Hey. Remember how we weaned the Wonkas and I was all “Yeah, I don’t think I want any more bottle babies” and then God laughed and sent me the Cookies?
Well, we’ve gotten the Cookies mostly weaned (except for that spoiled rotten Pink, who really could be perfectly well weaned by now, but when you’re faced with the Eyes of Hope and “Ba ba? Ba ba?”, only the most heartless person would deny the little princess.) I said to Fred the other day “Oh, thank god, the bottle feeding is now mostly at an end!”
Fred’s even feeding the Cookies when he gets up in the morning and giving Pink her bottle so I don’t have to get up at 4:30 any more! It is GLORIOUS.
So then.
The day before yesterday I was in the kitchen, and the phone rang. I saw by the caller ID that it was the shelter manager.
“Hi,” she said when I answered the phone. “Is this the kitten daycare?”
“Oh, god,” I groaned. “Whaaaaat?”
Two 11 day-old kittens had been abandoned by their mother on this woman’s patio. She wasn’t necessarily looking to get rid of them, she was doing okay with bottle feeding them, but she has a job and can’t take the kittens with her.
Susan reassured me that I didn’t have to, that I could say no, but honestly, I didn’t mind taking them for a few hours. I mean, I get them for the day, I feed and snuggle them and kiss their little faces, and I hand them back over.
AND I don’t have to get up at 4:30 to feed them!
(Seriously, though. God really wants me to have bottle babies in my life, huh?)
She dropped them off yesterday morning, and they ate pretty well, they pottied just fine, and they purred like mad for me. They’re not named, and I don’t know if she’s planning to give them up – she said she was going to try to find a home for them because she travels a lot, but then she said she might get attached to them – but they’re awfully cute.
(I wasn’t able to get good pictures of them this time around, but they’ll be back Saturday, so hopefully then!)
The all-black one (I think it’s a girl, but I didn’t look that closely, so I could be wrong).
The black and white one – definitely a boy.
Mr. Black and White has a ring around his tail. It’s so cute! (I was calling him “Ringo” in my head, of course.)
They’re adorable, but I have to admit – at this age, all they do is eat and sleep and they’re kinda boring. Shhh, don’t tell anyone I said that! They’ll take my Crazy Cat Lady title away!
My poor Wonkas. They had their vaccinations on Wednesday, and all day yesterday when I’d pet them, I’d accidentally pet the injection site, which was still sore, and they’d cry at me, and I’d feel like the most evil person alive.
They forgave me, though. They always do, thank god.
Kitty yoga.
Violet practices her awesome karate moves.
The Cookies are doing well. I put them in the bathroom for a little while yesterday so I could get their room cleaned. Have I mentioned that the way they track food and god knows what else all over the hardwood floors drives me nuts? I finally convinced Fred that we should move the desk out of that room and then put all three litter boxes where the desk was. I vacuumed and mopped the floor, and it looks a million times better in there.
Now that they’re mostly off the bottle (except, of course, for Princess Pink, who’ll give up that bottle when we pry it out of her cold dead paws), we put the kitty condo over next to the bed, so they can climb up on the condo, and then climb up on the bed. They don’t do it when they’re in there alone, but when I go in and lay down on the bed, they about have a shoving match to see who can get up on the bed the fastest.
Pink and Hydrox both require a little help to get up on the bed, but they seem to have no problems getting down.
Did I mention that I weighed Hydrox two days ago and he’s at a pound and a half? He is one solid little guy.
“I HAZ A COMPLAINT!”
“EXCUSE ME HI I HAZ A COMPLAINT AND MY COMPLAINT IS MORE COMPLAINY THAN HERS IS!”
When you mix canned pumpkin with canned kitten food and feed it to light-colored kittens, you inevitably get orange noses.
Is it just me, or does she look strikingly like a Gremlin?
Snoozin’ Spanky.
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Previously
2008: Kara said ::hiss!::
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Just be sure to thank God that he doesn’t send you all the bottle feds at ONCE!!! 🙂 The first picture of the Wonkas…wow, she looks just beautiful!!! What a great little expression. Robyn, keep up the good work!
(By the way, I think that God sends you the bottle feds not only because you have a gift, but you also have the heart!)
Oh GD, I cannot imagine trying to bottle feed multiple litters. I can’t imagine there’d be time to do anything else in the day aside from feed them, clean them, do laundry, repeat. 🙂 There’s another foster mom who prefers bottle babies, and she often has multiple bottle litters at a time. I do NOT know how she does it, but god bless her!
Your pictures are always great, but I did notice as of late that they went from great to fabulous. (i.e. capturing black kittehs on camera is difficult, but you managed to get them very well) I love the expressions and moments you capture.
When you mentioned that the 11 day old babies are pooping great, what exactly does that mean? Seems so silly I’m asking for poopy details, since I don’t know much about baby-baby kittens, I am curious.
Ann: Well, thank you! I switched from my big, fancy camera to my little one (they’re both Sonys), and the little one makes it a lot easier to get right up in their faces (especially considering that they want to be right up in MY face most of the time!)
All it really means is that both of the 11 day old kittens each pooped once for me while I had them (at that age, they still have to be stimulated to poop and pee), and neither of their poops were too hard or too soft. They were just right! 🙂
Oh those two little bottle babies are just tiny…and so adorable…maybe you should ask God to send you tons of bottle babies (reverse psychology?)…although that might backfire in a big way 🙂
The Wonkas seem to be all into martial arts and yoga and probably sit and discuss eastern philosophy when you’re not around…and the Cookies, oh those little orange noses are just too cute…and Spanky seems quite content snoozing on that lovely quilt…all in all, another glorious kitty-filled day 🙂
All black with a white ring? That’s really cool colouring! I love it!
See you just can’t ever talk about finishing the bottle feeding because then another set shows up – although just babysitting would be a good way to go with that I think. They are all such cuties – I just love to see all of them.
Hyacinths: Yeah, I suspect that if I asked God to send me tons of bottle babies, that would be the time He’d comply. 😀
Freya: He has white feet, too. And maybe some white around his face. I can’t remember! I’ll have to get better pictures tomorrow!
Amy: At least I’m learning more and more about caring for the tiny ones. Before the Wonkas, I’d only had a few bottle babies. I guess my bottle-feeding skills are getting better! 🙂
ROFL! God does have a very perverse sense of humor at times! I’ll second (or third or whatever this is)… your photos just keep getting better, Robyn!
Yup, you might as well just cozy up to the fact that bottle babies are your calling! We don’t mind because we get cute kitty pictures out of the deal, of course.
How friggin’ cute is that little tail ring?! I love kitten markings. It’s so amazing how every single one comes out different!
Thanks for stopping by today and for the kind comment about James. Poor little guy. I’m still sad.
My dear Robyn, I don’t think you need to worry one bit about losing your Crazy Cat Lady title! Thank goodness you’re crazy enough and loving enough to give these itty bittys such a great start in life.