Is this starving stray pregnant, or has she had her kittens?/ Thomas

[checkers]

Ha ha @Reba. Funny, but I just assume everyone on this forum is female.  And I'm not very tech savvy at all.  That tracker was very easy to use.

I had an email from a friend last night to say she had seen the story of the mother cat and kittens in the local paper, so they are getting quite some publicity.  Great for the RSPCA. 

 

[Sarthur2]

checkers

You're famous - along with those gorgeous kitties! .

Any word on how Checkers is doing?

 

[kntrygrl256]

@Checkers

I just finished reading your story. Thank you so much for the message and telling me about your adventure. I am so in love with both Minstrel and Ginge, and Possum is a beauty too..

I agree with the others, this would definitely be a great story to tell and a Disney movie....I would go see it and buy it afterwards.

My vote would be for you to keep Ginge since she was named after your dad. That would be a great tribute to him and probably for your mom too.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Minstrel is so sweet!  He/she (? I missed their genders!) reminds me of Mooch when she was tiny. 

  Although I think it was Noodles who liked to snooze in the shoes by our front door.  

I'm saving the story to read during lunch!

 

[checkers]

@MoochNNoodles  , isn't it funny the way some cats take to shoes. I cared for a big ginger Maine Coon last year, and he looked hilarious trying to squeeze into a pair of shoes. He actually put his feet inside them as if he was trying them on, and the rest of his big body overflowed onto the floor.

 

[checkers]

@sarthur2, Checkers went up for adoption 3 days ago.  I've been checking the shelter website daily. (Well, I guess she could have gone up earlier - perhaps a week ago as was planned - but her listing didn't appear until 3 days ago.)  They have renamed her Maggie for some reason, and there's no mention of her story. Perhaps they think it might detract from her adoiption. Here's the link if you'd like to see her: http://www.rspcaqld.org.au/adopt/search/AnimalDetails?AnimalId=423999   I do miss her.  So do her kitties!

 

[handsome kitty]

ABO Gear in Australia makes mesh cat enclosures.  I got mine from Amazon! Reasonably priced, definately durable.

IMAG0313.JPG

• handsome kitty
• Apr 25, 2015

 

[checkers]

Many thanks @Handsome Kitty  ! I havent heard of them and will make some comparisons.I may not have these kitties for more than  a few more weeks so will have to take that into account too. Very grateful for your advice.

 

[kntrygrl256]

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• kntrygrl256
• Apr 27, 2015

 

[checkers]

That's adorable @kntrygrl256  . Puss in boots! 

 

[checkers]

Litter update

My three foster kitties, Possum, Ginge and Minstrel, are progressing well and keeping us amused and constantly aaaaaww-ing when they go for their morning and evening runs around the house.  

They're growing right under my eyes. I can almost see the expansion each morning when I let them out of the bathroom after a night's confinement. In just under two weeks they have gone from about  500g (1.1lb) to 800g.  They'll be at their 1.1kg (2.4lb) required for de-sexing and adoption before I know it.  

The female (Ginge) was the heaviest when I collected the litter and is now the lightest.  She is by far the most vocal, and I suspect her constant crying, which gets louder and louder to an almost wail if I don't attend to her, is usually satisfied with food but I think she is missing feeding from her mother the most.  When I pat them they immediately purr (and so loudly, it's amazing) and then comes the search for somewhere to suckle - usually my hair if I'm sitting down, but I discourage it quickly.   Two of them, Possum and especially Ginge, also like climbing up your legs which is a bit annoying - and painful!

Apart from the scratches, the claws are also hooking into things like furniture, toys and their scratching tree.  I'm often having to unhook them as they don't seem to be able to do it themselves. The RSPCA has agreed to clip their front claws for me; I plan to have that done this coming weekend.

Here are some of the latest photos of cuteness:

A Minstrel, Ginge and Possum in basket 23 04 15 (2

• checkers
• Apr 29, 2015
• 2

They rather like this cosy, 50yo cane basket as it's a perfect fit for a snuggly nap.

A Possum, Ginge and Minstrel with cat troy 23 04 1

• checkers
• Apr 29, 2015

(l-r) Possum, Ginge and Minstrel with one of their new toys. They love it.  Ginge drags it around the room pulling

on the toy mouse on top of the spring. Sometimes one of her siblings gets a whack when Ginge pulls on the

mouse and lets it go, springing it back to bop another kitty on the head.

A Ginge playing with Laura's foot 24 04 15.jpg

• checkers
• Apr 29, 2015

Ginge playing with my mother's foot. This usually precedes a rapid climb up the leg. Ouch.

A Minstrel falls asleep mid play with Possum propp

• checkers
• Apr 29, 2015

They romp till they drop. This is Minstrel (black and white) falling asleep in the middle of playing on the sofa, with 

Possum cuddling in and propping him up.

A Minstrel, Possum and Ginge try out cat tree 23 0

• checkers
• Apr 29, 2015

Their new cat tree.  (No, they're not spoilt.)  I do have to keep an eye on them when they're playing on it,

as they can get to the top and can't work out how to climb back down.  

 

[catwoman707]

They're so darling! You've done such a great job with them!! You should feel like a proud mama   

 

[checkers]

Thanks so much @catwoman707  !  I do feel kinda proud, yeh.  And I was lucky to find them early enough (I think this is how it works) for them to trust me quickly. They are so trusting and never run and hide from me.  They just bowl right up to me and submit their demands!  

After they've been shut in for hours, when I open the bathroom door to the very vocal trio they fall over themselves to get out and then sit at my feet meowing up at me. 

One of the few downsides, I've got to admit, is the smell!  Because I'm not there all day, when I get home, or first thing in the morning when I let them out of the room for a run around the house, the smell of their litter is disgusting. And it takes a long time to go after I clean the litter tray. In fact, I think it's there to a certain degree all the time.  And then there's the dilemma about what to do with the litter until the weekly rubbish collection.  Despite wrapping the litter in plastic, the wheelie bin is putrid.  I'm thinking of digging a hole somewhere in the garden and burying the litter every couple of days.

These little critters can be hard work!  

 

[Sarthur2]

So cute! I love that cat tree and so must they! Of course they are adorable to watch while playing. I love the running to you & looking up with trusting eyes and meowing for you. They have taken you as their mama now! How can you part with them? Oh, my!

It's the smaller confined space that results in the smell. The box my four six-week-olds use is in a corner of my bedroom and so the smell dissipates more quickly.

Burying the litter or flushing it would help. I periodically give my outside garbage can an ammonia wash with the garden hose. That cleans the smell out nicely.

Little kitten claws are unbelievably sharp! And after they are trimmed it's a bit sad to watch the kittens trying to climb their usual things and being puzzled as to why it's not working today! But the claws grow back quickly. Yes, I look as though I tangled in the briar patch around my ankles. My little orange Pumpkin is the worst. I've had to tap him gently on the nose with a firm "no" here and there because he likes to play rough. He gets the message and backs off a bit.

They are so precious in that basket! Ah, nice to hear from you, and enjoy your brood while you have them!

 

[catwoman707]

Just to add here, once they've mastered the litter box use, about 2 weeks of faithfully using it, they have reached the point of no longer tasting it, which means for me, Fresh Step litter!

It's a really BIG help with odors.

You can also get a diaper pail or small trash that has a nice tight fitting lid for dumping their box into until trash day. Just line it with a kitchen trash bag.

They also don't groom themselves much until they're over 7 weeks old.

 

[checkers]

That's great advice. Thank you @sarthur2  and @catwoman707  . I will try the ammonia in the wheelie bin (garbage can - but a big plastic one on wheels)  and get myself a sealed bucket like a diaper bin. (I'd been tossing antiseptic in my outside bin which helped just a bit.  I'd also been flushing it down the toilet but so much litter goes with it I was worried I'd clog up my pipes.

I hadn't seen Fresh Step litter so looked online and it appears we don't have it here in Australia.  I had bought a very large sack of crystals but the refuge told me not to use it for kittens, and gave me a basic clumping litter.  I've been adding a litter deodorant to it which also helps just a bit.

I'll ask them again about the litter options when I return tomorrow.  The refuge said they would only take the very tips off the front claws to stop them hooking themselves up on things, which is one of the problems with their claws.  They are very cautious about going too far. I do hope they can still enjoy their cat tree. 

And yes, sarthur2, they have taken me as their mother, which is sad as well as lovely. I can't provide all a mother can, but I can give them warmth, safety and affection, as well as bowls of food (still giving them water- soaked kitten biscuits, which they enjoy!). 

I had a phone call at work about half an hour ago from a nurse who had called in to visit my mother. (An agency sends a nurse weekly and this one hadn't been before.)  She wanted to use the bathroom, so Mum warned her of the kittens - which made her even more keen to go in.  Mum said it was a very long trip to the bathroom!  Ginge had crawled up onto her back (she does that to me all the time) and she couldn't get her down, and the other two were also lapping up her attention. She fell in love with them all and wants to take one so I've emailed her photos so she can work on her less-enthusiastic husband. If she goes ahead, she will have to buy the kitten from the shelter who sells them for $200 to $300 each.  And they never seem to have trouble selling kittens. It's the cats who often stay for lengthy periods without being adopted.

I loved your briar-patch image, sarthur2. I know exactly what you mean. A friend told me about the tapping on the nose and saying a firm 'no' too, and they have been responding to it - not with fear, just with backing off.  It's so cute. But they have very short memories!

Another friend is coming around this weekend to see if she might like to choose one of them. 

Yes, it will be so sad to see them go, especially after the 5-week search for them and then discovering these bundles of absolute joy and innocence. They really do deserve a loving home.

A Ginge and Minstrel with basket 23 04 15.jpg

• checkers
• Apr 30, 2015

 

[Sarthur2]

You are just killing me with these ever so delightful pictures! So glad you are helping to find them proper homes. Do you know if Miss Checkers has been adopted yet? I hate to think of her living in a cage so long after her wonderful freedom in the neighborhood and in your home.

Keep the pictures and updates coming!

 

[catwoman707]

I totally agree! They're all very cute but these 3, oh my gosh. Just the right shots in pics to send us over the top!!

I would not flush, even litter that says flushable will clog it up.

 

[checkers]

Glad you're enjoying the pics. (I enjoy taking them too!).  But be careful - you might get an overload if you keep encouraging me!

To answer your question @sarthur2, Checkers has disappeared from the online adoption list, so I'm hoping she has gone to a good home.  Tomorrow, when I go to have the kittens' claws clipped, I'm going to inquire about Checkers. 

A Minstrel gets kisses from Ginge 23 04 15.jpg

• checkers
• Apr 30, 2015

Minstrel, not sure he's liking a kiss from his sister.

Ginge on Laura's lap, 26 04 15.jpg

• checkers
• Apr 30, 2015

Ginge, getting comfortable on my mother's lap and listening intently to what she's saying. 

 

[lady paw paw]

checkers you really have done a great job with them.. They seem so happy. I know it will be sad to see them go, but it'll be good for them... they are all such beautiful kitties... just a couple of weeks back I had to give my cat's babies for adoption.. it was too hard but luckily, this bigshot builder with a huge farmhouse adopted all four together. My babies are literally millionaires today.