Star and Jimmy update

[jcribbs]

Star are Jimmy are both doing good. Jimmy roams the house but is not real friendly as yet. But he travels around doing his thing in the house. He uses litter boxes in two rooms now. He likes sleeping under my husbands dresser at night OR in his crate. But he is slowing moving closer to us. We dont' cross his boundries. We let him make his own. I keep special treats for him and put them in his crate. They are for tarter control. I believe one day he will be tame. He is doing really well.

Star has crossed some milestone. My mother was ill and I had to go to Texas for a week. The entire time I was gone she would not enter the house for my husband. As soon as I got back and she saw me, she came in. Since my trip, she sits in the house staring at me with kitty love. She missed me. Also, I don't have to wait 10 minutes with an open door trying to coax her in. She darts in with the other cats. She does not approach me on her own but she has made changes. Which is good. She actually let me husband touch her today. That was the first time.

I'm going to go here. It's bedtime and I have a lot on my mind with JJ.
I just posted this link about JJ and I feel mentally exhausted.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=86328

Jenn

 

[eilcon]

Thanks for the update on Jimmy and Star, Jenn!

Sounds like the big guy has settled in and his making himself at home. Respecting his boundaries is definitely the right approach. If anyone can socialize Jimmy, you can!

Meanwhile, I'm sure he's enjoying all the kitty company.

Star sounds like such a sweet girl and is obviously very attached to you. It's so encouraging that your husband was able to touch her. You've made tremendous progress in gaining her trust.

Thanks for the patience and love you're giving the kitties!

 

[jcribbs]

I'm just letting Jimmy choose him own time....... And he has made himself at home! He does just about what he pleases.....

Star is still in the house from last night. I was sitting on the couch earlier with a blanket around my legs and feet trailing the floor. I moved my foot under the blanket and she came over to investigate the moving blanket!!! That was a first!! She walked toward me to within two feet of me. Holy crap, I couldn't believe it! I wiggled my foot back and forth under the cover and she actually reached out and swatted the cover trying to be playful with me... Oh my........it was very exciting.. She sat back and looked at me and then continued watching the moving cover. She even glanced under it to see what was going on....

I tell her "You are a kitty with a star wearing your feral halo..." She is so used to hearing that sentence that she looks at me when I say it..

It has taken her two years to reach that point...

 

[renny]

That's wonderful news about Jimmy and Star (and my prayers are with you and JJ during this tough time). Knowing your success gives me some confidence to keep trying with my foster momma. I think we had a bit of a set back when i had to move her and the kittens to a different room. But hopefully i'll be able to make progress.

Good luck with all of yours, scritches and hugs!

 

[jcribbs]

Renny, you are a foster mama??? Oh how exciting!!

Tell me about it...... Do you remember Cow Kitty Girl? She also has kittens. Three of them under my porch. She won't let me real close to them. They are about 5 weeks old now. And they are safe where they are at. She is about 20 steps from my front door and food and water. The babies are so cute. I touched one but Cow bit my hand to warn me. So I am leaving them be right now. When we move, I will probably take the whole crew to the no kill shelter in our area. I can't leave them here with my horrible neighbor.











They are safe and dry and warm....

Please tell me about yours.........
Jenn

 

[jcribbs]

By the way, when I told my neighbor about the kittens under the porch, he said "Oh, you must have been feeding the mama". I said yes, that I was. He said her last litter died because she didn't have enough food to eat and so it starved the babies since she couldn't produce milk.

Now that could have been prevented. What manner of man is this?

Isn't that horrible?

 

[jcribbs]

Cow let me pick them up. She wasn't crazy about it, but they need human contact at this early age. They are so sweet. I picked them up one at a time. The little brown faced one is a boy and he is all boy. He spit at me and made that kitty noise. hehe The others were quite contect with me holding them. But then they have watched me petting their mother and feeding her.

I like this picture the best. It is the epitemy of a cat and it's baby.

 

[trouts mom]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww

 

[jcribbs]

They are sweet lil babies......

 

[renny]

Those babies are gorgeous!

My foster family. Well i got them just before Easter and it's a semi-feral mamma and three kittens. Archie (tabby and white), Abigail (tabby) and Annabelle (black and white). Unfortunately (actually it was devastating), they all caught the calicivirus and I ended up losing a long battle to save Archie. I still cry when i think of it. Abigail and Annabelle are now almost 8 weeks old, they've been dewormed and got their first vaccines. They will be going up for adoption really soon.

I guess the question I have for you, and everyone else. Is I have to make the decision (once kittens are gone) about whether or not I think momma is adoptable or if she is too wild. I'm having a tough time with the decision. If i think she's wild she will be spayed and then passed around to fosters until they can find a barn that will take her (and she might still be chased out if that happens). If i think she's adoptable, she will be spayed and put up for adoption.

Momma is a beautiful tabby, she's very shy and skittish. She is a wonderful and protective mother. The problem is since I've had her she's remained quite unpredictable. One moment she'll be sitting watching you and the next she'll take a swipe at you or try and bite you (only once so far). I'm torn about what to do, and the rescue needs to know within a week of the babies leaving. With everyones knowledge and expertise with ferals/semi-ferals what do you think i should do? And how best to I gain her trust? (i fear we had a setback when i had to move her from one room to another).

Sorry so long....

I also am fostering Ernie, a very friendly orange and white male stray that was found wandering my sister's subdivision. His at the vet now being neutered and should be ready for adoption in the next week or so. He's so lovable and chatty that I can't imagine him having trouble getting adopted.

Now for some pics....

Here's Ernie


Archie (RIP my little man!)


Abigail (shy like her momma!)


Annabelle (friendliest, craziest kitten...wish i could keep her!)

 

[jcribbs]

Oh they are so cute!!! It's so sweet when they use the litterbox. Cats are so smart.

As far as the mama kitty, since she is protective of her babies, that could have something to do with it. The mother of the babies under my porch lets people pet her but she also bit me for getting too close to her babies.

As far as gaining a ferals trust......each cat is different. It can take a long time when they are an adult. I don't know if Star is typical or not. She was grown when I started with her. And it's been two years. The others I have that were feral were younger and they are very sweet and very loving....but only to me and hubby. They still run from everyone else. Kissy and Toe and Yellow were never feral and they are the only ones that will remain in a room with strangers. You would think those are the only cats I have. The other 10 disappear if company comes over. They are invisible. As soon as the company leaves they all come out.

As far as your mama, the fact that she stays in the room with you is a good sign. Does you ever let you pet her or does she ever approach you? The skittish part is because she is not quite trusting yet. She might have been hurt by a human. It just takes time. Give her special stuff like tuna in a bowl. Make sure it's just for her. I also by at Walmart the imitation crab meat for mine. It is cheap and the cats love it for a snack. I can get a great big pack of it for 3.00. But if she already lets you pet her some, just make her feel special and see that you are non-threatening.

My cat socks was skittish and would bite me at first. Then she would lightly nip me. It made me be very careful around her. She did not like her back legs rubbed at all. After a few months of talking to her and slowing rubbing her legs, she got better. That's when she was nipping me lightly. It was like she wanted to bite but she was starting to love me too. Now she doesn't even nip and I can pick her up now and put her on my shoulder and even put my face in her and rub my chin in her hair and she purrs. There is no way I would have done this with her at first. She would have bit the heck out of me. But she is used to me loving on her now.

Each cat is different. But feeling special helps them a lot. But they have to be able to be petted first in order to feel special. She will get over the biting. She is just not sure of you yet.

But I'll tell you something Renny. If you gain her trust there will be done other like that trust. And you will end up keeping her. If she trusts you, she might never trust another human. She would always want you for her person. That's how mine are. Star would starve to death if I ever gave her away. She would never adjust. She is mine forever as they all are. But she is just special. We have a very special relationship.

If your mama kitty begins to trust you, you will see what I mean.

I hope you keep her.......

Jenn

 

[renny]

Thanks for the advice and heartwarming thoughts. Unfortunately i can't keep momma...i just don't have the space or the resources. She's currently in the basement apartment, but my tenant comes back at the end of the summer. She has yet to let me pet her. I did touch her when she was very ill with the calici virus. She does seem to have some trust of me, but not enough to let me get too close. And she only approaches me if i have the temptations out...and if i'm too slow with them i usually get swiped or bit.

I'll probably hang on to momma until the kittens are gone and she's spayed. Maybe after that i'll be able to determine if she is adoptable or not. I'm pretty sure she would not to well at adoption fairs or other caged/noisy environments. She deserves a chance...she's gone through so much. I just wish i could find the right person to take her (i.e. patient, not looking for a lap kitty etc).

 

[jcribbs]

awwww......... I hope you can socialize her. She does deserve a chance. It need to be someone with tons of patience.

And I also brought Cow's baby kittens in. They are all sharing Jimmy's room. I did it because Cow could not find one of her babies. She was looking and calling and it had wondered into the woods. Me and cow both rescued the baby. Any animal in the woods would have gotten this little baby so I had to bring them in.

Here they are in their box... It is out of cardboard and has a door and a window. hehe They have two nice comfy bed pillows in it. And kitten chow in a plate plus water. I don't remember exactly when they were born but they are approximately 5 weeks old or so. Maybe 6. Big enough to start thinking about food. Husband is going to die when he sees 4 more cats in the house!!!
But they are just babies. Last time I kept a mama and her babies I ended up keeping them. And that's Mama, Dovey and Angie... haha I will have to find these a home.. Have to.



It took me about 3 hrs to get them all in. I could only snag one from the mama and I thought the others were asleep. I finally found one and got that one. I never dreamed one was in the woods. I waited and waited on last kitty to wake up. I took pictures under the porch with my flash to try to find it and couldn't see it anywhere. I walked on the porch hoping to wake it. And still no cat. Then I saw Cow calling it in the woods. It ran right to Mama Cow. There are raccoons, big birds and possums, deer, possibly bear and all kinds of things that could grab a kitten. Snakes.... Woods are dangerous for them at this age. They have to learn first about life in the woods.

I can clean them up now. They have little dirt specks on them. She has kept them pretty clean but this way I can help them learn to eat and use the litterbox for their new homes one day... I couldn't put kitten chow by the porch because I was afraid of ants moving in and biting the babies. So this is the best solution for all.

And I was only kidding about hubby. He takes the cats in stride. He never knows what to expect from one day to the next...

Also, JJ could be the father of these or at least one of them. The one is the rear is the same color as JJ. He bred cow. I saw them. Plus another cat bred her that was colored in a similiar fashion except he was grey and white. When we moved in this house, there were approx 4 cats living in the area and they are all still here. One is absolutely wild but eats on my porch. Another tom is black and white and has let me touch him. He had mange. I treated him for that and womed him. He looks much better now. Cow and JJ were the friendliest out of the 4. None had homes. Everyone kept a little food out for Cow except when she was pregnant. No one liked the males so they were stuck out until we moved here. Which is sad.

Jenn

 

[renny]

Oh what darling kitties! It probably is best that you brought them in. You can definitely get them socialized and adopted in the next 4-5weeks.

I hope i can socialize momma too...but we had another set-back though. Abigail (little tabby) is sick with the calicivirus (they had it at 3 weeks too, and with the vaccine lowering their immune system). Momma was trying to hide her from me and protect her in behind the cat house but i had to frighten mom off to get her. sigh...more thing. I never realized just how delicate these darlings were. All i can say is please vaccinate your cats against this virus...it's painful to watch.

Better get back to cuddling my little sicky. Thanks for your encouragement Jenn...i appreciate it so much!

 

[jcribbs]

I have never heard of calicivrus before. Is that a different vaccination that the regular stuff?

My mama cat is glad to have her babies in the house. She has never really liked being in the house much but since the babes are in doors she seems much more relaxed. She knows they are safe. She spent most of her time outside guarding them from other cats and keeping an eye out. Since they are in, she lets me handle them all I want with no agression on her part. Which is nice. She purrs and loves on them and me. I'm glad I brought them in. Two of them are extremely friendly and offer no resistance when I pick them up but the brown faced one hisses. He is so cute.

I had to MAKE her stay in some this winter cause I was worried about her. I just fed the babies. They love their kitten chow softened with warm water. Two of them really get with it. The other is not quite as eager. And also, I found their poop in the litter box today. It is about an inch long. hehe They are already using it.

I guess they watched their mama and Jimmy use it.

These kittens seem really healthy but a little thin for my taste. I'm not sure cow's milk was rich enough. But they have full little bellies right now with the food they are eating.

Also, I bought Yellow some grass at walmart. It's in the cat section. And you plant it and grow it. It's for inside cats and as I put it down for him today for the first time. It finally grew enough and he chowed down. He loves it. It is supposed to aid their digestive system. I am going to have to grow Jimmy one as well and I guess JJ too since they are all in doors.

This is Yellow's grass.


When husband got home and I told him we had three babies in Jimmy's room he stood there and looked at me blankly for a minute. Then he said "You're keeping them aren't you?" I said NO....... He said "Wife, I know you and I know you are keeping them". He was laughing at me. I repeated to him. NO, I'm finding them homes.

Well, anyway, I showed him the babies and one little guy sat on his shoulders resting. Husband said, move this cat before I get attached. I told him to move him himself. hehe....

He is going to love them. I can tell.......... I think I am running a non-profit cat shelter out of my house... I keep saying NO MORE, but then it's hard to say no when they need a human. You know?

 

[jcribbs]

Yellow loves his grass. I bought some more I am growing now for Jimmy and JJ...



Also, when we move I have a PLAN for the inside cats......... which is Jimmy, JJ [for now] and Yellow.

I bought 300' of fencing today and 30 t-posts for the dog's yard plus a cat door that can be framed into a wall in our new house.. I am going to build a covered pen that the inside guys can access from our bedroom. One side will be welded wire and the rest chicken wire. I plan on it being 5' tall with an outside gate. That way they can go outside and sun. I can hang toys from the top of it and I can even put them a sand pile in there. I have tree stumps I can put in there so they can sharpen their claws and I plan on getting some large tubes and put in there as well. It can be a play area for them. I plan on making a portion of it with a real cover so they can sit out in the rain if they want to. It's going to be 5' tall by 5' wide and 20-25' long. It will be a big cat run for my inside guys. I think they will love it. I'm sure all the cats will use it but it's mainly for JJ, Jimmy and Yellow. When we get it done, I'll put a picture of that in here. I think Jimmy and Yellow will really love it. I have to make an area so Jimmy will be safe outside. He is not ready to just be on his own outside yet but this is his beginning so he can get fresh air and socialize with Yellow and the other cats. In case he doesn't want to come in after going out [hehe] I am covering a portion of it so it will be weatherproof.

My husband is also going to build a shelf around the walls in the living room that is about 6-8" wide with large areas in the corners for the cats to climb on. We bought some matching carpet that is 4" wide so we can put runners on the boards for them. It matches our carpet in the house. He is going to build them a little staircase to access it that is just out of reach of our dauchaund so she won't get up there. And she would if she could.

Muffin, by the way, the dauchaund is going to be in her first dauchaund race aug the 26th.... She is in the frankfurter age group.....

She is going to be so cute. She is entered in a best dressed dog contest as well......

I truely think sometimes I have lost my mind but I have fun..........!!

Jenn

 

[renny]

It sounds like it's going to be a perfect kitty paradise! I'm so jealous (as are Lucky and Rambo!).

The calicivirus is covered in the regular vaccines, but since momma is feral she didn't have the vaccine, caught the virus and passed it on to the babies. When they were about 3.5 weeks old they started to get sick from it. It is an URI that causes blisters to form in the mouth and stomach, which causes diarrhea and vomiting. The kittens also show signs of pain in their legs and they have trouble walking around (this is what abigail is showing). Momma got sick with it too before and her mouth swelled up and she couldn't eat or even put her tongue back in her mouth. Basically all you can do is wait it out, and give them something for the pain so that they can try and eat and if they are going to make it they will improve in the 3-5 days.

Since the little ones just went to get vaccinated, I think that might have lowered their immune system enough for the virus to get going again, but before the vaccine antibodies built up. After 2 days of pain meds and careful feedings (and tons of cuddling), Abigail seems to be improving. I left her wrestling with her sister. (tried to separate them but Abigail was just too upset)

Fingers and toes crossed that this is the last hurdle for these little tykes. I'll try and get up some new pictures soon.

 

[jcribbs]

Oh.........those poor little babies. I sure hope they get well... It sounds like a horrible virus.. I will pray they get well and recover quickly.

It must be terrible to be a little kitten with mouth blisters and unable to eat. That just breaks my heart.

Hang in there Renny... They would not have made it this far without you. I can't wait to see their new pictures.

It's 4:30 in the morning here. I just got up to check on JJ and my little kittens. I had to bring the mama in. She likes going outside at night. I gave her some tuna last night. It was her first tuna and she loved it. I'm trying to give her a few things extra for milk production. She is dried up on one side and the other side doesn't have a lot but she does have three that are still producing milk..

The babies drink water thank god. I have to put them in front of the bowl and then they drink. If cow's milk dries up, they have to have liquid. I am thinking of getting some powered milk at the vet to help mama supplement them. I just feel like they are not getting enough milk from cow.

 

[jcribbs]

Well, I got some new kitty pictures. They are eating good if I get them started. And they are drinking good as well. The one in the middle is going to be a big boy cat. There are two boys and 1 girl. I still haven't named them. The girl is the one on the left side.





This is their temp home. They even have a little window on the side.


They seem to be doing really well. They love their box. This was my outside shelter on the porch but no one used it much so I brought it in for the babies, made the door larger and added the window so I could see them good. It is large enough Mama cat can lay down and stretch out for them to nurse. They run across the room and jump in it when I open the door. They are all over the place in there.

The only problem is when mama cat is inside, she won't let Jimmy use his litter box. It's not really a problem. It's just funny. Jimmy uses the litter box when Cow is outside. Isn't that funny? She doesn't use the litter box herself, but her babies do. She goes outside. Jimmy has actually taught them how to use the litter box. Not mama cat. And the babies do use it. Everyday. They have not had one single accident.

Poor Jimmy. His litter box has been taken over by three little kittens...

He doesn't mind the little kittens either. He just ignores them. I put a 10" board in front of the closet so they won't get in his crate. He probably wouldn't like that. That way he still has his privacy which he enjoys. Eileen told me he was good with kittens and she was right. You could not put some male cats around baby kittens as they might kill them. But not Jimmy. He is a good cat. Just a little skittish still.

Jimmy has never really bonded yet with any of my cats except Kissy. He likes her and she likes being in his room. Another cat he likes is cookie. She sits in there with him too. So it's good for him to have some young blood in there with him. It is stimulating and healthy for him. I have to keep the door shut right now so the babies won't run through the house yet. They are just too little and I don't trust a couple of my females around them. Mainly Cleo aka Patty Cake Kitty. She might hurt them. I had to watch her around dovey and Angie when they were tiny. She did not like them. Turtle is also a little agressive and territorial. Her problem is mainly because when I took her in, they all tried to kick her butt and she was grown. She finally started defending herself and they left her alone. Now they are all friends. But no one like Turtle at first except me and husband. So anyway I keep the door shut right now till they are bigger. Jimmy could come out but he perfers his windows, his crate and his room. That is his area and he is comfortable in there. He roams the house but he loves his room the best. It is probably because that is the first place I placed him when he came to live here.

I am already planning where I am going to make his spot in the new house. I am seriously considering putting his crate in our bedroom and making him a private place in there with his own bowls and dishes. I have several cat tins around the house with food but Jimmy always eats in his own bowls. He does not vary in that. I want him to be around me and husband and know and trust us so I like the bedroom idea. My husband is going to build a little house type thing with several openings for the other cats since cats like hole to get in. I am thinking of putting that in the bedroom with Jimmy crate beside it. That way he is nearly forced to be around us. If we just continue to carry on with our lives around him, he will come around eventually and the closer contact will be good. The bedroom is also where the outside kitty door is going to be that goes to the enclosure. I am glad I got him before the house was finished. That way all the cats can learn together in the new place. He already knows the cats and that will make him feel safer when we move. Everything won't be new to him. The people he knows and the cats he knows. So that is good.

I am not worried about moving any of the other cats. I have moved them before and they are so bonded to me and my husband that as long as we are there, they do fine. I'll probably keep them in for a day or two. I HOPE that we can have the cat enclosure finished when we move in. That way they can all go outside and check things out and be safe as they look at the new area. I had absolutely no problem moving them here and that included Star Kitty. She did great and I was extremely worried about her when we moved but she adapted real fast. I was all she knew so it was easier than I thought it would be.

Jenn

 

[jcribbs]

I'll think I'll name the girl Minnie.......... She is tiny like her mom cat.