In a moment of inspiration last night, T recalled we still had the old cat tower out in the garage. We figured our two cats are such outdoor cats nowdays, it was a shame not to put it to good use... so in it came and was placed in the 'Foster Zone'.

Checkin' out da new crib...

It took a long time for the kittens to get used to it... all of a few seconds until they were gleefully testing the rope poles out for climbing, and half an hour later, after much exercise on their part, we entered to the room to find them all curled up fast asleep in their new playpad. No more blanket-lined cardboard boxes for these little tykes. ;)

On another note... little Spook now only keeps his nickname as a sideways joke regarding his colour... he doesn't shy away from sudden movements or attempts at strokes any more... totally settled and more than willing to rev up the 2-stroke purr motor any time a hand even hints at coming near him. Today, he happily settled back on the top layer of the tower and licked my fingers for almost 10 minutes before the tickles became too much for me and I had to pull away. -lol-

The fuzzbuckets don't know it yet, but they are booked in for desexing next Tuesday... I sure hope they will forgive us for this horrendous betrayal of their biological rights... but it won't change a thing if they don't.

What a difference a weekend makes...

This weekend I had to scoot off to a camp with Mr10's Cub troup. Before I left I had a chance to play with our foster furballs, and as usual, Spook was more willing to hide than play. I am not sure why, but these kittens seem to be somewhat androphobic (scared of males) as they react far better to my partner than to me or our boys. (OK, the kids I can somewhat understand - noise, fast movements, rough handling, etc).

Upon my return, I was regaled with tales of how much progress had been made... but even so, it was a surprise this morning when I climbed out of the shower and found that as well as the usual 'three girls want to play in the shower box' situation, little Spook came wandering over and not only willingly walked up to me and sniffed my hand, but then started to rub his cheeks against my fingers, then sidle side-on so I could stroke his back.

His little 2-stroke purr motor was going full-volume within seconds and he was loving the back scratches, with his back legs up on tip-toes and rather forceful shovings making sure I scratched right where he wanted it. HUGE progress indeed!

Seems there are very promising signs of hope for him after all... I was worried he wouldn't show signs of socialising before the decision had to be made whether to invest in de-sexing or not bother on the grounds he probably wouldn't be adoptable. Chances are looking good that he'll go to the vet and return "2 stones lighter" and thus be eligible for adoption by a loving, gentle family or a retired person/couple. I still don't think he'll be suited for a rough'n'tumble household.

One on One - Part 2

Just a few photos from yesterday's One on One session with the lighter and bigger of the two tabby girls. I've now done short One on Ones with all but lil Spook (who, this morning, came running over with the girls for pats and started up a loud purr within seconds of me starting to pat him!), so will put up more photos within the next day or two, if I can squeeze in a bit more spare time.

For now, the photos:

Watching the mini-human to make sure he doesn't get TOO close!

IT.TOUCHED.ME!!!!!!!!!

Oh hi, watcha doin???

So far, this girl seems to be the most placid of the 4 kittens. She's ever so slightly more willing to be picked up for a cuddle, and had a higher tolerance of our boisterous 2yr old. Definitely the most relaxed too during their times out of the washhouse.

One on one

Going in to feed everyone this morning, I got even more purrs from lil Spook, who, once I started patting him, seemed to really like his back stroked rather roughly (so does the smaller, darker of the tabby girls for that matter). He has quite a loud wee purr when he gets started!

After they'd all had a chance to fill their bellies and use the dirtbox, I decided to take the bigger, lighter of the tabby girls out for a bit of one on one time, to see how she went. First we went for a wander outside, but that was still a wee bit too freaky, so back inside to the bedroom. I left the door open so she still had plenty of room to explore, but she spent most of the time in the bedroom where I was, even when Mr2 kept coming running in, babbling at top volume as he does, trying to give her cuddles and kisses (and making his toy dog give her kisses too!). I was actually rather surprised at how well she handled his behaviour... occasionally she'd run away, but most of the time she'd just sit there, eyeing him with crazy-kitten-want-to-play eyes, and let him pat and kiss her! She didn't even try and run away when Doggy was made to give her a kiss! I have a feeling this wee girl would cope rather well in a family home, even with small children around.
Chasing flies, attacking the mat by the door, exploring the room, and jumping on and off the bed kept her occupied while I got a few photos, then she dashed off to the washhouse, which was shut to keep her siblings in, and started giving a squeaky little miaow. Figuring that meant asking for the dirtbox, or maybe she'd just had enough, I popped her back into the washhouse with the others.

Later today I might bring one or two of the others out for a one on one session, otherwise will do that over the next few days, but I will put a post up later tonight with some of the photos from the session with lil miss Tabby.

Little steps...

... bring about purrs and licks!

Well, it's been 8 days since the latest litter of foster kittens came to stay, and progress is slowly being made. All 3 girls are happily settled and will start purring at the slightest of touches, sometimes if you even go NEAR them without actually touching, they'll start up their little motors. Although they definitely love attention though, they are still showing no signs of  being interested in actual cuddles. Everytime they're picked up, they give you an indignant look, and start to struggle to be put down on the floor again. It may just be just a kitten thing, but maybe not. They are very well toilet trained with using their dirtbox (but MAN can those 4 furballs POOP! And they always seem to have to do the smelliest ones when one of us is in the washhouse too.. esp if we're in the shower! UGH!), and know the sound of the food bowl being filled, although we are learning to fill it up OUTSIDE of the washhouse, because otherwise they have an annoying habit of trying to get to the food before you've even put the bowl down... and they often have no problems using human limbs to assist them in reaching their goal! NOT COMFORTABLE!

Little black man however, who has now been nicknamed Spook because of his rather timid personality, is going to take quite a bit more time I think before he becomes as friendly as his sisters. BUT! He is definitely making progress! I've had several days in a row now when I've been able to approach him, with him staying relaxed and letting me pat him... even starting to purr! The 1st 2 days he started letting me pat him without freaking out and running away, he licked me. The next 2 days I got purring, but no licking. Today... I got both! He's also gotten to the point where he will continue playing with his sisters when I come in... my appearance before always sent him scuttling as fast as his little legs could take him to his preferred hiding spot between the washing machine and cupboards. Now, he'll sit/lie still and just watch me, looking pretty relaxed, or, if he was racing around being an idiot with the girls, he'll look at me, then continue. So this wee man is definitely coming along nicely... but I don't think he's going to be a quick "easy tame" case like his sisters.

It's these small steps and little tidbits of hard won progress though that make me love this whole fostering adventure! Watching this uncertain soul start to emerge from his shell, letting a human near, then letting one pat him.. responding with licks and purrs... it's these rewards that make the heartache from times like the last litter easier to bear.
With all 4 kittens though, we've noticed they seem to react differently to me than they do to my Partner. It makes me wonder if they (or at least the wee boy, Spook) have been abused in the past before coming to the SPCA, and if so, if it involved a male. They all seem more hesitant about letting my partner interact with them, and Spook doesn't seem to relax at all when he's in the room. They are slowly learning not to run away though when our 2yr old comes in wanting to give them pats, but still a little freaked by him (not surprised.. he's rather full on!). They have also met our 2 cats, from a distance. There was a bit of hissing and growling... but it was more from our boys than the kittens. The little black and white girl turned out to be the boldest of the 4 in regards to the other cats and wanted to go and say hi.

I will try and get some new photos up in the next couple of days, now that they're a bit more settled, and hopefully a few more days will bring about some more good progress with lil Spook. :o)

Trying again!

4 new furry faces have entered our home! We received a call from the Waikato SPCA yesterday, saying they had a Mother cat and 4 kittens who needed fostering, just for a couple of weeks as the kittens were up to weight, but were a little on the anti-social side. After the heartache caused by what happened last time, we were somewhat hesitant, but decided to give it another go. So while I was in town running a few errands, K made the trip to the SPCA to pick up the new foster, but when I came home, there were only the 4 kittens, and no Mumma. Apparently poor Mumma cat was in desperate need of a break from her 4 little terrors, err, children, and had even gone and wedged herself in the tiniest ledge as high as she could get, so the kittens couldn't get to her! Poor girl! K said as soon as the kittens were taken out of the enclosure, she hopped down to the bigger platform, chirrped, then curled up and started purring. Yep.. definitely sounded like she was in real need of a bit of P&Q!

Once the kids were in bed, and the washhouse had been freshened up with a quick scrub over, we took the boxes into the washhouse and opened them up... then sat back to see what would happen. Two sweet little tabbies were the first to poke their noses out of the boxes, taking a couple of minutes to look around, eyeing us a little warily, before they jumped out and started exploring. Next came a slightly shyer black and white kitten, leaving an almost pure black (with the tiniest hint of white on his chest) boy sitting in the box, not at all keen to come out. We ended up picking him up, giving him a little cuddle, then he went for a wander too.
With a dirtbox sorted, they all promptly went and used it, then had a feed before we left them to it for a while. Going back in later, I found it was the tabby girls who were the most curious, and most likely to come over and have a cautious sniff at me, whereas the black and white girl was more interested in wandering around, but was semi ok with me reaching out to pat her back (but not her head) as long as I went slowly. The pure black boy however, wanted nothing more than to hide, and it wasn't long before he found the previous foster mumma cat's preferred hiding spot... beside, or behind, the washing machine.
This morning the dirtbox had been well used again... good little babies! The black boy and one of the tabbies were curled up asleep on top of the washing machine, and the boy decided to try and make a dive for it behind it as soon as I walked in. Taking things slow, and talking quietly, he changed his mind and just watched me instead. The tabby girls ended up jumping around on my feet, playing with my skirt, and even the black and white girl willingly came over to say hi. Breakfast was biscuits, with the boy being fed on the washing machine, since he refused to come down. He even let me pat him a little while he ate... a small step in the right direction!
I visited them again later, and ended up with both tabby girls purring while I stroked them, although they weren't too keen on actually being cuddled, but they did love being stroked. Again, the black and white girl was willing to be patted, but is definitely the quieter and shyer of the 3 girls... although later she proved she was still a nutty kitten as she raced around and around in circles in the box we'd given them as a bed, chasing her tail! This time the boy even pushed back into my hand when I tried to pat him, so although I think he'll definitely be the one who needs the most work, I'm pretty sure it'll be easy enough to get him a lot friendlier and more sociable. He reminds me so much of how the first foster Mumma cat was when we first got her! So we'll just take it slow.
With regular visits to the washhouse to visit our guests, including some time spent making a lot of loud banging noises etc when I was cleaning out the rat cage gear in there (during which, the black boy stayed curled up between the cupboards and washing machine, watching me quietly, but not showing any signs of panic or stress, and all 3 girls just kept sleeping in the box, with only an occasional glance in my direction if I banged extra loudly), I've already noticed signs of improvement in all 4 kittens. I have a feeling the girls won't be lap cats... they enjoy the attention, and will happily come over for a pat, but as soon as you pick them up for a cuddle, they'll let you have a minute's cuddle, then they politely ask to be let down with rather pointed looks at the floor and a hint of a struggle.

So that's our first day and a bit with the new foster kittens... so now it's time to introduce them.

The sweet but slightly shy black and white girl.

Look at those pretty eyes!!

The tabby girls... doing what the previous foster kittens used to LOVE doing... racing up and down the net curtain covering the washhouse door! The wee torti kitten from the earlier litter had helped make this hole large enough to climb through... and now this tabby girl has helped enlarge it further!

The larger and paler of the two tabbies. Don't let that sweet face fool you... she's an adorable bundle of mischief! She's usually the one to come and sit on my feet or start attacking my skirt first, and has a gorgeous spotted wee belly

A couple of photos of all 3 girls together:

The smaller, darker tabby girl on the far left, and her paler, larger sister, shown in the previous photo, in the middle.

Darker, smaller tabby is the one in the box in this photo.

And lastly, the handsome, but rather timid black boy, who makes me think there is siamese or something similar somewhere in either of his parents' blood. In one of his favourite spots... between the cupboards and washing machine.. the other being ON the washing machine.