Covid kittens

[HisArpy]

Oh god he's perfect. He'd be a great little sidekick for Pip. Bob would be scared of him and Molly would probably kick his head in.

We're all doomed...

 

[HisArpy]

Update week #5.

Mama kitty got out of her cage when we were cleaning the cat box. I had to use a catch pole to get her out of the hiding hole she decided to jump into. We decided that since the kittens were eating solid food, they were old enough to wean. Weaning them means that mama kitty can go get spayed sooner and then released.

Better for her, better for the kittens, better for us. So the little terrorists are in a cage by themselves now.

While we were moving them, we decided to sex them since we hadn't actually done that.

3 boys, 1 girl.

Bandit is the girl.

For those who are offended by us calling a female kitten "Bandit", the names aren't "official" just something we can call them by so we know which one we're talking about.

So, for us it's Bandit, Dice, Diamond, and Red. They will get permanent user id's when they get adopted. Right now they are healthy, happy, and really people oriented. They will be good cats when they grow up.

 

[Morcheeba]

Well, they are at least felines before your decision to



S E X





T H E M












#ThesePeopleAreStupid

 

[HisArpy]

They are bright eyed, alert, healthy, happy, and more than willing to jump out of the cage and onto my lap as soon as the door is open. They're smart and cuddly and will eagerly gnaw on my fingers if I let them.

They're constantly swimming in their water bowl so maybe they aren't as smart as I think they are.

In a couple of weeks, they'll start being let out of the cage on their own to freely mix and play with with the other cats. At 5 weeks, they're still too little to hold their own against the bigger cats without getting scared or getting into trouble.

 

[SusanHaack]

Update week #5.

Mama kitty got out of her cage when we were cleaning the cat box. I had to use a catch pole to get her out of the hiding hole she decided to jump into. We decided that since the kittens were eating solid food, they were old enough to wean. Weaning them means that mama kitty can go get spayed sooner and then released.

Better for her, better for the kittens, better for us. So the little terrorists are in a cage by themselves now.

Are the feral cat's right ears clipped for identification as well?

 

[HisArpy]

Are the feral cat's right ears clipped for identification as well?

It's what the vet does when they spay/neuter ferals as a sign that it's been done already.

 

[SusanHaack]

That street kid that's been crashing on my couch for years has his ear clipped.
Sometimes rescues will take feral cats and adopt them out as barn cats, but the same rescues sell other cats for research to universities and corporations at a fraction of the cost they charge the public.

 

[HisArpy]

- Kitty gram update -

They're 6 1/2 weeks and being allowed to run with the other cats for a few hours each day now that they're big enough to hold their own. Little troublemakers is what they are.

Bandit - I wasn't trying to chew my way into the bag. Honest.

Diamond taking a break at the watering bowl. Getting into the cat treats and spilling them is hard and thirsty work.

Dice, perfectly camouflaged and planning a sneak attack. That's his mom in the cage behind him. She hisses at them when they sniff at her cage.

The domestic terrorist from next door. I keep changing the locks but he always manages to get back in the house. I think someone is undermining my authority in this...

 

[HisArpy]

Just a quick update.

Calico Kitty went to the vet today and got spayed. In a week or so she'll be healed enough to be released.

There will be no more coyote bait kittens.

 

[HisArpy]

Another update:

Calico Kitty was released yesterday. She spent the day hanging around the back door crying to get back in.

No. She's NOT a good house guest so she can just make her own way in the world like she was before.

Not a sign of her today.

Meanwhile I had a nice nap with a lap full of sleeping kittens this afternoon.

 

[FataMorgana]

That little ginger has a beautiful face now.

 

[HisArpy]

That little ginger has a beautiful face now.

They are all beautiful in their own way even if not "perfectly marked".

In addition, they are all smart, healthy, happy, and learning about the wide world without fear or risk. They don't claw on the furniture and instead use their cardboard claw sharpening/scratching box or the cat tree (which needs replaced or recovered). They beg for cat treats in the morning, go to bed in their cage at night on their own, and purr when they crawl up on my lap to nap. I can roll them onto their back and they don't resist and when I call them they'll come to be cuddled and petted.

They are also not scared of big kitty (people) feet or afraid of being stepped on. They don't climb up onto the table either even though they can because they've been told not to do that.

I will be sorry to see them go to new homes but that's how I always feel.

 

[HisArpy]

Another update:

Calico Kitty showed up at the door asking to be let back in yesterday evening but ran away as soon as I opened the door. I put some food out for her. As soon as I closed the door she came back and ate all the food.

 

[HisArpy]

They're adorable.

Well, 3 of them are kinda sorta cute.

That red headed kid is a different story though. Don't believe that innocent face, it's fake. Look into his eyes and see the evil thoughts that are going on inside his head. We are prey and doomed to a life of eternal servitude. World domination is at hand.

 

[HisArpy]

Last update:

12 weeks and they are all gone to good homes.

That means in the next couple of days Calico Kitty will stop churring at the back door trying to get her kits to follow her off into danger.

The house is too quiet.

 

[FataMorgana]

No more pics.

 

[adrina]

Red went to a good home?

 

[HisArpy]

Red went to a good home?

They all did.

Luckily, Red's new mom isn't an evil scientist. I suspect she'll keep his world domination plans in check.

 

[RobDownSouth]

36 hours old. Summer litter of kitteh.

 

[Em_1]

Glad they've all been happily re- homed.

36 hours old. Summer litter of kitteh.

The mum is gorgeous! Kittens are pretty darn cute, too.

 

[HisArpy]

36 hours old. Summer litter of kitteh.

Cute. Apparently 2020 is the year of white kittens, I've seen so many lately.





You should put this into it's own thread so it doesn't get lost in this one. And get a trap from your local humane society to trap mama. They should take them, spay mama when she weans the babies, then return her to be released again.

 

[RobDownSouth]

Cute. Apparently 2020 is the year of white kittens, I've seen so many lately.





You should put this into it's own thread so it doesn't get lost in this one. And get a trap from your local humane society to trap mama. They should take them, spay mama when she weans the babies, then return her to be released again.

Spay and release has been curtailed during COVID here.

This cat had another litter back in January, kittens all perished when the temp dropped from 70 to 38 overnight.

When is the best time to trap the mama cat? I dont want to take her away when she is weaning but I don't know how long weaning lasts.

 

[HisArpy]

Spay and release has been curtailed during COVID here.

This cat had another litter back in January, kittens all perished when the temp dropped from 70 to 38 overnight.

When is the best time to trap the mama cat? I dont want to take her away when she is weaning but I don't know how long weaning lasts.

Usually kittens can be taken away as soon as they are drinking water and eating solid food around 4-5 weeks. You won't see that with wild babies, but the timeline is the same. With wild ones, you'll need to show them what to eat. That means you'll need to feed them solid food soaked with milk. It'll take a couple of days before they eat but they will.

If you want to save them, I'd erect a pen around the area that mama can jump over but the kittens can't get out of. It needs to be tall enough that mama can't carry the kittens off. and secure enough that it doesn't become a place where predators can come for an easy meal.

Put a bowl of kibble in the pen. Water too. The kits will learn about solid food that way. Mama will do better too because she won't have to hunt to feed herself. That translates directly to healthier kittens.

With the pen in place, mama can come and go, but the kittens won't be able to leave. Once they're weaned, pick them up and bring them in the house. At that point trap mama and have her fixed. If you can, keep her indoors, or improve the pen so that she can't escape, while she heals. 2 weeks later, release her again.


If the weather endangers them, and you want to save them, you can catch the kittens and bring them inside. Evaporated milk works best to bottle feed them with. Skip the "Enfamil" crap, it clogs the nipple. The younger they are, the more often you'll need to feed them. Older kittens require more milk per feeding but less often. DO NOT squeeze the bottle while feeding them. You'll just drown them.

 

[FataMorgana]

Usually kittens can be taken away as soon as they are drinking water and eating solid food around 4-5 weeks. You won't see that with wild babies, but the timeline is the same. With wild ones, you'll need to show them what to eat. That means you'll need to feed them solid food soaked with milk. It'll take a couple of days before they eat but they will.

If you want to save them, I'd erect a pen around the area that mama can jump over but the kittens can't get out of. It needs to be tall enough that mama can't carry the kittens off. and secure enough that it doesn't become a place where predators can come for an easy meal.

Put a bowl of kibble in the pen. Water too. The kits will learn about solid food that way. Mama will do better too because she won't have to hunt to feed herself. That translates directly to healthier kittens.

With the pen in place, mama can come and go, but the kittens won't be able to leave. Once they're weaned, pick them up and bring them in the house. At that point trap mama and have her fixed. If you can, keep her indoors, or improve the pen so that she can't escape, while she heals. 2 weeks later, release her again.


If the weather endangers them, and you want to save them, you can catch the kittens and bring them inside. Evaporated milk works best to bottle feed them with. Skip the "Enfamil" crap, it clogs the nipple. The younger they are, the more often you'll need to feed them. Older kittens require more milk per feeding but less often. DO NOT squeeze the bottle while feeding them. You'll just drown them.

No, no, no. Eight weeks. Four to five is far too young, they need their mum.

 

[HisArpy]

No, no, no. Eight weeks. Four to five is far too young, they need their mum.

If you must, then 4-5 weeks is the minimum unless you're going to bottle feed them. At 4-5 weeks they're going to start to explore their territory and mama will lead them straight into traffic lanes full of speeding cars or past the noses of hungry predators.

The 3 we rescued last year (Ginger, Spot, and Leah) were all bottle fed from about 1 week or so. They turned out fine.