Monday, May 9, 2016

And now we enter that phase of kittenhood where I keep saying "I hate kittens"



The kittens are doing well.  They have moved out from behind the couch and now live in the tunnel at the base of the cat tree.  This has Art3mis a little crazed because she can only protect one side of the tunnel at a time, so she is more prone to growl at me.  A moment or two of reminder that I'm okay calms things down, but it is a bad president to set for the kittens.  Some of them are completely fine with me, like Evelyn and Daito, some of them are freaked out by me, like Shoto and the rest depend on their mood of the day.


This does not bode well for Art3mis continuing with us for much longer. I think this is going to be in her best interest in the long run because getting her neutered and getting her hormones settled sooner rather than later will help her adjust better.  I think I'm about as far along with her as I am going to get while there are kittens present.  I will say, things are going well with her.  I can place my forehead on hers and give her kisses. I can pick her up and although she immediately wants to get down, she doesn't struggle but just pushes against me.  She is just going to need a home that will respect her need to go at her pace.


As for the kittens.. *headdesk* man they are cute but OHMY they are a pain.  I mentioned Friday that Art3mis went in the cardboard boxes that I set up for the kittens.  She then went in the plastic litter boxes I set up for the kittens, knocked it over when leaving causing the litter to be all over the floor which the kittens took as an invitation to use.. on the floor.. *sigh*  So I tried setting up a covered litter box for them, but the kittens were too small to see inside the box, so they started going on the floor around the box. Even when I would pick them up and put them in the box to use they would crawl out and pee on the floor. *headdesk*

Art3mis strongly prefers to use a shallow box, but she tends to throw the litter out of the box when she does, so continuing to provide shallow boxes for the kittens would mean a lot of extra work for me... but providing taller boxes didn't seem to be the answer either.  Last night I was cleaning up the kitten room and I found more puddles of pee in inappropriate places, like the basket of toys under Raffe... which is how the title of this post came about.


And then I turn around and there are kittens playing being uber cute and I realize that is their nefarious scheme all along.. they sucker you in with cuteness so they can get away with not understanding the intricacies of living in a house until they are six or seven weeks old.


They sure are lucky they are cute.

I have no immediate plans to get Art3mis back into the shelter. I had indications she was going back into heat on Saturday but no further signs of it. She is still nursing, and I want to give the kittens the best start with as much of that as they can get. I'll reexamine things next weekend once the kittens hit six weeks and see where we are.  Too long and it will be harder to get to the ones who are freaking out because she is.

29 comments:

  1. I appreciate all the updates on the family.

    Emma and Buster

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  2. Yep, it sounds like the family's going through the PITA phase!

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  3. Wow, that all sounds so complicated.

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  4. Having a momcat who doesn't trust you has to make it hard to get the kittens to trust you! "But Mom said..." Too bad Mom saying use the litter isn't the message they're getting...

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    1. they are sorta getting it. they tend to go in the 'designated for peeing' area.. that just happens to be the floor right now

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  5. Heh ... I've been lucky. Almost no peeing accidents. But the poop? Oh, the poop. Some days, like yesterday, hardly any accidents. Then this morning. SIX poops to clean up. Only one in a litter box. Beasts.

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    1. you just had to say something, didn't you. Guess what you are going to find when you go to clean tonight

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  6. Well, that is why kittens are so darn cute. We hope you can figure out an appropriate litterbox situation for them.

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    1. I just need to wait them out until the next growth spurt. Next week this will be but a bad memory

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  7. What about a higher sided litter box with a low scooped front entrance? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/categoryimages/highdef/CG-31424-FS67201C-Smpet.jpg

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    1. I imagine that Art3mis would kick litter out of that box as well. I really only have to get through this week and the kittens will be big enough to see in higher sided boxes

      but thank you so much for the suggestion!!

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  8. we got the "partial accuracy" stage going here too. it is so hard with some of those momma cats but we know you will make the best decision for her and the kittens

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  9. LOL. I have always said that babies are cute only so that we will put up with them! Stay strong!

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  10. Happy Bear is.... nervous!

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  11. On the positive side they grown out of it. Try living with a rabbit who one week is litter trained and the next isn't - for no obvious reason. Honestly, it's enough to drive you to drink!

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    1. my rabbit started peeing in the pile of hay I had brought in to feed her.. and I didn't realize it. So the cats started peeing there too... I nearly cried when I found it.

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  12. Mother Nature knew what she was doing when she made the absolute most adorable stage and the biggest pain in the butt stage happen at the same time! When I'm in the middle of that stage, it seems eternal - and when it's past, it seemed to have gone by in a flash. Thank god they grow out of it!

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  13. That's the reason why they are so cute, right ? Who could be mad at them ? Purrs

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  14. It's hard to stay upset when you look at that sweetness. :-) I hope things go well for all of them. It sounds like you and Art3mis have come so far together.

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  15. Yeah they can push your buttons and make you feel somewhat stressed at times, Art3mis sounds like a kitten who needs a lot of work and as you said will need a home that is prepared to work with her.

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  16. Wow, sounds like such a fun time. But at least you get to look at the cuteness in person. Thanks for sharing the pictures with us to enjoy too!

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  17. we read this and we are kind of glad the human mom can't take n oany more right now! (uhm, she thinks you are a SAINT!)

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  18. They are all so cute, including Mama. I hope the litter box issues get straightened out soon.

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  19. Mom Paula says she's thankful we were already trained when we came to live with her.

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  20. Even with adults, litter box issues occur, and they are always a pain. But Mom just puts a smile on her face and cleans up. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

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  21. Wow, that's progress! It's all sounding wonderful for the kittens that some of them are bonding with you already, even if some are reluctant. We spay these moms and bring them back so they can keep nursing and nurturing the kittens and most often they settle down and just take a little longer to socialize, especially because you are spending so much time with their kittens. Good luck with her! The kittens will be fun! I didn't get a chance to comment yesterday.

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