Anna's Foster Cats and Kittens
Life is Better with Cats – Adopt One Today!
Now that they are over the giardia (knock on wood), Mamba’s kittens are good eaters – and it’s paying off! They are filling out, their coats are improved, and they are starting to look like happy kittens instead of homeless waifs.
I bring in two large plates, but they usually start out all eating from the same plate, even though the food is the same. They seem to like shoving in and eating together.
Mamba’s kittens had a chance to go out of their room and explore the long hall today, and they found some interesting things. There’s a big mirror, the first one they’ve ever seen.
These were taken of Harlind and Thomas this morning. They’re different, but both sweet kitties. Harlind has the softest fur, and he’s softer all over. Thomas is more of the lean, athletic type. Harlind was grooming himself just before I took the photo, so he’s in quite the odd position! Thomas was just hanging out beside me, and was purring without me even petting him.
These beautiful boys would like to go to a forever home together. They balance each other well, and play well together. Thomas really wants to see the wider world, but would be braver doing it if Harlind were there too. Harlind has a lot of confidence.
Mamba and her kittens are outgrowing the “pop-up” they’ve been living in. It’s a very nice space for them to be confined in, but we’ve been letting them out to explore, and they’re ready to be out all the time.
Part of the reason for confinement is so that we can get Mamba herself used to people. She is not super trusting, and she needed to have people close so we could convey that we were pretty safe to be around her kittens. Now that I can (usually) pet her, she can be out of confinement.
Mouse and her kittens got to run down the hall, and they loved it! Mouse mostly supervised from one end – those are her ears you see in the foreground. But the kittens went nuts, galloping full-speed. George urged them on with a toy on a string, but they just loved getting up a head of steam and leaping anything in their paths.
The younger kittens live in the Jiro Palace, which is a pretty nice space for little guys. But they are old enough now to hear exciting things happening outside their area, and they really want to come out! So we often bring them out in the evenings, when they can be supervised. It’s really interesting watching them interact with the older kittens and Mouse, the other mom. After a few times out, they all ended up eating together, and it went well:
The younger ones mostly ignore their elders. The older kittens are interested in the younger ones, sometimes batting at them, sometimes offering to play. Mouse tolerates the alien kittens, but doesn’t hesitate to hiss and swat at them if they get too close to her. The littles seem to have a good instinct for keeping a low profile. Smudge is especially intent on being out in the big room. She loves to explore.
Hazel’s kittens still look a little scrawny and homely, but they’re definitely growing and getting cuter. I don’t think Hazel had the best nutrition when she was pregnant – and I suspect they still have some parasite activity going on. They’re very active, and very curious, but I think they might benefit from a deworming regimen.
