Stray had her babies and I'm lost

yellowhouse · Sep 8, 2015

Uh oh - kittens are trying to get out. Does anyone have any last minute "watch out for..." advice while attempting to get the room ready for kitten escapees? I really don't know what to do at all, other than switch out the litter for non-clumping. Are blankets a problem?

Sarthur2 · Sep 8, 2015

You mean a pile of blankets?

I think we discussed kitten proofing earlier in your thread. You may want to look back. It's similar to baby proofing. And watch for small spaces they can wedge into and get stuck.

yellowhouse · Sep 11, 2015

Update - kittens turned three weeks old yesterday! They all look WONDERFUL, have all their eyes open, and are curious and very, very soft. So adorable. Hidey is also doing well, helping her kittens and eating plenty (she has been rejecting the wet food, but she loves KMR). My cousin, who has fostered many kittens, came to visit today. There are four boys and two girls. Two of the boy kittens (the ones we call Tuxedo and Scruffy) have an unusual number of toes. Tux has 6 on the front paws and 5 on the back. Scruff has 7 on the front toes, but the normal 4 on the back. No wonder we were calling Scruff the 'bully' - it seemed like he was really shoving at the other kittens.

All the kittens play and roll around with each other, and the kids are doing really well with helping out. They visit the kittens first thing in the morning and first thing after school. I visit when I need a break from the 'real' world and just watch the kittens and mama. I really enjoy the cuteness overload.

In order to 'kitten proof' we will be doing the following:

1) Remove large dog crate where litter is currently.

2) Vacuum up old litter and cat food from carpet (that ought to make them all jump!).

3) Change to non-clumping litter in a shallow pan (probably aluminum).

4) Put a large blanket or tarp around the treadmill and tuck it in so that kittens can't get stuck in the treadmill.

5) Similarly, put a large blanket over the pile of stuff on the bed and tuck it in.

6) Hunt for any other places where they might get stuck, and block them.

7) Pull up the blinds and the cord.

Hopefully that will be enough. I bought a new camera battery and the fixings to transfer pictures from the camera to my computer, but now I have managed to misplace the camera. *sigh* When I do find it, I will update with pictures!

yellowhouse · Sep 11, 2015

Here's a recent picture! (That my cousin took while visiting - I'm still hunting for the camera)

Hidey and kittens Sept 11.jpg

yellowhouse
Sep 11, 2015

Sarthur2 · Sep 11, 2015

I like your kitten-proofing plan. The only thing that bothers me is covering the stuff on the bed. I'm afraid that eventually they will burrow under that blanket. I don't know what you have on the bed, but it might be better to just clean it off. Kittens love to play and sleep on beds. Better safe than sorry.

Can they get under the bed? I hope so, because that is where they will want to hide when you turn on the vacuum! They will be scared to death.

Otherwise, you've got some polydactyl kittens, huh? Neat! Glad all is well

.

yellowhouse · Sep 11, 2015

They cannot get under the bed - I took the frame out when Hidey moved them the first time (before their eyes were open). I'm not sure how to get the cruddley stuff off the floor without vacuuming. I was considering a temporary move of everyone to the bathroom while I clean. Would this be a good compromise? We vacuum next to the door now (outside it), so it won't be a completely unfamiliar sound.

And I will move stuff off the bed, that's easy enough. What's on there now is what was under the bed before we removed the frame. I also found the camera. I'll take paw pictures and post them soon. I first have to charge the batteries.

Oh - and my cousin says that the ones we've been calling "black striped leg 1, 2, 3" are actually black tabby cats. Interesting!

Sarthur2 · Sep 12, 2015

I would put them in the bathroom while you clean since they cannot hide under the bed. No sense scaring them right now.

Yep, tabbies

.

yellowhouse · Sep 12, 2015

Kitten sept 12 blue eyes.jpg

yellowhouse
Sep 12, 2015

One of the black tabbies looking up from the pile of kittens. Will she/he keep the blue eyes?

Sarthur2 · Sep 12, 2015

No. The eyes will become their permanent color by about 12 weeks - usually green.

yellowhouse · Sep 12, 2015

OK, green is pretty cute, too. Especially on those dark ones. We managed to get the treadmill out, but it involved putting Hidey and kittens in the bathroom briefly. This completely freaked her out. I'm going to vacuum tomorrow so that she has a little time to adjust before we move her again. Poor mama cat!

Sarthur2 · Sep 13, 2015

You're making good progress. I know Hidey freaks out, but these are all good changes for their safety.

yellowhouse · Sep 13, 2015

Any advice on how to keep the carpet (and bed?) protected as the kittens learn to go potty? The guest room where they currently are is fairly large, with a decent carpet. I don't care about extra litter, that can be vacuumed. I care about pee, though.

yellowhouse · Sep 13, 2015

and - a couple pictures!

2015-09-13 14.11.47.jpg

yellowhouse
Sep 13, 2015

one wants out Sept 12.jpg

yellowhouse
Sep 13, 2015

(see the one in the corner trying to escape?)

Sarthur2 · Sep 13, 2015

Just spread doggie pee pads all around the litter boxes you plan to have them use. Most kittens learn quickly.

yellowhouse · Sep 15, 2015

Crap. I'm afraid that the litter I got actually clumps. Now what? How do I find non-clumping? I looked for the cheapest that didn't say clumping, but when I put some water in it, there was a clump. Should I take all the boxes out (there are currently three)? And what about Hidey's litter? The first kitten escaped today, life is about to get much more interesting.

Sarthur2 · Sep 16, 2015

You can forget containing them any longer!

You can try using the litter you bought. Not all kittens eat litter. Mine didn't, and they learned the litter box very quickly. I had one who used the pee pad next to the box for about a week. Never had an accident on the carpet.

The non-clumping litter is a precaution. You'll just need to keep an eye out.

yellowhouse · Sep 16, 2015

I'm not home during the day anymore (at all - gone for 10+ hours). Hidey also dug through two of the kitten boxes in order to use the third. Ack! She was a stray - maybe she's got issues with litter, too? Her litter box is still in there, but maybe I should remove it? I'm adoring the kittens and mama, but litter issues wig me out. Our other cats have so many litter issues, and the only room we have kept from getting defiled is the guest room. Which is also the only room where we can put Hidey and the kittens. *sigh*

Sarthur2 · Sep 16, 2015

I think you should leave Hidey's box and the boxes for the kittens and expect them to learn to use them. It doesn't matter if she digs through the kittens' boxes. Seeing her in them is good for the kittens. Just because your other cats have issues doesn't mean these cats will.

Are the kittens eating mush yet?

yellowhouse · Sep 16, 2015

Kittens are not eating mush, I'm not sure how to help that happen without Hidey eating all of it. She scarfs ALL the wet and mushy food. There is always dry available. Would it help to have some mush when we visit the kittens and keep Hidey out of it? Two or more plates, so she can have one, and then put a kitten next to another plate? That kind of thing? I'm pretty sure they are teething, because they bite each other as well as their bedding all the time.

They are soooo fun. I think our seven-toed boy (Scruffy) may also have five on the back. There looked to be a very small fifth toe yesterday, but he wouldn't hold still long enough for me to double check. Tux has six on front, and five on the back. And the back five toes are about the same size. This is a picture of his back toe from a few days ago.