The last bottle feed has finally been given. I don't think the kittens will even miss it!
It is always a mixed blessing getting rid of the bottle. It is lovely to have the closeness of that little critter curled up and loving the attention but my goodness it is good to have a life again. The whole having to be home every 3 or 4 hours thing gets a bit old after a few weeks. And we've had these guys for nearly 5 weeks now! It is absolutely wonderful to see them all loving their food, growing big and strong (and fast! They are certainly steadier on their legs now!) and putting on fantastic weights (especially Teddy). I am sure any mother can relate to these sentiments!
They are well on their way weight wise. Pearl is leading the pack at over 500g now and Cara is a very close second. Teddy, after his battle with coccidia and not wanting to feed, is about 150g behind, but putting on as much as the girls now.
They are all amazing me in their own little ways. Cara has the most expressive tail I've ever seen on a cat. She wags it from side to side when she's happy, wraps it under her when scared, wraps it around your finger when she's being affectionate and flicks it all over your hands to tickle when she's in a playful mood. Pearl loves her food like it's the best thing in the world. She's always the first to the bowl, immersing herself in the eating experience, and coming up only for breath to show a face caked in food. Teddy is the quiet achiever who patiently sits at your feet when he wants a cuddle, but always wanting to explore. He is always the first to run out the door when it's opened.
I will try to remember to carry a camera in whenever I feed them, now that I'm not juggling bottles and the like so more pics and vids to come soon.
xx
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Very cute talking tabby kitten
Found on cuteoverload.com today... Can't embed the video, so link to it is here - http://youtu.be/PEfEAvBqmxw
May have just caused my head to explode into candy.
May have just caused my head to explode into candy.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Yay Cali!!!
Cali is no longer showing on the RSPCA website which means she has finally found her forever home. We hope she has a loving home to run around and play in and maybe even a little friend to enjoy growing up with too. We will always have a spot in our hearts for that little one. We, quite honestly, nearly upgraded to 5 cats.
Way to go Cali girl!!!
Meanwhile, watch this space for news of the little ones. The 4 hourly feeds have left me quite exhausted but we are finally moving on from the bottle so I will have more time for happy snaps and updates.
Way to go Cali girl!!!
Meanwhile, watch this space for news of the little ones. The 4 hourly feeds have left me quite exhausted but we are finally moving on from the bottle so I will have more time for happy snaps and updates.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Cali - now on RSPCA site
Cali is now up on the RSPCA website and available for adoption! Check her out here:
http://www.adoptapet.com.au/animal/animalDetails.asp?animalid=183631&result=9&statusID=3
http://www.adoptapet.com.au/animal/animalDetails.asp?animalid=183631&result=9&statusID=3
Monday, January 16, 2012
What a difference two months makes: a Cali retrospective
Sigh... She's only been gone for twelve hours and I'm missing her already. This is one of the sucky things about fostering. Usually we give them back before we get too attached to them, but Cali (or Callie, as I used to spell it) was here for so long, and needed so much one-on-one attention after her siblings went to their forever homes, that she kind of snuck under my defences.
Anyhow, I was looking back through my photos of this furry little menace and I thought I'd share with you some "before", "during" and "after" photos to illustrate her progress as she grows from a dirty-nosed little furball to a beautiful, sleek kitten. As will become apparent, the later photos were taken with a semi-pro DSLR with off-camera lighting, and the earliest photos were taken with my phone using available light. The reason for this is simply because when they're very young, the off-camera strobe lighting could hurt their eyes.
Without further ado, I present the Cali retrospective:
Anyhow, I was looking back through my photos of this furry little menace and I thought I'd share with you some "before", "during" and "after" photos to illustrate her progress as she grows from a dirty-nosed little furball to a beautiful, sleek kitten. As will become apparent, the later photos were taken with a semi-pro DSLR with off-camera lighting, and the earliest photos were taken with my phone using available light. The reason for this is simply because when they're very young, the off-camera strobe lighting could hurt their eyes.
Without further ado, I present the Cali retrospective:
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| 4 November 2011 - weight 300g |
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| 4 November 2011 - weight 300g |
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| 4 November 2011 - weight 300g |
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| 13 November 2011 - weight 426g |
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| 13 November 2011 - weight 426g |
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| 11 December 2011 - weight ~970g |
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| 11 December 2011 - weight ~970g |
 | |
| 20 December 2011 (the day before her siblings went back to the RSPCA) Weight >1kg |
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| 20 December 2011 (the day before her siblings went back to the RSPCA) Weight >1kg |
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| 20 December 2011 (the day before her siblings went back to the RSPCA) Weight >1kg |
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| 15 January 2011 (the day before Cali went back to the RSPCA) (Weight well >1kg) |
If you compare the above photo (taken yesterday) with the one below (taken two months ago) it becomes apparent how much she's grown! She has been photographed in the same compartment in the same piece of efficient Swedish furniture.
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| 13 November 2011 (and Addy gate-crashing the set) |
To wrap up, the below is one of my favourite photos of her, which I took last night. I think it perfectly captures her feisty nature as, poised to leap into action, she gazes boldly into the distance. I think it has something of the quality of Guerrillero Herico about it.
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| We'll miss you, Cali |
Where did that week go?
It has been a busy week with all kinds of happenings for the kittens.
The little ones are 5 weeks old tomorrow and they are right in the thick of weaning. They have all started eating solid food - some more than others.
Teddy has been a bit of a worry as he's not as interested in the solid food as the girls are, but he's being very fussy with his bottle feeding too. He hasn't really gained in weight through the week causing a lot of worry.
They all took a trip to the vet today, initially for a checkup but after several days of persistent diahorrea and the finding of blood in stools yesterday, it was somewhat more serious. After some testing, the vet found coccidia (a parasite) so they will have to be medicated for the next 3 days. I am hoping this clears things up for them and gets them putting on good amounts of weight - especially little Teddy.
The other reason for visiting the vet, was to get Cali another check up before being desexed. She still has the heart murmur but it is quite faint and so she was ready to be adopted out. She hasn't been desexed yet as the vet was overloaded, but will be done first thing in the morning. We have all our fingers and toes crossed for her op and finding a loving home very quickly. We became very attached to our Cali girl and miss her lots already. Her presence was definitely felt in the house, and the lack of it is felt too.
Here are the shots of her we got last night, in preparation for her leaving. Please share this post around as much as possible. If you, or anyone you know in the ACT or nearby would like to adopt Cali, simply call the RSPCA tomorrow on (02) 6287 8100. Her ID number is 61579
The little ones are 5 weeks old tomorrow and they are right in the thick of weaning. They have all started eating solid food - some more than others.
Teddy has been a bit of a worry as he's not as interested in the solid food as the girls are, but he's being very fussy with his bottle feeding too. He hasn't really gained in weight through the week causing a lot of worry.
They all took a trip to the vet today, initially for a checkup but after several days of persistent diahorrea and the finding of blood in stools yesterday, it was somewhat more serious. After some testing, the vet found coccidia (a parasite) so they will have to be medicated for the next 3 days. I am hoping this clears things up for them and gets them putting on good amounts of weight - especially little Teddy.
The other reason for visiting the vet, was to get Cali another check up before being desexed. She still has the heart murmur but it is quite faint and so she was ready to be adopted out. She hasn't been desexed yet as the vet was overloaded, but will be done first thing in the morning. We have all our fingers and toes crossed for her op and finding a loving home very quickly. We became very attached to our Cali girl and miss her lots already. Her presence was definitely felt in the house, and the lack of it is felt too.
Here are the shots of her we got last night, in preparation for her leaving. Please share this post around as much as possible. If you, or anyone you know in the ACT or nearby would like to adopt Cali, simply call the RSPCA tomorrow on (02) 6287 8100. Her ID number is 61579
Saturday, January 7, 2012
A Letter to the Lady who Feeds Us
Hey you... yes you. The lady who smells like food and has a thing for wiping us with wet things!
We are the itty bitty kitty committee whom you refer to as "minions". We have hijacked your blog and have a few things to tell you. What? you thought we crawled all over your keyboard to be cute?! We were learning to type in your primitive language puny human!
We have had a chat amongst ourselves, and the following has been decided:
1. We are big girls and boys now... we are almost finished with that thing you shove in our mouths 6 times a day. NOT QUITE! Take it away and you can be sure your decolletage will be scarred for life! But almost... just water it down a bit huh... all the solid food backs up our systems a little.
2. Speaking of "systems" we demand a means of toileting other than your incessant tissues and cloth towels. We do appreciate the constant changing of our bedding and the amount of washing akin to a puny human baby's cloth nappies, however we are ready and willing to try this "litter" the bigger kitten has told us of. Please set one up immediately.
3. We have been in this little box long enough! We have gained 1/3 of our weight in the time spent with you and demand to be freed! We will begrudgingly accept an enclosed space which is twice that of our current one, if it contains aforementioned litter and has space for us to run. This will only be accepted if we are given full use of the bathroom space for a minimum of 2 hours per day. NO LESS! Or we won't need our feral mother to teach us how to become unsociable!
In return for meeting our demands, we agree to continue to purr like little motors, gaze adoringly at you and roll over for belly rubs whenever you present yourself to us.
But be warned.... these demands must be met tomorrow! Oh and we also want to visit those lovely ladies at the RSPCA so that we may blow raspberries at them and chant "na na na na na na we're still aliiiiiive" - in our kitten language of course.
Yours Sincerely
Cara, Pearl & Teddy
We are the itty bitty kitty committee whom you refer to as "minions". We have hijacked your blog and have a few things to tell you. What? you thought we crawled all over your keyboard to be cute?! We were learning to type in your primitive language puny human!
We have had a chat amongst ourselves, and the following has been decided:
1. We are big girls and boys now... we are almost finished with that thing you shove in our mouths 6 times a day. NOT QUITE! Take it away and you can be sure your decolletage will be scarred for life! But almost... just water it down a bit huh... all the solid food backs up our systems a little.
2. Speaking of "systems" we demand a means of toileting other than your incessant tissues and cloth towels. We do appreciate the constant changing of our bedding and the amount of washing akin to a puny human baby's cloth nappies, however we are ready and willing to try this "litter" the bigger kitten has told us of. Please set one up immediately.
3. We have been in this little box long enough! We have gained 1/3 of our weight in the time spent with you and demand to be freed! We will begrudgingly accept an enclosed space which is twice that of our current one, if it contains aforementioned litter and has space for us to run. This will only be accepted if we are given full use of the bathroom space for a minimum of 2 hours per day. NO LESS! Or we won't need our feral mother to teach us how to become unsociable!
In return for meeting our demands, we agree to continue to purr like little motors, gaze adoringly at you and roll over for belly rubs whenever you present yourself to us.
But be warned.... these demands must be met tomorrow! Oh and we also want to visit those lovely ladies at the RSPCA so that we may blow raspberries at them and chant "na na na na na na we're still aliiiiiive" - in our kitten language of course.
Yours Sincerely
Cara, Pearl & Teddy
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
3 Weeks Old!!!!
If these little guys could raise their middle fingers they would... at all of us!
They are not entirely out of the woods yet, but to make it to 3 weeks (and starting to wean) is a very big deal indeed.
And the best part about today?! I am so excited because today was the benchmark I set for myself to be allowed to name them!! So here's our 3 little superstars:
Cara
Cara is the smallest of the 3 but she makes up for it with a big personality. She is named in honour of a little 1 year old girl in the USA who is currently fighting for her life too. The little girl requires a heart transplant and people all over the globe are keeping everything crossed that she gets one soon. And so Cara the kitten it is... they are both strong little fighters. Just to make a point, Cara ate more than she ever has this morning. She drank more milk than I've ever seen her drink AND she ate more wet kitten food than she's ever eaten on top of that.
Pearl
Pearl is the cream tabby and the larger of the 2 girls. She is named in honour of my Nana who sadly passed away on 21st November. If there is one woman in this world who personified kicking arse and taking names, it was Pearl. And so, I've given this very special name to this very special kitten. There won't be a string of Pearls happening (oh god, the pun) - just this one. So she will always be very special, just as my brilliant, wonderful Nana was. And when she goes I will miss her, just as I miss my Nana so very much.
Teddy
Teddy is the boy of the gang, and the biggest and fluffiest of them all. He is not named after anyone in particular, it is just owing to his very teddy bear like face, and incredibly soft fluffy fur. I love to cuddle this little teddy bear.
So there we have it, week 3 reached. I can't wait until week 4 when I can let them run around a bit, litter train them and have them completely weaned. It's then that they start to become the kittens they really are. Onwards and upwards!
They are not entirely out of the woods yet, but to make it to 3 weeks (and starting to wean) is a very big deal indeed.
And the best part about today?! I am so excited because today was the benchmark I set for myself to be allowed to name them!! So here's our 3 little superstars:
Cara
Cara is the smallest of the 3 but she makes up for it with a big personality. She is named in honour of a little 1 year old girl in the USA who is currently fighting for her life too. The little girl requires a heart transplant and people all over the globe are keeping everything crossed that she gets one soon. And so Cara the kitten it is... they are both strong little fighters. Just to make a point, Cara ate more than she ever has this morning. She drank more milk than I've ever seen her drink AND she ate more wet kitten food than she's ever eaten on top of that.
Pearl
Pearl is the cream tabby and the larger of the 2 girls. She is named in honour of my Nana who sadly passed away on 21st November. If there is one woman in this world who personified kicking arse and taking names, it was Pearl. And so, I've given this very special name to this very special kitten. There won't be a string of Pearls happening (oh god, the pun) - just this one. So she will always be very special, just as my brilliant, wonderful Nana was. And when she goes I will miss her, just as I miss my Nana so very much.
Teddy
Teddy is the boy of the gang, and the biggest and fluffiest of them all. He is not named after anyone in particular, it is just owing to his very teddy bear like face, and incredibly soft fluffy fur. I love to cuddle this little teddy bear.
So there we have it, week 3 reached. I can't wait until week 4 when I can let them run around a bit, litter train them and have them completely weaned. It's then that they start to become the kittens they really are. Onwards and upwards!
Monday, January 2, 2012
New Year... New Food!
The good news is the little ones are all ok. Their weights have been very up and down, but nothing too dramatic. It looks like they may wean a little earlier than expected. In panic and frustration a couple of nights ago I tried them with some tinned kitten food and they all ate a surprising amount of it. I am offering it each time I feed them now and they are having more and more. I have also soaked some dry food in water and they are liking that too. Nothing major just yet - I am talking maybe one biscuit worth of food - but it's great that they are having something more solid. As of Tuesday I'll start offering them the solid food first before they go for the milk. It will be nice when feeding them consists of putting food in a bowl... always a relief when they get to that stage!
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