Pleaaaase let Aaru have her kittens safely and SOON...

leen and alice

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Lucky guess ![emoji]128538[/emoji]
..so can you tell them apart now??
Or is it still dificult?
 
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forest phoenix

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They still look almost identical, but I'm getting better at telling them apart based on their personalities. :) The two boys are way more outgoing, and are usually the ones that head butt and cuddle my feet, and purr when picked up. But "Red" boy is slightly more black in the torso and is usually more on the sweet, cuddly side. "Blue" boy is sweet but much more playful. He's more likely to chew on me or try to climb up my leg. "Sister" is sw.eet, but very shy and introverted. She's usually the one sleeping by herself somewhere or playing alone with something she found on the floor. I was super sure a week ago that Red was the one I wanted to keep... I still mostly am... but Blue is getting pretty sweet too. It's funny because I had initially assumed that I'd keep the girl, but she's the one I have the least amount of chemistry with. She's great, but she's super independent (like her momma), and I'd kinda like to have a kitty that actually likes to cuddle and hang out with me. LoL. Ru is generally pretty indifferent, unless I have food. LoL
 
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forest phoenix

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Yeah... I've been thinking about that. I have so many cool names running around in my head, but I just haven't really settled on any yet. I'm also not sure whether I should name the ones I'm not going to keep... I'm worried I'll get even more attached. I don't know if it would help to not name them though... I should probably just go ahead and do it. :)
 

bmedlock09

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Awww they're so cute! My cat is all black except a tiny spot on her kneck and a slightly bigger spot on her tummy.
 

bmedlock09

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Yeah... I've been thinking about that. I have so many cool names running around in my head, but I just haven't really settled on any yet. I'm also not sure whether I should name the ones I'm not going to keep... I'm worried I'll get even more attached. I don't know if it would help to not name them though... I should probably just go ahead and do it. :)
We named all the kittens from our last litter. Only kept 2. There was 6. But we just gave them like little nicknames (before we knew which we were keeping lol) Boots, Chubs (he wa the fattest lol) we kept them, then there was bear, midnight, socks and sugar (he owner named her. She got pretty much 1st pick.) It didn't make us to attached. We also tried to kind distance from the other. We'd still play with all of them, and you will get a little attatched, but that'll help you to make sure they get good homes. :-)
 
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forest phoenix

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I'm really sorta starting to freak out about finding homes for them. I haven't been able to find any interested people, and I've asked a LOT of people. I even made an announcement at work the other day in a meeting of 60 people... nothing. People are not really into cats where I live, for some reason. And so I'm starting to panic... because I can't keep all 3, and I can't take them to a shelter (I just refuse)... I don't know. I don't really want to put an ad in the paper and have to give them to someone I don't know... but I don't even think that would work because there is no shortage of free kittens listed in the paper. :(
 

leen and alice

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Aww!
Dont panic!
Ok here are some other suggetions

1Take realy good pictures of them
Showing their prettiest features

2Tell them their breed

3 try cat for sale or (adoptation) websites

4 take them out with you on ..a playground and be sure that lots of kids are there.. take the kittys out of the cage (one at a time) and let the kids pet them..they'll say stuff like "I want that cat mom!" Or "can I have it pleaase its so cute!" And of course talk to the parents about it!!


Good luck finding good homes for your babies[emoji]128525[/emoji]
 
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forest phoenix

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Thanks for the support, everyone. The kittens now have a facebook page, in an attempt to get their cute little faces out there. I'm not a terribly social person, so it hasn't been a huge success yet... but I'm hoping to extend my reach when I get a little time this weekend. I had contacted a no-kill shelter a few counties over (it's the nearest one to me), and they responded today that they can't take any out of county surrenders because they are at capacity. :( I'm really getting upset and losing hope. Meanwhile, these little adorable crazies are tearing up my house and are unsupervised during the day (because I'm a teacher and I just went back to school). I'm more than a little worried about what I will be able to do. I really can't provide for them all indefinitely, and I can't find safe homes in which to place them... I'm stuck. I'll keep trying with facebook. Maybe that will take hold yet.

On another topic... weaning!!!! Do I need to intervene at all? @sarthur2, do kittens just wean themselves completely or do I need to do something? I don't really know what I could do, but I'm not sure how much they are still nursing vs. how much kibble they're eating, since I'm not home during the day. They are definitely still nursing. I've seen them all eat kibble, but it's not disappearing from the bowl as quickly as I would think it would if they were all eating it. Ru's spay date is coming up on the 30th and I want to make sure they've totally weaned by then so it doesn't cause undue stress for them or for Ru's glands. They'll be 8 1/2 weeks old at that point, so I assumed it would be a fine time to do it. Now I'm worried.
 

Primula

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I fostered a pregnant cat who had 3 kittens. The shelter came back for mom when the kittens were 12 weeks old. Mom was not returned to them & was adopted. Funny thing to me was that they never missed their mom one little bit though she had done everything for them for 3 months.
 

Primula

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Please don't put an ad in the paper & offer them for free. Same with Craigslist. I know this doesn't help you, but this attracts weirdos & hoarders.

Is there no shelter that will take them for adoption - maybe not immediately, but at a time certain in the future?
 

Sarthur2

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forest phoenix forest phoenix

Are the kittens eating wet food? They need to, in addition to dry food.

There is no reason they should have the run of your home while you are at work. Close them in one room with food, water, litter box and toys during your work hours. Allow them out when you are home to supervise.

Kittens do continue to nurse after spay surgery. Mine were back at it the same day mom was spayed, with no ill effects on mom. In fact, she seemed happy to see them.

It's recommended that kittens stay with mom for 12-16 weeks for maximum adjustment, so you have some time still to find good homes.

Kittens will stop nursing when mama kitty lets them know she's done. She will begin hissing at them and getting up and moving away. It's too soon yet. In the wild, moms nurse for about 4 months.

As Handsome Kitty said, would anyone at your school be interested in adopting?

Hang in there!
 
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forest phoenix

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I wish I could offer kittens to the students at school, but I don't want them to know that I have cats. Some of the boys can be really hateful toward cats, and have told me that they intentionally harmed them. It makes me sick. I have already had my house vandalized by students that didn't like me, and I don't want the students to know I have cats. Especially black cats (this is an extremely religious and superstitious area). I've already asked all the faculty.

As for the paper, I haven't placed ads. I'm just using facebook to try to network with friends of friends, who I can verify through my social group as to whether or not they are responsible pet parents.

As for closing the kittens up, that's not really possible. There aren't many doors in my house. The house has only a few rooms, and most just open into each other without doors. The only rooms with doors are the bathroom and my bedroom. I had them enclosed in the kitchen using a temporary chicken-wire gate, but they have gotten so good at climbing that they can't be contained because they started scaling the cabinets. It was no use. If I shut them in the bathroom, that would be inhumane. It's not big enough. If I shut them in the bedroom, they would run the risk of messing the carpet, messing inside the mattress (where they like to hide), and it's also a pretty small room with no room for litterboxes. Additionally, I would have to shut Ru in with them so she could nurse, and she'd probably tear the door and window apart at the anxiety of being confined. Trust me... I've gone over all this in my mind a million times. It's a mess.

As for shelters, there are none around here that are no-kill. That's why I sought out the other one in a neighboring county. The local shelter euthanizes around 200 animals each week. They aren't going there.
 
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forest phoenix

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@sarthur2 won't a momma cat stop lactating shortly after a spay? I thought it interrupted the hormones... but I guess (thinking as I type) those hormones come from the pituitary gland... so I guess a spay wouldn't stop that. Thanks for the info. I'm glad to know that it's possible for them to nurse without disrupting the incision site. I'm a bit worried about that.
 

Primula

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I wish I could offer kittens to the students at school, but I don't want them to know that I have cats. Some of the boys can be really hateful toward cats, and have told me that they intentionally harmed them. It makes me sick. I have already had my house vandalized by students that didn't like me, and I don't want the students to know I have cats. Especially black cats (this is an extremely religious and superstitious area). I've already asked all the faculty.
Holy Moses, I can't imagine where you live.
 
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forest phoenix

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It's a really wonderful place, full of really wonderful people. It's just got some drawbacks... just like anywhere else. :(
 

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Hey we have 4 with mom still and she was spayed last friday . They are 12 weeks so they were a little bigger, they have dry and wet so they had 3 meals of wet while mumma was gone.
Our mumma cat is very thin and the vet assistant not the vet ttold me I should keep them away for two weeks because of the stitches but also her weight( she is always this thin) so I took some other good advice [emoji]128521[/emoji]. She was very tired that night and I put her in a room on her own wet food litter waterover night. In the morning she wanted her kittens she let them know if they were to rough by leaving and tends to nurse only one or two at a time. She is weening them but in her own time.
 

leen and alice

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oh my god!!

I really hope you find a great home for them!

if you live in california( I dont) ... there;s a crazy cat lady

she takes in alot of cats ...she has a documentary   on

national geographic   its called the woman with 700 cats

but now she has even more!! on a youtube channel called

barcroft she has a video called the woman with 1100 cats..!!!

but if you dont live in California  try finding crazy cat ladies

that would love to have more cats!...

my best wishes for you
 
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forest phoenix

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:(

Thanks @leen and alice. I definitely don't live anywhere near California. To be honest, I know I can't really afford to be picky, but I really don't want to give the babies to someone with a ton of cats. I'd rather they be happy and healthy somewhere safe. I know that some people who have many cats probably care for them in a humane way, but most don't. Biologically, cats are naturally solitary animals most of the time. A few in a house is certainly do-able, but I believe that it stresses them out to be kept in large numbers because this isn't really what they do in nature. Male cats, in particular, are likely to start forming impolite habits like spraying when they are housed with other males. It doesn't always happen, but it often does. I would hate for one of my boys to be in a situation like that, then be turned out because of the emergence of his natural territorial behavior. Although this isn't as common in neutered males, it is still fairly common (even when they are neutered before maturity). Again, I'm probably being too neurotic about it, and I'm sorry for being a party pooper. LoL.

PS... I appreciate the thought, though :)
 
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