Quick question for the kitty hivemind here: With bottle babies, how do you know when to start them on food? Is it a weight thing or an age thing? We had a momma drop off three teeny kittens (eyes just opening) on our patio during a minor flood and she never came back. I’ve never bottle fed before and I don’t want to rush them, but I don’t want to wait too late either.
When a mama isn’t present, I’ve always started offering food to them around 4 weeks in the form of canned kitten food mixed with formula that they can lap off the plate. Sometimes they take to it immediately, sometimes they act like you’re abusing them, sometimes they go for a swim.
Spitz from the Swimmers.
If there’s some interest, I’ll keep on trying. If there’s zero interest, I’ll wait a few days and try it again.
(When there’s a mama present, I don’t worry much about it because I’m usually taking so much food into the room that the kittens will discover it and try it themselves.)
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So, is it just me, or does Nola always look ready to go onto stage for the Westminster Cat Show? I have no idea if there is such a thing, but there should be! She reminds me of my cat, Mewlan, who is incredibly gorgeous. Yet my cat licks her ruff, so it looks a bit messy, compared to Nola who looks like a dream come true!
Nola IS always well-groomed now that you mention it. I brushed her a lot while she was pregnant, but haven’t done it since the kittens were born. She sheds a lot, but never looks unkempt!
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Is Nola a lap cat?
Not really – she likes to occasionally sit next to me and drape her tail over my leg, but isn’t interested in sitting in my lap. She’s also really wary of being kissed, which is a shame.
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I have a small (non-photographic) Khaleesi update. The Daughter got into the U of Alberta, so she’s heading to Edmonton in the fall. At this point it looks like it’s easier to get a cat across the border that a car. (They don’t require French warning stickers on Khaleesi.) The main challenge at this point is finding a cat friendly apartment near campus from a distance. If that doesn’t work out, Khaleesi will spend a year with us annoying Lily.
I’m imagining Lily frantically Googling “cat friendly apartments near University of Alberta” 🙂 Thanks for the update, Alton!
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I had a dream about Kara last night! I was asleep but I could hear my cat crying downstairs and being annoying. Then Sheriff Kara came through my front door and in my dream I thought “thank god, she’ll sort him out!” My next thought was “how did she get to AUSTRALIA?” She frowned and meowed at him and he shut up. Thanks Kara!
Kara says “No problem, just doin’ m’job. ::hat tip::”
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The first pic of Joe Bob on the tractor – would be a great advertisement for farmersonly.com! hehe.. you don’t have to be lonely, Joe Bob!
Likes: running into the back yard when it’s raining and wondering why I’m wet. Eating my snack at lightning speed and then trying to sneak a few bites of Jake’s food. Taking offense when looked at by another cat. Pina coladas. Etc.
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How old is Joe Bob?
He’ll be 12 in June!
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For a 4 1/2 week old kitten, he’s surprisingly neat when he eats. I mean, he always gets some on him, but he doesn’t swim through it like your average kitten.
Sweet girls. That’s Praline in the middle, laying on top of Roux, and Beignet to the right.
Beignet continues to adore the Go Pets scratcher.
Seesters. That’s Praline on the left, Roux on the right/top.
“WAZZUUUP?!” inquires Praline.
Praline has a think.
::thlurrrp!::
“Listen up, you. This here is my scratcher. MINE. You see these fearsome claws right here? I’m learning how to use them, and I might be able to pop you in the face with them. On the other hand, I’m just as likely to pop my own self in the face instead. Don’t make me find out!”
“MINE. You get me?”
Sneaky boy.
Sweet Praline. Looks like she’s posing for her school picture, doesn’t it?
“HELLO–Helloo–hellooo–helloooo–hellooooo..”
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Videos! If you have limited time and can only watch one video today, this first one is the one. Trust me.
Next up we have Praline and Beignet hippity-hopping a bit, and then Andouille and Roux playing follow the leader.
And lastly, we have Praline figuring out just how hard she can bite Roux without making her cry. You can pretty much see the light over her head – “If I bite her THIS hard she cries. How about if I bite her THIS much?”
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Just a touch of the loon in this picture – is he or is he not a pretty, pretty boy? He is. He is, indeed.
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Previously
2016: Throwback Thursday: Newt and Maxi.
2015: I think it’s safe to say that the kittens have found their crazy.
2014: Livia Monday.
2013: No entry.
2012: About Rupert.
2011: Crooked Acres, after the tornadoes.
2010: “Rowr?”
2009: The Seven.
2008: Killing me with the cute.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
I love that “follow the leader” descends into “bite the leader” at the end
Andouille’s arm waving kills me.
Praline. Beveling. 😀
Alton – we had friends whose daughter went to school in Canada for a year and her cat became a VERY seasoned traveler. We bet Khaleesi will do great.
That “MINE” picture is hilarious….
So much to savor in this post, not least Beignet looking commandingly through the scratcher’s porthole, Joe Bob’s profile, and the great Jake!
I’m not sure why, but THIS litter of kittens in particular is just slaying me with the cuteness overload. I mean, they’re all your kittens are cute, but THIS one… this one…
And Andouille – I tune in every day for my daily dose. How you’ll ever give him up, I don’t know. He’s the baby twin of my Fred. Fred is the absolutely GORGEOUS “neighborhood cat” who spends most of his time at my house because he gets free love/food/shelter here. By appearance, you’d think he & Andy were related if I didn’t KNOW it was impossible.
(You can’t pin paternity on Fred! There are too many miles between Nola and Fred, and Fred has the clipped ear & tattoo to prove his South Alabama neuter!)
For the person heading to Edmonton – I might suggest leaving Khaleesi stay behind. There has be a LOT of animal abuse/kidnapping in Alberta over the last couple of years. Some asshats are leaving poisoned items on popular trails and even down alleys. There’s a different kind of douche canoe who’s kidnapping animals as bait for dog fighting. It’s not limited to just the outskirts of the cities either.
I’m not sure what there is for pet friendly places near U of A, but with the downturn still down her options should be pretty open as unemployed folk are forced to leave the city. There will almost definitely be a non-refundable pet deposit. Edmonton transit doesn’t completely suck and there are plenty of vets in the city with several cat only options.
Good luck, the U of A has plenty of skywalks to avoid the brutal Edmonton winter. Be prepared for pot holes, lots of them.
There are tons of animal lovers in Alberta too, so why should she leave Khaleesi behind? Besides which, both major cities in Alberta have bylaws that cats are not allowed to roam. So Khaleesi will be indoors and just fine.
ROBYN!!!!! This particular post has killed me dead with the cute. The pic of the sisters snuggling and the pic of Andouille through the tunnel… those are calendar photos if I ever saw one. I am so smitten with Andouille… I wonder if it costs to ship an animal? I’m telling you, if it was doable to drive in a day, I would so be trying to adopt him. What a sweetheart. <3 <3 <3
The last picture of Andouille looking through the tunnel is a perfect “Bond movie” poster…From Alabama with Love or The Kitten Who Loved Me !!!
Bond ….. Andouille Bond ….. I like my milk shaken not stirred !
ooooo I love this! Imagine the banner Robyn could make with that theme!
It would be like the Music Album Covers !!!
I’m curious… has it become any easier to tell Praline and Roux apart as they’ve gotten older? Because I can’t tell them apart at all.
I work in edmonton at the university. You could try bwalk.com to look at some apartments from a distance. I used to live in one of theirs called meadow view manor or something like that. They allowed cats with a pet deposit.
Forgot to add it was a quick train ride to campus. (Edmonton transit use I think is still included in your university fees ). Probably less than 10 minutes.
Kerry,
I really appreciate this and am passing it along.
No problem. Let me know if you have any other questions 🙂
Also check out the website rentfaster.ca, as it covers rentals in Edmonton and Calgary, and you can search for ones that accept pets. I’ve used it previously and had great success. 🙂
“HELLO–Helloo–hellooo–helloooo–hellooooo..” Seriously? Robyn, are you trying to kill me?
As for the bottle babies, when they start to chew instead of suck down the formula, I start them on food. that is usually right after their incisors bud and pop up, but not always.