Van Day

Today was the day for the kittens to be spayed and neutered! All seemed to be 2 pounds and ready to go, so I packed them in a carrier like sardines and away we went!

Well kindof...Mama was not happy about her kittens being locked up in a carrier. She went from front to back and side to side trying to figure out how to get them out. Then she came over to me and started lunging at me, hissing and swatting!

Luckily, everything went great, thank you ASPCA! All 4 kittens were accepted and successfully spayed and neutered. They were eager to get home and I was eager to get them back to mama! When I walked in she heard them crying and came running over. This is what she had to say...

Yikes! She is a fierce mama! She was sooooo mad at me! I quickly put the kittens in their crate with some food and she immediately turned her attention to them. I am pretty sure she did a head count before letting me escape.

Mama still there!

So the next day I did not see her, but she did eat her food and I know she was on the blanket next to the kittens. But this morning...she came right over for breakfast! Good Morning!
She heard one of the guys from the bakery make a noise and was scoping it out, but then she dug in! Chow time!

So I let the kittens out and they went straight for Mama!

And every kitten that passed by her got a smooch!

In this one you can see Sawer (Tabby) and Darma (B&W Tux) in a pounce stand off!

At one point I was not paying attention to Mama and as I turned my head she was walking up to me...EEEK! I quickly put the kitten out between us and she sniffed him and stopped. She gave him a lick on the head and sat down. I wiped the sweat from my brow and put the kitten back. Now she was coming closer again! I thought for sure she would rip my face right off my head. She must have smelled fear and showed mercy because she stopped. I put something between us and she hissed and sat down. I was a very nervous! So i put my hand out to see if she wanted a sniff, but she hissed, so I went on about my business. She sat next to me for the remainder of my stay!

She watched the kittens, I swear she is smiling here watching their antics,

We exchanged a few blinks and you can see how close she is, see my knee below!

This little stinker has stolen my heart! Look at this sweet little mama!

Mama leaves the nest

I decided today is the day to let mama out of the crate. It is just too small to hold all 5 of them. So I opened the door and put some food out, she came out ate a couple bites and ran back in to lay on her shelf! So I went on about my business and started cleaning and eventually she came out. She started sniffing around the warehouse and I did not see her for about 20 mins. Then she came back and layed down and watched me clean and care for the kittens. When I put the kittens back in the crate she came over and started talking to them in what sounded to me to be half purring and half pigeon call! They started talking right back in the same language and climbing the side of the cage to get close to her! It was adorable!

So I opened the door to see if she wanted back in, but she did not seem to understand what I was doing and just hissed at me. So I let the kittens out to see her and OMG what a great mom! She watched them and talked to them and when she didn't like where one was going she went over and called them back. It was great! They ran around and played and she layed there and watched them. One by one I put them back in the crate. I get nervous letting them run around as they have not been spayed or neutered yet, they are scheduled for the ASPCA van for 7/24! I lifted the crate cover a little so they can see mama and mama can see them and put her food next to the crate and a little sheet next to the crate for her to snuggle up by them. I hope it works!

She came over to eat and the kittens seemed happy to know she was nearby. So I left them, I hope she is there in the morning tomorrow! Surely she will be as she knows I come with food!

Bedlam!

So the kittens are getting big. They are about 6 to 7 weeks old now and still living in a crate with mama. I have started letting them loose in the warehouse while I clean the crate and feed mama and they just run, run, run and bounce and just have a blast! They are sooo cute! When I walk in this morning and lift the cover off the front of the cage, this is what I see...Bedlam! It looked like a scene from Gremlins! These guys start meowing and pawing under the crate cover as soon as I walk in the door! "Let meow out!" "I'm Hungry!" "Clean up this mess we made!" OMG, they are cute, but wow they are crazy! I don't know how mama does it! I think I may let her out soon, she may need to get out of there! Here are some more pics of their opening number.
The first thing I do is get food to mama so she is distracted while I clean the crate. She is hissing and staring me down until I get that food in there. Then, she completely ignores me and everything I do. She just eats that food! Here she is with Sawyer eating up on the shelf. Sawyer is mama's little boy. He is always up on the shelf with her, sooooo cute!

Next I take the kittens out so they can play and eat. Here is their feeding circle. Awe!

Once mama is finished eating, she lounges on the shelf for some alone time while the kittens are out of the crate. Then I put them all back with more fresh food and water and cover up the crate. See you tomorrow guys!

A day away from mama

So while mama was getting spayed, I took the kittens to work with me as I had to care for them for 24 hours. They had absolutely no idea what to do with a bottle, but with the help of a syringe feeder they all got enough to eat! I was very happy to put them back with mama when she was better.
Faith's daughters gg and cc came by with a friend to help.

Here is cc giving Sawyer a belly tickle!

Now gg gives Sawyer a snuggle

Then we were joined by one of our Trend interns and Sawyer talked her ear off!

I gave Sawyer a snuggle too!

Then Darma got some lovin!

I picked up Lee and he seemed very curious, but then he just melted into the blanket for some sleepy time.

By the end of the day, these little kittens were exhausted! OMG they are cute!