Kitten Season Chronicles Pt II

Posted on 14. May, 2009 by Mark in Cats

I recently returned to see the  SPCA foster kitties I first photographed a few weeks ago. Now at 6 weeks they were larger and stronger and no longer needed to be syringe fed. Unfortunately, two of the original 5 had become sick shortly after I visited and didn’t have the strength to fight off whatever illness they’d picked up. This is always an inherent risk with foster kittens, especially extremely young ones. Now there were only 3: Ernie, Oscar and Kermit (I mention this not to dissuade folks from fostering — in fact, it’s fostering programs like this one that actually save countless kittens each year–but it is serious and sometime emotionally difficult work, particularly with the very, very young kittens that everyone should be prepared for)

It was very different visit this time. All the kittens were acting very much like little cats: prowling, playing, batting low-hanging objects, etc. And, if it’s even possible, I think they actually may have gotten even cuter.

I’m planning to stop by again at least once or twice to check their progress but with the three catsketeers growing larger and stronger every day they seem out of danger and on their way to being made available for adoption.

Anyone reading this who wants to help can do so by becoming a foster parent or, if that’s not for you, you can still make a big difference by spaying or neutering your cats, volunteering at a shelter, or donating to a local rescue group.

Ernie in the window

Ernie in the window

Ernie at bat

Ernie at bat

Ernie in profile

Ernie in profile

Oscar practices for Halloween

Kermit practices for Halloween

Kermit the basket case

Oscar the basket case

Kermit and his enormous toy

Oscar and his enormous toy

Ernie on patrol

Ernie on patrol

Ernie Investigating

Ernie Investigating

Oscar

Kermit

Ernie

Ernie

So much bigger this time

So much bigger this time

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5 Responses to “Kitten Season Chronicles Pt II”

  1. Tee 'n' the Wildlife

    18. May, 2009

    It really is a joy to care for tiny little ones. Mine are now about four weeks old and are still being bottle-fed. I prefer bottle-feeding unless they are I’ll and intake must be carefully monitored because then they still get to suckle and they also control the amount they eat: when that tum is full they just cease eating–until, of course, they burp and go potty: then, yippee, more room for formula! You really have to watch them carefully, tho–they are delicate little babies and it’s good to remember how dedicated their catmother was to realize how important our great big human eyes and ears are in caring for them.

    We had an emergency last week with the little red boy: about an hour or so after their early evening feeding he regurgitated his dinner and aspirated some and his breathing became immediately gurgly. After a fast call to Animal 911 and an even faster ten-minute drive there, the triage nurse was at the desk ready to rush him to the treatment area. After an exam, his very first x-ray (they said he was NOT pleased) the decision was made to treat him with clavamox liquid (ick!) as there was a very slight white color to his lungs which signaled some aspirant. So far he has been acting fine but he’ll have a recheck soon.

    Your little babes are just so beautiful. Wonderful photos! Those big eyes! And we had an outbreak of Halloween Cat among the red kittens just yesterday.

  2. Mark

    18. May, 2009

    Ahhh…the dreaded Halloween Cat virus. It does tend to hit in clusters. Hope the one kitty is recovering from his ordeal

  3. Tee 'n' the Wildlife

    20. May, 2009

    And last night the three smaller tigers joined their three larger reds in that great Halloween Cat routine. So it’s Halloween Cats all around! And started solid food, but they still, of course, get bottles and cuddles because nobody likes to be thrust quite that suddenly into the grownup world. So now I am covered in baby glop, too! (sigh)

    I’m so sad some of the babies you photographed died. It’s hard to be a tiny baby. And looking at their photos now, they are still so very tiny! My little ones seem to have had an excellent start from their catmother and at four to five weeks now are doing beautifully.

    The sentence in line two of my previous missive should read, “I prefer bottle-feeding unless they are ill,” not “I’ll.” (lLoony iPhone auto correction strikes again.)

    Little Red is doing great, thank you!

  4. Tee 'n' the Wildlife

    24. May, 2009

    Tee ‘n’ the Wildlife strike again! Looking at the babes’ beautiful photos (sweet Ernie and his biiiiig eyes and biiiiig nose, Oscar with his baby blues and exploding whiskers and Kermit and his masterful command of Baby Halloween Cat made me think, now that I have six Baby Halloween Cats at my house I have to say the most amusing thing about Baby Halloween Cat is the way they rock side to side just a little bit, and go back and forth, tripping over their giant toys as they go, focused on the object of their, I guess, objection! It’s just so Loony Tunes (cue that theme song)!

    Also, baby kitten tip: Small human baby toys make great kitten toys, too: some of the ones that rattle or talk or roll or all three. Some are fuzzy-soft, some have little ears and tails to grab onto, little teething “hands” and “feet” to chew. Some you can hang inside a carrier, too, for travel fun! They’re always made to be totally safe for babies (any babies), too.

    Everyone goes to visit “Uncle Dave” and the “pet shop boys” tomorrow for a visit and to get weighed.

  5. Catwing

    11. Jun, 2009

    As the foster parents for Ernie, Kermit, and Oscar, Shannon and I happily report that both Kermit and Oscar have already been returned to the SPCA and adopted. Kermit went first – which was great because small black Halloween’ish kittens can sometimes be overlooked. Oscar got adopted last weekend, and we just took Ernie back this morning. After Ernie is neutered, he will land in the SF/SPCA’s Maddies Adoption facility for the wait for his new family. He likely will be there as quickly as tomorrow. Kittens fly out of Maddies fast on the weekends.

    Ernie was the runt of the original litter of five and it did take him a little extra time to gain the weight. He happened to still be home for the arrival of my family members last week – and they all learned what it is like to share a bathroom with a foster kitten. They loved him though and thought of creative ways to sneak him home for the flight back home. Mark’s beautiful photos of Ernie as well as all of the kittens we called ‘The Muppets’ will bring us wonderful memories for years to come. There were some ups and downs with the munchkins but we got through the downs with the help of Mark’s visits and his scramble to post updates on the SPCA kittens. Cheers to Mark!

    P.S. As we handed off Ernie in his carrier this morning we were given another carrier with three single kittens who are now dubbed a family for SPCA fostering purposes, and they have now taken over the bathroom. Our life filled with furry moments and sweet nuzzlings continues.

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