New Kids on the Block

Pippa the momma cat is a smart, resourceful young girl. She tore open a screen on a screened in porch and brought her babies inside where it was a little warmer and away from predators. The woman who owned the house called Feline Rescue. When I went to pick up the momma and five 5 week old kittens, the woman had found three other kittens that weren't Pippa's. I took them, too.

Pippa is a bit shy. She doesn't trust me. I'm hoping this is just temporary. It's only been a few days (I picked her up Friday night and it's just Tuesday morning). When I enter the room, she runs to her hiding spot under the dresser. Her kittens eventually follow her. Pippa is about 9 months old, just a baby herself. From what I've seen so far, she seems to be a good momma. She calls to her kittens and when I tried to remove one kitten that went to her, she tried to attack me.

The first kitten that came up to me had one eye crusted shut. She looked up at me and I believe she meant to say, "Excuse me, could you help me here?" I called her Pirate. Her sister climbed to my shoulder. I named her Parrot. And that's when I developed a theme - all names starting with P.

Pippa the momma

This is the best shot I have so far of momma Pippa. She's a beautiful brown tabby shorthair with fluffy cheeks.

Pirate

When I brought them home, I immediately began bottle feeding the kittens. Pippa probably hadn't fed them in a couple of hours and probably wouldn't for a few more since she was too scared. I also brought in a plate of raw duck for Pippa. I left the room for a few minutes and when I returned, found that these kittens were party kittens. One of the youngest (and smallest) was smack dab in the middle of the plate of raw meat, gorging himself. Another kitten was in the middle of the dry kibble bowl, wolfing down everything and making yummy noises as she ate. I was so happy that even the three week old kittens were eating solid food. No bottle feeding for me! Unfortunately, these kittens are not fully litter box trained.

Parrot

Pirate is one of the three week old kittens. She likes me and yet is starting to listen to the older kittens (who think I'm evil and must be hissed at).

Parrot is another one of the three week old kittens. She likes me and loves to sit on my lap. Right now, she's my favorite. Yes, I am admitting to having favorites. She follows me around the room. She will lay on her back on my lap, sucking on her paws. It's quite cute. She's actually purrs for me when I rub her belly.

Phineas

Pierce

Phineas is the smallest of the bunch, the last of the interloping three week old kittens. He also seemed to like me right off the bat. He's best friends with Parrot and the two are often wrestling and biting each other on the butt while they sit on my lap.

Pierce is one of Pippa's five kittens. He got his name after he bit my finger when I was bottle feeding him the first night. He was incredibly hungry and when I pulled the bottle away to angle it differently, he got a little huffy and lunged for the bottle, in the process chomping on my finger and drawing blood. He sort of likes me. He doesn't hiss at me quite as much as his siblings.

Peter

Peter thinks I'm evil. He runs to his momma when I come into the room.

Piper

Piper also thinks I'm evil but she doesn't run as fast as her brother Peter. She's also a little braver so she'll come out of hiding faster than her brother.

Pickle is independent. At not even one pound, she likes to climb to the top of the five foot tall cat tower, where she'll sleep by herself for hours.

Pickle

And finally... Norman. Holy cow, is he a momma's boy! The first morning, I noticed he was puking so I tried to snag him so that I could administer medicine (sub-Q fluids and some Pepcid). Not only did he run away from me, but he ran right to his momma, who was hiding under the treadmill. I stuck my head under the treadmill to see him and his momma lunged at me, growling up a storm. I believe I saw Norman stick his tongue at me.

Norman

All kittens seem to get along. The five original kittens like to sleep together. The three interlopers like to sleep together. But they do all hang out together. I'm not quite certain if Pippa is feeding all of them but since they're eating solid food and gaining weight, I'm not too concerned (they get weighed daily).

Today is day four with them. Some like me. Some do not. All are gaining weight. Some need to learn to use the litter box. Pippa hides from me but I'm hoping she and I will be friends. It's too soon to tell.

Parrot on my lap