Have you seen this kitten video? Priceless, with beautiful babies.
I had not seen that. I love it – it’s very well done!
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The [glow in the dark vampire] teeth are NOT a good idea. The glow comes from phosphorus compounds and phosphorus damages cat’s kidneys. I can only imagine that it effects kittens even more severely.
Unless the teeth are made of acrylic, there’s really no way to bind the phosphorus to the plastic so it doesn’t leach out as the kittens chew on them. Since acrylic is a very expensive type of plastic, it’s not likely they’re acrylic (and I’m a former polymer chemist so I know about this).
Please take the teeth away from the kittens immediately and only give them toys meant for cats and kittens. Please let the other people who are doing this know that phosphorus is very bad for cats and kittens.
I have to admit, I’d already taken the teeth away from the kittens before I saw this comment, because I sat on a set of them (the teeth; not the kittens), and it actually hurt a LOT. So, no glow in the dark teef for the kittens!
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I have a stupid question – what possible reason could a person have for not ‘believing’ in neutering? Because it’s ‘unnatural’ or something? (I mean, really, keeping cats as pets is probably unnatural if you want to be strict about the definition. So is living in houses and wearing clothes. It’s not a valid reason, is my point.)
It’s hard to believe the pee smell, if nothing else, wouldn’t change minds about neutering. A friend of mine was adopted by an intact male cat a few years ago, and she scheduled a snip for him right away, but I happened to visit before the neutering took place – I can’t even describe the stench. I’m surprised the odour didn’t melt the paint off the walls.
I’ll be honest that I haven’t actually asked a nonbeliever why they wouldn’t spay or neuter a cat, because I don’t think there could possibly be any good reason (aside, I guess from using the cat for breeding purposes), and I’m not sure I could stop myself from rolling my eyes at their reasoning (which, I fully admit, is not a very openminded attitude, but is also an attitude that probably shouldn’t surprise y’all).
I really think that they must use the urine of unneutered male cats in chemical warfare. That stuff is THE WORST, the most noxious, the most evil stuff EVER.
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Is this a record year for foster kittens? (I’m talking quantity of course, not cuteness!)
If you count the kittens we started the year with (Barney, Bitsy, and Baby Beans), we’ve had 32 cats and kittens this year:
Bitsy, Barney, and Baby Beans
Kennebec & Mercury
Batman & Robin
Lilybet
Catherine (Kate) and Leia, Buttercup, Charming, Aslan & Jareth
Khaleesi and Ember, Ruth, Puff, Norbert & Scorch
Arya, Hodor, Brandon & Jon Snow (the Starks)
Livia and Paulie Walnuts, Tony, Adriana, Carmela, Meadow, Silvio & Dr. Melfi.
In 2012 we had a total of 30, and in 2011 we had a total of 26. Given that the year isn’t up yet (I can easily see getting at least one more litter before 2013 ends), it looks like this will be our biggest year yet! Of course, the total might go down in 2014, since we only have the one foster room now.
We have had a total of 226 kittens since we first started fostering in 2005. Imagine what the number would be if we hadn’t taken a year off from fostering after we adopted Tommy and Sugarbutt!
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All those kitten coffee pictures were cracking me UP! They seem to love lounging around in there. I’m sure you have mentioned this before, but where did you get the big cup? I think it was from Amazon, but I’m not sure.
It was actually at a discount store called Old Time Pottery (I always want to call it “Olde Tyme Pottery.”) It’s meant to be a planter, but I always look at everything with a “would the kittens like this?” eye.
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They’re all so cute, but I do want to run my finger down the “seam” on Paulie Walnuts’ tummy.
That’s the zipper to his cat suit. There’s really a monkey in there!
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I’ve tried to get a good look at the back of Meadow and her unusual markings. Is there an “X?” Could you try to get a picture? I know that’s not easy!
Here are a couple of shots. Not the best, but I think it gives you an idea of what’s going on on her back.
Easier question: Watching Adriana play with that toy, her paws looked huge and I wondered if you’ve ever had any kittens/cats with “thumbs?” I think they are called polydactyls?
I haven’t yet had a single polydactyl cat. Isn’t that weird? Wouldn’t you think I’d have had ONE by now?
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Robyn-have any of your ‘kneaders’ ever gotten frisky when kneading? My youngest likes to knead on soft blankets and stuffed animals. A friend pointed out his jerky behaviour whilst kneading and we realized he was aroused. It really grossed me out.
I have not had (that I’m aware of!) any amorous kneaders – but I don’t think it’s unusual. I’m hoping someone out there will say that it’s normal. Next time he starts kneading, you should send him to his room for a little private time. (Kidding!)
Also-have any of your cats ever suffered feline acne? It’s at the black head stage-not tons of it, maybe one or 2 at a time but I can’t seem to get it to stop. I use glass bowls and give them a fresh, clean bowl every meal (they are on a wet food diet) He’s also an indoor cat, and his brother doesn’t have any acne. It’s frustrating trying to figure it out.
Spanky used to have the occasional bout of acne (maybe a couple of times a year) despite the fact that we’ve used ceramic dishes for years. What worked for us was Calendula extract. We’d put 6 drops of Calendula (like this; you can probably find it at any health food store) in 1/4 c. of warm water, and then wet a piece of gauze, and scrub the area under his chin with it. It would clear it up pretty quickly.
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Just came across this litterbox suggestion and thought I’d pass it on just in case it actually works.
That idea rang a faint bell in my memory, so I went and looked – they actually have litter made with green tea! (It’s very expensive, though.) Someone needs to try adding dry tea leaves to their litter box and report back on whether or not it’s effective.
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EverClean litter is advertised with charcoal in it. How is it for clumping/dustiness, if anyone has tried it, that is? I had wondered if cats would get gray feet from adding it to the litter, and you answered that one today.
I believe that, at one point, I tried the EverClean, but I don’t remember a thing about it. Who out there has given it a try? Please report in!
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And a tale of caution, since there was a note about kittens getting stuck…a friend of mine used to hang her bras to dry on the knob of the bathroom door. One of her cats got playing with them and hooked a strap around her neck, and if my friend hadn’t found her, she might have died. As it was, she very nearly hung herself. (shudder) I’ve since stopped hanging my bras to dry anywhere that the cats can get at them.
You know – it’s kind of amazing that so many kittens make it to adulthood, isn’t it? They seem determined to do serious damage to themselves. (And thanks for the caution – I never would have thought of that – but I also don’t hang my bras to dry where the cats can get hold of them, because I worried that they’d pull them down and drag them around the house. You KNOW that’s something that would happen in this house!)
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Got a question: I went to a rescue in June to get a friend for my other cat because my old man (he was 17) died. I ended up getting picked by this adorable snowshoe siamese, who is adorable and brilliant. However, he has this one annoying habit that I’m trying to break, and I’m not even sure what to do (and it’s not like I’m a first time cat owner or anything). So basically, he’s a sucker. He gets into this zen like state where he kneads and then has to start sucking on me. He won’t do it to a blanket or bed, he’ll only do it to clothes that I’m wearing. And if I don’t make him stop, he’ll do it for like a half hour. I keep trying to push him away, but he won’t take the hint (sometimes I just have to get up and walk around the house to get him to lose interest). He was ~10 weeks when I got him, and he seems to not decreasing in this behavior. I’ve tried to focus his attention elsewhere, I’ve tried scruffing and moving him, I’ve tried blowing in his face and dousing his head w/ water (which he loves….weirdo). It’s almost like I can’t actually get his attention when he’s in this state. Any ideas? (Vet gave me a ‘be persistent’, which worked for teaching him names of his toys/sister, but not working for this.)
I didn’t have any suggestions for this, but Random Felines and Patrice had great comments (you can see them here). If anyone else has suggestions, please feel free to chime in!
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Have you seen this? I thought of it when I saw Alice with the ham.
IS THAT HAM?!
I have seen that a couple of times before, but I still sat here and watched the whole thing. She is SO FUNNY!
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Must.. share…
(Originally posted at I Can Haz Cheezburger.)
Absolutely ADORABLE!!!!
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I must admit that I still have trouble to tell apart the tabbies. Any hints? And one of them (Tony?) has white stomach, Carmela seems to have spots and I think somebody has stripes almost throughout – but who?
Okay, I’m sorry that these pictures aren’t the best (they weren’t up for cooperating), but here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of the four tabbies, and then I’ll tell you how I tell them apart. (Click on the picture to see the larger version over at Flickr.)
Carmela only has a little bit of white on her, around her mouth. The fur on her belly is a cream color, and the rest of her is a light brown or a caramel color. She has no white on her paws at all. She’s got a few distinctive stripes – such as that dark stripe that makes it look like she’s wearing a necklace – but most of her stripes are more subtle. Her brown is much lighter than the other three.
Melfi has no white “touching” her eyes or nose. She’s got a lot less white on her than Silvio and Tony – three of her four legs, she only has white “gloves.” Her back right leg is white almost all the way to her body. She also (you can’t really see it in this picture) has a thin “mustache.” Also, her whisker pads are a caramel color.
Silvio has a white “swoop” of fur touching the left side of his nose. You can’t see it in this picture, but the white goes all the way around his neck, giving him a white “necklace.” The white on three of his legs goes higher than the white on Melfi’s legs, so that it looks like he’s wearing long formal white gloves.
Tony has white whiskers pads. He has bigger, rounder eyes than the other three. The brown tabby fur “touches” at the top of his chest, and then he has a somewhat diamond-shaped blotch of white fur. His brown tabby fur starts again at his midsection and he has stripes and spots on his belly. He has short “gloves” on all four paws, and on his front paws the “gloves” cover his “thumbs.”
You know, it’s funny – when I first got Livia and the kittens, I thought (as I often do) “There is NO WAY I’m ever going to be able to tell these kittens apart!”, but now I have no problem. I very occasionally mix up Melfi and Silvio (I look for the white “swoop” on Silvio’s face), but that’s pretty rare these days.
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Three of the four tabbies (and Paulie Walnuts over there to the far left, peeking in.) That’s Tony on the floor, Carmela with her paw on Tony, and Melfi next to her, looking grumpy. I couldn’t get Silvio to stay put. ONE day perhaps I’ll get all four tabbies in one picture.
Melfi on the Ham-Mick.
Paulie Walnuts peeking out from under the Ham-Mick. They love to get so that there’s one (or more) kittens on top of the Ham-Mick and one underneath, and then they fight through the fabric.
“Hi! We fightin’! You go ‘way now!”
Bath time for Livia (before she went for her spay – I’ll be leaving here in a little while to go pick her up.)
Paulie Walnuts showing off his perfectly pink toe pads.
“Halp! Save me!”
Melfi checks to see if she likes lobster.
::thlurrp:: says Tony.
Tony heard you wanted to see what his belly looks like. Come a little closer so he can show you what his CLAWS look like.
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Beautiful Corbs, Corbs, Corbs of the jungle.
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Previously
2012: The pigs would like to know just HOW they’re supposed to subsist on – HORRORS – pig food?!
2011: I’m thinking I should tell people we have thirty cats, and when they express shock or start dialing the Hoarders people, I’ll laugh and say “Just kidding! Thirty cats would be LUDICROUS! We only have twenty!”
2010: He sure was good about being stuffed into a chicken costume!
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: Lay ee odl lay ee odl-oo
2006: Gross tapeworm talk.
2005: Craaaazy eyes!