Home Stretch

They say time flies when you're having fun. Believe it or not, Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona are already just about ready for adoption. They will be at my house one more week, then they will be scheduled for their spay and neuters sometime late next week. In the meantime, they are enjoying some new-found freedom as I have begun to give them free roam of the house for a few hours each day.

With the antibiotic--as well as the vaccinations--over, Sedona remains shy, but she has regained most of her pre-respiratory infection progress. She still shies away from my hand at first, but once I start petting her, she's actually the quickest one of the bunch to purr. She's become a lot more playful the past week, and came very close to being the first of the three to make it over the gate in front of the door to their room. To date, none of them have gone over, but she was the first to attempt it, and nearly made it.

Vegas has emerged as the most social one as well as the most active. He still likes to play, but more and more, he is starting to really enjoy being petted and held. He even shows a bit of a jealous streak. If I'm petting one of the other two, he'll start making little "ack" sounds to remind me he's there.

Phoenix is still the bravest of the three, but as he's become more active, he doesn't seem to enjoy being held as much as he once did. I think it's more of an attention span thing. He doesn't want to sit still very long these days.

As their time in my home nears an end, I find myself wondering if these three kittens might be my favorite fosters to date. Probably not--way too much competition for me to pick favorites. However, watching Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona come out of their shells has been very rewarding. They're not all the way there yet. Strangers still scare them, although they get better each time they meet one. Even Mommy still scares them when she accidentally moves too fast, or has to pick them up when they'd rather not have it. Chances are they won't be 100% over their fears by the time they go back to the shelter. But they are light years ahead of where they were three weeks ago.

Squeaky and Fluffy Adopted

I am happy to report that Squeaky and Fluffy have been adopted. They were adopted together, so looks like they'll get to be best pals for life. I saw them about a week before they were adopted, and they looked great. They seemed to remember me, and Fluffy especially was very sociable. It's nice to know they have a permanent home.

The Respiratory Infection Strikes. Again.

It seems to be a necessary rite of passage that at least one kitten out of every litter I foster ends up coming down with a respiratory infection at some point. Sedona got tagged with it this time, which is unfortunate because she was finally getting over her instinct to hide whenever she saw me coming. Now, she doesn't know if she's going to be petted, fed, or be given some icky-tasting medicine when she sees me, so she assumes the worst and runs. Since these infections are obviously a common problem for young kittens, I wonder why they can't figure out a way to make a medicine that tastes like chicken or tuna?

Vegas and Phoenix have to take the medicine too, but so far, it hasn't affected their progress in becoming sociable kittens. But Sedona truly hates it. She acts like I poisoned her when I give her the medicine! Fortunately, they only have to take it a few more days, so hopefully Sedona will regain her ground quickly. She was really doing great before this.

The kittens did catch a bit of a break, though. They were supposed to have their vaccinations yesterday, but that got postponed until after they're done taking antibiotics. I'm sure they're not too upset that they didn't have to go in for shots this week.

Everybody Loves the Shoes

I'm not sure what it is about sneakers that fascinates kittens, but they can't seem to get enough of them. Phoenix, Vegas, and Sedona, just like every one of their predecessors, love to climb on my shoes, and especially, to use them as a scratching post. Of course, that second thing is a habit I'll be trying to break them of very soon, but for now, I'm taking it as a good sign that they're comfortable enough with me to crawl around on the size 10's and even scratch them a little.

The kittens continue to improve their courage daily. They still scurry away sometimes when I reach out to pet them and catch them off guard, but more and more, they have started to stand their ground. The two boys even approach the door now when I come into their room, and Sedona usually comes out very soon after. The little Samsung cell phone strap that provided hours of entertainment to Benny last year was a critical tool in helping them become more comfortable with my hands. I could get all three of them chasing it while I dragged it around the floor, and every so often, I'd sneak in a scratch behind the ears. That exercise was especially helpful to Sedona, whose social skills are finally catching up to her brothers'. The last three sentences were written in past tense for a reason, by the way--the Samsung strap has mysteriously gone missing. Apparently, one of the kittens has hidden it!

Too bad for them that they didn't think to hide the toenail clippers too. Clipping their toenails was something I was really dreading, but they needed it desperately, and so did my feet, which were getting scratched up when they "missed" the shoe. I didn't want to undo all the hard work of gaining their trust, but it finally just had to be done. They actually did better than I thought they would, and I made sure to feed them immediately afterwards so they hopefully would remember "yummy food", not "mean Mommy clipped my toenails"! They don't seem to be harboring a grudge, but their toenails have grown back so fast, that I'll probably have to clip them again before the end of the week.

Speaking of food, I have cut them back to just one soft food feeding a day. With their gorging on the dry food between feedings, they were having diarrhea from over-eating. Since the shelter wants them mostly on dry food anyway by the time they're ready for adoption, it didn't make sense to backtrack and cut out the dry food. But we make the one soft food feeding count. I give it to them from a saucer on my lap. It's helped them become more comfortable sitting there, and in the last couple of days, they have started to linger around a little after their feeding for some cuddling. Sometimes they'll even come sit in my lap when I don't have food.

Now that the kittens are fairly comfortable with me, the next step will be to introduce them to some other people. Hopefully, I can enlist my neighbors for some help with that.

Really Big Baby Steps

Given all the hissing, growling, and cowering in the corner the kittens did when I first brought them home, I am amazed at how far they've come in such a short time. They are behaving a lot more like "normal" kittens now, playing and wrestling with each other, and in general just seem a lot happier than they did on Saturday. The keys to breaking the ice with them have proven to be food, playing, and apparently, giving medicine. Little Phoenix, who I expected would be the last to warm up to me since I was having to put medicine in his eyes twice a day, is actually the leader of the pack when it comes to being brave around the big scary human. He still gets shy when I'm standing up, but otherwise, he has almost completely stopped shrinking away when I reach for him, and even comes up to me now on his own, whether I have food with me or not. He likes to sit right in front of me, and seems to really like being petted. He's quickly becoming Mommy's favorite.

Vegas enjoys being petted too--in fact, once he gets going, he's the best of the three at really getting into it. He still tries to run away when I first reach for him, but if I catch him off guard and start petting him, he purrs, and even rolls over on his back so I can scratch his belly. Both he and Phoenix will sit in my lap now occasionally.

But what Vegas really likes to do is play. Now that he's coming out of his shell a little, he's becoming active and adventurous. Teasers, balls, little pieces of paper--anything he can find he'll play with. The boxes that I have never gotten around to unpacking from my move have provided hours of amusement both to these kittens and to Squeaky and Fluffy. I may have to purposefully leave a few in there permanently. It's way too cute watching them stand on their hind legs on top of a box looking out the window.

Little Sedona is learning quickly, but she was, and still is, lagging a bit behind her brothers. She's had a very good day today, though. During their last socialization session, she apparently got tired of watching Phoenix and Vegas getting all the attention and decided to find out whether there might be something to that petting thing after all. She let me pet her and even purred. Hopefully, having a pleasant experience with it will be a bit of a breakthrough for her. Until today, she took off running if she even thought I was going to try petting her.

So far, half so good on the litterbox usage with these three. They've got poop down pretty well. They all use the box, and even cover it up afterwards. They're not even kicking much litter out of the box. However, at least one of them still needs to work on wee-wee a little. I keep finding puddles of it on the painter's tarp I covered the floor with (at least they're going on the tarp and not the carpet!). I finally put a second litterbox in the room today over the top of where they've been going. So far, as near as I can tell, they're using it, or else the puddles on the floor are drying before I get there. I did spot one of them going in the box today, so maybe they'll all follow his example.

Meet Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona

My latest tiny house guests are three brown tabbies between four and five weeks old (I'm guessing closer to five). Their original shelter names were Sun, Sunshine, and Sunset, but that was way too confusing. So, I stuck with the sun theme, but renamed them after three of my favorite sunny places in the US. From left to right they are Phoenix (male), Vegas (male), and Sedona (female).

Vegas is the biggest and also the bravest of the three, but that's very relative. All of them are extremely shy and afraid, and even seem a little sad. They probably miss their mommy.

Phoenix has an eye infection, which unfortunately means I have to get off on the wrong foot with him a little by giving him medicine twice a day. So far, he just sits motionless in my lap while I'm giving it to him, but that's likely a sign of fear, not fondness for the situation. He did seem to enjoy having his chin scratched a little, but he still shies away from initial contact.

Sedona is the smallest and shyest of the three. She's adorably cute, but spends most of her time hiding when she's not eating. Hopefully, she'll get tired of missing out on all the fun soon.

When I first got them home yesterday, the kittens wanted nothing to do with me. Phoenix and Sedona even hissed and growled at me if I got too close. They have made a tremendous amount of progress, though, even just in one day. They have already started to associate my presence with food, which is the first step in earning their trust. I was able to get all three to eat food from my hand, and even got them to play a little with the feather teaser. Vegas, especially, was into that. Underneath his shyness, I think there may be a personality similar to Squeaky in there.

Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona obviously have a long way to go with their socialization, but it looks like they're going to be fast learners. Because the camera frightens them, I will probably not take any more pictures of them until they are fully comfortable with me, which may be a couple of weeks.

Squeaky and Fluffy Available for Adoption Soon

Squeaky and Fluffy returned to the Nevada SPCA for the final time this morning. They are scheduled for their spay and neuter today, and I'm told they will be available for adoption as early as tomorrow. After having run of the house the past couple of weeks, they're going to hate being cooped up in a single room (albeit a rather larger room) while they're awaiting their permanent homes, but they'll have lots of friends their age to play with. Somehow, I don't think it's going to take these two long to find that special family. They're very sociable and playful.

Squeaky and Fluffy made good use of their final week at Mommy's house. As is obvious from the picture at the top of this post, they discovered the cat tree. Squeaky also discovered the Starchaser--a toy that consists of a big plastic circle with a ball that rolls around the outside and lights up when moved. I have a funny (and very brief) video clip of him playing with it. He accidentally moved it across the tile floor and it made a noise that startled him. He jumped off and ended up jettisoning the Starchaser across the room.



Squeaky is without a doubt the most adventurous kitten I've fostered to date, and he was at it to the end. Yesterday, I was making homemade brownies, and saw Squeaky climb onto the nearest object he could find to get a good view (which happened to be the TV stand). He stood on his hind legs contemplating whether he could make the leap from the TV stand to the counter. At first I wasn't worried because I thought "no way he tries that". But next thing I know, there's a kitten on the counter quickly making his way over to see what I was stirring in the big bowl. I put him back on the floor and resumed brownie-making, but he immediately repeated his jump, and after a couple more iterations of this, I gave up and just moved to a different counter that he wasn't able to jump onto (yet). He definitely has a very outgoing personality, and isn't afraid of anything or anybody. He's also got a snuggly side. When he finally got sleepy, he'd settle into my lap for some snoozing.

Fluffy got very sociable there at the end. She never could sit still long enough to fall asleep in my lap, but she would "visit" me on the couch over and over again throughout the day, and would usually purr the second I touched her. She does still have a shy streak, though, especially around people she doesn't know well, and she was a lot more timid than Squeaky about trying new things (like the cat tree). The up side of her timidness is that I never had to rescue my cooking from her! She still doesn't like to be picked up, even by people she knows well, but if you sit there and be patient she'll eventually make her way over for some attention--or just dangle a toy and she'll come running. She loves to play.

Squeaky and Fluffy were in my home for 12 weeks. They were probably about two weeks old when I got them, making them about 14 weeks old now. It's amazing how much they've grown and how different they look, especially Fluffy. She's now a gorgeous silver beauty with golden eyes and faint tabby markings that give her a rather exotic appearance. Quite the change from the porky, carpet-fuzz little thing she was when she first arrived. Looking back at a photo I took of them on July 21, she's not even recognizable as the same kitten!

Squeaky's physical appearance hasn't changed as dramatically, but his personality sure has. When I first got him, he was timid with the bottle, and I ended up using a syringe to feed him to make sure he got enough to eat. Now, he goes after everything in life--including food--with reckless abandon and joy.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Squeaky and Fluffy have lived in my "new" Las Vegas home almost as long as I have. When I mentioned how sad it was for them to be leaving after being here so long, someone at the shelter asked me if I'd ever considered adopting any of my fosters. The answer is: Yes, every single one. But I remind myself that if I were to adopt every kitten that stayed in my home, I would eventually no longer be able to foster. Because Squeaky and Fluffy are moving on, my home is now available to three five-week-old youngsters who have been waiting around in a cage at the shelter for the kind of one-on-one care and socializing that only a stint in someone's home can provide. Their story will begin in a subsequent post, but for now, here's wishing Squeaky and Fluffy a quick recovery, and a safe and happy journey to their next destination on life's train.

Stretch Run

Squeaky and Fluffy got their second set of vaccinations on 9/24, and are now in their last week at my home. This Thursday it will be time to schedule their spay/neuter, and they will return to the shelter to begin the next phase in their lives--finding a permanent home.

It didn't take Squeaky long after my last post to finally get the confidence to attempt the leap over the gate in front of their door. Now, he jumps it the minute the door is open, so the game of peek-a-boo around the door has ceased. Their new favorite game is "jump over the gate before Mommy catches me".

Since it was becoming clear the kittens needed more space to roam around, I have started letting them have free run of the house during the day once my resident cat, Pablo, has eaten and gone into his favorite cabinet to nap. They usually start out with a lot of energy, chasing each other up and down the hall as fast as they can run. Then, they make their way over to Pablo's dish to finish up whatever canned food he left behind. Eventually, they settle down a little and spend most of the rest of the day hanging out in whatever room I'm in.

Fluffy is still far from being a lap cat, but her social skills have improved immensely in the last couple of weeks. She purrs instantly when you pet her, and she has begun to sit in my lap for short periods. She's still not a big fan of being picked up, and will usually leap down immediately if I do. But as long as it's her idea, she will sit in my lap and purr until something else gets her attention (which takes about 15 seconds max--she has the attention span of a 2-year-old human child!).

Squeaky continues to show his adventurous side. If there's a way to climb it, crawl into it, bat it around, or knock it over, he'll figure it out. He's a typical, rambunctious boy. He's also a real sweetheart. He really enjoys being held and petted, and for some reason, he likes to follow me around the kitchen when I'm cooking. Maybe he thinks I'm making food for kittens!

Assuming my initial estimate of two-weeks-old when I got them is correct, Squeaky and Fluffy will be about 14 weeks old when they return to the shelter for adoption. They have been in my home almost as long as I have--I moved in on July 11, and the kittens arrived on July 18. The house is going to seem strangely empty when they're gone.

Fun and Games

No excuses this time for my slowness in updating this site. Just plain, old-fashioned laziness!

Well, that and the kittens have gotten a lot harder to photograph. They've figured out that when Mommy starts looking through that big black thing, it's time to look away to avoid the flash.

But mainly, it's pure laziness.

Squeaky and Fluffy continue to do well. They have converted to a dry food diet now, in preparation for their return to the shelter in a couple of weeks. They have also fully mastered the use of the litterbox. No messes to clean up in quite some time.

To my surprise, they have never figured out how to climb over the little make-shift gate I put up in front of the door to their room to keep them from running out when I go in there. So, I've been leaving the door open when I'm there so they can enjoy their latest favorite game: Playing hide and seek on either side of the door. It's usually Fluffy on the side next to the wall, and Squeaky on the side facing the door frame (which pretty much fits their personalities, with Fluffy a little on the shy side still, and Squeaky always looking for adventure). They play footsies under the door, chase each other around it, and generally have a grand old time. I'm thinking of how I could maybe rig up a "door" for them to play with when I'm not around.

Rite of Passage

Squeaky and Fluffy got their first vaccinations today. I must say, they did very well, both in the car on the way and back, and when getting their shots. Not a peep out of either of them, and while they weren't exactly overly active and playful when we got back, they were at least still up for purring and cuddling. Not bad for a first time.

I now have more details on how long they'll be staying with me. They'll have another set of shots on September 24, and will get an appointment scheduled for their spay (Fluffy) and neuter (Squeaky) at that time. They'll then be allowed to return home with me for a few more days to recover as long as I'm up for it. The shelter leaves that decision up to me, and of course, they'll be welcome to do that unless there are other kittens who are in desperate need of emergency fostering (e.g., bottle feeding) and I feel I can't do both.

In the meantime, Squeaky and Fluffy continue to grow and are doing well. They got their first full-size litterbox yesterday, filled with crystal litter to make it easy on my neighbors who will be looking after the kittens over Labor Day weekend. It took them about five minutes to figure out what to do with it.

The kittens will be hitting another milestone soon. Because the shelter only feeds soft food once a week, I will begin transitioning them over to dry kibble as their primary food source. That way, they'll already be used to that once it's time for them to return to the shelter for adoption. They've already been eating the kibble between feedings, so hopefully it won't be too big of an adjustment for them.

The (Almost) No Photo Update

My laptop is in serious need of a complete wipe and re-do. That was never more obvious than this update that's been nearly three hours in the making thanks to Windows Explorer crashing every time I tried to copy my latest set of photos from the camera. Regardless, I was determined not to let yet another day go by without posting an update, so I finally manage to grab two of the pictures off my camera (probably not the best two), and here goes...

As much as Fluffy hates having to take medicine before her meals (I have the scratches to prove it), it has worked wonders for her. Her eyes are cleared up, and she obviously feels better. She's finally started to come out of her shell a little, and is becoming very playful, and yes, even loving. In fact, she's been out-doing Squeaky on the purr-ball meter the past couple of days.

She's also found a new favorite toy. After weeks of waiting for the kittens to take an interest in the little feather teaser I bought just for them, they've both finally started playing with it, especially Fluffy. She'll even play with it when it's just lying on the floor without human assistance to make it "go".

The kittens now have a new challenge to overcome. Their little game of "beat Mommy out the door" was probably a lot of fun for them, but after it resulted in a few instances of "let's get lost behind the washer and dryer", not to mention a near ugly encounter with my resident cat, I decided to put an end to this game for now, and rigged up a gate in front of the door. Now when I open the door, the kittens can't dart out into the hall. Of course, it's only a matter of time before they figure out how to get over my little gate, but in the meantime, it's nice not having to go track them down every time I open the door to feed them.

Quest for the Perfect Fluffy Photo

There's a reason why Squeaky seems to get more than his fair share of top billing around here - the camera loves him, and he seems to love it right back. Or at least, he's capable of doing cute things in conjunction with having his picture taken. Fluffy? Not so much. Part of it is because she's had some trouble with her eyes matting, for which she now has to have medicine three times a day. As a result, she's usually not presentable for a photo to begin with, with the goop around her eyes. Which is unfortunate, because she's really turning into quite a gorgeous young lady. Her eyes have turned from baby blue to a blueish gray in the last 48 hours, which matches her light gray fur perfectly. At first glance, she appears to be a solid, smokey color, but if you look closely, you'll see a few faint tabby markings on her sides. All in all, she's looking like she's going to be a beautiful cat.

Squeaky is still a typical boy. His favorite game right now is to run out the door to their room when I come in for feedings or to play with them. He usually comes back, though, once he figures out all the fun is going to happen in the room!

Both kittens appear to have crossed several milestones in the past couple of days. I've seen both drinking water from their dish, and they have finally figured out that the little brown kibble is for eating, not playing in. However, the biggest milestone appears to have happened today -- all poops were covered up. Apparently they're finally learning to bury it, not step in it. It's about time!

Six Weeks and Growing

Apologies for the long delay in posting. The day after Squeaky's great adventure, I woke up feeling sick to my stomach, and in general like something was "not right". It felt like I was both hot and cold at the same time, and I had a bad pain under my right rib cage. As the day progressed, it got worse, not better. I finally decided to go to the doctor. Turns out, I had a gall bladder infection, caused by gall stones I didn't even know I had! To make a long story short, my gall bladder had to be removed. After the surgery, I spent several very painful days in the hospital (I thought this was supposed to be an "easy" surgery!) until finally, I was able to keep food down so they could send me home. The recovery is going well now, after a slow start, but today is the first day I've been up for spending an hour on the floor trying to get a good picture of the kittens. Many thanks to my good friends and neighbors, Becky and Jay, for looking after the little ones while I was away.

Squeaky and Fluffy are now six weeks old. They grew a lot while I was in the hospital. They're fully weaned, and are starting to be more active, playing with toys and each other. Fluffy has a bit of a shy streak, while Squeaky is still the adventurous one. Both could use a bit more training with the litterbox. They still struggle with the concept of not stepping in the poo after they go! Hopefully they'll start associating those baths they hate so much with this unfortunate behavior soon, because despite what they may think, I actually don't enjoy "torturing" them with water every day! It's maybe my least favorite part of raising kittens. (OK, it's a close second to those middle of the night feedings).

Squeaky's Great Adventure

Oh my.

I knew letting the kittens have run of the bathroom before they fully mastered their litterbox skills was a bad idea. I just knew it. I didn't know how bad an idea or why, though. Yes, they did make a big mess of the floor, but that was the least of the problem. While I was cleaning up said mess, I suddenly noticed that Squeaky had vanished into thin air. He was nowhere to be found. At first I thought he'd managed to get into the garbage bag, despite me having it faced away from where they were playing and on the other end of the room. But after going through the garbage piece by piece, and no Squeaky, I was stumped. The door was closed. No way he squeezed under it. Fluffy was acting really weird too, crying and walking around in circles. Something was very wrong.

I noticed Fluffy was hanging out next to the right end of the cabinet, kind of cowering in the corner, maybe from the shock of being without her brother in sight for the first time ever, or maybe because she sensed there was a serious problem. Then I realized that the cries I was hearing weren't just hers. So I got down on the floor and looked to see if maybe there was a hole under the cabinet or something. Sure enough, there was an opening just the size for a small kitten to fit through, and for extra fun, with a drop-off too far down on the other side for him to get back out again. And that's where he was. Ugh.

Mind you, this wasn't a hole that you would notice if you, say, looked around the room from a standing position to verify it was safe before letting two young kittens have run of it like I did yesterday. That would be too simple. Nope, this hole was straight up and completely obscured from view to anyone taller than three inches. The only way you'd notice it is if you got down on your hands and knees and reached way up under the cabinet, which of course, I didn't do. Apparently, Squeaky had somehow (maybe with a boost from Fluffy's back?) gotten up through that hole and ended up wedged into a small space on the other side between the cabinet and the wall. Problem was, he couldn't get back out again, and the area was far too small for human hands to reach in and get him.

I waited for a bit to see if maybe he would come out on his own after all, but once feeding time came and he was clearly hungry and struggling to get out, it became obvious he wasn't going to be able to do it by himself. He was stuck. Plain and simple. And so, it was time to take more drastic measures. I tried calling the handyman that had done work on my house recently to see if he could make an emergency visit to get Squeaky out, but wasn't able to reach him. Since I'm new in town, I wasn't sure who else to call, and Squeaky was really starting to worry me with his behavior. At one point, he seemed to go completely limp and wasn't moving--at least the tiny part of him I could actually touch wasn't moving. I had no visibility into that hole, so I wasn't sure what was back there. Sharp nails? Another hole in the wall that he could follow and get himself thoroughly lost? With the view I had, I couldn't even check to see if he was injured, let alone feed him. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

With the help from my neighbor's niece and nephew, we were able to open up a gap big enough to get my hand in to pull him out. He was OK physically, but really shook up by the experience. He clung tightly to my shirt with all four paws for a full ten minutes until I finally pried him loose so I could feed him. His ordeal didn't hurt his appetite, though--he downed almost an entire bottle!

Needless to say, the kittens have temporarily lost their floor privileges, and are back in the tub until I am satisfied I have that hole (and the one just like it on the other end of the cabinet--ugh) completely inaccessible. This fine mess was brought to you by a new homeowner's unfamiliarity with her new surroundings, and a young kitten's insatiable curiosity. Wow. Just wow.

Moving Up

Against my better judgment, the kittens got some bigger digs today. I couldn't stand watching them futilely trying to climb out of the bathtub one more second. So, I moved them and all their stuff to the bathroom floor, knowing full well that I'll probably have one ginormous mess to clean up tomorrow, since they still haven't mastered the complex art of pooping in the litterbox without stepping in it and tracking it everywhere. So far, they've used their new-found freedom well, but I'm not naive. They'd already had their daily poops by the time I moved them. I fully expect to be mopping up little brown footprints by morning. Ew!

The kittens are eating so well off the plate now that I could probably discontinue the bottle altogether if I wanted to. I'm giving them a couple of bottle feedings a day, anyway, though because if they had a real momma cat, they'd still be nursing occasionally at their age. Besides, they've been such good little kitties they deserve to have a nice warm "dessert" of KMR as a reward for cleaning their plates!

Playing and Eating

So much for the icky part being over with! I have been greeted by two hungry, poop-covered kittens the past two mornings. They have the hang of going to the litterbox now, except for one thing--they haven't figured out you're not supposed to step in the poop after you put it in the box! The good news is, adding the soft food to their diet has pretty much cleared up their constipation problem altogether looks like. They've been regular like clockwork since I started giving it to them. As expected, Fluffy is the more vigorous eater of the soft food much like she's the enthusiastic one with the bottle. She posed for a nice "food mustache picture" after eating this afternoon.

Both kittens have started playing more in the past 48 hours. They're getting more steady on their feet, especially Squeaky. Their favorite game at the moment is Climb Mount Mommy (me), but they've also begun to play with each other and wrestle around a little. By this time next week, I expect I'd better have my new "kitten room" cleaned out of boxes that need unpacking, because Squeaky and Fluffy will be wanting more space to run around very soon.

Meet Squeaky and Fluffy

Before I introduce my latest two pint-size house guests, a brief announcement is in order. As of July 11, I am now living in Las Vegas, Nevada. That means, of course, that I can no longer foster kittens for Texas-based Operation Kindness. I would like to take a moment to thank them for allowing me to volunteer, and for teaching me the ropes on how to care for young kittens. It was a blast taking care of their wee ones in my home, and socializing with the not-so-wee ones at the shelter.

I am now fostering for the Nevada SPCA. Much like Operation Kindness when I first signed on to volunteer, the SPCA wasted no time putting me to work! They sent me home with two bottle babies right away. Squeaky and Fluffy were probably around two to two and a half weeks old when I took them home on July 18th. The pictures above were taken two days ago. My tardiness in updating this blog is a combination of (a) unpacking, (b) having company, and (c) somehow catching a cold despite the 110+ degree temperatures that define Las Vegas summers.

Bottle feeding kittens while simultaneously trying to settle in to a new home is obviously hectic, but I had lots of help that first week. My sister, niece, and nephews made the trip with me to help with unpacking and prepping the house--and of course, they pitched in with the kittens too. They also gave them their names--Squeaky because he makes squeaking noises and Fluffy because she's a big ball of fluff. A big shout-out to Melissa, Duncan, Bekah, and Dave. It was really nice having some extra hands to help out. The kittens were mostly past the middle of the night feedings by the time all my helpers went back home to Texas.

Squeaky and Fluffy are now nearing their fourth week. Their personalities are really starting to show. Squeaky is by far the more sociable of the two. He's definitely a "mama's boy". Every time I'm in the room, he starts carrying on at the top of his lungs and trying to crawl out of the tub. He's not a particularly voracious eater, although he's the one who puts up the biggest fuss when it's meal time. Maybe he's named after the proverbial squeaky wheel that gets the grease!

Fluffy is a bit stand-offish, but she's a total pig when it comes to food. I seriously considered overriding my nephew and naming her Double Stuff for her attempts to down a whole bottle in under 10 seconds.

The kittens are now sampling soft food, although they still rely on the bottle for most of their feeding. They've also learned what that big box of sand on the far end of the tub is for. A couple of days ago, while I was trying to make Fluffy poop after their feeding, I noticed Squeaky going to the litterbox. He did it again the next time too. It's like a light came on for him, and he figured out if he goes on his own, he doesn't have to endure the wet paper towel over the bottom routine (which these two seem to hate even more than the other bottle babies I've worked with). By the next day, both kittens were making regular trips to the litterbox. So, the icky part of this process appears to be over.

Cindy, Sydney, Sam, Scruffy, and Tiny Now Available for Adoption!

I apologize for never getting around to properly wrapping up Sam and Tiny's time in my home. Both kittens rejoined their siblings on March 29, and I left town shortly thereafter. To make a long story short, things kept happening and I never got around to updating this page, or posting the last few pictures I took. There will be more news later, but for now, I am happy to announce that all five kittens are now available for adoption at Operation Kindness. Their names are now Cindy, Franky (Sydney), Sam, Wilson (Scruffy), and Lily (Tiny). You can find them here:

http://www.operationkindness.org/adopt/catsearch.php

Better hurry! These sweethearts won't last long.

...And Then There Were Two

Cindy, Scruffy, and Sydney have settled into their new foster home, and I hear they are doing well. Sam and Tiny really missed their brothers and sister the first night, but they seem to be doing well now too. Having less competition for the litterbox has just about cleared that hit-and-miss problem right up. Sam has started eating his meals out of a dish instead of a bottle--the key was giving him the food by itself without any KMR mixed in. Tiny still refuses to go near the soft food or KMR outside the bottle, but she's begun sampling the dry kibble a little. So much for that theory that you're supposed to wean kittens with KMR milk on the dish!

With their improved litterbox usage, Sam and Tiny have now graduated from the tub to the bathroom floor. They seem to be enjoying their new-found freedom, although they do need to stand clear of the size 10's. Little black kitties aren't so easy to spot in the middle of the night, especially when your vision is something like -700! Thankfully, there have been no squished tails yet, and with the painter putting the finishing touches on my "kitten room" this afternoon, I can now move them to a safer location.

Afternoon Siestas

This is likely the last photo I'll post of all five kittens together. Cindy, Scruffy, and Sydney are moving on to their next stop on life's train this afternoon. They're weaned, and they've outgrown the only safe place I have to keep them at the moment with large portions of my home still being remodeled. They've become too adept at escaping, and are getting major cabin fever being cooped up in the bathtub. So, with lots of people chomping at the bit to foster kittens, I've decided to send them on their way to another home where they'll hopefully be more comfortable.

Tiny and Sam are probably staying for now, at least until they are weaned.

The Tank is Full But the Gauge is Broken

I am convinced that these kittens have broken gas gauges! At the moment, three are consistently taking food from the muffin pan. Tiny watches the others closely and looks like she's ready to give it a try at any time, but so far she hasn't. Sam has decided after trying it yesterday that he'd rather stick with the bottle a bit longer. However, on the outside chance they change their minds, I've been putting down enough food for all five. No problem - Cindy, Sydney, and Scruffy are happy to eat their share and the other two's as well! All three had tummy aches today, thanks to over-stuffing themselves. I may have to start separating them for their feedings -- enough for three in one pan, and enough for two in the other!

Sam made up for staying clear of the camera yesterday by giving me a darling little pose this morning. I think that's his "May I have a bottle, please" look. (Yes, you may, as soon as I finish taking your picture!).

Tonight, I finally managed to catch all five of them together and looking at the camera. Unfortunately, it seems the only time they can sit still long enough for this is right after they've just eaten themselves into oblivion and are too full to move I guess! The three that are eating on their own are easy to spot in this picture - they would be the ones with wet faces, milk mustaches, and caked on food!

Little Paws, Big Steps

Some major milestones for the kittens today. The first happened this morning - every single one of them pooped on their own, most at least in the general vicinity of the litterbox, though only a couple actually hit it. Still, it was clear they all had the right idea, just insufficient equipment to work with (more on that later).

The second happened at the first feeding. After a week of futilely placing gruel in their dishes only to dump it out virtually untouched later, I got the idea to just put down some plain canned food on a saucer without mixing in the KMR. Cindy immediately started eating it. I repeated the process for their afternoon meal, and this time, everybody but Tiny dove in. Four out of five ain't bad! They'll still need some bottle-feeding for at least a couple more weeks, but this was definitely a major step. They even ate some gruel from the dish tonight.

Tiny had a little milestone of her own. She's been somewhat withdrawn compared to the other four, often just sitting in the corner with her back turned kind of hunched over. She hasn't seemed sick, just sad like she knows she's the runt and feels a little left out. Today she had a lot more energy, and was even jumping up and down in the tub trying to get attention. She also ended up with the cutest picture of the day.

I am happy to report that the kittens are now kid-tested. They spent much of the afternoon with my 10-year-old nephew. He kind of spoiled them a little, apparently! When I got home tonight, they clearly expected to be taken out of their tub and played with some more. When I didn't oblidge right away, a couple of them took matters into their own paws! First Cindy, and then later Sam, finally figured out how to scramble out of the tub. So, now, I'm putting that large box one of my new kitchen appliances came in to use as a soft, inescapable landing spot in case anyone else decides to go "overboard" tonight!

In celebration of their new-found ability to eat and go to the bathroom on their own, I got the kittens a couple of presents tonight. One is a muffin pan, which will be their food dish for the foreseeable future. It's an easy way to give each kitten a separate dish, with some spare ones for water and dry kibble, while leaving room in the tub for other items--such as their new "litterbox". The little salad dish I was using just wasn't big enough for five kittens. So, I got them a bigger pan. It still won't hold all five of them at once, but at least maybe two or three can get in at the same time. I wish I could take credit for the muffin pan idea, by the way, but I can't. I saw a picture on a message board a while back of someone feeding a litter of puppies this way. Great idea. Of course, the kittens didn't line up quite as nicely for a picture like those puppies did!

The kittens had their first weigh-in today. Yes, unfortunately, I'm just now getting around to doing this. My house is undergoing major remodeling, and I was only now able to find where I'd packed away the food scales! As expected, Cindy was the biggest at 13 7/8 ounces, followed by Sydney at 12 7/8, Sam at 12 3/4, Scruffy at 10 5/8 and Tiny at 9 3/8. Unfortunately, I forgot to weigh them until after they'd pigged out on their new canned food diet!