Penelope and Her Kittens

[maewkaew]

 I have to add that  in the litter  earlier this year of my pedigreed  Siamese  (old style ,  aka Thai ) queen Phai-lin,  the most hissy, screamy little kitten when she was under a month old,  turned out to be maybe the  sweetest, most lap-loving kitten by 12 weeks old who adored cuddling with everyone.     This hissy little girl turned out to be SUPER cuddly.   So I agree it is definitely not a sign they will turn out " mean" !

 

[chasetheblue]

I asked my friend who lives in your area if she knew anyone who was looking. She doesn't but said she would ask around

 

[maewkaew]

 
oh yeah ther no even a month old yet are they sorry forgot but little guys! The orange on reminds me of DIego my Christmas Present!

 That is a super cute little red tabby.  ( so is the kitten in your avatar... Is that Diego?!!!)

Then I see a couple  torbies.   and I am  wondering if at least one kitten is a Black Smoke !    Well actually,  I am wondering if there are several silvers & smokes  in this litter. .    The ( STUNNING!)  mom looks like she could be a Blue Silver Torbie . .

 I have another idea,   ask your vet if you could put a sign with pictures up at their office.   ( make sure you say you will bring the kittens for shots and de-worming before they go to new homes). 

 

[karagraaf]

Thanks for the replies! I definitely don't plan on rehoming them sooner then 8 weeks. Actually I now have a few people that are interested but no one is actually saying anything definite so I can't count on that. But I told them that I plan in rehoming at 10-12 weeks old.. Possibly 8 if they just can't wait and the kitten seems ready, but I'd rather not. I want to make sure they are at their best and ready when they get rehomed!

Mom cat was abandoned but my husband's coworker found her and told us about her. He actually has offered to reimburse us any money that the kitties may cost us because he feels bad giving us a pregnant kitty. I'm just glad we got her so she didn't have the kittens in the cold winter on the streets! I don't feel right taking his money but he keeps offering saying he usually supports certain shelters so this time he'll put some of that money for our kittens. So we may take him up on that, the medical bills will be expensive with 7 kittens! (We weren't able to get the mom most of her shots since she was pregnant, and of course get her fixed too!)

Anyway, I do love these guys so much, the two tabbies (black/gray stripe) and the black kitten really have warmed my heart especially. We gave them all temporary names, which just makes it all harder on us. I know nothing about cat breeds and cat colors or whatever but yes, the mom does seem to be a blue torbie and I think there are 2 torbie kittens also. I am assuming the black one is a just a black tabby. But she doesn't seem quite solid black, she seems a bit lighter on her chest and some areas, but I'm not sure if the fur is lighter or if it is just thinner. Either way I just love her, she is the first to do everything in the group.

we named the black one Poppy. The tabby boys are Ozzy (he may have longer hair and has a full tail) and the stubby tail brother is Theodore/Theo(we'll probably keep that one But we/I are attached to both boys)
My daughter named the orange one Dodo- he a favorite amoungst the kids. The torbies are Taurina and Cricket is the sister with a stubby tail

My daughter has broken out in hives 2 times after rubbing her face on the pile of kittens. I'm very worried we may not be able to have any cats now. She never showed signs Of allergies with cat before and she has been around them. She was fine around the mom too. I'm not sure what's going on

 

[karagraaf]

Oh and I will definitely ask the vet about putting up a sign with pictures-
It's hard to pass looking at pictures! Good idea

 

[chasetheblue]

I hope your daughter's allergies aren't serious! I'm allergic to cats, had suspected it for a couple of years (but I only reacted to my mum's medium hair cat)  and confirmed when I got my kittens. if it's not too serious, she may be okay. I can live with mine, I just have to not allow Cairo to lick my face, and my best friend also has cat allergies and has cats at home (had 6 at one point!)

 

[karagraaf]

She held two of them with no problem this morning. I'm thinking she is allergic to certain cats?? That's possible I guess ..?

 

[chasetheblue]

I guess so? lol. I've only ever reacted to Maestro before getting the girls, not sure if that's because it's him or if it's because I looooove to bury my face in his plush, squeezable self. lol. 

 

[karagraaf]

I had her hold 3 of them and nothing so I'm really confused. She did have allergy medicine last night so maybe it's still in her system. He didn't rub her face in them though, I'm going to try the other three. After that, have her rub her face in each one individually. I'm wondering if it could be something else, but I can't imagine what, since it happens soon after rubbing er face in the kittens (it's so hard to resist!) It would break her heart to know we have to get rid of all of our cats all because of her. She is only 5 years old, she doesn't understand

 

[cccdlx]

EVERYONE HERE CARES!!! There is NO such thing as too many pictures. You go girl

 

[karagraaf]

My kittens just turned 4 weeks today. They seemed interested in mama's food so I gave them some watered down canned, 3 out of 3 really seemed to enjoy it. I also noticed some are starting to pee. I have a small litter pan set up for them (a tin disposable baking pan with non clumping litter in it) they want nothing to do with the litter besides try to eat it. My house is an open floor plan, I can't really confine them in a room and they decided not to lay in their nesting box and instead chose beside the couch, on my carpet. Any tips to help them to use the liter and not get my carpet soiled? When will mom stop licking their bottom to poop? I'm guessing soon. Also how often do i feed them solid food? The mom is just so skinny and eating 2 cans of food, plus dry food, she's not really on a schedule, i feed her when she is hungry, do I offer some to the kittens every time?
Mainly I'm just trying to figure out the litter box thing. They are clueless about it. I know accidents will happen but I want to kep it from happening as much as possible!

 

[katluver4life]

It is really best to confine them if you could. Even the bathroom would work. 4 weeks old is about when they really start learning things and also learn from momma how to use the litter box, so her box should be in there too, also with non clumping litter. If you can't confine them even in the bathroom, what about a place where you could put up baby gates? Or even a dog or baby pen, the type people set up outside, not a crate. It will be VERY hard to NOT have them going all over the place if they are allowed full run of the house. If no confinement is possible at all, try MANY litter trays around the house. You have to have them easy to find and to get to quickly when they are playing. Hopefully momma will use them also and they will see. If you find any tiny stools not in a box, pick it up and put it in one of their boxes and then show them all. Do not get discouraged if they jump right back out. It takes a little time for them to get the idea, but they will.

Kittens when starting to eat food should be fed very frequently. Their tummies are tiny and they burn a ton of calories with all the energy they have and with growing. 4 - 5 times a day at least. It is said to feed kittens as much as they want. Momma will start stopping them from nursing on her soon. Nursing mommas are frequently thin and once she is no longer allowing it, she should start to gain weight again. Has she been spayed yet? If not do this asap. She'll be healthier in the long run and you also don't want her to go into heat again which she can do even now.

 

[karagraaf]

Thanks! They are now peeing in the litter box, I just put a little bit of the litter from the mom's box in it and that did the trick. but they are not pooping. I don't see poop anywhere so I assume mom is still taking care of it. She is still nursing a lot. They are trying nibbles of food but not eating much yet. I do plan on getting her spayed as soon as she stops. The thing about confining her in the bathroom is that I heard that it's important to keep them around us and to play with them to socialize them, I hate to keep them locked out of our sight most of the day. So far they like to be beside our couch, I have a plastic liner down with fleece over top. To keep pee off of the carpet there
They typically stay in the livig room and don't stray much. When they do go in the kitchen, mama or I bring them back, but that doesn't happen much. My friend does have something that may work if the holes aren't too big

 

[maewkaew]

Since they are scarcely eating any solids yet, it is normal that the Mama is still taking care of that.. also normal that they're peeing -- they pee more often than they poop ,  and usually that's the first thing you notice them doing on their own. -- and congrats that they used the box!  Smart little kittens!

 Some kittens will start eating at 4 weeks;  others don't start for another week or two  occasionally even hold out a bit longer.  I had one kitten this summer who just wanted to be a mama's boy , and even though the others started eating pretty well at about 4.5 weeks, he held out until almost 7 weeks!   Mama was still letting him nurse more than the others,  so maybe she just knew he needed it longer. 

IF it turns out you do have a problem with the litter box learning.   you could temporarily confine them to the bathroom .  or to a playpen or big dog cage set up in the living room.  Usually it does not take long for them to get it .    I have put kittens in a big size dog cage when I wasn't able to watch them closely,  until they were consistently using the box in there.    It was just for about a week from like 4 wks old to 5 wks old.   and it's not like they got no attention during that week ,  plus they had plenty more weeks of socialization after that. 

 

[karagraaf]

First an update: my kittens are now 5 weeks old, starting to eat solids 3 times a day but still nursing a lot as well. they have been peeing in the litter box for awhile and now just starting to poop in there but I don't think all of them are- it's hard to tell with 6 kittens though!

Oh these guys are growing so much! I have managed to block them off in the dinning room but now when they are hungry they climb the baby gates and get over! I go in the room and they all come running to me and climb all over me- I'm really getting attached! I have found homes for all of them but the black one. My parents like the black one but they don't think they really want an animal right now although they would be easily convinced if it was the right kitten for them.

Anyway, the black kitty is my least affectionate one. I'm afraid I will have a lot of trouble finding a home for her. My kids call her the mean one. She isn't mean, I try to explain she is just playful. She was always the very first to do everything, and always exploring and on the move. Doesn't like to be still or held back. I'm always trying to grab her and sit with just her but she just wants off my lap. Dumb question but is there anyway I can try to get her more affectionate does this mean I'm not doing enough with her? Is this a good sign that she will grow up not really caring for or loving towards her owners? I just want her to get a good home!

 

[njoythejourney]

Hi! I'm not sure how to contact you other then this way. However we seriously are looking for a kitten for Christmas! How else can I contact you? We live in the Dillsburg, Pa area.

Thanks!

 

[karagraaf]

The kittens won't actually be ready until closer to February and all but one are spoken for now!

 

[njoythejourney]

Bummer! Thanks for letting me know. They are adorable!

 

[levi68]

Not all kittens are cuddly. Black females tend to have a reputation of being um...moody and independent.

Personally, I find females in general to be more aloof, independent and cuddly on THEIR terms. It doesn't mean she won't

eventually be a lap cat but probably only when she wants attention. Unfortunately, they are a harder sell. People want

to make a connection and it's hard if they are the self sufficient type.

Honestly, it's nothing you've done and nothing you CAN do...it's just who she is.

 

[StefanZ]

She will surely be cuddlier as adult.  Or at least,  wanting to rest near their loving owner, and allow to be more petted.

They usually do it.   So this promise you can give.

But immediate remedies?

I dont know. But possibly  Catwoman707´s  remedy for quick socializing of ferale kittens.

You wait a couple of days till they have landed, and arent frightened any more so much (which phase you can apparently jump over).

You wrap said kitten in a soft towel, like a burrito, so it is helpless. Being helpless, it ceases all resistance and allows itself to letting things happen.

You carry it at your chest,  where it hears your heartbeats, and feels your body warmth.  And you talk nicely to it, making  friendly small noises "crooning",  singing softly if you can and want...  Half an h our, a whole hour.

After a couple of such sessions is our kitten an ex ferale. 

Compared with the amercian way of "breaking in" horses, its as efficient, but much more nice and sympathetic!

Possibly may this magic work here too.  Anyway, it is a mild method,  I guess it cant hurt to try.

Good luck!