Kittens!

Susu, our adopted pregnant cat got so big I began to panic that she was never going to give birth. I dreamt of kittens every night for three weeks solid and feared that she would do the deed on one of my lengthy work shifts ( I am often away for twenty four hours or more at a time).  She finally retired to a birthing box under the bed one Tuesday afternoon, after bothering Clark all day with constant meowing and following him around in distress. He says he literally had to  herd her upstairs to where the safe places were and waited until she accepted her fate and settled down for her ordeal. I returned home that evening and sometime whilst dinner was cooking, went up to check on her and was met by a smell that screamed “WOMB” and the tiniest little “meep” noises. Susu was soaking wet, had a weird look on her face and was hugging this soggy little thing that looked like a wet hamster. The cutest scene I have ever witnessed.  This was only the beginning though, as she had six more to pop out, one of which was dead, so sad.

Under the bed was not so good a home for the brood as we could not easily keep an eye on them so we carefully moved them into the wardrobe after a couple of days and they have lived there happily ever since. There is a fluffy blanket in there and lots of room to practice walking and for Susu to spread out for feeding time.  Poor little creatures have had eye infections which meant transporting them all to the vets…and then daily ordeals of ointment application. Two more died…one after a day and the other held out for a week. Both were not feeding, despite our efforts to get them on a nipple and attempts at bottle feeding with formula milk.

We now have four very healthy extremely cute little kittens. Their eyes have opened and they are plodding about, getting the hang of walking.  They’re not bothered by fuss or play yet but they will be. In the meantime I try to get photos that are not all blurry with my crappy camera and a variety of props to show scale, such as this football. Speaking of which…who’s is this football…I don’t play and I have never witnessed Clark play either!?!

Creepy Cat Cross Stitch Charity Shop Find

 

 

My boyfriend is the scary cat lady, well, bloke. Totally obsessed with them and regularly attracting them to our home with food left out for whichever one of the neighbour’s cats he was feeding last.  I love animals too, so it’s a good thing but I can’t help be aware that if he was female he would be in serious danger of being labelled a freak based on this feline fancying alone.

So when I came across this bizarre cross stitch  cat portrait in Help The Aged I just had to buy it for him. What I like most about it is the way the cat is positioned and its head is tilted. Cute.

 

 

 

 

He came home with this delicious old typewriter the other day. He had proudly scooped it from under the nose of some old cadger who had spent too much time staring into the shop window, rubbing his beard and saying to his wife ” Oooh look at that typewriter Mavis, I might buy it…”.

 

 

Cat Sanctuary-Cat Factory

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This ball of fluff and cuteness just entered our lives one day. Chaperoned by the infamous Ghost Cat (see Ruby Tuesday #1 « Oh, Nicola Joy! ).  She was meowing constantly and very hungry. Clark, being a self proclaimed cat expert, (I was raised with wolves dogs) declared that it was a girl and pregnant. After she did a smelly poo in the kitchen this all changed. He named him Oscar and administered worm tablets. Meanwhile, I was working funny shifts, coming home at weird times and suggesting that maybe he/her should see a vet.

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Oscar saw a vet and is in good health, around two years old… but actually a female and pregnant. She could give birth any time in the next week or two. She has her own collar with our phone number in a locket because we are going to take care of her now.

It turns out that its not rare for owners to abandon female cats once they get pregnant. This may be what Rosie/Poppy/Daisy’s back story is but we don’t know. She won’t talk about it.

She is too fat to get out of the cat flap now, so has a litter tray, which she used straight away (more evidence of having a previous owner) .She has an appointment to get spayed in three months time, otherwise, she will just keep on getting pregnant ( she is hot stuff). Positioned around the house are baskets lined with shredded paper and sheets of paper on top, plus drawers have been emptied and lined with the same. She is looking for a safe place to give birth and we have made sure there are plenty of options for her.

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We are also providing a lot of extra food because she is so hungry now and her belly is so big with kittens. I’m so exited for the day when the kittens pop out. Its going to be a cuteness overload.

Ruby is not so happy about there being a new addition to the household. She has to be given lots of fuss to show that she is still loved. She is horrible to Daisy/Rosie/Poppy, so we try to keep them apart. Also , she likes to decorate the birthing boxes with her urine if we are not careful. She is such an angry, bitter, unfriendly creature but that really is part of her charm, bless her.

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Also, nothing has been seen of Ghost Cat since the night he showed up with Rosie. I like to imagine that he is the father and helped his kittens by showing the way to a good home. lets not forget he was a bit of a fatty, so probably had a home of his own.

10 Essential Pregnant Cat Care Tips | The Cat Owner Club | Cat Care | The Cat Owner Club.