More pics - July 28, 2010

Kit, Abigail, Brenna

3 weeks on ... July 28, 2010

It's been a long 3 weeks.  Mom-cat Zoya had almost no milk so Foster-mom Pam had to bottle feed 8 (then 7, then 6) little kittens round the clock.  It's been exhausting, but they are doing great!  Kittens are all teething now, so Zoya went off to another foster home for a little R&R before she goes back to the shelter to find a forever home.  I'll get to keep the kittens for another month or so, or until they reach at least 2 lbs.

Kit (center), Abigail (front)

7th Heaven

Little sleepy-heads. There are only 7 in this picture; little Checkers started fading this morning, so we rushed him down to the Clinic.

Eight is Enough - 7/3/2010

Introducing.... Abigail, Brenna, Checkers, Duffy, Kit, Lacey, Marielle, and Willie. We'll sort out who's who later. They weighed in this morning between 2.1 and 3.4 ounces. Mom & kids all doing well so far.

Cotton's Tale - 7/3/2010

It's been a while since I've updated about Cotton. He's doing REALLY well these days. Here's a pic of him 'helping' in the office. He follows me around the house. He's very curious about the foster kittens (but still scared silly of them all). He steals Colleen's dinner daily. He's generally turning into a real nice cat. Still a few kinks to work out, but all-in-all, a sweetie.

Ittiest Bittiest Kitties - 7/2/2010

Look at the ittiest, bittiest kitties! My latest foster was just dropped off at my house today - Zoya plus her 8 tiny reindeer, er, kittens! There are 5 little black & white and 3 solid black, born late last night or early-early this morning. Mom is just a tiny girl herself, so we're helping her feed the big brood. More info to follow!

My newest foster babies - 5/14/2010

Introducing Sudley (I didn't pick it, honest) - a little tortie girl,

Sorrentino - the tuxedo boy,

and Sassafras (Sassy, for short) - the sassiest little gray girl ever.

Kyndra's kittens - growing like weeds

The littles are growing up. Reinhardt (orange tabby) has actually hit the 2lb mark! But he still seems so tiny!

That's Raquel in front and Murrel in the back (can't see his little white spots in this photo).

Cotton's Tale - May 7, 2010

More big milestones for Cotton...

Since he has come out of the bathroom, he has made friends with my girl-kitties. He recognizes that he is low man on the totem pole and defers to them for favorite sleeping spots, food, etc. Originally, he seems scared of them - it was hilarious to see a 6lb 3-legged cat chasing this big 14lb boy! Now it's all in fun, they chase each other around the house and he's taken to jumping out from behind a chair when one of them walks by, just to try to engage them. He has turned into quite a gentleman cat around the ladies.

Second big mark... last night he decided to jump up on my bed to see what he could find. He's been tempted before, but would never come all the way up. He's finally decided that it seems to be OK. Unfortunately for me, he decided this at 3am. But hey, a milestone to be celebrated at any hour.

Finally, this morning HE LET ME PICK HIM UP! (cue the happy-dance). No squirming, striking, or bite-threatening. Not so comfortable that he started purring, but still a HUGE step for this cat.

I think he's going to be a nice, happy cat after all. I knew he had it in him somewhere, if he'd just let it out.

Cotton's Tale - April 26, 2010

Yes, I am afraid of kittens.

Check up time - 4/24/2010

Big day yesterday in the kitten-hood. Mom went back to the shelter, so the little ones are on their own now. They got checked out, vaccinated, de-wormed (yuk!), and nails trimmed. A very handsome set, indeed!

Unfortunately, the two little tuxedos tested positive for FeLV. They'll be rechecked in 30 days and hopefully, this is just a false positive. Mom & their ginger brother are negative.

Cotton's Tale - April 20, 2010

The big day is finally here! The vet cleared him and Cotton is finally out of quarantine. He's allowed to roam around the house now, but seriously, he's turning into a big chicken!

He's 14 lbs of hissing & scratching around me, but now that he can run free, he still clings to his own little bathroom. He won't come downstairs yet. When my two girl-kitties come upstairs at night, they run rings around him - literally. He's being chased down the hall by a 6lb, 3-legged girl-cat!

All that bravado was just bully-talk....he's really just a 'fraidy cat!

Kyndra's Kittens - 4/13/2010

Here's some updated pics of Kyndra's Kittens. Little orange tabby male is Reinhardt. Tuxedo kit with salt & pepper fur is female Raquel. Other tux male (with less white) is Murrel. They are toddling around, maybe just on the verge of eating 'real' food, and Mom Kyndra is so-o-o-o ready to be done!

Cotton's Tale - 3 months - 4/13/2010

Big Day today!

Dr Silvia brought her mobile vet clinic to the house and gave Cotton the full workup. He wasn't nearly the terrible attack-cat that I expected him to be. Vaccines, blood draw, nail clip, flea treatment, and deworming!

Tomorrow, hopefully we'll find out that he is clear to be introduced to the rest of the household. It's taken him a long time to learn his 'indoor manners'. Last big hurdle will be the intro to my girls.

Baby Pics - 4/2/2010

I know, I know, I've been terrible about posting lately. My last two foster kittens got no blog time at all. They were a couple of scaredy cats, so pictures of them running away from me aren't that interesting.

Here's some cute baby snaps of Kyndra & her little crew. Eyes are just starting to open now and they are wiggling around. So cute!

New kittens in the house! 03/23/2010

Introducing .... mom-cat Kyndra and her 3 babies. The dark spot at the top is a little boy with some white markings (not quite a tuxedo) named Murrel. Next to him is sister Raquel, also black with white markings (and a cute pink nose!). Finally, there orange tabby brother with the name bigger than he is, Rienhardt. I don't make 'em up, I just get to foster & play with them!

Cotton's Tale - 2 months - March 16, 2010

Yes, two months now. He's still essentially untouchable. Oh, he lets me pet him and an occasional scratch behind the ears, but there's still hissing & striking.

Big trama for him yesterday - he got moved to a bigger room. Took most of an hour to convince him to get back in the carrier for the trip upstairs. Wish I could trust him enough to just pick him up. I've got the battle scars to prove he's still a biter.

Oh, and now... he's got fleas. Where'd those come from?

Cotton's Tale - 5 weeks

Hey, a breakthrough! He let me pick him up today! Hurray! Hurray! He was even purring while I put him in my lap. Didn't last too long. I guess he suddenly remembered he's not supposed to 'like' me.

There's much less hissing & striking now. I think he's finally ready to see the vet. Wonder how much that will set us back.

Cotton's Tale - Day Twenty-One - 2/6/2010

Three weeks; he's still living in the bathroom shower.

Cotton is making steady progress every day. Tonight, for the first time, he spent about 10 minutes curled up in my lap! He will now (generally) let me pet him (long strokes, no patting or scratching). He seems to look forward to spending time with me. I've kept him so isolated that I'm his only connection to the world outside his enclosure. He's calmed down tremendously since arriving, no doubt in large part to the full bottle of CALM DOWN he's ingested over the last three weeks (did I mention it's 13% alcohol?)

I've yet to attempt to pick him up. He still has schizophrenic episodes where he will turn from a purring, sweet kitty seeking attention to a snarling monster with teeth & claws bared. He seems to get over-stimulated and doesn't know what to do with the anxiety. Even when he's 'calm', his tail is swishing nervously.

All in all, I'm amazed at his progress. When I used to visit my cousin, I never saw him act this nicely in his former home (always hissing & growling). She let him get away with a lot of bad behavior. Now, I reward the good and walk away when he acts up. He's catching on. Since most cats don't crave human acceptance the same way dogs do, it's tough to see where we're making progress. Patience will win out in the end.

Can't seem to catch him looking sweet & loving in pictures. Maybe next time.

Cotton's Tale - Day Twelve - 1/28/2010

Hurray! He let me pet him today ... and ... he liked it!
And yes, there was even purring....
hurray, hurray, (happy dance)