To answer cat-related questions (the regular Comment-Answering Extravaganza will be up tomorrow):
I must ask why on earth do you allow Maxi and Newt to ‘free-roam’. All I have ever heard is that free-roamers have shortened lives with all the horrible things that could happen to them. You evidently have a large property and you equip your other cats with electronic collars so why not these two?
Maxi and Newt came with the property, and when we put them in the bedroom with Maxi’s kittens (before the kittens were adopted out, and before we got Maxi and Newt spayed and neutered), they lost their minds – dug at the windows incessantly to get out, and stopped eating. Back then, we didn’t have a fenced back yard, so there wasn’t a way to contain them while still allowing them to be outside. At this point, they’re okay with coming inside and staying here overnight if the weather is bad (or they just want to), but they move pretty regularly between our house to the house two doors down, and probably spend almost as much time in and around their house as they do ours.
I wonder if they have the same mom as the Wonka’s did – same spot makes me think maybe.
Bob – the guy who spotted both sets of kittens – also spotted the mother cat both times, briefly, and was pretty sure she was the same cat.
Regarding name suggestions: Like I said, Fred’s in charge of naming these guys. I passed your suggestions along to him, but he’s going to take his time deciding on names. I can tell you that they won’t be named after the Three Stooges (and Shemp), because those names have been used for shelter cats in the past. John, Paul, and Ringo hadn’t been used (I was actually pretty surprised by that!), but George has.
I didn’t even suggest to him that he use Irish names, because he thinks my whole Irish naming scheme is goofy. Hmph. And he’s unimpressed with the Organs suggestion. He’s no fun, basically. (I did save all your Irish name suggestions, though I was already pretty sure that if there’s at least one boy, he’s going to be Fergus, most likely.)
A future litter of kittens (when it’s MY turn to name them!): Dither, Ponder, Discuss, and Swagger. I’ll call them The Verbs!
I googled cat gestation: 63-65 days. 9 weeks. so by your estimation, she’s got a couple more weeks to go yet?
That’s my guess – but again, I’m no expert when it comes to pregnant cats, so I could be way off base. She actually climbed into my lap yesterday and laid there for a long time, her belly against my leg, and I concentrated as hard as I could, but still felt no movement against my leg. She seems to be getting bigger, though – I swear, it seems like I can almost watch her grow. I read that her appetite will decrease in the few days before giving birth, and right now she’s getting half a (3 oz) can of kitten food in the morning, and the other half at night. She’s got a bowl of kitten kibble available to her at all times, and of course fresh, clean water. She’s not eating a lot of the kitten kibble, but she’s loving the canned food.
All of this is to say, basically, I dunno. If she gives birth tomorrow, I won’t be surprised, and if she gives birth in three weeks, I won’t be surprised (though I might be VERY impatient!).
Are the kittens staying in a separate room from Maura?
Yes. Maura is upstairs in the foster bedroom. The new kittens are downstairs in the guest bedroom. I had promised Fred that we wouldn’t have two batches of kittens again, but I guess promises are made to be broken? I don’t particularly like to have kittens in the guest bedroom, because there’s no carpet for them to warm their feet, and I don’t know – it just seems like an uninviting room to me as far as kittens go. The new guys seem to like it just fine, though. One of them expressed his approval yesterday morning by peeing on the floor under the bed, little brat.
oooh, i LOVE mckittens! is mcmao pronounced “mc-mayo”? cause that’s HILARIOUS!
That IS funny, but no – the Mao part of McMao rhymes with cow. At least, that’s how I’m pronouncing it – I’m hoping that’s how you meant it, MsDarkstar!
I notice your cats have large collar attachments. Are these for an underground fence or a cat door?
The collars are for an underground fence – only Sugarbutt, Tommy, Joe Bob, Jake, and Elwood wear the collars. Aside from Maxi and Newt, the other cats who go outside – Miz Poo, Spanky, and Kara – have never attempted to go over the fence, so we feel safe in leaving them collarless. When she first started going outside, Kara wore a collar, but like I said, she’s never attempted to go over the fence.
It’s actually a little silly for us to put a collar on Elwood, since he doesn’t go outside (we’ve taken him out into the back yard once or twice, but he’s scared and immediately runs right back inside). I’m sure he’ll figure it out sooner or later, and it’s best to be prepared.
What are you going to do about the momma cat, will you still try and trap her so she can be spayed?
I’ll tell you all up front that this is not a story with a happy ending. I know some of you read this site with your kids, so you may want to skip down to the pictures.
When Fred got to work yesterday morning, he went over to check the trap. There was a medium-haired tuxedo cat inside the trap, and he loaded the trap into the car and called me. It was too early to call the vet’s office, so I told him to put the trap in a corner of his office, put a towel over it, and try to keep his office quiet. He said she was pretty wild when he approached the trap, and that she didn’t look well.
When the vet’s office opened, I called and talked to one of the women who works there. She told me to go ahead and bring the cat in, so I drove to Fred’s office, he loaded the trap (cat and all) into my car, and I got my first look at the girl who’d given us Mike, Gus, Violet, Veruca, and this new litter. Fred was right, she didn’t look well at all. There was blood around her nose – both dried and fresh – her coat was ratty, her eyes were clouded.
The shape she was in blew me away. I didn’t – still don’t – know how on earth her kittens could be in such stunningly good shape (well fed, immaculately clean) when she was in that condition.
I was worried that we’d gotten the wrong cat, so Fred held up the trap a little bit so I could try to see if she was clearly a nursing mother. I wasn’t really able to see anything, so off I went to the vet’s office.
Once there, I talked further to the women who worked there, told them her story, and that I feared she was likely positive for FIV. Given that the Wonkas had tested positive initially, I was pretty sure she had to be positive as well. They got her out of the back of my car and took her to the back. They needed to sedate her before they could take the blood to do the test, so the nurse gave her a dose of sedative.
Fifteen minutes later, they reported that she was still bright-eyed. They waited another ten minutes, then gave her a second dose of the sedative. Fifteen minutes later, still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. They decided that they’d try to get the blood from her, since surely the sedative must have had SOME effect, but (I didn’t witness this, they told me afterward), she was as full of energy as any cat they’d seen. They said she actually bounced so high she just about hit the ceiling – so needless to say, they weren’t able to get blood from her yet.
They gave her a dose of a different sedative, and waited for it to work. This time it did, and they were able to draw blood.
Ten minutes later, the vet came to give me the news – she was FIV positive. I had hoped that by some fluke she might test negative, but wasn’t surprised at the news.
Please know that I didn’t make this decision lightly: I asked them to euthanize her.
Had she been negative, I would have had her spayed and her ear tipped, treated her for whatever made her look so ill, and released her. But releasing her, knowing that she was positive, would have been irresponsible on my part. Though FIV doesn’t spread as easily as FeLV, it is still transmissible to other cats, and I couldn’t put an FIV+ cat out there to potentially infect other cats.
They asked if I wanted to sit with her while they euthanized her, and I said no. At the time, I was thinking that since she was so feral and scared, having another person there would just serve to scare her more. I paid and left.
On the way home, I realized that she was probably so sedated that she wouldn’t have been very aware of my presence, and I regret that I didn’t stay. I wish I had. She didn’t deserve to die alone.
I can – and will – honor her memory by taking the best possible care of her kittens until they’re older, and then they’ll be adopted into homes where they’ll be cherished.
Previously
2009: I don’t know what on earth ever made him think that my desire for plastic surgery has anything at all to do with the level of love he might feel for me, silly man, but bless his big bald pointed head for giving it the ol’ college try.
2008: Sadie’s like the older, tolerant sister who puts up with the brat.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No doubt she wishes I’d leave her the hell alone and just let her SLEEP, GODDAMNIT.
2004: I’m known for my dumbassery, though.
2003: Get your cart OVER TO THE SIDE SO I CAN GET PAST YOUR STUPID ASS.
2002: Good riddance to boring characters, I say.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.
Aww. That’s sad about the poor mama kitty.Makes me wish people would spay and neuter their dang pets.
Those babies are absolutely adorable!
I agree.
And good for you for caring enough to help her. Who knows would have happened if you hadn’t 🙁
Good decision, if a sad one for you to have to make. The kittens look in wonderful shape – have fun with them.
How sad about the momma cat. But, you did the right thing in my opinion. I’ve had to put a couple of the ferals that hang out in the area to sleep as well because they tested positive. Heartbreaking. Are you going to take the kittens in to be tested?
Diane, I expect that what happened with the Wonkas (they initially tested positive, but then negative on the re-test) will also happen with these guys.
Ok, maybe not a happy ending, but the right ending. Poor little thing.
I’m almost ashamed to admit this but when people were tossing out names for those BEEYOOTEEFUL kitties, I didn’t think of The Beatles. Oh no, I thought of the APOSTLES: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. DORK. But now this morning I see their blue eyes and I thought of the Rat Pack: Frank, Dean, Sammy, Joey. Fred will come up with good names, I’m sure.
I hope you have Clancy on your list of Irish names because that just cracks me up for some reason.
Those kitties look so happy; they look they they are smiling!!
I like the Apostle idea-I don’t find it dorky-those are great classic names. I do love the rat pack-I am picturing the kittens in cool hats with a little sdeways thing goin’ on.
A brave decision and the right one. Well done.
Those kittens are beautiful 🙂
It’s very sad but you made the right decision. I have no doubt that you always do the right thing when it comes to cats, or any animal for that matter.
Hey, Robyn, you made the right choice — the best choice for the mama cat and for the feline populations at large.
And she didn’t die alone; she was in the hands of some very compassionate vets and vet techs. I’m sure they took good, kind care of her as she passed.
I’m sorry you had to make such a sad decision but it was absolutely the right one. We need more caring and responsible people like you and Fred. The kittens are totally adorable.
{{{hugs}}}
Robyn, you did the right thing. FIV cats can really suffer, and it’s amazing that she was able to have two litters of healthy kittens—you remember that litter of deformed FIV kittens I found, right? I had to euthanize all of them, it was a disaster, so sad. Anyway, FIV can be OK if they are still in good health but once they start the decline, it is a terrible way to go. You did the right thing, even though it was a heart-breaker. Cat rescue is not always happy endings, as we all know. The really tough stuff comes along with the joy. Just like the rest of life.
I send you love and hugs. xoxoxo
Oh and PS, to your “She didn’t deserve to die alone” note… Like you suspected, she probably would have preferred to be alone, most hard-feral cats do not like being around people. Again, the right choice (although a tough one). xoxoxo
Robyn,
Left a note yesterday in your comments about the new Shelter Challenge at the Animal Rescue Site.
Have a great day.
Thanks for posting what happened even if it wasn’t the best news. It’s good to hear the bad with the good with fostering cats – otherwise I tend to romanticize fostering and think it’s all just snuggles. You did more for that mama cat than most people would have. I hope you get lots and lots of snuggles today from the babies!
You made the right decision. By the sound of the cat questions you highlighted in your post it seems that you have some new readers and soon they’ll come to realize that your the best cat mom ever and always do the right thing for all cats–yours or not!
All you do, you are definitely getting a corner office in Heaven.
You’re a wonderful person.
Hear, hear.
Robyn you have such a loving heart. That sweet Mama cat was not alone,she was surrounded by people that have dedicated their lives to caring for animals. What you did, and the decisions you made, were difficult I know,but I honestly believe, the Mama cat and her babies were placed in your path for a very specific reason. I feel blessed to “know” you Robyn you are a kind,caring,warm and wonderful woman who is leading thru example on how to affect change by caring for the creatures that cannot do it for themselves.
xx Jenn
You did the right thing with mom cat. I’ve had to do the same, but not before I learned the hard way one stray FeLV cat can infect your other cats. The last two I have now are positive, and I refuse to have any other cats until these have lived out their lives.
You mentioned mom cat being feral — I once fed a feral cat for months, and she’d sit beside me but if I tried to pick her up, whew! Not a pretty picture. I finally did trap her, take her to the vet for spaying. The vet had to use one of those deals that fit over the cat’s head/mouth in order to even approach her! Said the cat was the most feral they’d ever had. However, once spayed and back here, she settled down a lot and stayed outside, but didn’t roam. Still couldn’t pick her up, but she’d sit beside me on the porch!
Those are some of the most gorgeous kittens I’ve ever seen! Cute, cute faces! (Of course, I’m partial to gray striped tabbies!)
First, I am so sorry about mamma kitty. Sounds like you made the right decision. She wasn’t alone when she died. The people who do it are usually very gentle and kind when they do it. She didn’t know you. Didn’t have any attachment to you. So its ok. I don’t even want to think about how she got in that condition.
The important thing is that she is free of all that right now, and the babies are taken care of.
🙂
Aw, I know that was a hard decision to make, but you guys do so many good things for the cat population in your neck of the woods, and sometimes, that means letting one go. So sad though. She sure made some gorgeous kittens! This new batch is just stunning. If I lived near you, I’d have my eye on any one of them for sure!
I agree w/everyone else that it was the right thing for the Moma cat to go to the Rainbow Bridge. Thank God for the many joyful moments of fostering/pet ownership in general -they overshadow the painful ones.
Egads, those kittens are ADORABLE!!! Robyn, could the blood on the mama cat’s nose have been from eating the fresh mackeral? Just wonderin…
Robin, it was actually canned mackerel, not fresh. It’s possible that the blood on her nose could have been from trying to get out of the trap, though, now that I think about it.
My comments on cats being allowed to roam: Growing up, we always had cats. They were always indoor/outdoor cats. The litter box was in the garage, they were let in and out of the house whenever they wanted. They roamed in and out of neighbors’ yards, usually no more than a house away. They were fixed, had all their shots, were well fed and taken care of, most slept in the bed with me (we never had more than 3 at once). They usually lived at least 12 years, with one siamese living to be 18 years old. In fact, a couple lived so long that they went deaf. Then one went blind. All from old age. They were happy, friendly, great cats. I don’t think cats have to be confined to live long lives. And trying to lock up Maxi and Newt at this point would make them miserable. You’re doing the right thing.
Oh poor kitty- she didn’t die alone, though- the vet and probably an assistant was with her. My sister worked at an animal clinic for years as a vet’s assistant, and they always had someone hold the cat while the vet performed euthanasia. Most people who work at clinics are animal lovers, so I am sure they pet her as she passed away.
You deserve to be commended for all the good you do. Euthanizing mama was difficult for you, but you know it was the responsible thing to do. You tried everything within your power to help her. Enjoy those kittens. They are absolutely precious.
You did the right thing by making a difficult decision. Poor thing is better off now, but I’m still a little weepy. & now she can live on through those adorable babies. How old do they have to be before they get tested?
Robyn, you did the right thing. I’m glad she’s in a better place now and healthy and running around in the bright sunshine. Maybe she’ll see my Shorty, Doc and Kramer up there…..
Yes, Robyn, the “Mao” in McMao was, in my thinking, rhyming with “cow”.
What a great mama she was. She kept her kittens well fed and clean. And put them where they would be found and loved and given a chance for a great life. What a selfless creature she was. I grieve for her. How vey strong you must be to be able to do what needed to be done.
Ah Robyn, you must not doubt your actions. You always follow your instincts and they are always correct. Momma did not die alone, she died with caring people in a safe place and out of pain. She knew what she was doing both times she brought the kittens to Fred’s office, don’t think that was by accident. By having her kittens spayed and neutered and adopted you broke her sad cycle and I know she is grateful. Now she can have a carefree ‘life’ in the sun with other kitties who now have no worries. You absolutely did the right thing. And, I agree, those are just beautiful kitties.
I will cry some tears for Momma but also be happy knowing she did not have to suffer a terrible end and that her furbabies will get wonderful homes and make some lucky people very happy. Love ya.
You did the right thing by MommaCat. Death from the disease would have been far worse and because of you and Fred, her kittens (2 batches) will go on to have wonderful lives.
And I don’t know about you havin’ a corner office in Heaven. I rather suspect they’ll have you take the position of Most Exalted Greeter at the Rainbow Bridge!
**BIG HUGS**
That’s so sad about mama cat… 🙁 You did the right thing, though. She birthed some darlin’ little babies!
My cats are *mostly* indoor. Come Spring/Summer they want OUT! They always stick close to home though. And I’ve trained them all so that when I whistle, they all come flying from different directions. It’s funny!
I think by putting collars on Maxi & Newt at this point would be mean. They are clearly well taken care of by you & Fred. They should get to roam whenever/wherever they want! 😀
Poor mama cat. She sure did give the World a couple of batches of DANG cute kitties though. Those little faces just tear me up! So precious 🙂
The story of the mama cat reduced me to tears. (I’m an emotional person by nature, so it doesn’t take much to get me misty-eyed.)
The mama cat is in a better place, and those kittens could not have ended up in a better (temporary) home.
You and Fred are truly special people.
.. Sometimes it just SUCKS, even when you are doing the right thing…But Poor Momma Kitty does leave a beautiful legacy… Her beautiful babies…
xoxo
PEOPLE suck. YOU and FRED are angels. Mama cat died gently and peacefully and is no longer in pain. Her babies either already have or will have wonderful lives.
Dear God, Robyn, you really don’t know how special you are, do you? The rest of the world does NOT care the way you and Fred do. I’m just so glad the both of you are there to remind us of what the meaning of love really is.
You and Fred are wonderful people. I know you hate the recognition but WOW- I am in awe. I now have to do my make up again because I am sitting here thinking about all of my pets that I have had that have died and it’s tearing me up again. Thanks for all that you do.
And now I’m sad. I would have made the same decision, but would have cried about it anyway, having only laid eyes on her one time. Then I would be angry at the humans who are undoubtedly responsible for her being out there and in that condition in the first place. I’m glad that she is no longer suffering, and her kittens are safe.
(I had to put down my beloved 18 year old Baby last year (and may be facing this decision with another elderly resident soon), so pardon my emotions.)