My favorite from years past was Alice the Frog. EDIT: OMG! I just used the “search” function to look for said frog picture, but what came up was the post of when Ms. Robyn found an ACTUAL frog in Fred’s study. I read through the post LAUGHING all the way. Thank you Robyn for the great reminder of life’s little pleasures. (this blog and laughing WITH you not AT you).
I still don’t like to touch those great big frogs. The little tiny ones, I’m all about grabbing up and admiring. But the big ones? Blehhhh.
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Is Ryder the super mother cat?? That is — Is hers the largest litter you have come in contact with? She is a wonder to keep 9 kittens fed with only 8 feeding stations on the milk bar.
Hers is definitely the largest litter I’ve ever fostered or seen. I’m sure there are cats who’ve had more kittens, but I haven’t come into contact with them!
Okay, I had to go look. According to this page:
The world’s largest litter of domestic cats were born on the 7 August 1970 when a Burmese/Siamese cat belonging to V. Gane of Kingham, Oxfordshire, UK, gave birth to 19 kittens, four of which were stillborn.
How on earth did that poor cat feed 15 kittens? She must have been nursing constantly!
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These kittens didn’t come from the same kitten factory as Lucy’s Fools but there are several that remind me of them.
Oh, absolutely! It’s funny that you say this because just last night I was telling Fred that LoJack’s story reminds me of Carlin’s. (For those who weren’t reading back then, Carlin was discovered by the side of a road with a deceased sibling nearby. He joined Lucy and her kittens and although Lucy wasn’t thrilled about it at first, she gave in and became a mother to him. Carlin and his adopted brother Skelton were adopted together, they’re now George and Red, and you can admire them on Instagram!)
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I too, have a new “kitten” ….. and a bazillion questions. Maybe you or your readers could help provide insight?
He is almost 6 months old now. All he wants to do is play play play play play omg he makes me tired! Any tips for getting his energy out without him attacking my legs? He is the only kitty in the apartment. I will play noodle for 15 minutes till he gets bored with that, then throw around a rattly ball or crinkly kong kicker thinger… but still, as soon as i get up, he is attacking my legs. He is going to be a big cat… this needs to stop before he gets bigger.
Also, when he is not playing, all he wants to do is eat eat eat eat eat. I hear that as a kitten it is ok to just feed them non-stop until they are not hungry? He eats… so much.. 3oz wet foods 3x/day + 1/3rd cup of kitten kibbles in a treat ball (that makes him an INSANE killer cat – he will swipe!).
And how do you get the kitties on board with nap time? My kitty is not a snuggler, which makes me super sad… but I won’t force it.
Also, because he wants to PLAY and to EAT in the morning, he scratches up the carpet outside my door to get my attention (i try not to reward that behavior with acknowledgment) — any tips on how to get him to not do that? If we leave the door open, he comes in the room and knocks things over and chews on anything plastic he can find that is noisy.
Okay, first – stopping him from scratching up the carpet. Here are some things that might work (though obviously there are no guarantees) :
1. The SSSCAT Pet Deterrent, which is motion-activated. You set it up, he approaches, it sprays a blast of air at him, which deters him from coming near the door. The down side: it’ll probably wake you up when it goes off, because it’s not quiet. BUT if it’s going to work, he’ll get the idea pretty quickly.
2. Along that same line, there’s the Sofa Scram. You’d put it in front of your door, and when he steps on it, it emits a very loud blast of sound. We used it to protect a piece of furniture that one of the cats was spraying, several years ago, and it worked well. But again – it’s not quiet, it’ll likely wake you up, and I had kittens who would step on it, then sit on it and say “Hey, where’s that loud sound coming from?”
3. And lastly, there’s the X-Mat Pet Training Mat, which you could put down in front of your door. It’s got hard points on it, which cats don’t like to step on. We’ve used them for years and they usually work. They’re quiet, and the only down side I can think of is that a smart cat could possibly push them out of the way… but I never had a cat or kitten smart enough to figure that out. Very light kittens aren’t bothered by the points, but at 6 months old I’d think your kitten would be heavy enough to make it uncomfortable.
Next up, feeding. If he’s eating everything you give him and still acting hungry, I’d try giving him 1 1/2 cans of food each time and see if that helps. At 6 months old, he’s still a growing boy.
As far as nap time, I honestly don’t do anything. I take a nap and sooner or later they realize that if they snuggle up with me, I’ll pet them. Some kittens love nap time, some kittens have better things to do. You could make it more appealing to him by playing with him, but then all he’s going to want to do is play at nap time, so maybe not.
Play time! If he’s playing so much he’s tiring you out and still wants to play, I’d suggest you look into getting some interactive toys that he can play with himself or that don’t take much effort from you. Here’s a list (some I’ve tried, some I just now ran across and think you should try) – most of them are available from places other than Amazon (so look around for a better price, just make sure they have a decent return policy.)
1. Kitty Connection Lattice Ball Launcher. If he chases toys that you toss for him, this might be up his alley. You’ll probably want to get a set (or 10) of extra balls, because you know the balls will end up under your stove/couch/another dimension.
2. Does he like to chase the little red dot? Get him the BOLT laser toy. Jake loves this thing – it gives him the Crazy Eyes – you turn it on, it runs for 10 minutes and then turns itself off. I wouldn’t overdo it with this toy, though – some cats stop chasing the light if they learn there’s nothing to catch. Though you COULD step in with a treat at the end, so he makes that connection. (Also, there’s this one, which I haven’t tried. It’s got pretty good reviews on Amazon, but the chief complaint is that it only lasts for 5 minutes before turning off.)
3. The PetFusion Ambush toy. I’m a little meh on this one – I bought one similar to it from Petsmart with a previous litter of kittens and it took a kitten about 10 seconds to catch the feather attachment and rip it off the end – but I’ve heard that other cats love playing with it, so I’m mentioning it.
4. The Cat’s Meow motorized wand. It depends on the cat – some will play with it like crazy, some just sit on the wand so it doesn’t move.
5. Interactive Feather teaser toy. Also, this one. I haven’t tried either, but they look potentially appealing.
6. HEXBUG Nano Robotic Cat Toy. I’ve got one of these, it always gets the kittens’ attention, and it keeps them entertained for a good long time. Down side: it always gets under something, everyone wanders away, and then you’re like “WHAT is that NOISE?!” and you have to track it down and rescue it.
7. A track toy like this one or this one (that second one is a favorite among my fosters, though occasionally they’re able to take it apart and I have to reassemble it and find the toy that goes with it.)
8. Lastly, an interactive robotic cat toy that you can use your smartphone to control! I hope you guys know I am JUST KIDDING, because please don’t spend $150 on a toy for your cat. Well, I mean unless you’re that desperate, in which case you could probably better use the money to pay a neighborhood child to come over and play with your cat.
Now, about him attacking your legs. You’re right, that needs to stop as soon as possible. You can perfect your “that hurts!” noise and freeze (you can read more about this over at Tails from the Foster Kittens in this excellent post right here). If you can’t seem to make the right noise or it doesn’t work, then I suggest keeping a can of compressed air at hand when you’re playing, and when he comes at your legs to attack, blast it in his general direction. (You could use a spray bottle of water, but honestly the compressed air works and won’t get everything wet.) Whichever method you use, consistency is KEY – do it every single time.
Y’all, if you have any advice to share, please chime in – but note that a second kitten is not an option at this time.
Edited to add: On Facebook, Beth had a great suggestion: Our lives changed for the better when we bought the dry food dispenser with a timer. The cat no longer associates us humans with food dispensation, so at food times she can be found staring at it, not scratching at or near us.
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Pretty mama Ryder (before she went to be spayed and to Steve’s.)
Annnd the last picture I took before she left. (There’s a video below of her getting her ‘nip on. That girl LOVES catnip!)
LoJack, watching Gauge kick the Tiny Basket.
I suspect LoJack thinks the bigger kittens are kiiinda cool.
Cruise is all “She’s right behind me, isn’t she?”
I was taking pictures of the kittens in the sun and then all of a sudden Pulley POP!ped straight up into the air.
“She just did it ’cause she wanted to, lady. You gots you a problem with that?”
Axle and LoJack tusslin’, while Cruise referees.
“BRING IT ON!” says LoJack.
Look at that Open Mouth of Outrage.
Bunny-kicking Pulley in the butt.
“LOOKIT MY TEEF AND FEAR ME.”
So, we got this silvervine “broom” from this month’s Meowbox, and LoJack LOVES it. Naturally, when I went to the Meowbox store to buy a few more, they were sold out (and also, yikes – $6 each). I have silvervine sticks and I have sisal – I may see if I can figure out a way to make some of them myself and see if LoJack likes ’em.
Sneaky LoJack.
“He’s right behind me, isn’t he? (Cam and LoJack)
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Videos! First we have Ryder the ‘nip fiend.
And in the second, we have LoJack playing. Most of the other kittens had curled up for a nap, but LoJack just kept goin’.
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Newt outside, minding his own business and trying to get away from the pawparazzi. I took this picture through the window, and I can’t swear that’s my thumb over there to the right, but I have no idea what it might be otherwise.
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Previously
2017: Hubble looks at me and asks “HOW is this HAPPENING?!”
2016: Kittens from above.
2015: No entry.
2014: No entry.
2013: HATurday.
2012: Fred laughed and said “God, he was SO UGLY.” Which, exCUSE me, offensive! Hmph.
2011: Alice may be all grown up, but she still plays like a kitten!
2010: Please do not be jealous of my fancy photo studio.
2009: “I heard they was servin’ chocolate pudding at the Senior Center. Outta my WAY!”
2008: No entry.
2007: “Um, NO. There is NO ROOM on the platform, so move away. MOVE AWAY, I say!”
2006: No entry.
2005: Tragic.