Guest Hosts

Over the next few weeks, you'll be seeing a lot of new feet. Human feet. The kittens will have visitors, lots and lots of visitors. These are not adoption visits but socialization visits.

A few days ago, my family stopped by to meet the kittens. The kittens were not enthusiastic about meeting new people. They scattered and hid under the treadmill. 

Although the smallest of the bunch, Shortie was the bravest. After an initial scamper away, she quickly returned. While she wasn't too interactive with my sister, her husband, my nephew, and my father, she wasn't afraid, either. She amused herself, playing with toys. 

After a bit, some kittens ventured out but did not stay out for long. Double Stuff found himself out in the open, darting about, trying to find a place to hide. The longer he searched, the more panicked he became. He soon decided he could escape the room, even though the door was shut. He spotted the gap under the door. He made a beeline towards the door, ramming his head under the door, trying to slither out to the other side. But his head is bigger than he expected. And the gap isn't as wide as he gauged. He quickly became stuck. And then the panic REALLY set in. With his head wedged under the door, he began screaming and his panic manifested in hissing. Nadya thought another cat was attacking him from the other side of the door and flew into super protective momma mode. She launched herself at the door, puffed up and hissing herself, trying to attack whatever was on the other side. Double Stuff's hysteria intensified. My sister ran over and tried to pull him out but since he didn't know her, he was terrified even more. I intervened and tried pulling him out but he was firmly wedged under the door. I had to open the door to free his head.

One bright thing that came out of this scary incident - all of the kittens came out of hiding (many were all puffed up) due to the commotion. They were gawkers on the scene.  

So.... because we can't have Double Stuff ramming his head under a door every time a stranger comes into the room, I have arranged people playdates for the kittens. There will be new people coming over a couple of times a week to sit with the kittens, play with the kittens, and just be a person. 

On Monday (6/23), the kittens met the wonderful Peggy, who is also a foster caregiver for Feline Rescue. She came bearing treats. As I walked into the room, all of the kittens ran to greet me. But when they saw Peggy behind me a second later, they all scattered, hiding under the treadmill again. Shortie stayed. She wasn't afraid! She's a tough and brave little girl. 

Nadya was incredibly friendly. She purred and rubbed all over Peggy. She was also quite interested in the treats. Moments later, Stroopy came out of hiding. He was afraid and kept darting for cover but the allure of treats resonated with him. Biscoff was the next to venture out. Both kept fighting their fear, pulling their braveness up by the bootstraps. They'd sit out in the open for a second, shyly duck back behind something, come out a second later, nervously take a few steps forward, until they reached the point where they could be comfortable being visible as long as Peggy didn't make any sudden movements or, heaven forbid, try to touch them. 

Zotz watched from afar. She came out from under the treadmill, walked to the back of it (the furthest point away), and peered out at us. We could only see her eyes and her ears. Zagnut crawled out from under the treadmill a few times but ducked back under after a moment or two. He forgot to tuck his giant paws under so we could see them sticking out. Double Stuff knows his name so when I would call out to him, he'd peek out. 

After about a half hour, Nadya walked over to the treadmill and chattered at the kittens underneath, as if scolding them. They all came out of hiding. Momma told them to come out so they did! But none wanted to approach Peggy. Double Stuff clung to his momma, hugging her and begging for licks of comfort. 

I got out a wand toy. That did the trick. Biscoff wanted to show his new best friend all of his graceful moves. Zagnut just wanted to steal the toy. Even Fudgie, who hates me, came over to play with the wand toy. 

Interestingly enough, Zotz, who was the first to do everything and is incredibly adventurous, was one of the last to fully approach Peggy. Double Stuff kept needing his momma to reinforce his courage. He would dart back to her, get his head licked, and then he would venture a couple steps further. 

After the hour long session, Peggy was able to see, interact, AND touch all seven kittens. She even held Fudgie. Biscoff draped himself over her feet, keeping close to his favorite toy and the woman with treats. 

The next visitor is scheduled for Wednesday (6/25), a little after 5:00pm Minnesota time. I'm hoping that with each new visitor, the time it takes for them to come out of hiding is shorter to the point where they don't even hide. There is hope. 

In other news, the kittens will be three months old on 7/2. This is a momentous date because in the Feline Rescue world, this marks the spay/neuter age (with the caveat that they are three pounds; this is also the time when they're FIV tested). And once they're spayed/neutered, they can be adopted. Two of the kittens (Fudgie and Shortie) are not three pounds yet. They're just a tish over two and a half pounds now. Since kittens typically gain about 4 ounces a week, this means neither will be three pounds by next week. I had tentatively scheduled their spay/neuter surgery for 7/7 knowing that the smaller kittens wouldn't be ready on their actual 3 month birthday, however, it looks as though it will need to be pushed out until at least 7/9. 

Every day with the kittens brings something new. They're learning. They're growing. 

Ch-Ch-Changes

Part of the job of a foster caregiver is to prepare the kittens for, well, life in general. This means everyday household occurrences and noises - like the dishwasher, cooking dinner, dogs barking, the vacuum cleaner, climbing stairs. The kittens' room is like a fortress. It's in the basement (you may have noticed the cinder block walls), tucked far away from the hustle and bustle that goes on upstairs. While this was perfect for Nadya when she was pregnant and then later when she was a new momma to minimize stressful impacts, it is now a little too perfect. You may have heard the music in the background of the kittens' room and wondered if the kittens were having a rave. No, the music is for educational purposes. A few weeks ago, as I was sitting in the kittens' room, my stomach growled. The kittens freaked out and flew into hiding. A few days later when the same thing happened and was met by the same response, I realized that the kittens were overprotected. Tucked in the basement, away from every day noises, their room was a little too quiet, a little too serene. Instead of creating kittens who were at peace, the opposite had occurred. These guys were neurotic over the slightest noise.

I brought out the iPod containing a playlist of soothing, tranquil selections (Muzak style songs, lullabies, and classical), used ages ago for my own cat who was afraid of thunderstorms (but is now fine). The first time I turned on the stereo, the kittens scattered, which definitely reinforced my point. After a week, I added more peppy songs, mixing them into the more serene selection. The volume also varies. Sometimes it's quite soft; sometimes it's rather loud. The unexpected volume changes help mimic every day life.

Once the kittens seemed unfazed by the music, I decided to add TV noises - car chases, gun fire, dogs barking, doorbells. For an hour a day, they get TV time. If you're wondering what they're watching that would give them scary noises consistently, it would be old episodes of the TV series Charmed (starring Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs, and Alyssa Milano). The kittens seem to be over their fear of noises. My tummy can growl all it wants now. :-)

In other news, Double Stuff is no longer afraid of climbing down from the top of the cat tower!! Finally! He spent a good 10 minutes climbing up, climbing down, climbing up, climbing down with reckless abandonment one evening (and almost falling off in the process as he got cocky).

Finally, all seven kittens have had their first distemper shot. The five "cookie" kittens (Biscoff, Stroopy, Double Stuff, Fudge Stripe, and Shortbread) received their first one on Friday (6/13). All did very well and didn't even make a peep! Shortbread, who is the littlest, delayed the date of the shot as she was not quite two pounds when the kittens turned eight weeks old (Feline Rescue requires that the kittens be 2 pounds and 8 weeks old). The other kittens thanked her. Their spay/neuter surgery will also most likely be delayed, too, due to weight issues. If projection holds true, neither Fudge Stripe nor Shortbread will be the required three pounds at 12 weeks old (which is 7/2).

I have more exercises planned for the kittens. They still need to be introduced to the vacuum cleaner. They need to experience climbing stairs. They need to be in a kitchen during dinner preparation. They need to be in the living room as members of the household scurry about doing every day things. They also need to meet my cats... Nadya is still in protective momma cat mode so I'll have to arrange a meeting that does not include Nadya. One of my cats is the official foster socializer. Howard the cat is a wonderful surrogate poppa. He is incredibly patient with kittens (I usually get orphans) and loves to bathe with them. He's excellent at teaching a kitten how to play.

In a few short weeks, the kittens will be ready for adoption. I have just a little time left to teach them everything they're supposed to know before they leave me. I hope they all graduate from kittening school!

Nine Weeks of Furry Spunk

The cookie kittens turned nine weeks old on 6/11 (and the candy kids are 10 weeks old). Hard to believe how quickly they went from helpless to waddling to bouncing off the walls.

Most of the kittens are right on track with their weight (which means they're at least two pounds). Shortbread is about 6 days behind in weight. Although that seems sad, it's actually not so bad since a few weeks ago, she was two weeks behind in weight. She's catching up! Fudge Stripe and Shortbread toggle who is the smallest. Currently, Shortbread is the tiniest.

The kittens should be receiving their first distemper shot (the horror!) on 6/13. The candy kittens received their first shot already (since they're a week older) and both took it really well.

Double Stuff had a very scary incident last Friday. He was frightened by a loud noise while he was lounging on top of a six foot high cat tower. In a panic, he jumped straight down. While that's a scary action all in itself, it was compounded when his head slammed into the metal leg of the futon couch. He then spent 10 minutes wobbling all over the room, not wanting to put weight on his back legs (and actually wheel-barrowed around on his front two legs). This occurred around 7:15pm Friday. Since the vet's office closes at 8pm (and there's a 20 minute drive), I didn't wait to assess if he were merely stunned or was actually injured. I packed him into a carrier and took him to the vet. He was fine. Physically fine. Mentally, he was one upset kitten. He was very vocal about his displeasure over the car ride. As soon as he returned home, Nadya licked him all over and gave him a private nursing session. He glared up at me as he nursed feverishly. The residual effects of his fall - Double Stuff is now terrified to climb down from the cat tower. This fear does NOT keep him from climbing to the top of the tower. Every day when I come home, I find him stuck on the top, screaming at me to help him down. I've tried showing him how to get down. I've tried just letting him sit up there and scream. The other kittens have all tried to show him how to get down, too. He refuses to listen to logic and insists that I help him.

Their little personalities continue to develop.

Zotz absolutely loves attention and is incredibly friendly. She's the first to greet me as I walk into their room. She loves to crawl all over me as I sit on the floor. She's my pal.

Shortie, although the smallest of the bunch, has one of the sweetest personalities. She's so smart, too! When she wants me to play with her, she taps a toy and looks at me. If I'm not paying attention, she runs over to me, taps my leg, and then runs back to her toy and taps her toy. She's incredibly gentle. Her claws are always in when she accidentally hits me instead of the toy I'm waving at her. She's also one curious kitten and is very interested in waste management. As I clean the litter boxes, she crawls into the bag, investigating where the poop goes...

Biscoff is one of largest kittens and is the most easy going of the bunch. He lets me do pretty much anything, including holding him in the crook of my arm, cradling him like a baby. He loves belly rubs... or at least puts up with them.

Zagnut is a quiet, gentle giant. He is the largest of the kittens. Typically, kittens gain 4 ounces a week and total 3 pounds at 12 weeks. Zagnut reached 3 pounds at 9 weeks old. I'm still working with him about human interaction. It seems he greets me at the door every OTHER day. He likes me. He's just a little unassuming. His favorite game is blanket monster (I'm teaching 'em young!). He loves to have a baby blanket thrown over him and when he sneaks a paw out from under the blanket, he almost giggles when I touch it.

Stroopy is a rascal. He is the biggest of Nadya's kittens. He can be a bit of a bully as he plays a little too aggressively with some of the kittens. Of course, he has a good heart and likes to curl up with his siblings, too. He loves to be petted and puts up with belly rubs.

Double Stuff is the trouble maker. He loves to get into things. He's also the talker. The other kittens are fairly quiet, rarely meowing. Double Stuff is constantly talking, even in the potty. He is also a deep purrer. Loves belly rubs and will actually flop down at my feet for belly rubs.

Fudgie. Sigh. Fudgie. She's a sweet girl. Unfortunately, she absolutely hates me. It breaks my heart. She's starting to come around, though. She doesn't run away from me... as much. She WILL walk past me if I'm sitting on the floor now (she used to take the biggest circle possible to avoid coming anywhere near me - and sometimes, she just wouldn't even go around me. She'd stay on her side of the room). I think she's still holding a grudge to humans in general, with me at the top of her list, after her butt abscess draining (her bottom was poked with a giant needle to drain a nasty infection). Although I didn't do it (a vet did), she still holds me responsible for the incident (and not her mother Nadya who gave her the abscess). She does love to play with her siblings. I'm trying to work with her.

And Nadya. Sweet Nadya.  Always greets me at the door. She loves, loves, loves to lick her kittens. When one runs by her, she grabs it and bathes it. She loves to play with me. She prefers to hang back when I'm playing with the kittens, though. She herself occasionally plays with a kitten. Shortie loves to wrestle with her momma.

Nadya continues to have bouts here and there of fevers. She was fine for a good three weeks without incident. She spent a couple of hours alone when the kittens were 7 weeks old. They went to the vet for their wellness checkup. A few hours after they returned, her temp shot up, caused by the stress of her missing kittens. She was placed on antibiotics and sub-Q fluids for a week. A day after that, her temp shot up again and she went back on antibiotics and sub-Q fluids for another week. She's just finished that round. Fingers crossed that she stays healthy!

Typically, Feline Rescue posts kittens for pre-adoption when they reach 2 months old (but doesn't adopt out until 3 months old, after they've been spayed/neutered and FeLV/FIV tested). Because there's a slight chance that these kittens might have FIV, we have to wait to post the kittens for adoption until after they've been tested. They most likely will be just fine - FIV negative. Given their momma's history, we have to be careful. With a typical litter, I'd be entertaining people who were interested in meeting the kittens. I'd know now if my babies were going to be adopted. These kittens have about 4 weeks to go before they can meet potential adopters. It's bittersweet. It's sweet because I have more time with these kittens; it's bitter because these kittens, unfortunately, can't do what other kittens get to do.

As mentioned, the kittens get their first distemper shot tomorrow (6/13). Think about them about 4:30 Central (Minnesota) time because that's when the needles come out. Poor babies. I think I'm more nervous then they are!!