were near me and nothing bad was happening.  When they realized this they got another bite or two.  I got them right up to the edge of the cage, and I got my nose very close to Ezra (yes, I have a soft spot for him - he reminds me too much of Ollie) and he let me with out moving away.

When all the food was eaten, he went back to his corner and cringed a bit when I went to pat him.  Eliza however started purring a little.  

It's a long road, but it was a good first step.