"There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats."
-- Albert Schweitzer
Smokey was rescued by an Oregon Department of Forestry firefighter from an oak tree during a fire. (Just like Smokey Bear). Her owners could not be found. She's a wonderful cat, and she came with a bonus...she gave birth to 5 kittens that first evening. There's a tiger-stripe (mackerel) tabby, two ticked-tabbys, a brown classic tabby, and a totally black one (tentative names: Mumford, Piewacket, Melvin, Stimpy and ? in no particular order - a definite break from the family tradition of naming cats after relatives!). I'll keep the black one and the brown tabby (the two on the left of the "3 weeks" photo)...the others are free if you want one!!! :) Smokey's getting her shots and getting fixed as soon as the kittens are weaned.
Kitten Diary
Day 1: Sept 19th. The kittens were born at 8:00 pm. I was at work late working on a computer project, and I decided to check on the (very pregnant) cat that had been rescued that day. She was outside having kittens. I made up a box with some rags on the bottom & she moved inside.
Day 2: I decide it's time for a cat again, so I take the bunch home. The kittens are so tiny.
Day 7: Right on time, the kittens are opening their eyes. They don't seem to watch things yet.
Day 14: Momma cat decides the box is too small, and moves the kittens under my bed. I make a bigger box, and move them back in.
Day 16: The kittens are living back under the bed again. I give up - I'll just have to watch where I step. They pretty much keep to one area under the bed.
Day 21: The kittens' ears are erect now. They come out from under the bed when I look under there.
3 weeks old.
Day 23: The kittens now live at the foot of the bed. Usually. They are starting to explore a bit, and are playing some now. The black and the tortoise-shell kittens are smaller and thinner than the other three but are healthy. They will sometimes follow me out of the room if they are active. Momma will bring them back in if they stray too far. I think it's time to get a kitten-sized litter box. No messes under the bed, though. I think Momma must be keeping them clean.
Day 25: They are really getting active. They'll follow me around the house, and are playing quite a bit. I've covered all the electrical cords & made the house a bit more kitten-proof.
Week 6: The kittens are all over the place. They can climb on the chair and couch, and a couple of them discovered how to get up on the bed this morning. That should be interesting tonight. They are bigger now - but the black and tortoise-shell one are definitely a smaller build. Is it possible to have multiple fathers with a litter? They have been using the litter boxes for about a week now. I only found surprises for about a week. They can be under foot all the time.
Week 7 - Favorite toys: Green mouse, cardboard box with holes in it, scratching post, chair, shoes. The black kitten will sometimes purr when petted now. I have to clean the litter boxes almost daily. They tear around all over the house. Sometimes at 6 in the morning.
They're 14 weeks old now. I found homes for two of them, but I kept the male mackerel tabby (he decided he wanted ME, and was just too adorable and friendly to give away), the black one and the brown tabby. Names, in order, are Mumford, Fran and Melvin. I kept Smokey too. That's a housefull. They are all on my bed in the mornings, usually have me pinned up against the wall. They just went in for their second shots. Mumford weighed in at over 5 lbs - he's going to be a big cat!
Mumford and Melvin
Fran and Melvin
Smokey | 
Mumford at attention! |
Mumford sleeping |
Fran |
Melvin and Mumford sleeping. |
Melvin relaxing
|
Lazy Mumford on a summer afternoon.
They're so cute when they do this... | 
Smokey has left the building. |
