kittens get more visitors

Jack and Jace (and mom Karmen) came over to visit the kittens today. The boys were great with the kittens and I think Kate was glad to have someone else to entertain the babies so she could have a break!

I'm continuing to take Lewis into the garage for a few minutes everyday to see if he can get used to the idea of another cat. I hold him so he can't get to the kittens, but he still growls and hisses every time. He's not being very open minded to the whole situation, so I'm considering therapy to help him work through his issues of wanting to be an only cat. If anyone knows a good cat therapist, please let me know. I was thinking maybe Ty could practice on Lewis since he announced in church tonight that he got accepted in the marriage and family therapy program...

Kittens Week 5

Kittens Day 33

The kittens resting after a busy day of playing and wrestling....and using their baby litter box below. They are getting very good with the litter box.

Justin and Caroline Visit the Kittens

Tonight Justin and Caroline (and mom Pam) came over to meet and play with the kittens. They have a cat at home named Jack who looks very much like my indoor cat, Lewis. This was the first time that the kittens have been around young kids (teenagers don't count) and they did very well. They are getting more playful by the day!

I decided today that I feel like one of those men in the Lifetime movies who has two wives and two families that never meet. He tells one family he is going on a business trip, but he is really going to another state to stay with his second family. In the end they always discover each other and a bunch of drama evolves (and I wonder why I just wasted two hours watching the movie) with everyone getting hurt.

Okay, so I'm not married to my cats, but I am rather attached to them. I come home from work and give Lewis a hug and pet him for awhile. Then I go into the garage to check on Kate and the kittens and Lewis gives me the evil eye. Kate always seems happy to see me, and sad when I go back into the house. It's like she knows there is a nice comfy house where I live with Lewis, but she is locked in the garage and not allowed in. It makes me feel very guilty and sad for her! I am hoping I can convince Lewis to let her in and everyone will live happily ever after. Not this week, because the kittens are too little and need the safety of a confined space. But I can't leave her in the garage for ever, and I really do want to keep her. She always comes to the door to greet me when I come in the garage, and rubs against my legs when I fill her food dish. Today I very gently petted her while she was rubbing against my leg and she didn't seem to mind. It's only taken 6 weeks!

Kittens get a visit from Marla and Elisa

The kittens were very excited today to have some first time visitors when my friends Marla and Elisa stopped by to see them. Everyone was on their best behavior and I was even accused of being overly protective. Kate was very mellow and spent most of the time laying around during the visit, so they thought maybe I was the one who worried too much about getting her upset since she was so clearly relaxed. Maybe they are right.....I tried to pet her very gently later this evening, while she was rubbing against my leg. She jumped a little and moved away, but didn't try to attack, so that's a good sign. I'll have to work on this.

Marla is going to help me interview potential new homes for the kittens. All potential homes have to promise to get the kittens spayed or neutered, immunized, and keep them indoors. They have to promise to keep them safe and give them lots of love. Marla might even keep one of the kittens herself, if her other cats approve. Elisa can't have a kitten, because she has Naja, a dog, who is very cute, but probably not a good cat companion.

Kittenland is open for visitors!

I forgot to mention in my last post that kittens are ready for visitors, so those of you who want to see them, you're welcome to come anytime! The momma still gets jittery when new people show up, but I think it's good for her to be exposed to different people. The kittens don't seem to mind people too much, though they don't like to be held for long periods of time. They'd rather be fighting with each other. I think they must be boys, but I can't really tell.

kittens - one month old!

The kittens are now a month old and getting cuter every day! They are up and walking, sometimes even running and seem to love to wrestle with each other. They are using how to use the liter box (I have a baby version for them), but haven't started eating kitten food yet. They still like to nurse all the time. Kate is looking tired and often gets up right in the middle of nursing to walk away from them, but they just chase her down and jump all over her until she lays down so they can nurse some more. She's also still rubbing against my legs and sometimes my hand when I feed her, but I haven't tried to initiate petting yet. I've been trying to bring Lewis in everyday for a minute or two, holding him while I stand at the door. He still growls and hisses everytime, but I'm hoping he'll slowly get over this. I'd still really like to keep Kate if I can. I think she would be fine with it, I'm not sure Lewis will be.

Kitten Video

I am in Milwaukee this week attending the Prevent Child Abuse America conference, but I took a video of one of the kittens before I left and wanted to post it. It's pretty dark, but you can still see and hear her a little bit.

The morning I left I had a big breakthrough with Kate the momma cat. When I kneeled down to put the food in her dish, she walked under my arm and then rubbed against my leg. This is the first time she ever made any kind of contact with me! I wanted to reach down and pet her, but I was afraid she would hiss again, so I didn't. My mom is checking on the kittens every day while I am gone and said the same thing happened to her as well. So maybe Kate will learn to be a friendly house cat after all!

Kittens Day 20

I'm afraid the gray tabby is going to get more photo credits because every time I take photos of the black kittens, everything blends together and it just looks like a ball of black fur. Maybe when they start exploring more it will get easier.

I leave in the morning for Wisconsin, but I'll see if I can get some more photos before I go. I do have a video that I took yesterday that I'll try to post in a few days.

kittens day 20

Kittens Day 19

Tonight I cleaned up the garage a little bit and tried to make it safer for the kittens since they are trying to explore more. Kate just watched me, then walked around to check things out. The kittens came out (2 of them) to explore for just a few minutes and she didn't seem to mind when I pet them or pick them up. She watches me carefully, but doesn't try to stop me.

I'm sad because i have to leave on Saturday for a week in Milwaukee and I hate to not see the kittens every day! I will miss them!

I'm also trying to see if Lewis, my indoor cat, will be friendly to the new cats. I have taken in the garage twice now. I hold him and just barely walk into the garage. Both times he started hissing when he saw Kate and I had to leave. I'm not sure how to convince him that she is okay.

Moving day again?

Today was evidently moving day again. When I got home from Garden City I went to the garage to check on Kate and saw one of the kittens crawling out of the carrier. I went over to it slowly while Kate watched and was able to pet it. Then I picked it up to put it back in the carrier and noticed there were no other kittens in there. Kate kept an eye on me while I held the kitten, but she never hissed or growled. I looked around the garage for the other kittens and finally found them sleeping behind a bag of soil tucked away in a storage shelf thing (see photo). The other little kitten crawled out again and kept crying, trying to pull himself over to the other kittens (he can't really walk yet). Kate went and crawled in with the others, so I picked up the stray and took him over to her. I was really happy that she let me pick him up without getting too upset!

Kittens Day 16 - moving day

When I was out of town last week, Kate decided to move the kittens to a new spot. Oddly enough, she chose the cat carrier that she came home from the vet in. I would have thought this would be a scary place to her, but evidently she decided the kittens would be safe there. The kittens have their eyes open now, and are starting to learn how to use their legs, and will soon be able to crawl out of the carrier. Hopefully my garage will be safe enough for exploring kittens!

Kate still won't let me touch her, and she guards the kittens very carefully, but this weekend my youngest niece Konner came to visit and we were able to sneak a couple of quick petting sessions with the kittens when Kate was away from the carrier. The first time, she was so scared of Konner (a new person she had never met before) that she retreated to her corner hiding spot, leaving us free to visit the kittens. The second time, I gave her some extra yummy food and she let us look at the kittens while she ate.

In this picture below, you can see the cute blue eyes of the gray tabby kitten. I read somewhere that all kittens have blue eyes for the first month or two, then they will begin to get their normal color after that.

Cat video

I'm giving the kittens a break from the photo sessions to see if it will help Kate quit being so protective, so Lewis is filling in with this video. He's playing with a twisty tie that he found in the kitchen.

I'm heading to Topeka for the next couple of days, so no more kitten photos until the weekend. My mother and niece are going to keep watch over them while I am gone.

Kittens Cinco de Mayo

I'm not sure if Kate is tired of me flashing the camera in her face, or if she's tired of the kittens nursing non-stop. Either way, I'm pretty sure she's tired.

Kittens Day 9

The kittens are a week old now, but still don't have their eyes open (at least I haven't seen any open eyes). Every time I check on them they are either nursing or sleeping. Katie continues to guard them like a good mom. She doesn't mind if I come close to look as long as she is in the box. If she sees me going near the box when she's not there, she moves quickly to get in to protect them before I get too close.

Kittens Day Seven

I took pictures during nap time tonight. Katie let me take them as long as she was in the box with them. I think she just doesn't want me going near the box without her for fear I might try to touch them. So no touching still, just pictures and telling Katie what a good mommy she is. She always blinks her eyes to tell me thank you. The kittens sure are growing a lot!

Kittens Day Six

Kate is definitely getting more protective of her kittens. She still gets out of the box everytime I enter the room to either eat, or just rest on the floor somewhere near me, which is good. But when I approach the kitten box, she either gets in it and tries to cover them up, or she tries to block me by placing herself between me and the kitten box. When she tries to block me, I always back off because I'm afraid if I go closer she will jump and wild cat attack me, leaving me a bloody mess. I really don't want to start a fight with a wild cat. It sounds scary.

So here's the best picture I could get today. I don't know if you can tell from the photo or not, but she's giving me the evil eye. I wondered if I should stop taking pictures for a few days, but I can't really help myself. The kittens are growing every day and I don't miss anything!

Since Kate is being uncooperative, Lewis offered to pose for a photo. He's not shy. Or fearful. He's the anti-Kate.