empty nest

I was expecting to pick up some more itty bitties yesterday, but they have not contacted me yet. I best call them, in case they are just overwhelmed, and have not had a chance. I wan to get some little ones out of the isolation room. They are overflowing, and if I can snag a few out of there, I am happy to do it.

In the mean time, I will post a few photos of Bentley and some friends from vacation.

gone...

Back from vacation today, just in time to take the black cats back to the shelter for tomorrow's spay & neuter. Everyone was well past 2 and a half lbs, and all were bright eyed and healthy.



Greer



Mama

Mama came out for some skritchy scratches, and the babies looked huge to me. I let them run a bit, then loaded them up and took them over. I tried to get some final photos of all of them, but Gwen kept hiding behind mama, or running past me before I could get one. Got a good one of mama though, which is good. Maybe she is a little less shy.



Gibby

They are all very sweet, and I hope they get adopted quickly...but there are a lot of kittens. I took a look at the website yesterday from the beach, and I saw Sully was still there! I can't believe it! He is one of the prettiest kittens we ever had! I found out he was in sick bay for a while with a URI, but I gotta tell you, if you want a great cat, go get him quick! He is a great little guy, and he is not afraid of anything. Just ignore the picture on the website. It is terrible!

Tomorrow I go pick up 5 or 6 more. Seems they have over 40 kittens in need of foster care, and no homes to send them too. : (
If you have a little room in your home, and are interested in fostering, let me know and I will put you in touch with someone who can get you started. It really is a great feeling when you get them all grown up, and healthy enough to be adopted.

movin' on up

All is well with the itty bitties today. Everyone is growing, and happy. Mama is still very shy, but loves to be stroked, and scratched under her chin. I wish I could spend longer amounts of time with her. She is probably ready to go back, but I was there today (the shelter) and there are SO many cats and kittens, I am worried she will be over looked. She is better off here.

We are heading off to vacation for a week, but we have a house sitter that will be here taking care of our cats, and the itty bitties. She will be fine, and this crew has been pretty easy. (I say again at the risk of jinxing myself). I am sure everyone will be close to weight if not already there. Right now they are all over 2 lbs, and growing steady.

Bentley will be with us, so the resident cats will get a break too.



Greer catches some air!



Gibby shows his little soft underbelly

These 3 photos were snapped rapid fire, and are here in order. I have no idea what is up with that middle photo. That Gwen is a nut!











The girls play hide and seek with Buck



Gibby gets the best of the shower curtain



Gibby looks like he is scowling as he exits the bathroom.

bound to happen

We now have at least one kitten with very loose stool, streaked with blood. They have all been on Albon, although it was some time ago. I think I am going to put them back on it for at least a week, and see how they do. If we still have messy poop, I will schlep them all to the vet.

They are all gaining weight, so I am not too concerned. I have been seeing signs of this coming. Today I caught the culprit. Greer. I an still very thankful they all are great with the litter box, and even when there is nasty poop, they seem aware of it, and don't step in it and fling it off their little feet and onto the wall with the force of a gunshot.




Mama is still a little shy, so I will let her come hang out with me in the office for a while. The itty bitties are pretty good about staying close when I let them out. They like to climb on my pants legs while I am at my desk working, and check out all the boxes and stuff, while Buck watches from the hallway. Perhaps I need to move the food and litter bags from the hallway.

Weekend

Weekends for the itty bitties are a little different from weekdays. I feed them a little later, and I am in and out more often usually. If we have no big plans for the day, we usually let them have more "out of the kitty room" time.

Today, they didn't get time out until around 5, but they made the most of it. They love the bathroom, as have many of our past litters. The last couple used to run from the front bedroom, down the hall and into the bathroom. These guys don't do the running down the hall part, but they love to play in the bathroom. They like playing under the door. They Catzilla the tag on the floor mat, and try to climb the shower curtain.





They also seem to be drawn to the terracotta duck. I saw Gwen wrestling it, on it's back with paws wrapped around it's neck. Looked like a fair fight to me. This photo looks like they are engaged in a passionate kiss!



The rug was bunched up from Buck, chasing his paperball, but the kittens loved fighting with the wrinkles.



The biggest problem is, they don't want to go back in the room. It takes me longer and longer to get them in the room and shut the door, as they keep trying to run out while I try to put them in. Even opening a can of food isn't enough.

They grow up so fast

Everyone still seems to be staying healthy. I hear the occasional sneeze, but everyone is gaining weight, and happily playing.

Bentley runs in the kitty room any time he gets a chance, looking for a morsel of cat food usually. He ignores the cats until he is sure he can't sneak a nibble of their food.







Everyone got out for a little play time today, as is the usual routine these days. They have been very good about staying upstairs, but today Gibby decided to take a peek downstairs. He never went all the way down, but I know it is just a matter of time.

Bentley and the itty bitties

Bentley is always waiting outside the door to the kitty room whenever he is upstairs. He loves checking them out, as well as looking for any stray food he might be able to snag when he is in there. The babies are not afraid of him anymore, and mama isn't either. The itty bitties are all close to 2 lbs, so I figure maybe 4 more weeks, and they will be ready to go. This could be the last litter of the year. It has been a hard year, with a few losses, and a lot of poop.



Last I heard, there were a lot of babies waiting to go to foster homes. I always feel like I should take some more, but I also don't want to risk introducing any unwanted germs to my fairly healthy litter. I am always trying to get others to volunteer to foster. I hear from people all the time that say, "I love kitens, but they grow up to be cats, and I don't like cats." Fostering is the best possible scenario. You get to have the kittens, but you give them away before they grow up!