Robyn – Sorry if this has been brought to y’alls attention already, but Des Hommes et Des Chats is a must-see. Had me laughing at the end of a very exhausting day. Merci to the genius who dreamed this one up!
(I should say for the sensitive amongst us that this site shows in addition to cute kitteh pictures some photos of …er…well-sculpted human men. Nothing that wouldn’t be seen at the beach, except for the next to the last photo which is a full back view.)
I follow that blog religiously! But I didn’t even think to share it (duh!), so thanks for reminding me to do so!
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Are most kittens inclined to bite your toes? And how much do you usually put up with from them before you have to tell them to stop? Aslan looks like he’s perfectly content to keep nomming on them, sharp teeth and all!
I might be overstating it a bit, but I’d say that 100% of kittens are 100% inclined to bite any toes that they see, and they would chomp on them all day long if allowed to do so. When my toes are being bitten, I either make a high-pitched “Ow!” noise that the kittens recognize as “hey, that hurts”, whereupon they stop biting and give a conciliatory lick or two. That usually works, but if it doesn’t, I resort to blowing a puff of air in their face. None of them like that, so they’ll stop biting – and sometimes run away.
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Eh eh hem there lady. Are you aware of the hooligans passing their shenanigans off as “art” in YOUR neck of the woods? We think you need to send Sheriff Mama immediately to investigate!
Awww, I did know about that, and I think it’s adorable. Especially the Sir Grumpsalot. Don’t I totally need that for the foster room?
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Also, some of the Royal videos of hopping kittens made me think of this, which I thought was just hilarious:
What I find really funny is that there’s NOTHING in that pen for the kittens to play with and yet they are still jumping around like crazy.. for nothing!
Oh, I LOVE that video. Popcorn kittens are the BEST!
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The Stompers in the cage photo should be a mousepad too.
Done! (And Russell, I haven’t forgotten your request for a Loony Jake t-shirt, I just haven’t had a chance to get it done yet.)
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On the subject of cat trees…can anyone recommend a tall cat tree that is nice but not super expensive? My cat loves to jump up on the kitchen counters, to the top of the fridge, to the top of the cabinets…where there are lots of glass things displayed (not my choice to display them, mind you) and I’m afraid she will break something. I’d like to get her a cat tree to discourage this, but I’m also a grad student on a limited budget right now. Thank you!
I can say that I’ve bought three of the cat trees we currently have off of eBay; they’re relatively inexpensive, but hold up pretty well. They’re just a bit of a pain to put together – but I’ve done it myself and I’m not mechanically inclined, so I’ll say that anyone can do it!
Trudy added:
Very reasonable, and lots of styles to choose from. Well made, I have 3-the oldest is probably 6 years old.
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My eight month old kitten, Clove, likes to look at this website with me and purr. She really enjoyed the kitten videos this morning, but when we reached Tommy’s picture her purr became so intense she began to squeak and reached out a paw to tap his image. Tommy now has a girlfriend all the way across the country! Does his charm have no bounds?
Oh, that Tom Cullen. Even hiding in a grocery sack in a picture on the internet, his way with the ladies comes through loud and clear. 🙂
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By the way, is this the only occasion you’ve had 2 mama cats give birth within this short of a time span in foster care before?
Yes! There are a lot of firsts this year, actually – I’ve never had two mama cats give birth here in the same year (I usually get one pregnant cat every spring), I’ve never had two mama cats at the same time, and the Dragons are the first litter where I know in what order they were born.
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Yes, why is the door opened? Did you give them access to the upstairs?
I opened the door last weekend. In addition to their own room, they get access to Fred’s room and the bathroom and most of the hallway (there’s a barrier up near the stairs end of the hallway that they can’t get over, but Kate can) during the day. Once they’ve had their first vaccinations on Tuesday, they’ll be allowed into the rest of the house during the day and then the fun will begin!
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At the Baby Bottle Nursery the kittens were restless yesterday waiting for their food and I started singing to them and all but one shushed. One little fluffy orange one hissed super loud (probably 3 weeks old) and then growled at me. I told him “If you didn’t want to hear me sing, ya’ll shouldn’t have popped your ears open!” heheheh They can hear some with them all shut up though, right?
Also, I dare you to watch this video without having one of your cats investigate or without laughing.
They can definitely hear when their ears are still shut – at two weeks old, I know the Dragons can hear me. When I talk, their ears wiggle, and if I’m across the room talking to Khaleesi, they turn and look at me. They might not have their full hearing yet, but they’re certainly hearing something.
And I love that video. Tommy was sitting next to me when I watched it last night, and it got his attention for sure.
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Pile o’ dragons.
Oh, the little pink toes.
Ruth would like to know just WHAT I’m under the impression I’m doing.
“Mama! That lady is here again!”
“Mama?”
Puff and Scorch.
Paws, paws everywhere.
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He is just. So. FLOOFY.
And she is just. So. GORGEOUS!
This week I took out all the lights in the ceiling fan, put an adapter in each socket, and then put an Ott light bulb in each adapter (the adapters were required because the sockets take ceiling fan lights rather than regular sized bulbs). When I turn the ceiling fan lights on, it is BRIGHT in there, and will hopefully lead to my being able to get better action pictures. But if you see a lot of pictures of the kittens looking up, as though they’re staring into the face of the sun, the new brighter lights is the reason why.
(Unless I’m actually taking pictures, the ceiling fan lights are turned off, so it’s not always super bright in there. In case you were concerned!)
“How’d she get the sun in the ceiling?”
Buttercup’s all “I HEAR you sniffing, Aslan!”
Snuggly sisters.
With all that floof, she needs help keeping those ears clean.
Last weekend, before Lisa came to visit the Royals and peek in on the Dragons, I said to Fred “You KNOW she’s going to get at least one of those kittens to purr for her!” None of the Royals had purred for us at all, and Fred was starting to feel insulted. Sure enough, Lisa got Leia to purr briefly. Ain’t it always the way?
Monday, after I had vacuumed the upstairs, I went into the foster room where all the Royal kittens were hanging out on the cat tree (they weren’t scared of the vacuum – which they hadn’t seen in person before, just heard through the door – but definitely wary). I started petting them, and Aslan looked up at me and purred and purred. Then he purred some more.
Yesterday, Leia was hanging out on Fred’s bed, and I started petting her, and she purred like crazy. So note to myself: I bet the Dragons will start purring around 8 weeks old. (It’s been my experience that kittens who are raised by their mothers and still have their mothers around don’t purr as early and easily as kittens who are bottle raised, or who don’t have a mother cat around. I don’t know why that is – maybe someone out there knows? – but I believe it’s held true through all our mama-raised litters.)
Kate is going to be spayed on this upcoming Tuesday. I fear we’re racing the clock; I suspect that she could go into heat at any moment. Hopefully we’ll get her spayed before that happens, because a cat in heat is spectacularly annoying. If you’ve never heard the trilling sound of a girlcat lookin’ for love, consider yourself lucky. I mean, it’s actually a pretty sound – UNTIL it’s repeated over and over and over and over again.
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Corbie is just so SMUG. He’s gorgeous and he knows it!
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Previously
2012: Look at my vacation pics Thursday!
2011: “HI MAMA!”
2010: Apparently Corbett WANTED to get down, but Stinkerbelle was sitting there glaring at him, and he was too skeered.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: “I CAN BE A GIRL!” I said.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
I don’t know the science of it, but can provide anecdotal evidence about the mama-raised kittens purring less. The Adams kittens came to me at 4 1/2 weeks old. They were raised by their mama until then but there were 13 of them, so not as much mama-interaction. They purred like loons… all day, every day. The Jefferson and the Madison litters were mama-raised. I worried about the Jeffersons’ lack of purr SO MUCH. Only one of them had purred at all for me before 8 weeks old (and only 2 had purred for me before they were adopted at 10 weeks old). The Roo was not one of the those two. Now she purrs as soon as she knows I’m even looking at her. The Madisons were similarly inclined. They didn’t really start purring until they were removed from Mama at 9 weeks old. I’d love to know why.
Ruth is going to be a lovely girl like her mama.
I made the spay appointment for my two younger ones when they were just about five months, and two weeks beforehand, one of them went into heat. She would go downstairs into the basement, as if she could find love down there, and make her sad little yowls. I found that catnip helped her calm down a little during that week.
Catnip! I never thought of that – I’m going to give it a try if I need to. 🙂
Our previous mama cats who have gone into heat always fixated on Spanky as the answer to their prayers for some reason (while he just looked at them like they were INSANE).
A friend of mine suggested putting a sweater on Maggie before we had her fixed. It works like swaddling, or a Thunder Shirt; it calms down their hormone storms. It really works. Of course, weather considerations have to be taken into mind…
The (mama-raised) kittens we have don’t purr for us. They purr when they’re nursing, and there’s a fuzzy blanket that also inspires purring, but when we pet them, they just watch our hands carefully. You can almost see the wheels turn as they figure out whether to smack at our hands, wriggle away, or try to enjoy it. They’re all, ‘I still don’t know this game. How do you play it?’
Oh, yes! They purr like crazy when they’re nursing, and I’m like “Um, clearly you CAN purr, you just don’t WANT to!”
I think it probably has something to do with being with “mama”. While mama is there, the comfort comes during nursing and cuddling with her. It makes them feel happy and safe so they purr. When mama is out of the picture, comfort and safety comes from people. Once Mother Jefferson moved out, I became “mama”.
That makes sense to me, I think you’re right. 🙂
Also, Miri is a STUNNING cat. Shame she has no use for humans ’cause I bet every every human’s instinct is to reach out and touch that beautiful coat of hers!
I agree!!!!
I told CCR that it’s too bad our human-hating slot is filled by Stinkerbelle – who ALSO has gorgeous, silky fur that you want to touch – because Miri would certainly get her pick of cats to love in our house!
It makes me sad that they want to give her up simply because THEY cannot touch her…she seems perfectly happy and content with her siblings…sorry, but that just seems selfish to me. Breaks my heart!
Oh yes, I will vouch for annoying cats in heat. We FINALLY were able to get Oreo spayed last week so no more of that now. Speaking of which, this may sound an odd question but, Robyn do you have any pics of your kitties incisions after surgery? Oreo’s seems longer than I’ve seen on the web and she has been licking a little (though I think she is okay) but I’d love to see some things for comparison before I decide if I need to waste $100 to get someone to double check things for me.
Bummer, Holly. I thought for sure that I had one of Roo’s incision but, alas, her back leg is covering most of it. I did get all of her tattoo, though! 😉
I wouldn’t worry about the length of incision as long as it stays the same. They will mess with it as it heals, just make sure she’s not obsessed and causing damage to it.
PS— If you’re inclined to go in that direction, Google searching “spay incision” will provide photos.
I would have thought I could lay my hands on a picture of an incision scar, but I’ve looked through a bunch of pictures and can’t seem to find one! Like Kelly said, I wouldn’t be too worried – it’s normal for her to lick a little, as long as she’s not going overboard, you don’t need to worry. I do know that the older the cat, the longer the scar will be. When I take the Royals in a month (wah!), they’ll probably have scars less than two inches long. Kate and Khaleesi, however, will have longer scars.
I’m making a mental note to get pictures of their scars after the spaying so I’ll have them in the future!
Thanks Robyn and Kelly. I appreciate the efforts. I keep meaning to take a pic myself and wouldn’t you know *I* haven’t done so yet either. 🙂 I’d say her scar is about 3 or 4″. She’s acting fine and eating well so I guess we’re fine.
I love Ruth! She is going to be gorgeous.
Thank you for all the wonderful pictures of both sets of babies, but I haz a complaint. Norbert always seems to be either in the back or the bottom of the Dragon pile. Would you try to get a pic of him please? Or is he just a shy little boy?
He’s not a shy boy, but he does tend to prefer to be in the back of the crate or on the bottom of the pile. I will make a point of getting more pictures of him in the future, though. I was actually thinking about the lack of pictures of him this morning!
Snuggly sisters…SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Soooo sweet 🙂 And the Dragons piled up together makes me think of a phrase I saw recently that I love – “Cuddle Puddle”.
I’m not sure about the 8 week mark, but I bought my Agatha home at 6 weeks because she was abandoned and weened off a bottle. She was a very purry kitten from the first time I held her and even now if she wants a cuddle she climbs up the couch and lays right on my chest and starts purring!
Well, that goes along with my experience, too – the bottle babies or the ones I get without a mother purr instantly, the ones with a mother take their sweet time. 🙂
Anecdotally speaking, Black Jack, the kitten I am fostering, is 6-8 weeks old, and a VERY purry fellow. I am unsure about his exact age, but his eyes have turned.
Speaking of spaying – my spayed female (3 yo, from shelter, was spayed long before shelter) is acting like she’s in heat and my neutered male agrees. This is crazy & has been going on for a week. She’s been to the vet, she has a spay scar, she is going back for a 2nd spay next week. Any sympathy, similar experiences, imaginary kittens stories to share? Is it possible this is psychological and she is actually completely spayed? She’s a female orange tabby, which I understand makes her a little odd genetically. I’m wondering how odd.
If a small piece of ovary is left inside, it can cause them to go into heat even though they lack a uterus. I bet that when your vet opens her up, that’s what they’ll find (but please let us know what does happen, I’ll be curious to know whether I’m right or not!)
Oh SO MUCH kitten-y goodness!!! Great to be able to see both the crazy antics of the Royals and the paw waving, teeny tiny cuteness of those baby Dragons!
Puff and Scorch were trying to “high five” each other ……. I think they need a little more practice they missed !!
Ruth is so purrrrrrrrty !!!!!!!!!
Have the dragons tried to escape the crate yet to follow Khaleesi ?
I love the ticking on Aslan’s fur !!! All the Royals are so gorgeous !
Oh yes, bottle babies are purr machines! This also seems to hold true for kittens who probably had a momcat at some point, but were abandoned; I’m thinking of three dilute tortie sisters, specifically. Purrballs, the lot of them! FIV+ kitties are in a purry class all their own. 😀
I once knew a gray tabby boy who, despite having been newtered, still behaved like an unfixed male. At the time, I half-jokingly speculated ‘I think the vet missed a few pieces.’ Could that have actually been the case? If a female cat with a small portion of an ovary left can go into heat, could a small piece of… something, I don’t care to speculate on what, cause a male to act like he’s still fully intact? I still wince remembering poor Grady’s cagemate at the shelter; she growled up a storm at him a few times there, volunteers separated them more than once, and that’s all I’ll say on that subject. Ick!