I have something new at my house! 2 baby kittens...2 weeks ago I found them in my chicken coop, it was a gift, well sorta....it was 7 o'clock at night and I went out to count my chickens and make sure they were in bed and kept hearing this mewing...I had a flashlight and flashed it all around and found one kitten and then the other....they were both black, same color as the dirt in the coop...I brought them in the house and then realized their mother would surely be looking for them so I put them in a box and set them back outside by the chicken house...I waited as long as I possibly could (20 minutes) and then went back outside to check and see if their mother came back to find them...but they were still there....I brought them back onto the house and washed the little guys, they were the tiniest ..little.. cold sweetness's... I fed them milk through a straw, and kept them very warm the first night....the next day they got a trip to the vets and she told me I had a girl and a boy and that they were nearly starved to death...they weighed 8 ounces each...she fixed me up with baby bottles, baby milk and antibiotics...
This is the girl on her first day...about 4 weeks old...
the boy on his first day.....
this is them together....I called them Frick and Frack...I could not tell their gender or tell them apart...they are called feral cats, because they are wild...I feel bad for feral cats.. they don't belong anywhere...they are not wild animals and are not tame...they are domesticated cats that fend for themselves...they are afraid of humans...research says that you can tame a feral cat if they are under 10 weeks of age, after that you will never tame them...I see many of them around my house and yard....they live in the woods and blackberry bushes...
they have the sweetest little faces...they look identical...but...one has a blacker top of the head...I named him Jack...laid back Jack...The other one I named Elsa...after the lion in the movie Born Free...Elsa likes to look you right in the face and meow really loud, like a roar....
here is some of the gear you need to set up feeding baby kittens...kitten food, lots of rags...and a scale..they have to be weighed every day to make sure they are gaining weight....
and a fuzzy blanket to remind them of their mother....I don't have a picture of the litter box...but they started using it immediately after I got them...so glad they had that instinct!
bottles and kitten baby formula....
and hand soap...very important to wash your hands before and after handling them...
they sleep like this entwined in each others arms....
this is Elsa...they hold their bottle just like a baby does and they also burp....
they get a milk chin and have to have a washrag bath after they eat....
Jack likes to sleep in this heated cat bed and he....
presses his face into the bed as he sleeps....
this is Elsa's favorite...the cuddle blanket and she too presses her face in the blanket....
Today they are 6 weeks old and Jack is starting to drink his milk from a dish...he also eats baby food meat...but not Elsa...(.I know I have the ugliest floors in all the town..someday when my ship comes in I will have new)...
she likes to nibble on dry kibble....but both still drink a bottle of milk 4 times a day, today they weigh 20 ounces....They get to return to the vet today for some more antibiotics...they still have a little upper respiratory infection....they play and run, and are now exploring the house...however, if they are in a room by themselves they are lost and you have to go find them and bring them back to the bathroom and laundry room...aka..their bedroom and playroom...
I have a confession to make...I hated cats...I have not had one for 40 years...I thought they all should be eliminated from the world...I even claimed to be allergic to them, just so I wouldn't have to pet the little darlings when I visited someones house....
then these two little helpless creatures came along and I feel like I have been bitten by the 'cat lovebug'...I can't get enough of them...I think about them and worry about them and can hardly wait to get home to feed these two skeeziks...I am hopelessly devoted...
Cheers to Happy !!
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They are so adorable, however, I think your attitude toward them (after being allergic for so many years) is the best. I love how you light up when you talk about them. They have a great home. Their Momma knew what she was doing when she placed them in the chicken coop.
ReplyDeleteLove you sister.... Trina
Omigosh! That is sweet, sad and funny all at the same time. Sad that they were abandoned (so many of them out there), they are the cutest and sweetest little things and funny that you thought you hated cats but have fallen in love with them.
ReplyDeleteI have five. :)
Aw, Debbie dear, you warm my heart! So sweet those kittens are, and what a gift for you ~ must be important that you have them in your life right now, don't know why, but I know you feel lucky, and you should!
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