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The Squee Diaries. Chapter 4 The Pitter Patter

Aww Stan R Olson.jpg
©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Yukon Stan is sitting up on his own! His cuteness is killing me!

Teenie tiny kittens are wondrous little blobs of fluff that look more like hamsters than cats in the making. I can't do much with Minnie's kittens at just over two weeks of age because frankly they're not ready to be handled for very long and they can barely walk, let alone play. Am I complaining about this? No, but I would admit to looking forward to when I can interact with them for longer than it takes to weigh them and say a quick “hello.”

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Hello, Joe!

The other day, I walked into the blue bathroom-home to Minnie and her kittens. I greeted Minnie and asked her how she was doing, then looked into the bathtub to make sure all the kittens were, well, alive. One of the kittens was looking up at me! I got a tingle down my spine. Here was the first sign of the blobs becoming little kittens! Not only was he looking at me, but he was sitting up, his front legs starting to hold his weight.

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Stan head out on a mission to walk across the cat bed.

I've noticed some other subtle changes. Stanley discovered his tongue and will attempt to groom himself a little bit. Mostly, I think he's just exploring the sensation of tongue on fur and hoping to make sense of of this new urge he's experiencing.

The kittens are a bit more active. They scrambled to get out of their hooded cat bed so I removed it. That way none of them will be separated from the others. I want each kitten to have good weight gain and access to their mama and it's been working well so far.

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Ever-adorable Lil' Gracey.

I was startled, too, by the discovery of a bright ORANGE “blow-out” of poo that got onto Confetti Joe, but came from Yukon Stan. I've never seen this before and after a frantic call to my friend, Katherine, we decided it was okay because their digestion is just forming and of course it could be effected by all sorts of things. Katherine was fairly sure she'd seen some bright orange poo, too, so I gave the kittens a quick bath and hoped to not see that again.

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Eyes open, but ears not quite ready yet. Mel won't let that stop him!

Although I did see a small patch on Gracey's behind a day later, other than that, the kittens are still clean and seem to be in good shape. I must add that Minnie continues to be a marvelous mother. The extra good news is that in the two weeks she's been with us she's gained 12 OUNCES! Considering she's nursing AND the terrible shape she was in, this is a huge weight gain. She's still far too thin and though her spine has a very thin layer of padding on it now, she's got a long way to go. She's eating much more food and with more gusto. It makes me happy to watch her eat because every bite for her is going to help keep her lovely kittens going for another day, too.

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Gracey vs Stanley.

 

If you're keeping track, the kittens, at 4 weeks should weigh about 1 pound. They're 2 1/2 weeks old now and they're at about 10-12 ounces, so a little ahead of schedule. I've tracked their weight daily-which is VERY IMPORTANT to do. It's the easiest way to see if the kittens are NOT doing well or which need more "mama-time" or which ones might be failing. Compared to the first few days when the kittens were gaining a full ounce every day, now the kittens gain 1/2 oz every day, which is a nice, steady pace.

 

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Still rail-thin, Mama grabs a quick bite between feeding the kittens.

 

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Stan & Joe check out the weird giant hanging over the edge of the bathtub with the crazy hair.

I've had some glimpses of the kitten's personalities, but I don't want to make any assumptions about which ones might be troublemakers or little Princesses just yet. They're also starting to awkwardly wrestle with each other. They still have a long way to go to gain the strength they need to walk confidently. They're very wobbly and fall over constantly. Normally this would be something I'd take delight in, but I continue to have flashbacks about Fred. I see him in my mind's eye, struggling to walk. His back legs went first, then his front. I've never seen anything so horrifying in my life and I'll never forget it. Part of me wants to not see the kittens for a few weeks until they get on their feet. I don't want to remember Fred like that-weak and helpless.

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Gracey and Stan and some very sweet stripes.

 

I look at little Joe. The markings on his face remind me of Fred, too, but it's not a bad thing. I feel like I got to have a "do-over" and that I have another chance to raise kittens that will hopefully one day be strong and vibrant and be adopted into loving homes. I told myself not to think about FIP happening again with this family, or something else I haven't seen yet. Cats can get so many diseases, it's a wonder any survive.

 

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Oh Stanley…swoon.

As they always do, the kittens remind me to take joy in witnessing this miraculous time in their lives. I am so determined to do everything perfectly for them, raise them to be confident and loving, not fearful or fractious. I want them to know great health and never know dry food. Somehow that's the only way I can forgive myself for how I failed Fred and the kittens that went to HEART.

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. I'm not sure I should caption this photo.

I just looked at Squee-TV , our web cam that's perched on the edge of the bathtub peering down onto the kittens. They're piled onto each other to stay warm, their bellies are full and they're peacefully sleeping. Minnie is nearby, always keeping alert to the slightest sound that will send her to the side of her newborns. She takes a few minutes out for herself and is back at their side every so often to lick them, nourish them and love them with a sincerity that is most profound.

[BREAKING NEWS: Dropcam is going to FEATURE Squee-TV on their front page! If you have a mobile device you can download their app and watch our cam when you're away from your computer! Just use the link to access our Featured-Feed]

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. I'm so big now!

 

Sweet dreams, my little darlings. I look forward to tomorrow because you'll be part of it.

 

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Good night, Mellie.

 

Don't forget to VOTE! If you like what we're doing here at Covered in Cat Hair, simply use this LINK every day until June 28th to cast your vote for BEST CAT BLOG, BEST CAUSE BLOG, BEST BLOG WRITING (here's a LINK to a good article or you can choose your favorite) and make sure you add KITTEN ASSOCIATES as your SHELTER NOMINEE! THANK YOU!!!

You DO NOT HAVE TO COMPLETELY FILL OUT THE NOMINATION FORM TO VOTE! The $1000 prize donation could go a long way to helping us help more kittens like Petey, Gracey, Joey, Stanley and Mellie and mom-Minnie!

 

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©2013 Robin A. F. Olson. Kitten pile!

Comments

Please continue to do what you are doing for this little furry family, they need you!  This just proves that you are so much better than HEART and you could kick 'their' butts anytime.  I've watched over SqueeCam and they are getting more squee by the day!  Keep it up - Fred would be proud!


Linda + Wotsit, UK =^..^=

Thank you so much for sharing these babies with us. They are beyond adorable! That picture of Mellie yawning is so precious!

OMG! Talk about SQUEEE!! overload! The kittens are just too adorable!!!

Thank you SO much for taking us all with you into the daily life of these little Squeee-zer's & their sweet Mama!  It's been AGES since I've been around kitten's & I'm loving every moment, event & photo you shared with us!  I feel like a proud "Auntie!"  :-) 

So glad to read that Minnie is eating well, gaining weight, and being such an exemplary mom!  And so happy to read about a thriving, well-cared-for and much-loved cat family (as every cat and cat family should be).  They are at their spiky-tailed cutest, and each is so uniquely adorable.  May they all continue to thrive and eventually find the loving, lifetime home(s) they so deserve.  *and at least bright orange "goes" with their fur!* 

Oh my gosh, those pictures are so cute! It sounds so relaxing to sit and watch the kittens (as you're thinking, um, no it's stressful making sure they are all OK!). Thank you so much for taking such good care of them. I'm fostering a cat from one of our local shelters, and he is huge compaerd to these guys! :)

...how much I love your blog?!  And watching the kittens grow is such a treat!

I love reading about these babies. Thanks so much for sharing them with us.  Have I told you how much I love your blog?!

 This sure is a trip down memory lane for me! Going through Zoey’s pregnancy, the birth of her 4 kittens, and watching the growth progress from week to week with her was one of the most miraculous, special, incredible, and amazing experiences of my life. I still marvel at it all and I think that is one of the best parts of the book I wrote – I was able to document and capture it all through words and images the way you are and will always have it to reflect back on…

Just enjoyed watching the kittens inspect a sandbox and experience treading in this weird new stuff to see what it felt like. Can't wait to see what they make of life outside their little "Bath World" 

Again I saw Minnie gazing at you with such adoration - I'm sure she can't thank you enough for providing her and her little family with a quiet, safe home, with food and buckets of love thrown in too.  

Isn't a bath a brilliant place to keep kittens safe - I never thought of it before I saw SqueeTV.

Barbara UK

I love them!  Orange-y cuteness is (one of) my favorite kind! 

However - YOU DID NOT FAIL FRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Read it over and over, recite it to yourself 100 times a day.  You loved him and cared for him with as much care as anyone would have, as much as you do for any of your cats. He knew you loved him to the end.  FIP sucks.  But it isn't like you could have done anything about it.


As far as the HEART cats go - you did the best you knew to do with the information you had available.   That isn't a failure either.

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