Folded eared stray

Haha thanks! I think violet is technically a calico like her mom because she has a really little beige patch on her forehead her belly makes her look like a little leopard. As I'm sure you have read, zincs ears are a huge concern, but they're adorable none the less haha. This is probably the coolest site ever. It's just a place to brag and get helpful advice for your kitties. I'll update everyone on if zincs ears stay flopped lol. Most say that they will.

Then I'll definitely wait until 12 weeks! I don't want to do anything to hurt them. I'll check into that powder since its going to be a while. Could I wet It down maybe?

If I were you I wouldn't waste your money on DNA testing.  Zinc is not Scottish Fold in pedigree terms, he just happens to have a 'feature' of theirs which usually indicates a cat is likely to have some bone and joint problems - the best thing you can do is keep him in your safe and loving home and look out for any signs that he is in discomfort or his limbs are not growing as long as they should - then if that hapens you can use what money you have to keep him comfortable and active - which is what will keep him in best health.  

I am glad they aren't trashing and breaking up your home too much, they sound like they get on pretty well.   Oh, and from how you describe mama cat I'd say she's taken to you pretty quickly.  Her swatting and going for your legs and feet is a hunting instinct and one which is more pronounced when a cat is anxious at all.  As she settles, is neutered, and is not protecting young kittens I am sure you will see this behaviour subside as long as you do not encourage it in any way (e.g. by swatting her back, frightening her with loud noises or sprays, or running away from her when she does it).  Stay nice and calm and still when she does this and all should work out just fine.  She is a gorgeous little cat with very soft markings and I like to think that as she relaxes she will become as gentle as her looks.  

I haven't seen it mentioned whether you are using regular Dawn dishwashing soap to bathe them. It literally coats the fleas, so they can't jump out of the water and they drown. Try it once; you'll be amazed.

About Lucy's behavior - perfectly normal. She must have been a socialized cat at some point and has turned a bit wild on her own. She's probably got vague memories of petting but is still a little nervous. Plus she may not be a lovey dovey cat to begin with, so she's really confused by all this new stuff. Have patience with her, let her call the shots in terms of touching. I am betting she comes around eventually.

Remember, too, she's tri-colored. She looked like a "Torbie," with white (a combination of tortoiseshell and tabby). That means she'll most likely have a bit of the tortoiseshell attitude, known as "tortitude." (Or sass)

Yeah, that makes sense mservant it was a little bit of a joke; I could probably buy a cat tree for that haha. When you have something so little and fragile you tend to overthink things. They're great! They're the perfect little kittens. They either wrestle with each other or curl up and sleep. We're much messier than them haha. I really hope that she does warm up to me. When I think about her going to another home it makes me sad. Her kittens love her so much.

ondine yes that's what we use. The only thing about it is that we can't bathe the mom and the frontline isn't working on her. When the kittens go to nurse or cuddle, her fleas jump off on them. I'm going to look into that powder mentioned earlier. I can bathe the kittens and pick all of their fleas off, so I won't have to do it to them. The mom is the only concern. I want them to be able to nurse for as long as possible, so I don't want to put any heavy duty stuff on her. We'd have to separate them and it's just not worth it. We bathe the kittens about once a week. I'm sure it's probably drying their skin out

The way I understood Lucy's situation was that she was born a stray and was petted and fed by my neighbor. There are some gorgeous kittens over there. I've even seen siameses! The other day I saw a long haired sand colored one. I'm guessing that Lucy is somewhere between a stray and feral because of this. I'm thinking that she's more stray because when we first had her locked in a crate, she let us pet her through it. I've read that feral cats will never act like that. She's definitely sassy, but I just want to have those kitty cuddle moments like I do with all my other cats and the kittens. I guess that'll come with time. What's weird is she loves to go the kitty face rub. She'll follow me around doing it like I'm her favorite person, weaving between my feet to where I can't walk, and then freak when I try to pet her. Oh well though, I guess she does have a mind of her own lol

I'm just speculating, but maybe someone in your area loved cats and had a few unique breeds. I wondering if that person passed away and their family let the cats loose, believing that 'cats can take care of themselves.' It certainly wouldn't be the first time something awful like that has happened. I'm trying to think of scenarios where you'd get such an awesome variety of ferals and strays! Pointed, spotted and folded! That is incredible.

I've been feeding strays and ferals for years and mostly see tabby, tuxedo, and a few solid colored, either black or grey. We recently moved to WV and, so far, have seen no strays in our yard. I always keep an eye out, but I'm going to take special notice of ears and coats now! We've actually put word to our vet and local rescues that we are interested in adopting a pointed kitten but there were none through this entire kitten season. We were pretty surprised about that.

I'm glad Lucy has you to take care of her and her babies. I agree with what the others said, it does sound like she's already trusting you a great deal. It just takes time. A lot of soft, sweet-talking while you pet her will help, too. And try to keep your body and breathing as relaxed as possible around her- cats are all about body language. Making deep, contented-sounding sighs can help calm her down when she is nervous. Special food treats can go a long way, too! A little nip of deli meat just for her, or something else special and tasty while you are petting will please her greatly. One must never be above blatant bribery when dealing with cats! :lol3:

Something that worked for us when dealing with a cat that played to hard was making and high-pitched 'Eeeeeeee' noise when she grabbed us with her claws. It's how kittens communicate that a littermate is being too rough, and the noise makes the offending cat let go immediately. I wonder if doing this when Lucy swipes at your legs will help her to understand she is not to do that? It's worth a try. The noise worked wonders for Pooper, my maniac cat. Lucy might even might more attuned to the noise since she has little ones.

The kittens are toooo adorable! And i think youre doing great with mama kitty.

@happybir I know! I know that my kitties, even the siblings that passed away were all gorgeous. I know of a Siamese around town, but that's the only non mutt cat that I have ever seen. It's like the kitten Bermuda Triangle. It's where all the weird kitties go lol. However, zinc is the first folded eared cat that's been around. Lol come to Huntington! There are tons of pretty strays around here that are still young enough to to be socialized. Kitten season has pretty much passed though it seems. I can always tell when it's time because kittens will run across my brick road while I'm trying to drive haha. She's actually only used claws once, and I think it was by accident. She's aggressive but not violent if that makes sense. Maybe nervous is a better word than aggressive. I don't think she's a mean cat. She's just a little confused.

I've been trying to work with her more, but it is sooo hard not to draw back when she swats at me. I guess it's just patience and kitty sweet talking.

I think our relationship was stunted because when her kittens were babies and some of them started getting sick and dying, we had to separate her from them to get them out of there. I think she thought that we hurt them maybe. She was only out for a second, but that's when her attitude changed. She loved her kittens to death. There was a little calico that looked just like her that I could've sworn was her favorite. When it died along with the others so fast I think it drove her a little crazy. It was honestly scary to look at her. It seriously looked like she was crying without tears. Her whole face was dark. She went from letting us pet her to how she is now. She's made drastic improvements since then though. Our house wasn't a happy place when the kitties were passing away. Constant tears and worry from both the mom and us.

Mamma cat sounds stressed and traumatised from everything she has gone through, and will also have felt the human stress and trauma around her.   With her coming to you and choosing contact it sounds like she will come round and once her kittens are bigger, and she has been neutered, you will most likely see her settling much more.   Give her time and space and I am sure she will build trust.   This has been a difficult time for all of you.

Mouse is most cuddly when he chooses the time and method - and the only time he ever comes to lay on me is when I am busy doing something else (usually the second I pick up the lap top   ).   My previous cats only ever allowed petting when they instigated it, any other approach had to be play and they definitely didn't like being picked up or carried.  They were still cuddle cats though, you just had to go with their timing and again it was usually if I tried to sit and do something else....  cats are like that! 

I'm just so not used to that. All the cats I had growing up would cuddle anywhere any time, greet me at the door, and were little purr monsters (still are). Side note: the kittens are starting that stuff and I love it.

I do believe she was traumatized. I've read that cats have an extremely strong bond with their babies, and I've seen it myself. I honestly thought she was sick. She looked so so sad.

I'm just going to have to be patient. Right now she still doesn't really care too much can about me. We do the kitty face rub/me trying to walk routine every morning, but she mostly seems to care about her kittens. If they come up and cuddle in my bed she'll find a comfy spot in my room and just watch them. We're getting better and better. Its barely been a month since the babies passed away, so I guess she just needs more time.

Oh, poor Lucy! My heart breaks for her and her lost babies. It does sound like she was very traumatized by the whole situation. And who could blame her? She is so lucky to have found you!
The good news is, I think once she comes around and feels completely safe and comfortable, you might just have the most grateful, loyal, lovey cat in the world! I see a big difference in the way my rescued adults act in comparison to the ones we got as kittens. It's like they know how rough and awful it can be to be outside on their own and appreciate a safe and loving home that much more.
But she is a tortie, so she'll probably still have a healthy dose of Tortitude, lol! With our Wheezie, that attitude manifests as her deciding when she wants love and firmly rejecting any attempts of petting when she does not want it. But, when she does want love, she is simply ridiculous, rolling around and sometimes even drooling. Eventually, she gets overstimulated from the petting. Her tail will start to whip and then she will bite. Not hard bites, more like warning bites. She is also very specific on where she wants to be pet and will move herself or gently use her claws to move our hands to accomodate her wishes. As she gets overstimulated, her claw use gets less gentle, and that is our sign to stop petting her. She is very, very particular about how she receives love. Lucy may be similar, so don't take her rejections personally. It's more like an eccentricity with Torties.

She was actually awake and let me pet her head today! I was really shocked. I was even able to pick some fleas off of her I really need to fix her flea issue. I'm gonna look into that powder for her. They jump all over the babies and she's uncomfortable too