The kittens came through their spays and neuters just fine. Kathie reported that they DID NOT like being in cages, and I mentioned that to Fred, and then said “They’ve never been in cages at all, so I guess that’s not surprising.”
Fred said “They’ve never been anywhere but here!” He’s right – except for a couple of quick trips to the vet, with Regina there to soothe them (and they were really too small to understand anything), this house is the only place they’ve been. Every time I get kittens this tiny, I swear I’m going to start doing field trips so that they get used to traveling in the carriers, and to being away from home for a little while, and then I… don’t. Time gets away from me, I guess, but I really need to step up my game in the future!
Kathie also reported that various kittens were nursing on each others’ bellies – except for Art Vandelay, who was nursing on his own belly because he is one talented nutball. They were fine without Regina for the first week, but last weekend they started nursing on each others’ bellies. Chanandler is the most insistent about it, but they’re all doing it. I tried diverting them to a blanket, but they weren’t having it. At this point, I separate (and cuddle) the nurser from the nursee when I see it, but I’ve decided to just be glad there’s no genitalia involvement.
(For those who don’t know, when tiny kittens are without a mother, they will very often start nursing on each others’ genitalia, requiring tricks such as Bitter Apple application to the area to deter sucking, or cutting the end off baby socks and putting them on the kittens to protect the area, and if neither of those work, separating the kittens for a little while.)
Hopefully they’ll grow out of it!
Ken Adams, hanging out on the cat tree in my room.
They like this tree, because there are holes in the platform that they can look down through.
And up through!
Chanandler Bong checks out the situation.
“I can be on two levels at once!”
“Or I can hang out on this comfy curvy level!”
Ken, batting at Chanandler, who looks pretty amused.
Bert Macklin approves.
He’s moving on up.
The permanent residents like that cat tree, too. Very often, Jake can be found on the top level – and that tree is where Kara spends her nights. She’ll occasionally jump from the tree to the bed to keep me company, but most often she’s curled up on one of the curvy levels, snoozing away.
Susie (in the Chewy box), watching Stefan clean his belly.
Then Stefan noticed Susie, but Susie was distracted watching something in the dining room. She had no idea that Stefan was RIGHT THERE.
When she noticed him she fell backward, box and all, hissing while she fell. She’s a talented girl! (That’s Ken Adams’s ridiculously long tail down there in the left corner.)
Art Vandelay has a skeptical.
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Oh Dennis, you are such a FLIRT.
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Previously
2015: Carlin’s story & what Lucy thinks about it all.
2014: No entry.
2013: Aslan’s all “You see what I put up with, here?”
2012: Rupert says hi.
2011: That look on her face epitomizes ::SIGH::, doesn’t it?
2010: Reacher and Bolitar: Brudderly Love.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: We have officially named the kittens.
The photo “He’s moving on up” looks like he is at the gym doing pull-ups! Girls like men with strong biceps, ya know. 😉
Well, you’ve seen the 25 pound weights in the foster room, right? He can TOTALLY lift those without breaking a sweat! 😉
And now I am imagining tiny kittens wearing large drawers…or mad orgiastic kitten frenzy’s were the handler has to break it up and separate the culprits. Never knew kittens were THAT naughty.
It’s actually icky. Because little boy kitten’s little parts respond to stimulation as you might expect. Eww.
Sorry, but that and dealing with worms are the two parts of fostering that always grossed me out.
Kittens be nasty, for sure.
From what I’ve seen, the nursee doesn’t seem to enjoy the nursing (have you seen a kitten nurse? They are VERY vigorous, I would imagine it’d be painful), but aside from the potential of a nursing kitten ingesting urine, the nursee can sustain irreparable damage to his parts, and that would be very, very bad.
OMG the picture of Susie falling backwards. Beautiful timing on that frame. I love it.
I’m glad I had the camera pointed at them! 🙂
So.. where’d you get the tree?
I love Susie’s reaction too. That will teach her to not pay attention.
Homegoods! I got money for my birthday, and immediately replaced an old cat tree. 🙂 (The one that used to be in my room is in the front room where an old, rickety tree used to be.)
About the field trips, you might schedule the trips when the kittens are first born; that is, make a notation on your calendar something along the lines of “kittens will be 3 weeks old now, let’s take them somewhere”. “Kittens be 4 1/2 weeks old, drive ’em to the ice cream parlor.” Something like that. Take them to visit someone, maybe take them to Fred’s workplace.
I have actually marked the calendar before, and time just gets away from me!
Fred works from home, so they’ve seen his workplace – which is why they’re banned from his office, there are far too many tasty cords in there. 🙂
LOL to (I mean Oops) to Susie! That was great.
Re: the kitten nursing-didn’t you have a blanket with nipples for one of your “batches” of kittens. Did you try that? and is it a comfort thing because they miss their momma or because of their spays. Poor kittens.
I actually made a blanket using extra nipples from a bottle, and also bought a pacifier pillow made for cats and kittens, and they refused to use either of them. Usually kittens will be directed to those fuzzy blankets, but these are NOT having it!
Oh – and it’s a comfort thing from missing their mama, I think – they were doing it before they went off for spaying and neutering.
Awwwwwwww Denny-Bun!!!
I would say that Art has a CRAAAZY skeptical!