You know you need one!

Kittens are a lovely and entertaining distraction.  We moved Farm Cat and her family to our house nearly 3 weeks ago now.  The kittens were wobbly little fluff balls then.  And now – bigger fluff balls chasing toys and ribbons and each other around the bathroom (their temporary home).  They collapse into a pile of sleepy purrs on the lap of anybody who sits on the floor, but only after they’ve exhausted all possible ways human legs can be used as a jungle gym.  The only problem with all this is I don’t get anything done besides kitten-watch.  I find myself drawn into their play, or just sitting and staring at their antics, smiling…until I remember I’m supposed to be getting ready for work or making supper or picking someone up or any number of important things. My husband calls them the three stooges (times 2).  They are a comedy of leaps and tackles and falls.  Sometimes one will be sneaking up on a brother or toy when yet another comes flying from the side and there is a tumbling of legs and tails.

One or two at a time, they get to explore the rest of the house, experience a little one-on-one time and meet our dog, Daisy.  Daisy and Farm Cat are already friends.  Farm Cat would very much like to rub against Daisy’s legs and Daisy would very much just like to play.  They seem to have settled on hello sniffs and sitting close to each other when the humans are too boring.  The kittens however, either want to play with Daisy’s nose or paws or they watch her warily and make tiny little hisses.  She looks back quizzically, wanting to play, but not really sure how to do that with such a tiny little creature.

Our favorites change almost daily.  They have their own moods and personalities and when they come running to greet you each day, you just want to scoop them up and hold them all morning.  So, it is time to get them to their new homes!  As much as we’d love to keep any or all of them, eight is not enough – eight is TOO MANY! 

If you are a cat lover and have a home that is in need of a fluff ball, let us know.  Some things of importance - They are all boys and will be eight weeks old on the 11^th.  They have been eating dry cat food for about two weeks now and are nursing less each day.  Their mother is a calm and friendly tabby who has taught them well, including how to use the litter box. (Yay!)  They will have their first distemper shot within a few days. Also, we may not be able to keep Farm Cat, so she may need a loving home as well.  She was just spayed yesterday and today is nursing like nothing has happened, though the vet said that will only be possible for a few days.  She has her rabies and distemper shots.

 

My daughter shot some video of the kittens last night.  You can view it here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf5LC2cnDbQ.  And be prepared to fall head over heels!


(If you want to know the unique story behind Farm Cat and her "little" family, check out the blog in September - "Then there were seven!" )

Then there were seven!

soaking up lap time after supper & story telling

The cat that adopted our farm greeted us last night with a half eaten mouse.  I was impressed.  My daughter was grossed out.  I was impressed because she is feeding six little ones and can use the extra protein.  Yes, I said SIX!

The story of Farm Cat began before harvest in June.  My son was at the farm by himself and heard insistent meowing.  Here comes this scrawny loud friendly cat.  He shared his beef stick with her and scratched her bony back.  A couple of days later we all went out to get things ready for harvest.  (There is no house on our farm - just machinery & storage buildings.) She was still there, still friendly and still skin and bones - literally.  It was like petting fur-covered bones.  Lucky for her, she showed up at the best time of year.  Harvest started and we were out there every day with scraps.  By early July she had taken over the place, so we got her a flea collar and started leaving cat food in her tree.  As the bony edges softened, I pondered taking her to the vet to be spayed.  Ponder, ponder.  We also started searching for a home.  My husband is somewhat allergic to cats and we didn't want to worry about her out there in cold weather.  We found a willing friend in mid August, but didn't make plans to move her right away.  A week after we talked to him, I noticed her tummy was a little big and soon after that it was really big - way too big to just be full of food.  Dang!  Deviously, I wished we had moved her right away!

So, over the next few weeks her tummy grew . . . and grew.  Last week, while the guys were loading seed wheat, I sat in the back of the pickup with a very lumpy purring cat on my lap.  You could easily see the little dudes in there wiggling around.  Hmm - looks like she's probably going to have four.  I thought that seemed like a lot for our little cat.  The next day she didn't show up.  And then the next day, after some loud weird meowing calls from my husband, she comes walking from behind a covered cow/horse trailer.  And . . . she was thin!  We thought the trailer sides were too high for her.  We were wrong.  I looked in through the shoulder high openings and there in the straw was a pile of multicolored fur.  I opened the side door and took a quick count - four, no FIVE . . . NO SIX!  I yelled "That darn cat had SIX KITTENS!"  My husband's response was "Stupid cat!"  He really does like cats, but now we had to find homes for a few more than we expected.  Sigh.

As we looked around the trailer, we realized she must have been using it as a safe spot for longer than a few days.  If you're squeamish, skip the next sentence.  There were rabbit feet and bits of fur scattered about the trailer.  It turns out she is a good hunter and found the perfect place to eat in peace.  Now it's home to seven.  And right now pretty much all that goes on in there is sleeping and nursing - lots and lots and lots of nursing.

a circle of fur and purr

With a little family now, I've been contemplating names.  We hadn't actually named Farm Cat.  We were going to let her new owner do that, but what the heck.  I'm thinking either Unsinkable Molly Brown or Edna.  The kittens are all tabbies -  three dark, two grey and one ginger.  I have dubbed the next few weeks What Shall We Name Them Days.  So far - for the dark trio: Larry, Curly & Mo; Crosby, Stills & Nash; or Winkin', Blinkin' & Nod.  The grey duo: Woofer & Tweeter; Abbot & Costello; or Caeser & Brutus.  The ginger cat will NOT be Ginger.  I'm thinking either Honeybuns, Sugarpie or Macaroni.  I haven't checked the boy/girl status, so that may influence the name game.  In the meantime, we'll just keep cuddling them and taking pictures.