Adventures in Babysitting

Newbies!

2008-09-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

No names yet, but here are the new little ones:

Four this time -- this feels more like a "litter." We're back to the "kittens in the bedroom, dog and cats making noises outside the door" stage.

There are three girls and a boy -- the boy is the first marmie kitty, second picture down. The girls all have kinks in their tails, with the calico's tail twisted tightly up against her body. I don't know how old they are, but one of them (I don't know which) was actually already 2 lbs, while the others are only a few ounces under, so they probably won't be here too long.

For complicated personal reasons, I might have to name the female marmie Kate. She looks paler than her brother in the picture, but that's just the lighting.

And Now It's Time to Say Goodbye ...

2008-09-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

... to all our company:

Well, not today. But soon. Thursday.

Molly and Cassie both made weight today. Molly is 2 pounds, 9 ounces, and Cassie is right behind her at 2 lbs, 7 oz. So they are on Friday's schedule to be "fixed" (or, as Laurie puts it, to have their itty bitty bits removed), which means I bring them back to the Humane Society on Thursday, and then on Saturday, they will probably be at the Tacoma PetSmart available for adoption. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll be adopted together, because they really are buddies.

We will be getting a second batch of kittens, but truthfully, it's still an experiment. The humans and the dog have enjoyed having them -- Cassie and Pippin play together really well -- but we're not sure about the Big Guys. Our adult cats still seem somewhat offended by the kittens' presence. Right now, we're hoping that as these two leave and new ones come in, Hadrian and Trajan will adjust to the idea that the kittens are temporary visitors, and are most definitely not taking their place.

Fingers crossed.

Kitten Alarm Clock

2008-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Cassie has been getting a lot of focus lately, but Molly is still here. This is a fairly typical view of her at rest, though she's not at rest very often. She spends a lot of her time zooming around making noises that I feel like I should go investigate, like, now.

This morning I woke up around O-dark-thirty (we are late to bed, late to rise people) to a cat standing on my chest and purring at me. I suspect Molly purred me awake. She's got quite a little engine in there. So, we had a sweet little cuddle, during which time I was never 100% awake, and then I drifted back to sleep while Molly decided to go explore something new. Like, probably, my laundry hamper.

Sleepy Cassie

2008-09-08T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I've been a bit stressed about fostering lately. This first time is an "experiment," to see how well the whole household reacts. My husband, the dog and I are having fun, but the older cats don't seem to be adjusting too well. They seem to think we've replaced them with the kittens.

Also, Cassie still isn't gaining weight. She seems otherwise happy and healthy, but just isn't growing. She is absolutely adorable, though!

Staying Little

2008-09-03T20:38:00.000-07:00

"Weight Watchers is such a great program. I used to be 20 pounds -- now look at me!"

Seriously, Cassie does seem to be worrying about her schoolgirl figure. We weighed in at the Humane Society yesterday. Molly is 2 pounds now, but Cassie hasn't gained any weight since we've had her. She was 1 lb, 10 oz. when I first picked her up, and her upset tummy brought her down to 1 lb., 9 oz. She's still there. So, we're crossing our fingers that she'll start growing soon.

Progress

2008-08-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

Peace is returning. Trajan only looks uninterested, btw. He's actually doing his best not to scare Molly away (or to be startled himself, the big scaredy cat). I expect Molly to pounce on one of the Big Ones' tails soon.

Chaos...

2008-08-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

Pippin, you are about 14 times the kittens' size. Slow down. They'll play with you eventually.

Naptime

2008-08-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a quiet day. The kittens' tummies were a bit unhappy. But, after a quick visit to the vet today, we're thinking it was just a bug. They were already feeling a bit more playful again this morning.

This is Hadrian and Trajan, our two male kitties. (Hadrian is on the left, Trajan on the right.) They're not big cats -- they hover between six and seven pounds. But this last week, they've seemed enormous!

Ummmm, Molly?

2008-08-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

Where are you going?

We just had a claw-trimming party. Funny how much these little tiny kitties can wiggle. But, no, no matter how much you squirm, twist or yowl, I will still trim your claws.

Now I need to go after my big guys.

Why, Hello There!

2008-08-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is Cassie's favorite spot. Cassie is a love bug. If a person is in the room and it's not Kitten Crazy Hour, then she's surgically attached to said person. Usually on a lap, but since I like to lay on the bed and put my knees up, she will crawl up and perch there. She's also fond of shoulders.

Cassie and Molly both have very loud purrs. This is an unusual experience for us, as our resident kitties have very quiet purrs, and in fact, we thought for months that they were unable to purr when we first brought them home. But these two will start up with the loud motors as soon as the door opens. Sure makes a person feel popular!

Speaking of the resident kitties ... this is Hadrian saying, "Come out and play!"

Good Golly, Miss Molly!

2008-08-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Well, you knew that title had to come sometime, didn't you? So, I got it out of the way right off.

Molly is our explorer. Perhaps I should have named her Dora. She is bold and adventurous, and so far has made two dashes out the door. She wants to see what's outside the room. I think she wants to meet our permanent furry residents as much as they want to meet her.

This is a rousing game of "King of the Hill." I'm the hill.

First Time Fostering...

2008-08-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

This is Cassie.

And this is Molly (computer included for scale).

They've come to stay with us for a while.

Cassie and Molly are about six weeks old. I don't know how long they'll be with us, but they need to get to two pounds (they're a little over one pound now), and then get spayed before being available for adoption.

Fostering is a new experience for us. The permanent four-legged residents aren't sure what to make of this. Pippin, the dog, keeps barking and whining every time I go in the kittens' room and close the door. Hadrian, one of our cats, has spent a lot of time crouched outside the door, talking to the kittens. I'm really not sure what he's saying, but it doesn't seem to be threatening. Trajan has been pretty laid-back about it.

This will be an adventure for all of us!