A kitten fell down my chimney and I need advice!

[TobiDaDog]

I’m guessing it’s a genetic trait she inherited and likely nothing to worry about.

I've never heard of that trait! Why would it be showing up now and not earlier in his life?

 

[Caspers Human]

Doesn't a bobcat's ears curve back a little bit, like that?

Maybe your boy, there, has a bit of bobcat in him!

 

[Sarthur2]

She’s adorable!

 

[TobiDaDog]

They are both turning into beautiful cats with striking and very different personalities...

But WOW that size difference. I don't think that Tato is ever going to catch up. He eats probably three times as much as his brother but he stays small and thin. Not bony, but his body type is definitely lean. Whereas we joke that Nikolas looks like he swallowed another kitten. He is very sausage shaped. And he's a BIG boy. But so picky! TATO is always the one eating everything in sight but Niko is bigger. I don't get it.

They both started losing their front baby teeth recently right about the same time, so they have gappy little bites right now.

 

[susanm9006]

They are both so beautiful. I was reading your initial post about your unexpected drop in. I hope you have since put a cap on that chimney so you are catching less adorable creatures.

 

[TobiDaDog]

They are both so beautiful. I was reading your initial post about your unexpected drop in. I hope you have since put a cap on that chimney so you are catching less adorable creatures.

We can't do anything about it right now because there is still snow on the roof. It's not safe to climb up there. But when the weather warms up it's in the plans.

 

[TobiDaDog]

Whoa! Hopefully the rest of these baby teeth get pushed out soon.

 

[Sarthur2]

They begin cutting adult teeth around 10-12 weeks.

 

[TobiDaDog]

I know I keep saying it but this one has the WEIRDEST personality. I wish I could upload videos here. He is so odd.

You have to be careful when you pick him up and put him down because he is just so floppy. He NEVER catches himself. He just puddles like a furry bag of jello. You could hold him completely upside down and he would just...dangle. Here are some pictures of my partner holding him. He doesn't "help" you at all! If we let go, he would slither off without trying to catch himself.

It works out when my 3 year old nephew comes to visit...Tato literally turns to mush and jellos between the kids fingers. He can't get a grip to pick him up and he gets sooo frustrated! It's like trying to pick up water in your hands. He just rolls back off. We joke that it's his only defense.

He absolutely LOVES to be slung over your shoulder. But again, you have to be careful because he won't support himself. He just flops there. You have to hold his legs. Sometimes I'll just be walking around holding his hind legs because the front end is draped down my shoulder and back.

He wants nothing more than to be held all the time. He demands it. Quite often he will spend his time licking my nose. But sometimes he really gets into it and tries to jam his nose INTO my nostril. Hard. I haven't figured that one out yet!

He comes running full pelt, no matter what he's doing, when I call his name. He will drop everything to run over.

He is lovely...just very, very strange.

 

[TobiDaDog]

Here is his dangling upside down...just limp. A very odd little guy

 

[Caspers Human]

Ya' know... There is a scientist who wrote a paper that shows proof that cats are actually liquid:

The Ig Nobel Prize: Why are Cats Liquid? - Stem Fellowship

By Angela Zhu Did you know that there exists an amusing prize for the funniest scientists and their comical findings? In this series, we will explore the famous Ignoble Nobel Prize (abbreviated as “Ig Nobel”) and share some interesting research done by the winners. It's Fun, but it's Serious...

www.stemfellowship.org

 

[susanm9006]

This is the wonderful thing that you get when a cat has 1000% trust in their humans. You saved him, you fed him and you treated him only with love.

 

[TobiDaDog]

This is the wonderful thing that you get when a cat has 1000% trust in their humans. You saved him, you fed him and you treated him only with love.

His brother didn't get the memo he's a sweet guy but absolutely hates to be touched. We call him the "fist-bump" cat because a quick hello is all you get. He likes to sit beside you but if you reach out to touch him, he backflips away.

 

[Margot Lane]

His brother didn't get the memo he's a sweet guy but absolutely hates to be touched. We call him the "fist-bump" cat because a quick hello is all you get. He likes to sit beside you but if you reach out to touch him, he backflips away.

How are Tato & Niko? If I haven’t said, it’s so heartwarming you took two kittens in who simply fell down your chimney. Thank you.

 

[TobiDaDog]

They are both growing up!! Tato is still pretty tiny, but he has a huge personality. Niko thinks he needs to be a wild cat. He is always trying to bolt for the door. We've gotten him collared and microchipped, but it's still a worry. When he got outside once he just ran from us for ages because he wanted to stay outside to play. Darned cat! I love the little "mermaid" thing he does with his legs when he lays down.

Here is a link to a video of Tato doing his cute little arm stretchy thing. It absolutely melts my heart.

He has such a strange fur texture. It's so soft and whispy, but not extremely long. But not short either? Kind of sticks up everywhere at medium length but not thick or double coated. And his tail is getting SO fluffy. I'm wondering if he will be a short haired cat with a long haired tail.

 

[Margot Lane]

Tato is just a love sponge. Have never seen a cat do that before! And I never knew there was a word for that back foot position— you learn something new every day on TCS.

 

[dustydiamond1]

We can't do anything about it right now because there is still snow on the roof. It's not safe to climb up there. But when the weather warms up it's in the plans.

How did they get up there in the first place?

 

[dustydiamond1]

I'm glad your kittens are doing well!

Yes, they will be groggy for the first day or so. That's normal. Now that they are up and running around, that's a sign that they are doing well. If there aren't any setbacks, they should be right as rain in another week or two. After that, smooth sailing!

You don't have to use the "cone of shame" if your kittens don't need them. It's okay to let them lick "back there" but if they start chewing on their stitches, that could be a problem.

As far as activity goes, you can mostly let the kittens run normally. IF they do something that hurts they should stop on their own.

Just check up on their surgery site every day to make sure everything's okay. Keep it clean with a wet cloth if you think it needs to be.

As far as what a cat thinks about being neutered... The only thing they should notice is a little bit less wind resistance.

As to the claw clipping... We don't normally clip our cats' claws but, when they go to the vet, they sometimes get clipped. They will grow back. With kittens, they should grow back even faster. As far as we're concerned, on the matter of claw clipping, it's "six of one and a half-dozen of another."

I use human baby fingernail clippers held sideways to prevent splintering on just the tips of Gypsys nails when they start snagging on carpet & covers

 

[TobiDaDog]

Tato is just a love sponge. Have never seen a cat do that before! And I never knew there was a word for that back foot position— you learn something new every day on TCS.

He wants nothing more than to be held aaalll the time! He sits at our feet and cries to be picked up and cuddled. I've never seen it before either! But I've also never seen a cat that craves touch as much as he does. And the way he flops when he puts himself on your shoulder is SO funny!!

Also, I don't know if mermaiding is the proper term or not, but that's what we call it. Beached mermaid. Instagram actually gave me a ban warning last week for making a post saying he looked like a tiny beached whale. They said they needed to protect whoever I was abusing. We've been giggling about that one. Thanks for protecting my cat's dignity, Instagram!

 

[Margot Lane]

I’m beginning to think cats know. Somehow they have radar. They planned it together and fell down your chimney on purpose.