Christian the Lion

They remember.

Kittens - Day 11

I touched Rainsong today. Or more accurately, she accidentally touched me. She didn't freak out though, so I think that's a good sign. She still hisses when I come in the room, but if I lay down and sleep, as I did today after waiting 4-ever in line to vote, she relaxes and appears to not really care (or notice?) that I'm still there. I got a fuzzy blanket today that hopefully all of them (especially Rainsong) will roll around on. When the two babies that are being fostered are sent to their homes I want to cut the blanket into pieces so that each will have something with his/her mother's smell. I think this might help with the distress from separation anxiety. If anyone has any other ideas, do let me know.

Kittens - Day 10

OMG! Rainsong ate out of my hand. :) It took some coaxing, but she actually ate right out of my hand. The little ones are doing great, running, playing, jumping. I still have yet to see Bubby eat any hard food, and they are still nursing a few times per day.

The Indoor Cat Initiative

The Indoor Cat Initiative is a really great site.  I highly recommend that any pet owner (obviously especially a cat owner) read through this information.  I've had cats all my life and in just moments I learned things I didn't know anything about...very convenient things like how to clean up cat urine (baby kitties do sometimes have accidnents).

Cat Enrichment

Enrichment also called environmental/socal enrichment is the provision of items, activities, and interactions that make your pet's life more interesting and your pet less likely to develop some kind of nerosis/abnormal/unwanted behavior.  I am really not a fan of using animals for exerimentation, but this article on keeping lab cats has some really good information on enrichment.  They are mostly talking about caged animals, but the kind of enclosures they describe as healthiest are not unlike a house.  See also Cat Wellness and The Pet Place.

Dog Refuses to Leave Kittens in House Fire

Kittens - Day 9

Tinker ate some hard food!  She may also be learning to use the box.  Willow seems to have figured it out.  I haven't seen Bubby eat or try the box yet, nor have I seen Rainsong actually make a move to really wean them.  I keep expecting her to get up and walk away when they try to nurse, but so far that hasn't happened.  Also, as I check the webcam from time to time throughout the day, I see them nursing, so I think they are still getting most of their nutrition through milk.  I think in about a week though Bubby and Tinker will be ready to go off to their new homes and grow in to beautiful grown up kittens.  And to prove that cats can always stay kittens, I offer you a video of my Sasha trying to nurse on my really soft blanket.

Kittens - Day 8

Carol and Karen told me at work today that they had both gotten their kittens to eat soft real food, so I mixed some formula with Iams kitten chow. The wee kitlings here wanted nothing to do with it, but Rainsong loved it. Later, I walked into the room to douse the light for the night and caught Willow *CruNcHinG* hard kitten chow! Neither Bubby nor Tinker appeared interested in following Willow's lead, but I don't think any of the others are as desperate to eat ALL the time as he is. In the video below, you'll notice my hand petting Bubby. Willow comes to investigate - and I thought to get attention - but it turns out he wanted to see if first Bubby's ear, then my right thumb, would produce milk. Sadly for him, no. Driven by sheer starvation since he can only eat 23 hours out of every 24, he had to turn to the perils of hard food.

First Legal Sale of Ivory Since 1999

The CITES sanctioned ivory auction is to be held in South Africa.  The ivory mostly comes from animals that died from natural causes.    I'm not sure where I stand on this.  On the one hand, all procedes are to go to elephant conservation projects.  On the other hand, it does perhaps make people more hungry for ivory.  With the exception of antique items that contain small amounts of ivory, E-bay banned the sale of ivory through their auction site.  I applaud Ebay for this decision.

Declawing and Why You Shouldn't Do It

Declawing is the partial or complete amputation of the last bone of each of your cat's toes.  In most countries outside of North America it is illegal, considered inhumane, and regarded as a mutilation.  A cat's paw is a bit like a human hand inside of a mitten.  Unlike our fingernails, however, their claws are attached to the bone.  That's how they can use them to climb trees to flee predators.  The only way to prevent regrowth of the claw is to amputate the bone from whence the claw originates.  I am adamantly opposed to the practice, and I hope that after learning about it, you will be too.   I know some people in the world will continue to do it, but with attention, a clawing carpet, and proper operant conditioning (more on this later) your cat will probably not claw the crap out of your leather couch.  If you are still worried about it, consider getting claw covers which your vet or groomer can put on for you.  See also http://www.declawing.com/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onychectomy

::Steps down from soapbox... for now::

Kittens - Day 7

Today is one week since Rainsong, Bubby, Tinker, and Willow came to live with a big scary human.  They're still doing fine.  My vet called today and let me know that Rainy is FELV and FIV negative.  W00t!  She seems to be warming up to people.   I gave her some milk, but fell asleep in the room with her after she started drinking.  Even when Adam came in to call me to supper, she looked up for a moment but continued drinking.  The kittens are getting stronger and can run well now.  They wrestle with each other all the time.  I picked up Bubby and Willow, but Tinker was having nothing to do with it.  I cuddled them and handled their paws.  The hope here is that they will get used to being held (because cuddling cats is great for cats and people provided both parties like the activity) and playing with their paws will get them used to having their feet touched so that claw trimming/ putting on claw covers won't be too much of an ordeal.  

Low Cost Spay and Neuter Options

Just an FYI... While not publicized as loudly as they should be, there are some low cost Spay and Neuter options available, and in one case low-cost basic veterinary services.

Florida Aid to Animals Spay Neuter Medical Facilities Inc.
741 Creel St.
Melbourne, FL 32935
321.242.9826

Also, check out www.lovethatcat.com/stfl.html for other locations.

Kittens - Day 6

They are all still doing well. Tinker is finally not fleeing everything I enter the room. As long as her brothers are nearby, she'll stay around and even allow me to pet her a bit. I'm glad to see her shyness finally wearing off. I could probably write more, but I don't think anything I can say will say as much as this 20 second video.

Kittens - Day 5

Today was a quiet day. I mostly left Rainsong and her progeny alone since I figured they needed some time to get over their veterinary ordeal. Rainsong does allow me to get closer to her to bring food, but doesn't much like it when I move clothes from the washer to the dryer. Willow tried to defeat my evil right foot. I think he won. Tink attacked my hand once, but fled in terror when she realized it was the giant monster's hand she pounced. Bubby tries to run everywhere, and usually ends up tripping over his own feet. All the babies randomly pounce mom and land on her head. She really has just an extraordinary amount of patience and forbearance. For more cat and kitten photos please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaoschild/ and stay tuned for !KittenCam!

Kittens - Day 4

Today was vet day. It went better than you would expect if someone told you randonly she planned to take a feral cat and her kittens to the vet. Rainsong wasn't to have any food after midnight, presumably because the DMD planned to do a blood glucose test among other things. I had to give Rainsong a little food this morning to get her into the cat carrier... that was the easy part. The hard part was getting Bubby to comply. After about half and hour of cajoling and pursuading, all felines were safely in the carrier and the carrier was safely seat-belted into the back of my Civic. Yes, I seat belt them in. I also drive like a grandma. I need one of those signs that says baby on board for vet trips. I'm that much of a "crazy cat lady." Off we went to drop Adam off at work and see Dr. Mengering at Maybeck Animal Hospital.We checked in at the vet where we met a beautiful and sweet German Shephard named Jesse who had a lump under one of her teets. She had surgery today to remove it. We were called back and I explained that Rainsong is feral and might need anesthetized. They agreed. I petted Rainsong for a bit (for the first time ever...she is soooo soft!!!) and I indicated that my kitten was the tortie identical to her. They gave her a shot and I watched as my Rainy was pulled limply from her cage to be examined. I was told to come back around 3 or 4 pm to pick them up. I was nervous but I needed to go get some bloodwork myself and grab lunch, so I left.

Time lapse to 4pm. My mom went with me to pick up the kitties. We learned some interesting info from the vet:
1) She estimates the age of the kittens to be roughly 4 weeks. (So now we have estimates ranging from 2.5-5 weeks)
2) They were all dewormed today and I have medicine to treat them again in two weeks.
3) Rainsong is estimated to be about 11 months old.
4) The vet advised that kittens taken from their mother too early and reared by humans often end up more distant and LESS social than those who stay with the mother and littermates.
4) There were two males not one. I think Bubby is the second boy. So I'm not sure if pink is the right color for the ribbon anymore...but they do say now that real men wear pink.

On our way out we saw Jesse, out of surgery and fine; wish her well in the future. We picked up Adam, dropped of my mom (whom Rainsong seems to like), and moved the kitties back into their nursery. I put down the rugs and played with them for a while. Rainsong jumped out of the carrier and went to eat right beside me. Bubby loves to play; he's all about exploring and batting around cat toys. Tink likes to wrestle. She was owning Willow until he decided to stop being completely lazy. Willow just likes to try to nurse anything near him. All the time. He is a piglet in cat's skin. I'll check in on them again later. Willow will still be nursing. I have plans to attempt to set up a live webcam (!KittenCam!) that feeds to this page. Stay tuned.

Kittens - Day 3

Rainsong figured out how to use a litterbox which, for obvious resons, pleases me immensely. I was at work all day and didn't get to see much of them until late, but they seem to be doing fine. Rainsong is still eating, Bubby likes to explore, and Willow is STILL a pig. We brought home a nice big anti-microbial, soft, fuzzy dog bed for the new family to use as their sleeping ground if they choose. Tomorrow I will be adding some rugs from around the house so the kitties don't alway have to try to learn to walk on the slippery tiles. In other news, Sasha doesn't hate me after all. She hates cat carriers. Having vanquished the evil cat-eating box she loves me again. No more cat carriers in her bedroom again. Ever. So say we all. Thanks to Cindy, Ken (in the Library), and Nancy, for all your generosity.

Kittens - Day 2

Rainsong was caught! I got to bring her home and move her into my laundry room. She accepted Willow back without any problems at all. Better still she accepted Tink (Martha's kitten) and Bubby (Tanya's). So they're all going to be nursed and weaned in the proper time. I also am going to try to teach them to scratch approved items, like scratching carpets, so that there is less of a reason to consider declawing. I have an appoinment for Rainsong and Willow to see the vet Friday. I cleaned up the laundry room really well and posted warning signs on the door then placed litter boxes, food , water, and formula for Rainsong to drink. Tomorrow I'll be getting toys for enrichment and some better betting items. In other news, it is confirmed that Willow is a pig. He had to eat every two hours last night... finished an entire bottle of formula, wanted another another almost 1/2 an ounce, and started nursing the moment he was reunited with his mother. Thanks to Ken (in Security) for helping me transfer her from the trap to the cat carrier.

Kittens - Day 1

Today there were kittens being given away at work. They are from a feral cat who took up residence on campus. I didn't get in on the action too early so there was only one left, a little male tortie (I believe that's the name for the swirled pattern some tabbys have). Fortunately, he was the one I had been eyeing. He looks just like his mom. We tried to catch the mother to bring her home, but it didn't work out. She's a wiley one. After 5 hours trying to get her, we decided it was time to regroup later, and with new kitten in tow, I went home to take care of him. My muted calico, Sasha, doesn't seem too keen on the baby, ... in fact she seems pretty betrayed. I feel bad and hope she adjusts. I'm making certain to pay her lots of attention in the coming days. The kitten, who I have named Willow (one of my favorite trees and a word I think sounds euphonic) is a little pig... he just ate 0.4 oz of kitten formula! The box said he'd want about a teaspoon. Um.. no. His mother, when I get her, will be named Rainsong. We left a trap set for her; I hope she gets in it tonight so I can bring her home. Many thanks to Val, Jack, Andy, and Adam for trying to help me catch her.

Introduction

For a couple of months, I have been toying with the idea, given me by Adam, to write a blog about nature and animals and why they are fascinating, important, and not very different from us. I have a deep reverence for nature and approach it with an almost religious zeal. Animals, whom I think of as fuzzy, taciturn people, fascinate me. With the additon of some new feline friends to our household, and the fostering of some others, I think it is time to begin trying to pursuade people that animals really are clever, intelligent, kind, perceptive, and unique. Every animal I have ever met has a unique personality. They have quirks, likes and dislikes; they feel pain, they suffer, they mourn. They feel excited, happy, content. And when they love, they love with the purest heart. It is the most genuine love you will ever know.