Gp 3 Day 13 One dose of Flagyl to go. I don't know if you remember Lotus demonstrating the kitty wrap and med administration a few weeks ago, but that is not what it looks like with these three. Sheila is starting to get it, but with the other two it's a fight the entire time. I'll be glad when we don't have to do this anymore.
Now that the diarrhea is better I'm letting the kittens explore the house. This is a hoot. The littles own the floor and the bigs stay up high to observe. And when a kitten is learning, everything is a toy. I have skirted chairs at the dining room table. See how much fun that is.
Gp 3 Day 10 OK, not a disaster. Minor catastrophe, maybe. I was gone all day to attend a workshop by Susan Kempter on childhood development and targeting music teaching strategies. I left the kittens in the office with the door closed. Unfortunately, while they were playing they also managed to close the door to the Nursery. AKA the bathroom. AKA the room with the litter box and food. Poor kitties. They were starving and thirsty. There were two pools of urine on some bubblewrap on the floor. And a small pile of feces in the "canyon" of computer wires. Yuck. That was a pain to clean up. The good news is that the stool had really firmed up since starting Flagyl for presumed giardia on Thursday. The potentially bad news is that I can't imagine that is all the excrement in eight hours from three kittens who would usually fill a litterbox in that time. And I haven't found any more yet. The very good news is that they were ravenously hungry, and their weights today reflect their improved appetites since Thursday. Always a silver lining.
This photo is of the three imps where I often find them sleeping upon my return to the office. It's the chair I sit in while working at the computer.
Gp 3 Day 9 We've reached a number of milestones in the past few days. Seamus and Charlotte can get out of the tub, though they still haven't figured out it's easier to jump up on the back where the seat is a little lower. Seems like Group 1 got that in no time. All can jump up onto a chair, and I see that Charlotte has made it up to the window sill and discovered the pulls for the blinds. And as of last night all can pull themselved over the box barricade at the door, so the office door has to be shut until I'm ready to let them into the house at large. We are heading up to the shelter shortly to have their persistent diarrhea checked out, and they'll get house privileges after that has resolved.
D loaned me a popular cat toy that consists of a ping pong ball enclosed in a plastic track. It's been sitting out all week, but they finally figured out how it works yesterday.
It's now the end of the first week with Group 3. The major theme has been enticing everyone to eat, a problem I prefer to nursing upper respiratory infections. Things did not turn out as I would have expected after the initial weigh-in. Sheila, the smallest, turns out to be a voracious eater, and is turning into a little round punkin head. Seamus, the biggest, ate hardly anything for three days, until finally I regressed him all the way back to formula (kitten milk replacement). Charlotte is willing to taste everything, but not eat much of anything. Her weight dropped to 24 oz., but is holding steady, so I figure she must be getting something.
Socialization is proceding well. The amount of biting is decreasing. Everyone has a nice relaxation response to being picked up. Seamus finally purred, quietly, not to be confused with the rumbles his sisters produce. And there is definite lap-seeking behavior when they get tired, my favorite part.
Group 3 is still confined to the Nursery and adjacent office. I thought about getting a baby gate, but instead rigged up a make-shift barricade of boxes and a wooden stool to keep them confined while allowing access to big cats and people, as well as visual access to their space. Seeing Cricket swoop over the wall is a thing of beauty. John, on the other hand...
Gp 3 Day 5 These kittens have a bit of an oral fetish. When they are either tired or overstimulated they bite my fingers - hard. And they rootle each other, trying to nurse. If they clamped down on Mom like they do on my fingers, no wonder they were found alone! The good news is, I have usually been successful at stopping this behavior with enough time and consistency. What I do: when they nip, I take my hand away. If they keep pursuing, I set them down. My verbal cue that this is about to happen is "Ouch." Eventually, when I say Ouch they stop. Really. The behavioural term for this is negative punishment: removing something the animal values (petting) in order to decrease the occurrence of an unwanted behaviour. The most important part is the consistency. No mouthing, period, or you end up with an intermittent reinforcement schedule, which will make the behavior even harder to eradicate.
As to the rootling, that is not uncommon in kittens who have been removed from Mom at this young age. However, D assures me that early removal can also be a good thing, making it easier to socialize kittens who have not had previous human contact.
And OBTW, the other human member of my household thought Shariah was too feminine-sounding, so tkfkas (the kitten formerly known as Shariah) is now named Seamus.
Yesterday I was still ambivalent, but today I'm pretty sure - Shariah is not a girl. It's sometimes tricky to tell when they are very small, and very squirmy, and have longer hair near the tail. Good thing I gave him a gender-ambiguous made up name. But I may change it after I think about it some more.
Here it is, the usual housekeeping entry. Keep an eye on the table to know when this group will be heading back to the shelter. The magic number is 32.
Gp 3 Day 2 Kittens are much like people. Each has a unique personality, and it doesn't take long to figure out the basic bent. Here are my first impressions:
Sheila (calico): the littlest, is very sweet. She is generally the first to the dinner dish, and to check out something new. She's a little uncertain about petting, but has already relaxed and turned belly up on several occasions.
Charlotte (tortie): the shyest, but also the first to purr. She is a true middle child, following Sheila's lead to dinner, or Shariah's to play.
Shariah (tuxedo): the biggest, and a bundle of energy. She is the most uncertain about handling, doesn't like to be picked up by grasping around the middle, and when cuddled prefers to climb on my shoulder.
Here is a clip from our first play session last night. You can see why I call them the Hop 'N Pops. You can also see at the end how they reminded me I needed to get them a scratching box post haste.
My day went something like this. Wake up on the east coast at 4:15am. Take a bus and train to the airport to fly home at 9. Arrive 10:45, drive home, 10 minute turnaround to take DH to the airport, then on to piano lesson at noon. Drive to shelter to pick up Group 3, drop them off at home, pick up cello and music and go to cello lesson at 2:45. Stop at hospital to have blood sample drawn en route to orchestra rehearsal at 5. Home at 7:45, feed cats, feed kittens, play with kittens, feed self. Upload pictures to blog. Still need to play with cats before bed.
Group 3 consists of three females, turned in as strays. They were reportedly found sitting by someone's garage without mother in sight. They are a little longer than short haired, but they have rough outdoor fur, not really medium length. There is one tortoiseshell, one calico, and one black and white. I discussed names with my 7 year old neighbor last night, who specifically requested that one be named Charlotte. So, the torti is Charlotte, the calico is Sheila, and the tuxedo is Shariah. More news tomorrow.
While I am between groups, I thought I'd post this archival clip of Group 1. That penultimate Saturday was a busy one. Before practicing Couch Potatoes we had our first try at Catch Bird, a game in which the primary goal is to catch a feather on a string, with secondary points for style. After a few passes Angus and Precious were developing quite acceptable aerials.
My next door neighbor is 9 years old (I think she is 9... if not she will correct me) and has just started cello lessons. Tonight we had a very nice visit. She showed me her new 1/2 size cello, and all the songs she can play with A and D. Also, F#, a note she learned from another neighbor who is a year ahead of her. I showed her all the A's you can play on the A string. She showed me how to make sirens, and how to do a cello bow strum on the open strings. I showed her how great a cello bow strum with chords sounds. How cool is that?
Gp 2 Day 8 (last day) I wonder if it's always going to work out that the kittens go back to the shelter on Sunday afternoon. Might that get to be depressing? We seem to have started a new tradition, now two groups strong. That is the "couch potato" Saturday night before the Sunday afternoon return. What could be more important than to train the kittens to enjoy laying around and watching TV or a movie? So far, both of these groups have been naturals.
No doubt about it. These two have a bad upper respiratory infection. I was worried about Buster last night. He wouldn't eat, was totally out of gas, and kept falling asleep, snoring through his open mouth, his snotty little nose pointed straight up in the air. Both kittens felt warmer than usual, so temps were taken. Fortunately, D was visiting, as I have not mastered the art of holding a thermometer still in a wiggling little kitten butt for 10 seconds by myself. The assistance was appreciated, at least by me. And good news, temps were between 101 and 102, which is normal for kittens. I decided to break out a can of kitten replacement milk (formula), and was gratified when Buster took several long drinks.
Today looks like more of same. Lots of nasal secretions and mouth breathing, but energy and skin turgor is decent and Buster is still drinking formula. Took the kittens into the bathroom during showers for a steam treatment. I don't know if that helped, but it made me feel better. We did have some play time this morning, where parenthetically Buster learned that a flippy cat tail may look like a toy, but it's not if the other end is growling.
Byron has wandered the whole house and gained an ounce. Buster is still mostly sleeping, has a fair amount of eye discharge, and weight is back down. But no fever and he's still eating. I think he just needs time to get better. Both of them have imprinted on me and would just as soon follow me around or sit in my lap than anything else when they are awake. Bigs seem to be accepting littles as part of the new routine. If nothing else, they are interesting to watch when they finally get to explore the house.
Update on Group 1: All pictures have been removed from the shelter web site. That most likely means that all have been adopted.
This week at trio rehearsal our new coach said something to the effect of "Wow, you guys are a lot better then I expected you to be." Our last coach said something similar near the end of last semester. Is that a compliment? What are they thinking? We are just finishing up the last movement of Beethoven Op. 1 No. 1 (this is a piano trio) and the coach gave us a trio by Glinka to take home and look at as a candidate for our next piece. Hmm. The first page of the cello part is all in tenor clef. My first clue that this may be a significant amount of work.
Gp 2 Day 5 We're not going to have any wild action videos from these two. They have sedate little personalities, play gently and quietly, and sleep most of the time. But I was so delighted to finally see some appetites this morning that I took this video. They like this Wellness cat and kitten food, preferring the cat formula turkey to the kitten, and I'm happy to report that stools are firm and formed. They've also been eating the DM kibble, which is good because that's what they'll get back at the shelter. They're also easy to medicate, and I followed the doxy dose with 0.2 cc of magic calorie drops. Sneezes are definitely less than yesterday, and weights are finally up. Hopefully we'll have quiet progress from now until they return on Sunday.
An early start to winter weather, not even mid-October. I broke the ban on deck visits for the big cats. They don't like deep snow, but do enjoy sitting out in little bits. It was 25F when I got out of bed this morning, but as I type it's above freezing, the little snow has melted, and everything is wet and dreary. John is especially enjoying checking out the weather. He was too little to go outside on the balcony last year, so this is really his first snow sighting. He doesn't seem to mind the cold much. I guess his extra layer of adipose is good insulation. Madeleine also enjoys the cold when it's not too wet; her thick coat is impervious to light drizzles. Crazy Cricket just keeps moving to keep warm.
I drove the little fluff balls into the shelter yesterday during the early snow fall. Their sneezes continued to increase, along with nasal and eye discharge, though still clear, and they were a little dehydrated and still not eating well. So they got some fluids and I brought home more doxycycline (10 days, through 10/20) and some magic calorie drops. I am happy to report that soon after returning home they were already playing and eating. I think it's the hydration that's magic.
While I was waiting for them I ran up to the adoption floor, just to check. There were Tempest, Angus, and Precious, looking sleepy and a bit dazed, but no Lotus. Turns out both Lotus and Tempest have already been adopted. I guess Tempest was just waiting to be picked up. I wrote my blog address on the foster description, and harbor the secret hope that their new families will check in to tell me they are doing fine.
Yesterday afternoon I was taking a break between 15 minutes of Lee Melodious Etudes No. 4 and 5 and what was (hello, Buster) planned to be 10 minutes on the triplets in the first movement of Dvorak #8 (or 4, depending on how you count.) (It became 30, but that was the only part I didn't work to plan, so I was happy that the plan mostly worked, and that I got extra needed time on those triplets.) Anyway, I walked through the bedroom to get a towel to pad the piano bench I was sitting on to practice, and noticed John in one of the windows behind the shade, and Cricket desperately trying to get in there with him.
I opened the shade for her to discover - what else? - Chippie TV (hello, Byron). The chipmunks here seem even more active with the change in the weather, and my cats love watching them on both sides of the house. This little rodent was busily popping in and out of what appeared to be a subterranean chamber under my sidewalk, and was active long enough for me to get the camera. No, you can't see him, but John and Cricket can. (Bye, Byron.)
This morning as I am typing the kittens are playing a game. It goes something like this. Sit and purr in lap. Jump down. Sit at feet and meow (such squeaky little almost there meows.) Get picked up and placed in lap. Repeat. Sweet, annoying little buggers, and no signs of tiring of it. There goes Byron...
Gp 2 Day 3 These little fluff balls are not going to make weight in a week. Picky little eaters, they are, and a little sneezy, too. Motor skills are coming along, though. They can both hop up onto the stair by the tub, and from there over to the toilet, another 8 inch leap. Took about 30 minutes to learn how to climb over the cat carrier strategically placed in the doorway. A wall of pillows worked for the rest of yesterday, but was easily climbed today. That's all good, but it does mean that they are playing with the Nursery door closed today. I think they're a little too small to have the run of the office yet.
John has been very interested in kitten goings on, greeting us at the door when we arrived, visiting the tub the first night, and chirping at the nursery door every few hours, wanting in. I really think that he is looking for the other kittens when he does that, though. He misses his little buddies, and so do I. DH and I were sorting through how attached we got to that first crew. We decided that the reason we bonded so much and so quickly was that those four kittens were exactly the kind we would have been looking for to adopt. Bad luck, in a way, that they were the first, which has its own kind of specialness. I'm refraining from asking how they are getting along on the adoption floor until the weekend, not wanting to be a pest, but I'm thinking about them lots.
Here is the weight chart for Group 2 (I moved it so that I can find it more easily to edit over the week.) Notice that I got a new scale so that I could return D's loaner. It's a monstrosity on my sink, but it has two advantages. The kittens seem willing to sit still a little longer because the bowl is more shallow, and the big scale face is easier for middle aged eyes to read.
Gp 2 Day 2 When I returned the chunky monsters yesterday, I asked L if there was anyone with a short-term need. One of the shelter rules is that no one other than a spouse can care for the kittens when the primary foster person (that's me) is out of town. Since I am planning a short trip next week, I have only a week before any fosters would need to go back, anyway. She had this pair of brothers who are the last of their litter to make weight. They were treated for roundworms and fleas last week, and will benefit from a week of TLC. I told them when we arrived at home that they were at the Kitty Spa.
After we got settled I found that they are a few ounces lighter than I had expected, and not much interested in eating. The shelter sent me home with some diabetic kibble and canned food, chosen because stools had been loose and this is low residue and calorie dense. Well, I guess your stools will firm up if you are not eating. Even John turned up his nose when he checked it out. Had a little better luck this morning with some Royal Canin kitten kibble and Friskies, but took some coaxing and belly rubs. I'll get some Wellness kitten food later this morning, a favorite of Gp 1. I figure I'll feed them whatever they will eat, and keep an eye on those stools.
One more opportunity for a maternal moment. Their coats felt dry and dusty, so I treated them to a good "grooming" with a barely damp washcloth. Oh, ecstasy. That was our bonding moment. Byron got a little brushing to smooth out that fluffy coat, and is looking quite the handsome fellow. They both have squeaky little meows, Buster's a little more robust.
On motor assessment, neither kitten can get out of the tub yet. Buster can jump up onto the step outside the tub, about 8 inches. Byron can't quite. When they first were down on the floor the most interesting thing was to run as fast as they could back and forth the 4 foot length of the bathroom, chasing each other. Dust bunnies in motion. I suspect they haven't had much room for running around. Very good. Exercise builds appetite, as well as strength.
This morning I woke up about 5am, when John climbed up on the bed for a snuggle. Now, this by itself is not unusual. He often wants a hug while DH is getting ready for work, I think partly to fill the time while he is waiting for breakfast. But this morning he came back to the bedroom a second time, quite insistent, and walked out making his "where's Mom?" sound. I know that sound, first heard almost a year ago in the middles of the first nights after he came to live with me. He kept it up until I joined him at the scratching post, a favorite play area for both bigs and littles the past two weeks. Cricket joined us there for a game of chase-the-mouse-on-the-string. Do they miss the kittens?
I finally caught a good clip of John grooming Tempest on our last night together, during Couch Potato time. Tempest was the only kitten he wrestled with and groomed. See what you think.
Gp 1 Day 21 Gp 2 Day 1 I'm calling them Byron and Buster. I wrote a lot more, but Blogger ate my post, so you will have to wait until tomorrow for more details.
Gp 1 Day 20 As I am putting my four chunky monsters down for their morning nap, I am amazed at how well they have adapted to my routine. Of course, the routine is devised to take advantage of the natural ebb and flow of daily kitten energy. Their day goes something like this: * Wake up and play in the Nursery until Mom gets up to let them out. Snack on kibble and water that was put out the night before. * Dash out into the office when the Nursery door opens. Sometimes they get breakfast right away, and sometimes they play until "kitty kitty" calls them to breakfast. * Morning play time, the most energetic time of the day, exploring the house and providing amusement for the big cats. * When energy flags, a little lap cuddle time then nap in the Nursery, usually for several hours. * Afternoon play time. * Dinner. * Antibiotics. (No more! The last dose was last night.) * When activity level paradoxically increases interspersed with more frequent requests for hugs, it's time for bed in the Nursery.
My big cats sleep whenever and wherever they want to, but kittens need enforced quiet time. Otherwise they are like cranky toddlers, without the self-discipline to rest when they really need to. We have a very gratifying routine before the Nursery door is closed. First, I carry whomever is in my lap into the Nursery, and cuddle them while sitting by the tub. Any stragglers soon follow (Look! Mom's giving cuddles!) and I close the door. Sometimes a snack or drink is necessary, since it's there waiting. (Oh, yeah.) Then each gets a hug as I put him or her into the tub, still padded with towels and polartec blankies. What amazes me is that they plop over onto their sides, do a little grooming, and fall asleep.
I have two more naptime cuddles left. These kittens are due to return to the shelter tomorrow afternoon. Spay and neuter procedures will be Monday morning, and by Tuesday they'll probably be on the adoption floor, waiting for that perfect someone to choose them to take them home forever. I hope I have prepared them well.
That clip of John with the kittens in the closet is a little dark (darn), so here is a bonus video for today. Tempest and Lotus were wrestling this morning - look how they've grown. Little Angus is waiting for his turn, and keeping out of the way of the flying bodies.
Gp 1 Day 19 It seems like it's always been this way, but it's not even three weeks. I didn't weigh them yesterday, and today Angus is over two lbs. Tonight is the last antibiotic dose. The sneezes are rare. Our minutes are limited. I hope that the people who adopt "my" kittens love them as much as I do.
Here is another cute clip. I missed a good one of John wrestling with Tempest because my battery was too low. But DH caught this one of John partly wrestling, partly grooming, and I think partly showing affection to Tempest and a couple of sibs. John is a great cat, too.
Gp 1 Day 18 Check this out. It took about 4 days to train these kittens to come running for chow time when they are called. I started by calling "kitty kitty" while they were already eating. Then, just before I set the dish down in front of them. Next step, holding it high over their heads and setting it down while they were dancing under the dish. Waiting until they were playing but in eye sight. And finally, I can call when they are in another part of the house. I'm so proud of us! And look - Cricket came upstairs from her nap this morning.
Isn't this a cool "cat dish"? It's actually a designer appetizer dish from Target. Breaks into two parts for cleaning, or when you only need two dishes. It's small enough to handle with one hand, and large enough to keep kittens comfortably spaced so they graze less into each others' territory. And it was on sale for 5 bucks. I have had several people look at me askance when they notice that I use people dishes to feed my cats, and yes, occasionally I use them for people food. Come on folks. Have you seen how dedicated "pet dishes" are often treated? They sit in some dark corner of the kitchen or mudroom getting groatier and groatier as new food is added each day. My dishes go into the dish washer after each meal, and everyone gets to eat off of clean plates. I think that's a far better plan.
I currently have four litter boxes in my house: one in the Nursery for the kittens, one on the main floor for the big cats, and two on the lower level for the bigs and now occasionally used by the littles. Small, large, and medium. It's enough as long as they are scooped twice a day, and sometimes more often in the Nursery. That's a big improvement over the first week, when the Nursery box required scooping every couple of hours. And with seven cats in the house, you never scoop alone.
Gp 1 Day 17 We all went to bed late last night and got up early this morning, so bigs and littles slept most of the day. I wish I could sleep during the day. Why did we get to bed late? Well, D got a litter of new kittens (6) yesterday with an emaciated, sniffling, dehydrated mom. She called me late for information about current emergency instructions for the fosters; mom was hot and the kittens were cold and they really needed to be seen in the middle of the night. But I was still up anyway, because Cricket had climbed up on the roof from her upper deck and wouldn't come in even though we were having a thunderstorm.
Why were we up early? Because John and I were up every couple of hours through the night calling at all the doors to see if she had managed to get down to the ground during the night. He was really upset that she wasn't inside. He even sat outside on the deck in the dark and the rain looking for her for awhile. That's a good buddy. We finally stayed up when she wandered in about 6am, through the second floor door. Dry. I have no idea where she found to stay dry on the roof, but deck privileges are currently suspended.
Something else I have been doing lately is some minor photography and editing of cat photos for another of the local cat rescue groups to put up on Pet Finders. So I've learned some very basic PhotoShop editing. I was fooling around with this photo today. No, not a cat, but my other love, the cello. I'm always delighted when I figure out how to do something new. And this is just to warn you that, as these kittens will soon be going to return to the shelter and I'll have a week or more until I start over again, I may be talking a bit about playing the cello here.
As I was rereading my main post from yesterday, I thought I would link back to the video of Tempest using the scratching box that I referred to in that post. Oops. I e-mailed it to friends, but never posted it. This was taken on the second day (note refugee collar). I brought the box in, one of Madeleine's, when I noticed Tempest trying to scratch the door post. No training required!
Yesterday afternoon I woke the kittens from their afternoon nap a little early so that they would have time to play before dinner and confinement to the office while I attended an evening engagement. I have discovered the key to getting good kitten pics is to have the camera with you always. Compare the size of these monsters with the shot from 2 weeks ago (Day 1). Clockwise from the kitten on the blue polartec are Lotus, Angus, Precious, and Tempest. Then enjoy the clip of the sleepyheads waking up.
Gp 1 Day 16 With the kittens now spending several hours each day in the house at large, it is time to address some general house training issues. House training doesn't just mean that they should use a litterbox when they need to eliminate. That part is usually easy if they have had a litterbox and a Mom available in their first few weeks. Now comes the learning of the house rules.
I thought my rules were pretty simple, until I started writing this. Then I realized there are a number of things I like my cats to do that I don't usually think much about. Here is a list: 1. No rough play. Claws in for tickles and belly rubs, and no biting. 2. No scratching furniture. 3. No climbing curtains would be a rule, but I don't have any (partly because I have cats.) 4. No cats on the kitchen counter or dining room table. 5. No kittens on the desk. 6. No cats go outside on ground level. 7. No kittens go out on the upper deck where the big cats are allowed to enjoy the short part of the year when there is no snow, rain, or hail. 8. Cats should enjoy cello playing, or at least refrain from rude comments. Cats of course means anyone of the feline persuasion, while kittens applies specifically to the young fry.
What brought this to mind? Well, first, Tempest got up on the kitchen counter twice. We'll talk about that some other time. Also yesterday, John demonstrated how he uses the scratching post downstairs. In my house I have multiple horizontal scratch boxes, mostly used by Madeleine and demonstrated by Tempest in an earlier video (Scratching Box). I also have two scratching posts under the stairs downstairs, a rather simple set-up which my vertical scratchers, Cricket and John prefer. Cricket likes the sisal, and John stretches all the way up to the second carpeted area. When Madeleine uses it, she prefers the lower carpeted part of the pole, horizontal scratcher that she is.
Evidently John made quite an impression. One of the first places the kittens went today was the scratching posts. A great place to have a good time, work out those little claws, and stay away from the furniture!
Angus, Lotus and Tempest visited with L. This purse looked like an ideal place for a nap! Precious visited, too, but was occupied elsewhere.
Madeleine watched the kittens with great interest, but stayed out of reach.
Tempest climbed up the couch to look out the window like the big kitties.
John watched the kittens on the stairs. Actually, John was where the kittens were most of the time, except when he was sneaking back into the Nursery to snack on kitten kibble.
Cricket watched the kittens from around the corner. She still hisses and growls when they get too close, but is always around somewhere when they are out.
D visited, and the kittens showed off all of their fun games for her. This is Precious with a mouse.
The whole house was a playground, but Lotus and Angus found a cozy spot on a couch to curl up together. Is this where the big cats sleep?
Gp 1 Day 14 Wow, did we have fun today. Energy off the meter this morning, bouncing off the walls in the office, and no more than 1+ sneezing all around. So when they rushed the door after church, I let them have the run of the house. They headed downstairs, where the floors are carpeted and they don't slide so much. Plus, I have open stairs that do a 180 as they go down, a veritable jungle gym. They raided the big cats' toy box for mice, then you never saw such running and jumping and wrestling and climbing.
All of the bigs were greeted in due course. Madeleine sniffed noses then hid under the bed. Cricket hissed or growled anytime there was a kitten near. It was pretty funny, seeing the four of them change course in tandem when they got too close. Then, she came downstairs after the kittens had set up their playground, and was charged by Angus, who proceeded to chase her in a circle completely around the downstairs. She finally settled in the closet doorway guarding the bedroom from the interlopers. So who do you think defies her? Little Angus prancing by with nose and tail in the air. Hilarious. And of course, John just joined in the fun, a great big kitten himself. Here is a clip of what happens when little cat surprises big cat.
So, my husband (DH) asks when they are out taking over the house, how do you catch them to put them back in the office? No problem, I reply. When they get tired they'll come looking for my lap to take a nap in. And so they did. While they were sleepy we took the advantage and clipped some toenails. Ahh, much better.
I got e-mail messages from the shelter today looking for foster homes for a total of 18 kittens and one mom. I figure I've got another week with these four. The antibiotic course ends on Friday, and the way Angus is finally eating he will surely reach 2 lbs by then. I sure hope they can find enough good homes for all these little guys. I'm going to miss these ones a lot.
Now that the diarrhea is better I'm letting the kittens explore the house. This is a hoot. The littles own the floor and the bigs stay up high to observe. And when a kitten is learning, everything is a toy. I have skirted chairs at the dining room table. See how much fun that is.
