Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Being a Mama Kitty is exhausting!

I promise I am not going to change my blog name to "For the Love of Cats" but right now cats are kind of taking over my life. I am so tired...in a good way.  Here is the story...

For those of you that follow along my last post was about our new kitten we were getting from my ex-husbands family. Well, Karen (my ex-husbands wife) called me and told me the Mother cat was missing. Mother cats don't leave usually--she was a very protective Mother. I think, since they had her outside, a wild animal got her while she was thinking she was protecting her kittens. I feel so sad for that Mama kitty. I also feel sorry for Tiffany, because the Mama kitty was her pet. That is why I am not big on having animals outside..especially in an area with wild animals. Poor Mama Kitty. Anyway--after Karen called Janae and I drove out there as quick as we could. We searched for Mama Kitty and then went to the kittens. Though the Mama had been gone for about a day the kittens were doing well. They had to pee really bad. Poor little babies. They were nursing on our shirts, our hands, anything they could get ahold of. Karen said she did not have the time to be able to care for the kittens so I volunteered. I couldn't just let them die. I am a stay at home Mom, now I am a stay at home kitten mom too.



So my life right now is every 2 hours I feed and "pee" these 5 little kittens. Nobody has been able to find Mama Kitty and it has been a couple days.

I knew it would happen...Janae is keeping one of the kittens now that I am raising them. Before she wanted one but was too afraid that something would happen to them and now she feels secure they will be happy and healthy...being mothered by her Mother:) The one Janae picked is a black female with white feet. She named her LuLu.


LuLu likes to tell us her sad story!

Well, the bonding has been happening. I wake up every 2 hours and feed and care for these little ones. They are so sweet. They are starting to purr when they see me. The care of their little lives is so enriching to my life. I am a natural care giver..this is not the first time I have been a Mama Kitty! Well, since the first time Karen sent me pictures of them from her phone my favorite has been the male with white on its stomach, feet, and face. The kids really wanted Phoebe. I have never had a orange tabby and so that was fine with me. Well, today I talked to my husband I said, "I've been thinking I would like to keep one of the black and white ones too" Well, he grinned ear to ear. He hadn't seemed to interested in the kittens until this point. He said he wanted to keep 2 from the start.  He was just waiting for me to ask. He knew with the bottle feeding I would be falling in love soon. He thought that 2 are more fun. He figures these kittens will hopefully be with us until we are senior citizens (gulp) and we will get so much enjoyment from them. He gets a lot of pet store credit from selling his fish (he has a fish room and breeds numerous types of fish) and so he can get the food and things without taking from our budget. He agreed that the one I liked the best was also his favorite. Then he asked me to bring that one to him and he spent the afternoon cuddled up in his fishroom with our latest edition. Chantel danced around the house when we told her and Wyatt was equally excited (though he is not as dramatic as Chantel) After much family discussion we decided to name the little boy Fez (like from the 70's show). We really aren't obsessed with TV shows (okay, so maybe we are obsessed with "Friends"). Fez actually is a hat, like the kind the Shriners wear. I love the Shriners, they have done so much for Gage. But the real reason we named our little kitty Fez, is because it sounds cute with Phoebe.  :)


These little babies are going to have a very happy life!



Fez, Phoebe and LuLu

The whole experience has been really bonding to the whole family. We have all so enjoyed bonding with these babies. We are also spending a lot of time together taking care of them. We never go on vacations or anything like that...as a family we take care of our animals together. This is a fun time for us!



Again--I promise this won't become a cat blog. But you can imagine that a occasional kitten will be included in my photos!

Between feeding, than pulling weeds, then feeding..I managed to do a small project today! So tomorrow I will actually have a project post!


Thanks for visiting!

17 comments:

Janae said...

Really cute post! Lulu is lucky to have such a great Grandma! Lol :)

Nann said...

Sandy what a WONDERFUL thing you are doing. You and the kids are keeping those precious babies alive. What a kind giving person you are!!! I was SO touched. And your photos are precious. Know that we all know that this is not a kitten blog but I'm so glad that you have shared such a treasured time with us. You are amazing!!!!

Nann

PS Yes I do like to entertain. I get a real kick out of doing beautiful tables with great food. If you lived closer I'd give you a special luncheon in your honor!! You SO deserve it Sandy. You are a great humanitarian.

farmhouse-story said...

sandy, this is such a wonderful, compassionate thing to do! those cuties are very lucky to have found you and your family!

Melanie said...

Sandy, you must have a heart of gold!!! These little ones are lucky to have you! I have been a kitten mommy too, and it is work, fortunately, it will only be for a few weeks! Enjoy these little ones, it is a good experience for the kids too!!!

Unknown said...

My mom and dad adopted two siamese kittens last fall and said that they would never just adopt one at a time again, it has been so much fun having the two! Hope you enjoy your two new babies as much as they enjoy theirs. Lots of things have been broken by the kittens around their house, but they adore them completely!

Grandma Carolee said...

I love this post and agree with what your other respondents have written. It was so much fun watching you care for the kittens yesterday!

Susan EvelynAndRose said...

Oh wow, what a wonderful Mama Kitty you are! These kittens will thrive because of your love.
Just darling!

Cindy said...

This is such an amazing story to follow.... I can't believe you ended up bottle feeding those kittens! I've done that before too. This will be a wonderful bonding experience for you and your whole family - smile

Cindy

Lady of the Woods said...

Oh I sooo love you! thank you for taking these kitties and caring for them. the Love that grows as you say is priceless! The kids look like they will be enjoying them too, they look like such really sweet children! Those kitties are very lucky and I expect to hear alot more from them and you!

Bunny Jean said...

Hi Sandy!

Oh what fun! Those kitties are so lucky to have such a great substitute mommy. Not everyone knows that they need so much attention, like help with going potty. Aren't you glad you don't have to coax them like the real mommy would?!

I am so glad that the whole family is enjoying and taking responsibility for them.

Thanks for sharing this cute story and pictures at my Bunny Hop Party!

xoxo Bunny Jean

The White Pear Tree said...

I know first hand how much work it is to hand feed kittens, but it is also sooo much fun and rewarding to see them grow. I only did one hand fed kitten, all my other fosters had their mom, but I bonded so strongly with that little kitten, it took everything to give her back to the shelter! (She found a good home with another volunteer.) It's a very kind thing you're doing and please keep us updated!!

Ana said...

Awww Sandy, what a sweet thing to do...caring for those cute little kitties. I am very sad to hear about their real momma, but their new momma is perty terrific and they couldn't be in better, more loving hands.

Hugs and Kisses,
♥Ana

Sue said...

I so loved your blog post. There is nothing cuter than a kitten. And those kittens of yours, and being bottle fed by your kids really warmed my heart and made me smile today. Thanks, and enjoy the kitties. They are really cute.

Take care,
Sue

Anne said...

Sandy,
They are precious.What a big heart you have to take care of these kittens.Your kids are learning allot by caring for these sweet kittens.
((Hugs))
Anne

Bliss said...

Look at those cute mew's.

~Bliss~

Sissie's Shabby Cottage said...

Hi Sandy,
Bless you for being a Mommie to these sweet little orphans. They are so cute and I'm glad that they are staying in the family.

The little orangey colored one reminds me of Gizzy.

hugs
Sissie

Tablescapes By Diane said...

Hi lovely lady.
They are so sweet !! I love your post hope you will post more photos of them OK.
XXOO Diane