Its That Time Again

Mother Fran is entirely too ready to leave at the moment. It's a struggle to get into the room without letting her out. She could have been returned roughly two weeks ago now but due to illness at the shelter it was safer for her to hang out with me.

On a good note hopefully all things run smoothly and her forever home will be finalized this Friday so she'll head into the vets the following Monday to get spayed. No more little monsters sucking on her...I secretly think she'll be glad about that.

A lap of my own? Yes please

I have two kittens that are spoken for. Hank and Josie. As soon as they hit the 800 grams they will be booked in and getting the 'mini snip' before continuing to their own forever family together. We might have them a few more weeks as Josie is only just getting up to the 700 grams (being the runt) and she needs to be 800 to go in for her little operation.

Sweet Josie Sleeping
(Hank Missing in Action, being a Mr Ratty Pants...)

Its seems they might possibly be keeping their current names and as they're getting bigger they are becoming more troublesome. Josie is full on into everything but you can pick her up any which way and she trusts you not to drop her. Hank on the other hand is all happy coming over on his own terms but unless he's held against your chest and wants to be there he can be a bit sooky and nervous.

Now...Simba is ready for his new home and is getting very close to breaking the 1 kilo mark. The little sumo is massive compared to little Josie. Kimba is getting very close to being 800 and passing her sales check. In the perfect world we're hoping to home these two kittens together to an indoor cat home.

Simba soaking up some Lap time with my brother

With white cats there is a risk of cancer so limiting their time out in the sunlight is a concern. I mean anyone who knows cats knows that no matter what if they're not supposed to do something they'll do it anyway (including sun baking in windows) but still.

Kimba doesn't appear to be deaf. Her eyes however seem to have turned a blue-grey instead of yellow like her brother. She is however less certain in new situations and if she cant find her siblings tends to send out pitiful meows until she locates them. Don't be fooled though this little one purrs up a storm and can battle with the best of them when caught in a ratty mood. Her favorite sparring partner seems to be Simba or sometimes Josie.

Kimba's Grey eyes...

Simba is a lovable little cotton ball. Neither of the two white kittens are fond of being held out from your body (I don't blame them but they aren't as go with the flow as Josie) but they do calm down if they feel supported. Mostly they'll turn up on their own terms and try and play with your hands or feet.

So if you are in the Portland Victoria area please drop by the local RSPCA shelter and inquire about 'Kim's Foster Kittens Simba & Kimba' if you want to add two white fluff balls to your family. There might be a tiny wait for Kimba to hit the 800 grams but I'm happy to pop out for a meet and greet if interest is shown.

Group shot Number 2. Quite fitting the kittens in their pairings.

So I shall leave you until next time with a few pictures from the kittens lounge room romp.

Josie snoozing
(Excuse brother's plate, Josie didn't give him a chance to get up)

Josie ~ Don't even think of stealing this colored thing...Is MINE!

Kittens enjoying a colored rattle, Josie going nuts

Kimba trying the cute look

Hank totally not cooperating with pictures

Kittens semi playing

After being given more than twice their usual room
to play the kittens went under the chair and
snoozed there for most of their time out....typical

Photo Shoot

Alas it is nearing that time again. The time that these little ones move on to their forever families.

If it weren't for a flu outbreak Mother Fran and Simba might have already been returned. Since the flu is there then we all figured the best plan was to keep them with me but to begin showing the public the kittens.

Thus, I needed pictures...better pictures that captured who they are but also held an element of the cute factor.

Anyone who photographs cats know it takes 100 photos to get one useful one.

Mother Fran is difficult to photograph, more so than her kittens. Every picture she has this 'bored' look and I can never quite capture how pretty her amber eyes are. Truthfully Fran is a beautifully natured cat. She loves cuddles and hops up on our laps. She is full on when something she really likes is offered and can sit up in a near 'beg' pose. I do hope she finds herself a perfect home where she will be loved and smothered with attention.

Lovely Miss Fran

Best picture of her lovely eyes so far

Simba the little Sumo. He's reached 800 grams so if the right family came along he'd be able to go in and get the 'snip' and then bounce around with his new loving family. Due to being pure white he is sensitive to the sun and therefore it is advised he be an indoor cat. Enforcing this however is difficult and even indoors cats will always find the sunniest window sill to sit in.

Simba lounging

Simba working the 'you want to cuddle me' look

Final product Ta-Da  

Kimba the quiet one. Its hard to tell if her eyes are actually changing. She is more reserved than the others but she does have her ratty moments. Little Kimba is over the 700 gram mark, not quite available but very close. It would be absolutely awesome if the two white cotton balls go to a home together. (Fingers crossed)

Kimba asking for cuddles

Kimba being a bit ratty

Final Product. (Bit disappointed her eyes are in shadow)

Hank the love bug. Its no secret this little ginger and white fur ball has wiggled his way into my heart. With that near death moment where we nearly lost him its only solidified the bond. He has a quick purr, a quirky personality and is just so cute you just cant resist picking him up and snuggling him all the time. He became a big boy at the latest vet check and received his latest vaccination. Being a bit over 600 grams I got a bit more time with my little man before its time to say goodbye.

Hank not quite being cooperative

Hank trying to perfect the cute head tilt

Hank perfecting the cute face. Really who wouldn't want to take that home?

Josie the personality plus. From the get go this little one has been go, go, go. She's never let being the tiniest stop her from being the first to do things or to scare her from fighting her much bigger brothers and sisters. Her delicate face and frame hide away this little puff ball of personality and she's a fierce but loving little monster. She readily accepts cuddles and will purr loudly for anyone patting or snuggling her but she's also independent and easily distracted. Josie also became a big girl today, she's just scraping the 600 grams but since the kittens are around 7 weeks old they figured she was right to have it.

Josie a bit uncertain

Josie being a bit ratty but still looking innocent

Josie focusing on my finger she wasn't being the best little poser today.

So until the flu is gone I have the little fur balls. I may or may not get called in to arrange some meet and greets with people curious about the kittens and I can look after them and drop them off at the vet in town before they're picked up and carried off to their new homes. This way any chance of them picking up the flu is reduced dramatically.

I really don't want to have known these kittens only to lose them when they return to the adoption floors so spread the word some gorgeous kittens are going to be needing a home and so is Mother Fran.

What's New Kittens?

I apologize profusely for my lack of updates.

I have never been very good with deadlines or doing things consistently. I have hopefully wrangled in the help of a bud RubyRein (you know who you are) to kick me in the butt if I leave it too long between sharing pictures of the little darlings.

So what's happened since last time?

Do you know how HARD it was getting this picture?
(pulls hair out)

Well they're still growing like weeds. Still, yes we all know weeds just don't stop growing...

Simba is trying to win a body builder competition that only he's entered and he's tipping the scales at well over 700. Our time with this little cotton ball is nearing the end just over 150 grams or a tiny less and he's off to find his fur-ever home.

Simba wandering over to tackle my foot

Kimba has overtaken Hank and earned a vaccination at the last vet check. Her eyes are still pretty blue and its easier to tell her apart from Simba. Easier but not all the time. Prime example below.

Which one is it?

Truthfully I don't know for certain if that is Kimba or Simba. I'm leaning towards Kimba since there seems to be a bit more blue in the eyes and Simba's are clearly yellow now. Her ears are also longer but she's lost some of that pixie look to her face. The other pictures in sequence seem to be Kimba so that's who I think it is but there's always that tiny grain of doubt and I wish there was some definitive way to tell in each picture who is who...

Comparison. Simba left, Kimba Right.

We cant check yet but there's a possibility that she may be deaf or at least partially deaf. Apparently there is some genetic thing that means white cats with blue eyes are deaf. There have been some instances where she's responded on the actions of other kittens rather than hearing or seeing the danger herself.

Kimba looking pretty...gee she's grown

There was also the car ride where she burrowed under the blanket in the crate. The vibrations of the car may have caused that since the other kittens seemed fine.

Hank

My fuzzy little love bug

Oh boy. Another of the reasons why its been such a long time between updating is the fact that there were nearly three Wanderers instead of four.

This week we very nearly could have lost little Hank. We still do not know what caused the sudden and dramatic change. He had vomited early on the Wednesday morning before work. I thought little of it as he often gorges on his food and then gets hiccups.

Love the fuzz halo

When I got home my mother came out of the room with Hank wrapped in a towel looking less than healthy. He was lethargic, dehydrated and not at all his perky little self. I went on mad mothering duties seeing if I could have made it to Wednesday check with him or not. The vet was in a rush and pretty much done so I called the shelter manager to get the okay for a emergency vet visit.

Hank~ I sleep on your foot

She advised me to try keep him warm and get some food into him. I would have been fine doing so and had already organised the hot water bottle but when trying to get anything into him and he wasn't swallowing. I just felt helpless and wondered if it was anything more severe.

That whole guessing game drives me nuts. When his pupils dilated and he wasn't swallowing the milk, knowing he'd vomited at least four times I needed to get him in to see someone and got the okay from the shelter manager to take him in...or rather took the whole family in...

Hank was checked over, his temperature was fine (that was a relief) and we had originally worried that mum treating him to licking pasta sauce off her finger had contributed to this random illness. The vet assured us that there was nothing in the sauce that could have done this and that he'd just gotten into something or something had disagreed with him. The main factor in his behaving so sick was dehydration. He had nothing in his belly anymore and had used up any liquids.

The vet said he'd give him some fluids under the skin and some glucose syrup for energy. All other kittens checked out fine and we were advised to keep Hank separate overnight to monitor his bowel and food intake.

huh? a night alone? ~ Hank

Between offering milk, force feeding tiny amounts of weight builder and reheating a hot water bottle Hank and I spent quality time together for the rest of the day. To the point when my 6 am start for work caught up with me and the stress of a sick kitten that I fell asleep with my hand in his little dome bed and him snuggled up against said hand because when I removed it he peeped at me until I touched him.

I woke to Hank staring at me in the face peeping and looking brighter. He never ate what I'd consider the right amount but he wasn't struggling to lift his head. He did drop in weight but not by the dramatic amount I thought he would have. In the following days he got stronger and stronger and his appetite returned.

Crisis averted...thank Gosh.

*chomp* I wasn't sick ~ Hank
(There is 3 kittens here)

Josie and her cuteness overload shall be here for quite awhile longer after the two cotton balls return. She is the runt and she has a petite frame.To lift the over 700 gram Simba and then pick up little 500 gram Josie...the difference considering they're from the same litter is amazing.

Josie~ I can't help if I'm cute

On the other side Josie isn't lacking in personality. She is the tiny kitten with torti-tude. I always saw right in the first days when she was the first one to do wandering that she'd always strive to be bigger and better than her siblings despite being the tiniest in size and weight.

Planning her next battle

Getting 'the look' from the kittens

Being 'attacked' by said kittens

Kittens success, zonked out after taking down their prize...me

That strength has got her this far and will likely win over a family within seconds.

She's not one to be pushed around by her siblings and their now frequent wrestling matches she's usually in the thick of it.

Josie is still one of the first to greet me when I step into the room. She is so gosh darn cute. This little mite is the only one that doesn't freak out if held away from a persons body. All others tend to scream bloody murder even when you have a safe grip on them.

Fran

Escaping kittens (one of said kittens has found her)

Mother duties are gone pretty much. The last vet check Miss Fran Wanderer could have returned to gain weight and then find her own home. On the unfortunate side there has been an outbreak of flu again at the shelter so sending her back at the present would pretty much be putting her life in danger of contracting it. Therefore sweet mother Fran has to deal with her kittens during the day now and gets the entire night free of the tiny little blood thirsty monsters. I think she particularly loves this me time that she now gets.

I have put her back on adult wet food...for some annoying reason the kittens go nuts for her food but pretty much go meh at their own food. Their weights are still increasing so its not all bad I guess but I will be mentioning it to the vet to see if I should remove all temptation as the adult food mother gets lacks the nutrients growing tiny tots need...

Fran soaking up some lap time

They all had a spoil-you-moment last night when we got some fish and chips. I am glad I escaped said room with all fingers intact. Mother was pretty much 'get out of the way kittens the fish is mine!' and little Josie was legs splayed over her portions on the ground and I swear if a sibling stepped too close a tiny growl emitted from her. I was swarmed to say the least and long after it was all gone they were begging for more...

Fran~ Get me out of here and bring more food!

Unfortunately no video.(I wouldn't want to be in it anyway)

Now on a side note I love comments on the blog...or even on the face book post that sends people to here.
To comment on here this is what you do.
1. Scroll to bottom of post (or read as you go...whatever you prefer)
2. Click on the little blue words that say comment
3. A large white box should be visible. Write in your best wishes for the kittens or awe over the pictures
4. Below the large white box should be a comment as....If you click on the drop down menu select anonymous if you do not have a Google account or any of the other types of accounts. Feel free to write who you are in said comment example (Thanks for updating - RubyRein ...or more to the point Get your butt updating more often - RubyRein).
5. Re-read what you've written (I'm horrible for spelling mistakes, I nearly wrote dead instead of deaf)
6. Click Publish.

If the above step by step does not work please bear with me and I'll go interrogate other blog members to find out how they get people to post in their comment sections.

*big kitten eyes* Please comment.

Day By Day

These kittens are growing like weeds. No, they haven't quite reached the leggy young adult cat stage but they're certainly moving forward in development.

The kittens are now bounding, attempting to pounce, play fighting and interacting with me - more than they were before - and also with toys.

There is still the wobble and fall, the misjudgement of how far something was away - sibling or object they're after - but every day they get better.

It has been roughly a fortnight since they managed to make a vet check. At the time of last vet check I was worried their mother Fran, wasn't supplying enough milk. Well the vet and shelter manager all got quite the surprise at the pot bellied little darlings.

Where once their eyes were barely open and their ears were floppy now they're all bright eyed and bushy tailed. Mother recieved a vaccination and worming tablet, the vet commented on her weight but noted she wasnt too bad for a nursing mother.

Simba tipped the scales at very close to 600 grams. Probably by next monday he might be having a single trip out to get his first vaccination.

Kimba and Hank hovered around the 450 gram mark and Josie the most adventurous but always the most petite went just over 400 grams.

So here is a few pictures and a video to tide you over until I gather some more pictures of the little balls of fur. I mean, it is difficult between snuggling and kissing the little darlings.

Little Sad Kimba *pout* 

 Hoping since Kimba's eyes are still so blue that maybe they might stay that way. I haven't seen any signs of deafness in these kittens, they all go scampering at unidentified noises.

Simba 

 The little tank always has his face stuffed in food so getting a picture of him with a clean face is quite difficult.

Sooky little Hank

 By far the one that sits at my feet and whines about how hard his life is. Has recently taken to climbing in my lap and starting his tiny motor up.

Josie 

As always full of mischief this little one. She's still one of the first to greet me though but now it's book attention by appointment instead of undivided attention. There's too many things out there that distract her these days.

Kitten School

Well Mother has had enough and enrolled her kittens in Kitten School

Fran ~ It's About Time!

She is halfheartedly closing the milk bar in effort to teach the kittens to begin learning life long lessons. I must say they're pretty quick learners.

Hank ~ Milk bar is closed? But But...

First lesson which has been going on for a few days is walking. Not too many bellies are dragging on the ground anymore and they're using each leg individually. This in itself is quite a feat because all kittens have quite large bellies to lug around. There is still the occasional wobble when they try going too fast.

Kimba ~ You put your leg out like this...

Second lesson is eating. This is still a lesson in progress. It would possibly be quicker for them to learn if their mother actually ate wet food consistently but she's a bit fussy.
Simba the little tank is the only one that's clicked and figured wet food comes from inside a bowl and will happily chomp away.
Josie and Kimba don't mind the taste, Josie's more interested in wandering and Kimba's interested but hasn't figured out the food is *in* the bowl and ends up chewing on the edge.
Hank...he's in denial and believes his mother will offer up the milk bar all the time forever. I haven't seen him give wet food a real try as yet.

Josie and Simba eating by themselves *claps*

Kimba chewing the edge of the bowl...not quite there...

Simba ~ Try and pull me away I dare ya!

Third lesson is toilet training. Josie has been taking close notes on her mother and I've witnessed her piddling in a litter tray (Woo Hoo!) the others are figuring out the whole climbing in and climbing out or scratching around but so far no further.
Its a hard lesson to learn, hopefully all packages will land in the litter box *gives Fran a long suffering gaze* (Apparently the regular sized litter trays are too small for her and she wants swimming pool sized).

Josie ~ Nothin' to see here, toilet is in use!

Fourth lesson is contact with those strange two leggeds. All four kittens are excelling in this department. The minute I walk in the room Josie is right up against the cage front and has even learned to climb the wall which I'm trying to get her to stop (but I know it will only get worse).
If the kittens are on the floor for exercise and a bit of play they flock to my feet, or if I'm sitting they clamber onto my lap peeping at me. It does totally kill me with the cute.

Unfortunately what could have been an epic group shot, kind of failed...
(We'll work on that)

Kimba ~ Move over I wanna be there too!

Fifth lesson is play-fighting. Day to day combat when not trying to bat a sibling off a nipple is now trying to wave at each other (failed paw of doom due to lack of depth perception) and chewing on siblings ears. Progressions to playing tag and following things is still being figured out. I did see Josie try a few bounds, before she got the speed wobbles and also try the Halloween cat at a sibling but she's not quite there.

Kimba's fail paw of doom

Kimba & Simba play fighting

Sixth lesson Weight Gain. While no kittens are dropping by massive margins, no kittens are acting lethargic there is inconsistencies in weight.
Simba is well on his way to 450 grams and I rarely supplement him at all since he's either attached to mother or chomping on wet food.

Simba ~ You calling me FAT?

Hank hovered just over the 400 mark and isn't really going up by significant amounts but you'd never think that with his massive gut.

Hank ~ I don't wanna eat that *Pout*

Kimba had a few stops and starts but is now over 400 grams and with milk supplement she will hopefully stay there. (From the way she chomps on the syringe you'd think her mother never feeds her).

Kimba ~ I is cute, aren't I?

Josie is the most adventurous nearing the most developed but weighs the least. I swear she spends too much time checking things out and getting into things she shouldn't than she does eating. Josie is still under 400 grams but I'm hoping she'll cross that milestone very soon.

Josie ~ I wanna be behind this!
(As if the entire room isn't big enough...)

Josie ~ I Luvs You *Purrr*

Seventh lesson is Grooming. They definitely have home work on this one and Fran gives each of them several thorough baths after they've been given milk supplement of had their little faces smushed in food in effort to get them to click. I have seen some half hearted leg washing and face washing and its oh-so-cute when they're so weeny.

Fran ~ I leave you for a few minutes *sigh*

Kimba ~ I'm not dirty...am I?

Lesson Eight Sleeping. I think this is Fran's favorite class. The kittens aren't batting at her face while she's trying to keep them clean, they aren't growling and swatting at each other while they're nursing and they're just...quiet.
After all those hard lessons I don't really blame them for needing some time to sleep and dream of the day when all these things that are so difficult now are like second nature in the days and weeks to come...

All together now....AWWWW

Josie & Kimba napping on my lap

Boys at the milk bar...of course they weigh more than the girls...