The Broom must Die

Why every set of kittens decides that the broom must be attacked, I have no idea.   But they do...

In the new layout of this room, I've been able to hang the broom up on the wall so for the most part they don't have access to it.  This was when it was down to be used and it was irresistible

The Orange Girls

Patty

More Patty

Sally

Sweet Little Sally

Camouflage wrestling

Little Miss Lucy

I hope she doesn't mind that she doesn't have an overly dignified name

 Not that she's an overly dignified kitten...

Little Miss Violet

Balancing on and...

playing in

 Little Miss Violet is turning in to a true Tortie.  While she is pretty laid back, she knows what she wants and she doesn't let anything stop her from getting it.

good news, good news, and not so good news

Well I finally named the babies.. Little Miss FluffyButt was being all adorable in a "I'm going to conqure the world" sort of way, and the tiny orange kitten was looking so sweet and innocent, and I came up with Lucy and Sally.  The larger orange kitten was being all sporty so I named her Patty and the tortie is Violet.

*phew* I was starting to wonder if I would EVER come up with names for them.

This evening I went into the bathroom where Kate and Pippa are, and they were sitting on top of their carrier.  I said hello and they just looked at me.  I tried to figure out who was who, and Pippa started purring.  I kept talking softly, explaining I was going to walk across the room and scoop the box and put down food and leave,... and while I did all this *Kate STAYED on TOP of the carrier!!!*  usually she runs and hides behind the toilet or in the carrier (the door is removed)  This is HUGE.   of course later when I went in again to medicate them she ran.. and when I went to get her she hissed, but it was a good night!

as for the not so good news, I realized my Skippy is all congested again.  He was looking quite pathetic and shaking his head ever so slightly so I thought either he had ear issues or something stuck in his mouth.  So I told him I was going to pick  him up and look him over and I got a good look.  Ears clean, teeth beautiful but he sniffled quite severely.  His eyes are clear and nothing is dripping from his nose, and he ate dinner. but this is the worst he has sounded in quite some time (I believe he has a recurring case of bordatella) I'm hoping this will clear right up like it has every other time, but I will have to keep an eye on him.

Grumpy Grumpy Kitten Time

Probably not fair, but it is how I distinguish the kittens apart.  Happy Happy Kitten Time is downstairs with the first set of kittens.  They are happy and fun and they make me happy.
Grumpy Grumpy Kitten time is with Kate and Pippa.  They are grumpy, I make them grumpy when I medicate them, and I'm a little sad that it is taking Kate so long to come around.  (but it does make my soul sing when I get them purring)

Kate shares her dislike of my taking her photo

Pippa moves toward the camera as I took the shot

Anyone who has fought watery diarrhea in kittens for over a week like I have will understand why I took this photo.  I'm not willing to say things are fixed in this department, but I have hope.

Pippa has also become a bit food aggressive.  At first I thought it was the beef that I broke out for something different, but she did it over salmon too.  *shrug* they all seem to go through this phase... hopefully Kate will stand up to her soon.

Happy Happy Kitten Time

Hey, you are on the wrong side for play

We are full of blur

My husband showed up a few minutes later.  Shoes are not allowed to be worn with kittens around (too easy to step on them) so he took his shoes off.. they were of GREAT interest.

What is in here?

No Sis, your FEET go in there.. not your head!

Kate

Little Miss FluffyButt

Another breakthrough with Kate

 I went in to see them and Kate was really on edge.  DH went in and cleaned today, and I guess she didn't take to that very well.

I brought them some cat milk, they had no idea what to make of that.  It smelled good but it was *NEW*  (and in the world according to Kate *NEW*=*BAD*), so it took them a while to get used to it enough to try it.  Pippa liked it more then Kate.

I also brought home a new cat cube.  They peed on the teepee (one or the other or both?) so I picked up a new one so they would have something while I washed the teepee.  well that threw them too.  Again Pippa was quicker to adjust, and spent just a few moments sniffing it while Kate took several minutes.

I got them playing again.  Kate's coordination is a little off so she's not very successful which I think makes it even harder for her.  If it isn't fun, why would she want to play???  So I tried to move it less which she seemed to like a little better.  When I started to get tired I called it a night and got up, which caused Kate to jump in the laundry basket and hiss at me as I walked by... Now I can't pass that up, and had to give her some more attention.  I tried to pat her like a mother cat would lick her, and I think I nailed it because Kate started purring, rolled over and started nursing on the blanket in the basket.  Poor girl must miss her mom.. so I kept patting her and rubbing her until Pippa came over and smacked her (in play) and Kate stopped.

We've also had a few firm stools, but just a few, and they are followed by a day or more of pure liquid so I went and got some more marquis paste.  *crosses fingers this works*

I swear I don't live on a farm..

Hey Kit, whatcha looking at?

Turkeys...

 

 

 

Girl turkeys..

The boy was no where to be seen.  Usually he walks around with his harem but apparently not today.  We see them randomly every month or so, they must have 'rounds' they make.

Then later on I saw Twee looking out the front door window to this...

My BFF is back..

Yup, I'm bad, my BFF is a cat.. whatcha gonna do about it?

This is the chipmunk that lives under our porch.  S/he comes out and sits on the edge of the porch.  Twee and Fleurp both love sitting there watching for it.

Speaking of Twee...

She brought her favorite toy to Kate and Pippa.  She's been sitting outside the room they are in just waiting for them.  Twee honey, you are going to have a very long wait.. since I don't mingle my residents with fosters..

cuteness

Worried for Kate

Apparently I'm a worrier.. Yup.. that's what I do.

Pippa is slowly coming around.  She still runs when I walk in the room, but it is just a few steps.  She cringes when I bend down to pat her, but she does accept it, and she purrs easily.  I took her for a walk through the house last night and I SWEAR she has a crush on Skippy.  She didn't get upset at any of the cats (not even Fleurp who actually hissed at her) but when she saw Skippy she started purring so loudly, it was freakingly adorable.

Kate however.. *sigh*  I'll be the first to admit there has been SOME progress.  My husband is on vacation so I've asked him to just go in there from time to time.  He does. He sits with them, pats them if he feels they want it.  He's a very kind soul and kittens usually cover him up.  She doesn't hiss at him as much as she used to.  I even got her to purr once (I was patting her and started patting her belly - but since then she's been very guarded with her belly)  Medicating has gotten easier.  They *let me* do it and don't freak out as much.    I've started dosing Kate with Rescue Remedy which she is also not a fan of (I've put it in the water as well) but when I walk in the room if she isn't already hiding she runs and she hisses at me when I go to pick her up.  I fear for her, because who wants to adopt a "sullen depressed emo teenager" kitten?

One thing gets me though.  After all this time I *just* realized that Kate has extra back toes.  Five on each foot instead of the standard four.  I'm glad Pippa doesn't have them, because getting to tell them apart is pretty difficult (except for the whole Pippa purrs thing)

Kate & Pippa

Well the stool sample I brought in to the shelter yesterday was deemed inconclusive, so they recommended I put them on the panacur. this is not fun. Pippa reacts worse to being medicated. I need to go VERY slowly or she reacts so badly that I can't hold on to her anymore.... which is saying a lot because I have a lot of experience holding feral kittens who get ticked.
this morning Pippa came right up to me and meowed at me. It was so cute. I went to pat her and she backed off, but when I straighted up she started up again. Kate still is so fearful. I ended up taking her for a walk through the house and showed her my other kitties. She seemed to like that. I brought her back and put her down and got another hiss. I figured it was time to break out the Rescue Remedy and gave her a dose directly and put some more in their water.

Ok, we'll eat near you

Pippa

Enticing Kate and Pippa with a toy

Pippa with Kate in back

Kate

Kate about to run

The video stars out with Pippa.  Kate shows up a little bit later.  Pippa once she stars playing will jump up on my lap to get a better pounce on the toy which is a lot of fun.  Although the fact that I wore shorts yesterday left me with several kitten scratches on my ankles.  Kate still doesn't like it when I look at her.  I can get her to play if I "ignore" her.

Meet the babies

Little Miss Little Orange
She is gaining weight all be it slowly. She is all bones and fur and purr with a huge heaping does of sweetness thrown in. She really enjoys being on my lap and patted.

In this shot you can see how frail she looks..

She likes looking in the camera.

Little Miss Big Orange
She is such a ham

Little Miss INTHERN
She is doing well.. she tends to suck on the food hence her face is all dirty

Little  Miss Tortie

Yup, she's special..

Little Miss Spider Kitties..

Do a Little Dance...

Yahooie!!  I can't believe I won half a pallet of food from Romeo the Cat and PetCo and Royal Canin for the shelter!!

So happy... As you may (or may not) know I am a huge proponent of canned food for kitties (http://www.catinfo.org explains why) and I bet you this is going to help a lot of cats and kittens stay nice and healthy at the shelter while they await their homes.

I usually donate a boat load of canned food to the shelter once a year... usually in the fall when donations start drying up, but I thought hey, if they are coming anyway with half a pallet, how much more could it be for a WHOLE pallet, so I contacted Romeo's mom and asked her to send along a note asking if I could do that.    Won't that be fun...

Fun with Fraidy Cats

Last night I went out after work to pick up a few things and didn't get home until late.  I still wanted to try to work with Kate and Pippa, and so I found a feather toy and got some food, and went in the bathroom...

well the shock of what they did to the room was a little overwhelming.

Someone had vomited.  Someone had pooped on the rug, someone else also pooped on the rug, someone else peed and pooped on a face cloth (that wasn't on the floor when I left in the morning) and someone else had gotten poop on the floor, on the wall, and on the carrier.  *sigh*  bad diarrhea is bad.. so a sample went to the shelter this morning to find out what is going on.

I got hissed at and run from.  I cleaned up the room as best I could and sat down and pulled them out of the teepee and showed them the food - which they promptly started eating.  They still don't know what to make of me as I am still quite scarey, but apparently I have my moments.  I got a few ping pongs rolling around and that was intriguing, but the night really started when I brought out the feather toy.

Now I must admit, there is nothing more pathetic then a kitten who does not know what to do with a feather toy.  Broke my heart a little to see Pippa looking at it like it was the weirdest thing she had ever seen.  Even when she got close and touched it, she was still quite in awe of it and totally unsure of what to do.  Kate held back and watched.  After a few minutes of playing "this toy is more scared of you then you are of it" Pippa finally realized she could have a lot of fun, and started really playing with it.  This intrigued Kate even more and she kept trying to get closer, but every time she moved I would look at her, and she would look at me, and that would be the end of progress.  So I had to make an effort NOT to look at her.. I'm not sure that is really wise, because I want her to realize that my looking at her is not a challenge (it can be in a clowder) but as an invitation, but I thought right now getting her to play was a bit more important.  Well after a few more false starts I got her to the toy, and after a few more minutes they were both playing.  Pippa more aggressively jumping up in the air and running around silly.  I even got her on my lap which made my heart skip a beat.  Shortly afterwards Kate came closer and put a paw on me.. which is huge.

In the morning we were right back to running in the teepee.  *sigh*  even with the addition of a radio to keep them company.  There was much less diarrhea this morning which was nice.  There was signs they jumped in the bath tub - which is rare for kittens to do.  I ended up going back in the bathroom twice after their breakfast.  The first time Pippa was out.  She was sitting in the laundry basket and I guess she felt it was safer to stay in there then run.  I thanked her for not running and gave her a pat.  The second time BOTH Kate and Pippa were in it.  I felt quite honored despite all the hissing going on.  They got pats and kind words, and I left them alone.  I'm glad they are eating well and playing.  They are starting to feel more comfortable in their territory.. I'm sure in time they will be more comfortable with me.

One step forward

and it seems two back.  Last night was not kind to Kate and Pippa.  the litter box was full of runny diarrhea and there was even a puddle on the rug. :(  these poor kittens are a mess.  Their fur is quite thick so it is hard to feel their bones, but once you get past the fur you can tell they are in need of some calories.

Last night I gave them two 3oz cans of food.  They ate 3/4ths of each.  This morning I gave them some more raw food and they inhaled it.  Its funny,  Kate won't come towards the food, but once I put her in front of it she eats as fast as she can.  It seems the raw I gave them yesterday did slow things down a bit (the diarrhea yesterday afternoon was markedly improved) so I think they'll be on it until things solidify (at least enough to get a stool sample anyway)

I also gave them some supplements to try to help them.  That did not go over well.  Usually the first time I 'medicate" a kitten they react badly, and I knew these two would not like the forced intrusion of something that didn't taste all that good in their mouths, and they didn't.   Pippa took it a little better then Kate.  At least Kate calmed down a little once I got her properly wrapped up.

Trust is still a big issue.  I did get Pippa to purr for me again.  I think Kate keeps telling her she is crazy to trust the big thing that keeps coming in and grabbing them, but hopefully with enough love and yummy foods she'll forget that.  I did get them playing last night.  I brought out some more ping pong balls.  Play was not really what happened when I was in the room, but I could hear them once I left.

The kittens are free!!

So last night I walked into the kitten room and little Miss "I Need To Have Everything Right Now" started screaming at me (the long haired tabby/calico apple headed kitten)  She has a way of screaming (not meowing mind you) that would make someone who is not looking at her think you were being horrible.  I got out a bowl put some food in it, and put it and her on the floor.

well that shut her up for a moment, then she realized she wasn't getting patted and she screamed again, but by that time I had put a few of her siblings down with her. She took a second and looked around.  She was out of the cage.. there was room to run around it.. this was enough of a distraction that both attention and food were forgotten about.

I had time to sit and watch them, and they were quite adventerous.  Little Miss Tortie was the first to climb my leg and get in my lap.  Little Miss INTHERN (I swear I can turn that into a real name) was the first to attempt to climb the cat tree.  Little Miss Little Orange was the first to stop playing and meow for attention, and Little Miss Bigger Orange quickly pounced on her.

The tortie is quite a character.. She seems to know the world will give her everything she wants and she just sits there and waits for it.  INTHERN wants it all and wants it all NOW!!!  she was in my lap getting attention and left to play, and when she hit the floor she realized she wasn't being patted any more and ... she yelled at me for it!!  lol.

They were quite adept at getting on the couch, jumping off, climbing the two cat trees and getting off of them, so I left them free roaming.  This morning they were so happy to see me, and the room wasn't destroyed, so it's all good.  Man these are fun kittens.

I started to regret taking two litters at one time, as I said before it is a bit overwhelming.  I got to thinking about all the problems having a set of kittens in my bathroom creates (and has created but more on that in a bit) but I really have the best of both worlds.  Kittens who are full of personality and energy and fun, and kittens who need extra attention and care.

I didn't take any more photos at this point, but I will on the weekend.

Kate and Pippa

Well this morning I decided on two names for my six girls.  The little gray kittens are going to be called Kate and Pippa.. (or should I be more politically correct and call her Kathrine?)

I'm considering Kate for the larger of the two, but she is more fearful and quick to hiss... but then "waity katie" seems appropriate for her..

They did fine last night, using the box (although they are both suffering pretty badly from very watery diarrhea) and nibbled on the fishy food I put down for them.  I wanted to make sure they smelled it. (them and every other cat in the house.. the crew sat out side the door most of the night)

This morning they weren't hiding in the carrier, so I assumed both of them were in the cloth teepee bed I put in there for them.  I don't like to blindly grab kittens, so I peeked in and saw one little head and grabbed her (turned out to be Kate) She was so intent on getting away she was unable to accept any love or attention.  I finally distracted her with a bit of food in her mouth, but I could literately hear her trying to figure out how to get away from me.  I kept peeking in the teepee to find the other kitten and I couldn't see her.  Finally I blindly felt around the teepee and could not find her.  Being that we were in the bathroom and I couldn't see her anywhere I started to wonder how on earth she could sneak out and where she could be.  After a few minutes of not letting myself panic, I realized she could fit behind the carrier, and low and behold there she was.    I picked Pippa up and while she was scared, she was able to accept attention.

I then put them down, and I got a hiss from Kate before she ran off.  Now in my house, hisses mean kisses (from kitties who can't bite my lips off) so that meant I had to go after her again.. This time she wasn't as panicked when I held her, and I put her down pretty quickly and right in front of her hidey hole.  Pippa was a bit more interested in me, and I got her playing with the "hand monster" (aka my wiggling fingers and her being brave enough to smack them).  I even heard her purr for a moment.

Because of the diarrhea, I decided to offer them a little raw food.  By the time I got back into the bathroom both were in the teepee.  I put the food in there with them, and Pippa went right at it.  Kate was having nothing to do with yet another foreign intruder, so I decided to pull it out and then pull her out to try to force her to try it.  Well Pippa came right out after the food, and Kate decided to pop her head out and give it a taste.  She liked it and ate quickly.  I gave her a little pat on her head and left for work (and I swear she thought hissed at me because her mouth was full)

So I see Pippa overcoming this fear pretty quickly.. Kate.. Kate needs to decide that I'm not evil or at least dealing with evil gets her good things so she is willing.  I have a feeling it is going to take a while but it is possible.

momwhatareyoudoing!!!

Mom, what are you doing in the back bathroom??

Putting the new kittens in there...

Who? us??

But what about that room downstairs you never let us in that you usually have kittens in that has been painfully empty that you STILL won't let us in??

Yea, well there are kittens in that room too my dears..

That would be us

and me

So I got a call from the second shelter and they wanted to set me up with an orientation, which wasn't going to happen for a while and I guess I didn't hide my disappointment.  She said she did have kittens now and if I could come up they could do the orientation and send me on my way with the kits.  I checked with my boss and off I went.  No where is perfect and I get that, but it does give me a new appreciation for the shelter I normally foster with.  They also expect that foster homes buy their own food.. very interesting.... but man these kittens have personality up the freaking wazoo.  the little long haired tabby .. well just look!!

I swear this one could pull off her own twitter feed or even a blog all on her own even at this age!!  She seems the biggest but she's fluff.  The tortie is 15 oz.. she's 14, the larger orange one is 12 and the smaller is 9oz.  They are all bones and meow.. I've got my work cut out for me packing on the pounds.

As for the two little grey ones, I got an email when I got back into the office offering me two six week old gray kittens.  I figured I'd have them for a short period of time, so I said what the heck.  Well they have diarrhea and are hissy, and are pretty small (I didn't weigh them yet) so they'll probably be here a while.

so now I need six girl names..

GFS

She sat at the far side of the room, ignoring food I was trying to tempt her with.  So I grabbed my camera and took a few photos.  I took a far away one (not shown) but it looked out of focus, so I zoomed in and got that first shot.  I then moved and saw her through the mirror only, and I thought backing off and getting her and her reflection would be fun.. apparently she did too. And then she thought I had a good enough photos for her GFS and walked away.

I mean Fleurp ignore food?? she must have wanted another GFS post