Refugee Kittens (Cute ones!)- It's that time of year (vanity)

Hair of the dog

[HairOfTheDog]

It's that time of year when all people who have been thinking about getting a new kitten and even some who haven't, are suddenly faced with a lot of choices!

Well, if you want a lot of smiles and fun, I say adopt not just one, but two. :~)

We think they are best in pairs. We have two we adopted two years ago.

But we also have two wild cats who have taken refuge in our barn... I've fed them and given them that safe haven, though I can't get near them. They hunt and kill mice and at least one large mole, so they've more than earned their keep. I thought about the possibility of kittens of course, but the idea of trapping them seemed daunting and stressful for them, and because I'd never seen signs that they were attracting males, I'd actually convinced myself that maybe they were already spayed.

Well... the other day, high up on top of the cabinet in the barn where I've made them a bed, I saw her... and the kittens she could no longer hide, they were starting to move around too much!

I'd seen her up on that cabinet a lot lately and I noticed she'd stay there when I came in instead of running off like she used to. I thought she was finally getting used enough to me to not run away. Now I know she was protecting them.

She was NOT amused at my interest!

I was very concerned about them being on top of that cabinet. It's very high, over a concrete floor, and I realized if we didn't take them now, not only would we not be able to catch and tame them, they'd probably all start wandering and falling off of there.

So we caught them and put them in a dog crate... FOUR kittens. Healthy, fat, cute kittens. She'd taken good care of them. We ~tried~ to catch momma too, but she's a much harder challenge and she escaped.

We did pick up some milk replacer, and I'm glad... they aren't really ready for solid food yet.

In fact, I wasn't convinced they were eating enough on their own, so I've been feeding all of them with a dropper.

Sometimes I've felt I get more on them than in them.

For not having been handled from day one, they are remarkably happy and well adjusted in their new life.

Now enter the dog... yes there is a dog in this story!

My Gidget the Dalbrador, has been obsessed with these kittens since they were found... I thought a little ~too~ interested, she's lethal on mice, after all, and these are not much bigger. But she seemed very worried and maternal about them... so I opened the crate door and let her look in.

And they aren't afraid of her at all, in fact, they seem drawn to her.

I know we see stories now and then about mixed species adoption of babies, but it's still surprising... She's really a good momma to them, cleaning their dirty bits and playing with them...

This morning at breakfast... I feed the kittens...

And she washes their faces afterwards...

Aren't they CUTE?

And now the punch line... I know this is a national board and many of you are too far away to adopt these kittens... but For those of you in Western Washington, these kittens are nearly ready to make someone very nice pets, they're happy, well adjusted, and they need homes where they'll be taken for shots and spay/neutering once they're old enough... My hubby and I will travel if you are within a reasonable distance!

My hubby and I already feel like we're full up with animals, with our three dogs (two of which are refugees themselves!) two cats, horses, and now these. We want to focus our expenses now on taking care of the mother, and getting her spayed so she doesn't do this again. We can't afford spays and shots for ALL of these.

For everyone else who is too far away, please consider adopting some kittens this spring from your local shelter or rescue. Get two. They're inundated with them, and they are so much fun!

And if you have an unspayed cat around or ferals, please look into having her spayed... the life of a refugee is often a hard and short one, even without the burden of more litters of kittens.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures of our bunch, and hope it will inspire you to get a couple... these smiles can be found all over the country, just go to your nearest shelter.

[SuziQ]

I love the pictures of the ginger and the tiger kitties swatting at Gidget; the tiger one is my favorite of the bunch. I think kittens are the cutest little things, but I’m allergic to cats. Clare says she can’t wait until she’s settled somewhere, because she wants to get a cat.

[PA Engineer]

They are beautiful. If we were close we would go for the peach and grey tabbies. Nothing against the black long hair, but the sneeze meter would peg.

[Fawn]

Very nice story. But...PLEASE borrow a humane trap and get momma cat fixed!! So many kittens are born...and many more adults are put down because of it. Momma can and will continue to have babies every 6 months now.

[Fawn]

Please ask her to get the cats fixed. In some counties across the country, it is now illegal to have a cat that is not spayed/neutered...Thank God! Hopefully it will spread throughout the states. Here are some stats:

2000 dogs and 3000 cats are born every hour in the United States compared to 415 humans.

15 million healthy, loving friendly cats, dogs, kittens and puppies will face death as a form of animal control.

There are not enough homes for all the dogs and kittens born from pets whose owners simply did not spay or neuter them.

One unspayed female dog, her mate, and their offspring can produce up to 67,000 dogs on just 6 years.

One unspayed female cat, her mate and all of their offspring can produce 370,092 in just 7 years.

[Fawn]

I pay $40.00 a cat and that includes rabies. Call a no-kill shelter and tell them you have a feral cat and they will help you find a low cost clinic.

[snippy_about_it]

This can help.

[libstripper]

My Gidget the Dalbrador,

I have a Weimador and a Pitador, both rescues and both great dogs. The Pitador respects my kitty ever since she gave him a gash on the nose.

[EverOnward]

Your kittens are sooooo cute! We had two sister cats we got from the pound. One died 6 months ago at age 19. The other one is still spry and doing well. After losing our dog from cancer, we got a “rescued” dog who lights up our lives. I love dogs, but cats are special in their own way. I can’t imagine life without the unconditional love and acceptance of pets.

[Titan Magroyne]

Adorable little kittins. I wish I could take them in.

Besides the distance involved, I’m full up on critter expenses too.

[Titan Magroyne]

Gidget is a sweet step-mommy. :o)

Have you tried rearranging the crate to sit on end with all doors closed except the one that would end up on top? It’ll be a while yet before the babies can leap out.

If mama cat can get to her kittens and you allow her to develop a certain comfort level with that crate door left open, you may eventually be able to trap her in there with them. Off to the vet with her!

[LongElegantLegs]

Thanks, everybody, for the great ideas! I’ll call around and see what I can find.

[Titan Magroyne]

I'm sorry, but your story made me laugh. Our cat managed to get herself wedged into one of the small drawers in my daughters makeup dresser. Yes, that makes this is a “vanity” post. She must have been looking for Stuart. Stuart is the mouse that was living in my daughter’s closet all winter. Sheila (the cat) would get him out and play with him. Sheila deposited him on the computer desk, next to my wife, one day. She wasn’t really paying attention and freaked when she saw Stuart next to her. She swatted him across the room. I just haven’t had the heart to tell Sheila that Stuart has passed on, they were such good friends. I'm goin straight to ache-ee-double-hockeysticks, aren't I?

It's just that MY cat occasionally deposits her toys in her food bowl when she loses interest in playing. It happens that her feeder is on the bathroom counter to keep the dogs out of it, and I noticed nothing unusual one day when I sat to use the facilities. That is, until I realised her toy was a new one. And um ... breathing.

Juvenile rat.

Its skin wasn't broken, but I guess she'd played with it until it went into shock. It didn't move when I slid my hand into a leather work glove and ... well ... lets just say he ended up north of my Final Destination 'cause I baptised that sucker.

[bigheadfred]

Sheila won’t eat anything but dry cat food (she was a rescue we got from the Humane Society. Some drunk fool had chopped off half her tail). She does a great job mousing, but doesn’t eat them. She does bring them in the house ,dead, to share though. Nothing quite like getting up in the middle of the night to potty and stepping on one of her prizes. Having mouse innards squish up between your toes is kinda gross.

[AFPhys]

Nothing quite like getting up in the middle of the night to potty and stepping on one of her prizes. Having mouse innards squish up between your toes is kinda gross

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LOL...

One of my favorite cats was named “Individual”... a great name for him for many reasons, but as to what you just brought up: He was a GREAT mouser, and could come in and out of the house and my bedroom. Many was the night - more than a dozen times, for certain - that I was awakened by his loud CRUNCHING next to my bed as he chomped and devoured everything except the itsy bitsy mousie feets and tail...

I first thought I would rather have stepped on their innards... but I changed my mind.

[potlatch]

Thank you for the wonderful kitten ping HOTD, I enjoyed it.

Let me tell all of you a sad and sweet story.
My son is a Chemist working in San Antonio, Texas. He had a beautiful long haired calico cat for over 15 years. [She was born and raised at my home].

Finally she developed serious problems that he had doctored for some time and then he lost her. It was a big blow to him as we can all understand.

A number of months later he was going in to work for the evening shift and there was a very young calico cat outside the doors of the large isolated company.

It was winter and they were due for a hard freeze that night. When he got off work that night he saw the small calico still huddled by the doors and no one was around.

He went back inside and got a box to put her in and took her home with him. He didn't intend to keep her — but you know the rest of the story, lol.

Now, he says she won't hardly leave his lap!!

Maybe that Calico cat was sent to him?

[devolve]

.

Nice story potlatch -

[potlatch]

Thanks devolve. It was just such an odd thing for it to have been another Calico - and him working nights!

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Please add me to the Doggie list.

[oprahstheantichrist]

"Maybe that Calico cat was sent to him?

Maybe??? Of course she was !

[LibertyRocks]

Ah, how adorable! We are “fostering” a pair of kittens and their mother who gave birth in our garage a few days ago. They are SO precious!!! Unfortunately, we won’t be able to keep them and we will be bringing them to the local animal shelter in a few weeks (we’ve already been in touch with them). We sure will love them while we’ve got ‘em though. So beautiful!