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.