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.