After the Poopy kittens I wasn’t sure I wanted to foster anymore. I had to scour that room after they left and the smell of bleach and poop hung in the air for more than two days.
Foothills sends out email blasts to foster families and on a late-June list was a mom cat and her four kittens. Mom’s name is Monster.
No clue how she got this name. She’s a calico-tabby sweetheart and like the rest of us, she just wants love. She’s a great mom.
The only thing I know is the little family was in police custody for a time and ended up at the shelter somehow.
I’m a bigger fan of queens and their litters. Moms usually come pretty self sufficient I’ve seen few with behavior problems. Their biggest concern is their kittens and they can be protective.
A friend gave me one of those old blue swimming pools with hard plastic sides. I’d heard people say they used them on very young kittens to keep them corralled and so far it’s worked. I put their bed in the pool and added a layer of fleece baby blanket and the family settled in. A few hours later I went in to check (it’s best to leave new families alone for a while to get their bearings) and the entire litter was gone! Monster had found an 8 x 8-inch box on a shelf and put her family in there. She accommodated their feeding schedule by squeezing herself in there with her kittens.
I gave them an old Xerox paper box lined with fleece and covered by a couple heavy towels. Monster approved.
Rainbow’s litter had too much freedom and Rainbow seemed stressed and dismayed that her brood was wandering far and near in the reaches of the back bedroom. I ended up blocking off a corner with big storage containers and expanded their space their need to move around increased with their size.
As of today Pepper, Fancy, Tyke and Billy swarmed over the top of the pool heading out for greener pastures. That meant they traveled about a foot and huddled together in the big, bad world. I put them back in the pool and they slept for a few hours after the exhilaration of the adventure.
Everyone is on meds due to eye infections. Tyke came to me with one eye crusted shut and normally warm compresses take care of the problem. A week later his eye was still crusty and now sported a layer of yellow goo. There’s been a few dry sneezes and I figured it’s time for antibiotics. Even after just 24 hours all crusty eyes are much better.
These kittens are wonderful as all kittens are, even if they are little felons of some sort. Monster will make a great companion for someone and should go back to the shelter in about a month. She can’t live here.
Pepper, Fancy, Billy and Tyke will all needs home real soon. They can’t live here either!
