underworld kitty update

[Drazan]

Several months ago I found out there were kittens underneath my house. Over the next couple months, I didn't see hide nore hair of them, so I assumed they moved on, found new homes, or were captured.

Just a couple days ago I saw one young and slightly fat calico wandering across the year. Lo and behold when I went to see what's up - the skittering little cat went back under the trailer through a hole that it pushed out between two pieces of skirting. Evidentially it is finding some food.

Sooo, dunno really what to do. All our attempts last year (http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28376) didn't work. Though I'm thinking of actually getting a live trap again and sitting out there until the cat does show up in it again. Except I don't really have much for spare funds to get a trap. And this little guy is super quick.

He's all calico in big splotches of orangy-brown and black with three little white feet (just on his toes) and a splotch of which across his left eye and face.

I don't know if there's anymore under there. But it's good to know at least one is alive. Hate to think of the mess downthere after all these months. :eek:

Jade

[morea]

Probably a female if it's calico - or if it's a male he's incredibly valuable.

I've had a lot of luck with a live trap. Sometimes you can borrow them from your local animal shelter or animal control department. Be careful though, because it is actually illegal in some places to trap animals without a license (fortunately I got off with a warning...).

You can bait the trap with any strong-smelling food, but you should check it every hour or so because an animal in a trap is helpless against predators.

Also, be very careful. One of the first animals we caught in our TNR efforts was a skunk with a taste for cat food. :eek:

[budafist]

If they have survived this long, maybe they are great hunters. Better they eat pests around your place than not. Why don't you just leave them? You will go elsewhere if they run out of food. He's obviously not stuck in there.

[Drazan]

Because he also poops under there? **holds nose** And there's other things worse than a wee kittie cat that roams around here. Loose dogs, squirrels, even once and a while a ferral cat (who was the former cat resident under the house). Also there's other strays that run around and I'd hate to be a contributor of the over population of strays by not helping this one out.

Plus it's not actually safe for the kittie to stay wild. I'd like him to at least get his shots, and get checked out. If the other boys (meeps & squeek) accept him, I'll probably keep him.

"He" also may be a "Her". Which leads to a whole nother problem and like I said I don't want to be a contributor of "wild breeding". which is how the wee kittie got stuck under the house to begin with.

I know I've got to do something. Just a matter of what that something is.

Jade

[Red Kittie Kat]

We have a few ferral cats around here too. Every now and then they start howling outside my window and it sets my poor kitties off .. they go bananas ;)

Good luck with everything :)

[Jam]

what are you going to do with him/her when you get it?

[Drazan]

If the two other cats I have accept the little kittie, then it's a keeper. :) A little worried because my cats can be a little possesive and like to wrestle.

If it doesn't work out, I will find a good home for it.

[morea]

if you catch him/her, be sure that you do not bring the cat into contact with your own cats until he has been tested for Feline Leukemia and Feline Aids (FIV). Those are both highly contagious and incurable diseases. They are not terribly common, but it's not worth the risk. In my rescue work, I did come across one beautiful black cat who was the sweetest thing you could imagine - I was going to keep him, but he came up FeLV positive, so I ended up taking him to a no-kill shelter that would place him in a special-needs home with no other cats. Your local animal shelter may provide discounted testing.

When you take him in for the test, if the test comes back negative and you do decide to keep him, that's a good time to have the rabies and distemper shots done. Also have him treated for worms and checked for ear mites. Fleas may or may not be a problem at this time of year. There is a medication (Frontline or Advantage or one of those other ones) that is supposed to treat ear mites as well as fleas... ask the vet about it - a one-time treatment like that is a lot easier than digging out the ears and putting ear drops into them twice a day (which is also not the best way to bond with a new kitty).

[Virgo Nightingale]

If this cat is indeed feral, he/she may not make a great pet. There's a certain window of time while they're kittens that they can more easily be socialized to humans. Beyond that window, they might not adjust well to human contact. I took in a stray kitten that was about 4-5 months old (a little beyond that window). He was very very skittish around people. I loved the guy, but he wasn't the most lovable pet. :(

[Drazan]

This weekend I'm borrowing a live trap from Paws & Claws to capture the kitty.

I'll be lining up a vet to take him/her to see right away to test for lukemia and feline aids. Then off to get regular shots and test for worms and such. I'll also be keeping the new kitty away from the other two during this process.

If squeeks and meeps accepts the new kitty this family will be grown +1 this week. Roommate approved too!

I saw the little one again. We stared at each other for about 5 minutes outside this weekend. He/She has the most beautiful Aquamarine eyes I've ever seen on a cat. Even 20ft away you could tell they were gorgeous.

The girl at Paws & Claws thinks that it's a girl. My two boys are neutered and eventually I'll need to get her in to be spaded, if the little one is a her.

>>> morea, any tips to introduce a cat to civilization?

Jade

[urstwile]

Good luck, Jade, I hope you're able to get the new kitty and the current kitties to like each other. :)

[Red Kittie Kat]

good luck Jade :)

[Jam]

any news? did the the great Drazan, tracker, rescuer and trapper of the plains capture her target? did stealth and a cunning plan defeat her foe?

[Tea]

I was so confused when I saw your current avatar Jade. I was sure it was you that had the kitty problem, but I kept thinking D-Frag was writing it because of the picture. Oh, my brain hurts.

[Red Kittie Kat]

Aww Tea are you feeling ok?


:D

[Virgo Nightingale]

Problem, Tea? :confused:

[morea]

That's great news about the kitty. Adaptation really depends on the individual cat and you do kind of have to play it by ear. It's going to depend in part on whether the cat is stray or if it is really feral.

You could check your local library for a copy of The Stray Cat Handbook (http://www.amazon.ca/Stray-Cat-Handbook-Tamara-Kreuz/dp/0876051468); that's a good resource.

I am really glad to hear that you're bringing him/her to the vet before bringing him into contact with Squeeks and Meeps. Some people don't think of that, and it can cause lots of havoc.

There are several different reactions you can expect once you trap the kitty. Some panic and leap against the sides of the cages. Others sit as still as a stone statue. Some will hiss at you because they feel cornered, and some will pace back and forth like a tiger in a zoo. Some will actually act curious and will walk around exploring. Try not to judge the cat's personality based on how he is acting in the trap, or even at first when he is released. At this point, he's scared, and probably not acting like himself. I would not even try to get the cat out of the cage for the trip to the vet, because he might escape while you're trying to move him into a cat carrier... and once he has been trapped he might be more wary of approaching the trap again. You should be able to safely pick the trap up with him inside it and take it to the vet's like that.

After you get done at the vet's and bring the cat home, the first thing that I would recommend is that you don't introduce the new kitty to the others right away. Cats can be very territorial, and the new one has to get used to being in a house (it actually might help that he has been living under the house...) AND get used to being around strange cats - it's a lot to ask of him all at once. Even with a normal (well-adjusted cat) introduction it's usually best to put the new cat into a room by himself for a couple of days and let him get used to the smells and sounds of the house. That also gives the other cats a chance to get used to his scent. They can sniff each other under the crack in the door (another reason why it's a good thing that you're taking him right to the vet) but they shouldn't be able to hurt each other that way. Just put the new cat into a quiet room with a SMALL amount of food and water and a litter box (I've never had to "train" a cat to use a litter box, they seem to do it instinctively). Be sure to "cat-proof" the room before you release the cat from the cage - I'd remove any houseplants, remove or secure any electrical cords, stuff like that. The cat may be more comfortable hiding under the bed at first. I generally release them and leave them alone for a few hours. Sometimes I leave a sweatshirt or something in the room with them so that they can get used to my scent. Depending on how wild the cat is, he might prefer to do his initial explorations alone.

To help get him used to your presence, you can sit in the room and read for a while, or stay in the room while you feed him. It's usually better to let the cat come to you than it is to go to him at first, especially if he seems frightened. If after a day or two he does not approach you, you can approach him very slowly and carefully, sometimes a treat will help, but I would stop if he flinches like he's going to run away. It's hard to be that patient, but it does facilitate the bonding experience.

Especially because this cat is a stray, I would suggest that you feed him two meals a day instead of leaving food down. Stray cats who are presented with a large dish of dry food to pick at all day can make themselves VERY sick, because they are used to not knowing where their next meal will come from, and upon seeing food available they will often eat until they are almost about to explode. They may eat so much that they throw up, and then go right back to eating. A few small meals during the day is easier on their system.

Once you've got a clean bill of health from the vet and have given the new cat several days to get used to the house and have gaged how he is responding to you and to the other cats (under the door) you can begin the process of introducing him to the other cats in the household. Let me post more information about that in a minute.

[morea]

If you've got some time to read, there's some good information about the introduction process posted here (http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=41653).

How old is the new cat, approximately? Catnip makes some cats mellow, but it makes other cats really hyper. It also does not really have an effect on cats under 6 months old, and I've heard that if a cat is exposed to it before he is 6 months old he may be immune to its effects later in life. I can't remember where I heard that, so I don't know if it has been proven or if it is just a theory.

When you have him at the vet's office, you might want to ask if someone can trim his claws for you. The vet and vet techs know all sorts of different restraining holds to use on cats, and they can work together to get it done. I think that it would be a good idea to trim his nails before he comes into contact with you, your cats, or your house, but by the same token it's something that you probably don't want to do yourself. That's not to say that you couldn't do it - just that until he knows you and is comfortable with you it might be better if he associates the scary things with someone other than you.

When I was trying to win over some of my really wild ferals, I confined them each to a large dog crate, and I would sometimes wrap them up in a towel (lay the towel flat, place the cat on the towel, then wrap the towel securely around the cat leaving only the head free) and sit and hold them for a little while (10-15 minutes at a time). Since they were wrapped snugly, they felt secure and also could not scratch me up too badly. I would sit and talk to them and pet them on the forehead in hopes that they would learn to trust me and enjoy being with a person. Depending on how wild the cat is, you might try this, or if he's not too bad you might just skip this step.

At this point, the cats have had several days to come to terms with each other, but they probably have not seen one another. You can try a few different things here, depending on how well things are going and how quickly you think it is safe to move forward.

You can start feeding the cats at meal time on either side of the door - so that the new cat is beside the door in his room, then close the door and feed Squeeks and Meeps on the other side of it. You might want to give that a try for a few days. Be sure to give all 3 cats positive attention after an interaction, particularly Squeeks and Meeps so that they don't feel like they have been replaced and resent the newcomer.

After they have had a chance to get used to each other's presence, you can start allowing supervised exploring. It might be best if you could close Squeeks and Meeps into another room, and just open the door to the new cat's room. After a little while he will probably creep out of the room and start sniffing around and exploring the house. Let him do that for a while, then take him back to his room. When you let Squeeks and Meeps back out, they will probably do the same thing to investigate the new cat's scent. Lots of love and petting is often appreciated at this point, and possibly a treat, too.

At some point you will want to let the cats see each other. You can open the door and let them look at each other if you are so inclined. I believe that it's generally best to bring the new cat into the other cats' territory instead of bringing them into his. That's partly because he needs to know that they are welcome there and if he has territorial feelings about his room he might try to chase them off, and it's partly so that his room still feels like a safe retreat for him. When they see each other, there may be lots of growling and hissing, but as long as they don't actually try to fight it is fine to let that continue for a little while. Always separate the cats before they have a chance to come to blows. (When you are doing this, you might want to have a spray bottle or a can of compressed air handy - it's never good to reach into a cat fight to try to break it up. A loud noise or sudden blast of water is usually sufficient to send everybody back to their corners.) As they get used to seeing each other, they should gradually stop behaving this way.

The next step is supervised interactions. Let the new guy out, and just watch to see what happens. He might hide, or the others might follow him at a distance, watching to see what he does. As long as there are no fights, things are moving along well. If there are fights, send everybody back to their corners.

Finally, when they all seem comfortable with one another and there are no fights, you can release the new guy from his room permanently.

It sounds like a very time consuming process, and it can be - if can be much more difficult when working with ferals than with other cats - but it's usually something that can be accomplished within a month, so remind yourself that it's only temporary. Additionally, sometimes the cats involved just take to one another naturally and things fall into place very quickly. I hope that's how it happens for you.

If you have any other questions I would be happy to try to help. Good luck! ;)

[Drazan]

Thanks for the info!

I don't think the cat is feral as I saw it playing in leavees this weekend. Plus I've never heard it meow, yeowl or any noise what so ever.

[morea]

I'm just using the term "feral" to mean that it is was born wild and has no experience in living with people. Not all strays are feral: a stray may have been a pet at some point. A feral has limited, if any, experience with people, so he could have more trouble adjusting than a stray. Some are quiet as mice, some adjust really easily, and some are really too wild to keep as pets.

(In those cases, TNR - trap, neuter, release - programs are often helpful to prevent a feral cat colony from taking over the area. For more info about feral cats and TNR, check out Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org). They are an excellent resource for anyone dealing with feral cats.)

It doesn't sound like that's the case with your cat. I really hope that it goes smoothly for you. :)

[Drazan]

I have an appointment next saturday. The clinics were full this weekend. I think I'll pick up the trap and try for Friday night. If I catch her then she'll be all spruced up on Saturday morning.

$110 for the Leukemia and FIV as well as the first set of shots for rabies and distemper, and the first checkup.

I've purchased a few cans of wet food to leave out this week to get her used to it. I think I'll leave out 1/2 cans since she's still small. Then when she has the can in the trap - perhaps it will be easier to trap her.

Friday night- I'll probably be up late then check the trap every half to every hour if I don't get her out right away.

Everyone so far thinks that the little one is a She. Now I have to think of a name! And I'm terrible with names. I'm sure her personality will quantify a name up soon.

[Drazan]

***UPDATE***

That one slightly fat cat I saw --- already was a new momma.

The result is that the underground kitties had kittens of their own.

**sigh**

however they be absolutely cute!

This one has a very distinct mustache!
http://drazan.com/shared/photos/underground/kittie1.jpg

This one of the same kitten has momma watching in the background.
http://drazan.com/shared/photos/underground/kittie3.jpg

This is the other two. One grey tabby and one pure black.
http://drazan.com/shared/photos/underground/kittir2.jpg

Here's the momma and one of them.
http://drazan.com/shared/photos/underground/kittie_momma.jpg

I'm taking a whole week off to rescue all of them.

If the momma is too wild, I'll consult with Paws & Claws and see if they can get her spaded and released. She's fine under the house...I guess.

I can approach to about 5-6 feet away. I've been making sure that they have fresh water and some food (canned). The little ones are eating out of the dish. So with permission of the rommie - they will become part of the family, space and patience willing.

[budafist]

WOW. They're still going. How many in the kittie family?

[Red Kittie Kat]

aww they are so cute ... I hope you can find them homes.

[tuliptree]

Aww, they are really cute. Good luck Drazan!

[Riefnu]

Kittens!

[Drazan]

There's three kittens and the momma. The other one, momma's brother, hasn't been around for a few weeks.

So my first priority is to make sure that the kittens are taken care of, then the momma and see if the brother is still around and have him taken care of too. The kittens, if accepted by my other two will have a home here. The momma will too, if she is acceptable to live indoors and with the other cats.

Then all I have to do is save up for the vet bills. Something like $500 just to get them all checked out and first shots.

I'm blocking off the back half of the house for their initial space (hallway and bathroom area). And then will introduce them to Meeps and Squeeks.

Sqeeks is absolutely fascinated with them. He's constantly at the windows keeping an eye out and races from one window to the other just to see them. I've also caught him trying to talk with them. Which is really funning since all he does is form half meows and squeak and they just look at him like he's nuts.

Meeps probably won't care too much as long as they don't bother him with their antics. Meeps is actually a pretty sociable cat to other cats. He's the one they had "free" at paws & claws.

I should have taken a picture of the one with a mustache while he was eating. He had one paw on one side of the dish and the other one the other side of the dish and face first in the food. lol

Well I'm off to fill up their water and such for the morning.
Jade

[urstwile]

What cuties! Good luck with them Jade, and good for you for taking care of them. :)

[Drazan]

Sometime between late last night and early this morning - meepers is lost!

I tried looking under and in all his normal hidy-holes (in the closets, under the beds etc) and no meeps.

I haven't lost a cat since squeeks got himself wedged in the closet a couple months ago.

<<< is worried

[Red Kittie Kat]

aww no :(

Could he have gotten outside?

[garricks]

:eek: *sends good thoughts*

Hope meepers shows up safe and sound by the time you read this.

[Drazan]

He could have possibly gotten outside, but we've had the door open many times and he's never gone through it.

I think he was here last night while I was cooking dinner. But that was after a long day at the zoo and I don't quite remember!

I have hamburgers cooking right now and that's when he is usually right underfoot meeping at me...and yet no meepers.

I'm really worried.

[budafist]

Maybe Meepers has teamed up with the wild kitties and he's taking a walk on the wild side?

[urstwile]

Awww, I hope Mr. Meeps is okay, Jade. :(

[Virgo Nightingale]

Oh no!! Hope Meepers finds his way back home!! :(

[Drazan]

Still no meeps. :(

I walked up and down the street and one girl said she may have seen him late last night. SO I'm going to stay up late with the door open and see if he shows up.

[garricks]

:(

This might be a stupid suggestion, but have you tried taking the box of dry food or the can opener (if you use wet) outside? :confused:

I got a lost inside cat back once by shaking the box of dry food...he came running and I was able to grab him.

[morea]

nice photos, Drazan, I missed them before.

Any word on Mr. Meeps yet? There was some helpful advice posted on the cat forum I belong to a while back about finding a lost pet... I'll see if I can find it.

[urstwile]

Still no Meepers? :(

[morea]

Here is the thread that gives advice about what steps to take if your pet is lost. Actually, it deals specifically with cats, but a lot of the steps are the same regardless of what type of pet it is.

http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7722

I would also be sure to add that you should contact every single shelter and animal hospital in the area. If your cat doesn't wear a collar with identification, or if he gets hung up on something and manages to slip his collar, these are the people who would likely find him and if they know that he belongs to you, that's a head start in getting him back home.

[tuliptree]

Oh no! :( Hope you find him soon!

[Drazan]

I have the live trap from my land lady. I have it on the deck with Meeps food and one of my towels that I use on the back of my chair.

So hopefully he'll be the one that trips it and not one of the other strays (or rabbit, coon etc. ) ;)

Squeek is constantly by me. He even greeted me tonight - vocally even - "mee, meek, eer, ee, mee, moow, mee," for about 3 minutes straight. Poor thing misses the meeps.

Underworld kitties are doing well. I can get about 3 feet from them now. I make sure to hang around to let them know that the food and water I'm giving them come from me. I talk to them to get them used to my voice.

Jade

[Red Kittie Kat]

hopefully the little guy will come back home soon.

[garricks]

Oh, Jade, I'm so happy you're working with the underworld kittehs, but it breaks my heart that you and Squeek can't find Meeps...:(

"St. Anthony, St. Anthony,
Please come around.
Meeps is lost
And can't be found!"

It works for me, and I'm not even Roman Catholic.

Hoping Meeps is back underfoot soonest.

[Drazan]

I saw "tiger" the male adult kitty tonight. Stopped by my window and looked at me for a bit.

I don't have enough money to rescue them all. If I have to choose, it will be the little kittens first with the two adults later. As it is, it's a dip in the pocket book for something like $340. Plus my wheel bearing on the left front of my car is being replaced tomorrow for $200.

*sigh*

This has been a very stressful week.

Jade

[Drazan]

Tiger is a grey and dark grey "tiger" striped cat with the long face fur. One of the original underworld kitties.

I've also figured out that they neighbor did rescue one of the original underworld kittens. She's almost all white except for a saddle patch on her back that's grey stripped and a patch of grey over her ear. The grey is so light that you have to see it just the right light to see it. I just caught view of her in the window of the neighbor's house today. AND looking around the neighbor has a live trap next to her shed (between it and her house) and has never tried to capture any of the others. :(

So from last year at least three of the original five are alive and kickin'.

[Drazan]

THE MEEPERS IS HOME!!

The dumb kittie is back where he belongs....and is currently hiding in my closet/under bed somewhere. :D

Poor thing is scared shitless.

Sqeek is running to me all bright eyed going "eeek! eeek!" then running to the back of the house to find the Meeps. Then back to me, then back to meeps. lol

My roomie let him out of the trap before I could get a real good look at him, but he doesn't seem worse for wear. I'm sure it will take a day or two to get back to normal. He just took off like a bullet for his hidy-hole.

Yay! does a little kitty dance!
Jade

[Red Kittie Kat]

awww thats great news!!! http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/RedKittieKat/smilies/cheer.gif

[Red Kittie Kat]

How about a panda dance? :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v54/RedKittieKat/smilies/PandaBearDance.gif

[budafist]

Yay!!!!

Meepers, Meepers where have you been?

I've been up to London to look at the Queen :)

http://www.chrisbeetles.com/img/pictures/artists/Robinson_William-Heath/GGX1605-b.jpg

[Red Kittie Kat]

I think it was Garricks prayer to St. Anthony ;)

[urstwile]

Awesome! I'm so glad Meepers is back, Jade. :)

[Drazan]

he's out from his hidy hole roaming around. Tail just a twiching but alert and comes to me for petting.

From checking him over there seems to be one nickel sized scrape right above his eye. Nothing bad, he's just missing some fur and a little pink - very fresh. He's lost a little weight - probably from not having food in the wild.

[urstwile]

Poor guy. I have a feeling you'll be having to do some major QT with him for the next few days. Darla plum freaked out one time when she fell out the window of our ground floor apartment, and that was only for about 5 minutes. :D

[garricks]

Oh, yay!! (Insert happy dance here)

I'm happy for you all!!!!

The scrape might be from the trap?

[Drazan]

I thought about that. Possibly hitting his head as the trap slapped him on the butt.

But looking further this morning it looks like he may have poked his head into someplace that he didn't fit. He's got scraps on both sides of his head and a small speck of a sore on his cheek. It doesn't look like fight marks because there's no pattern to them like claw marks would be, and there's no scraps or blood. Just look like someone gave him a really close shave above his eye, lol.

I did not sleep at all last night. Every 15 minutes or so meeps came over to be "assured" everything was all right. he'd poke me, lick me, and jump/walk on me to wake me up to talk and pet him.

I'm home today and will work for a bit and probably take a nap. lol

[morea]

thank goodness he is home safe and sound. What a relief.

[Virgo Nightingale]

SO glad to hear Meepers is safe and sound. You must be incredibly relieved!!

[WannaBrie]

Oh, so glad you got the meepers back! I know what a harrowing experience it can be when they disappear. Give lots of extra luvvin'!

[Drazan]

geah!

My neighbor is being a putz again. She despite me telling her NOT to feed the underworld kittens - I've just caught her sitting on my steps feeding them.

Hello! no wonder they are not accepting food from me. They've already been fed by someone who wants nothing to do with them other than they are cute.

I took their food away this morning (not to mention that it's dry food and it's raining = not good for kittie).

I want them to be associated with me brining them food - so that they will trust me. I want them to be a little hungry so that when I do put out the trap that they will follow their little noses and come right out to it.

I want them to see me and come to me knowing that I feed them good things.


What I don't want is to break that association by the frecken neighbor putting her nose into something that isn't any of her responsibility because she already told me that she doesn't want another cat. WTF? then why even bother contradicting me?

As to why I haven't trapped them yet, is because there's no available kittie appointment until next week. Of which I have two days scheduled just in case. I don't want them in contact with my current kitties in case they have worms or parasites. I also do not have a "room" or area to block off in my house to keep them separate.

So next week I have additional days off to make sure that they are rescued and taken nearly directly to the vet to get checked out.

As of now they are still hanging around the momma. And anytime they come out to play the momma is right there making sure they are alright.

I feed them and hang around until they are done. Then I leave just enough food for the momma to come out and eat after I'm gone.

Jade

[Virgo Nightingale]

Stupid nosy neighbors.

[urstwile]

Yeah, what the heck?! If she has no interest in adopting them herself and knows that you're planning on rescuing them, she's just making it harder for you to accomplish that smoothly. :mad:

[Drazan]

The day has arrived!!

We are currently finishing the ultimate clean-o-ramma of the house day. Picking up all the wiz-bits that we have around that kitties could get in trouble with.

Between this evening and tomorrow morning (+ Saturday if we don't' get all of them at once) the underworld kitties are going inside.

Vet appointments for tomorrow and Saturday - I have a new cat crate the the kitties can use as a safe haven if need be.

Then I'll be working with Camp Companion to figure out what to do with the momma kittie and the pappa kittie. I certainly don't want another littler of kits under the house.

I'll post pictures soon!

Jade

[budafist]

Good luck with the kittie move!

[urstwile]

Sounds great Jade! Good luck! :)

[Virgo Nightingale]

Best of luck to you and teh kittehs!

[Drazan]

I have one!

** then it rained **

The trap is out there, but there's a time when buckets of rain is coming down to head inside. lol

I have the calico one "mooostache!" - heh, what can I say - I'm rather litteral when naming them. If it's a girl, I'll name her "tash" and a guy will be "moose" lol

The black one is named "shadow" because he jumps at his own shadow.

The other one is definitely a girl kitten and she is Egypt princess. Because she is very maticulate about cleaning herself right after she eats. Or in the middle of eating she'll sit down and clean her face.

Mooostache took one look at me and calmly walked right into the cage. I did have a string tied to the door so it doesn't hit a second kitten walking in. But in this case I let it down easy. A small panic, but when I got Mooostache to the bathroom to transfer to a pet carrier, I just place a towel around the two openings of the cage and carrier and he/she just walked calmly from one to the other. Right now the carrier is in the tub (small bathroom and only closed door that the other cats won't try to push through.) And Mooostache is sitting on the food and drink unit on the door looking out ---- at the faucet, because there's not much to look at in a tub. heh.

Soo - I do have an appointment with the vet in the morning - here's to hoping the other two are caught in time!

Jo

[Drazan]

Also - I haven't touched the new kitten yet. And I have a pair of gloves in there just in case I need to touch them when transfering the others when caught. I'm taking all precautions to not have any contact between the two sets of cats until the vet checks them.

<< is happy that they are being caught.

Sounds like the rain is slowing down. I'm grabbing a quick bite and back out there to monitor.

:)
Jade

[garricks]

Yay! One down!

How is underworld momma reacting so far?

[Drazan]

I haven't seen her or the other two tonight. But they usually don't get too active til now.

[Drazan]

lol - I've gotten up no less than three times eating this bowl of chille t osee if it's been sprung yet.

[Drazan]

It's a girl!

Moostache is a girl. So her name is Mooshie.
And she wasn't as well as we hoped. She is negative for FeLV and FIV, but they did find a fly larve growing under the skin of her chest. A small surgery and they got it out and cleaned up the "hole". She is now on the way to full recovery and joining our family.

Meeps, just sniffed the crate Mooshie is in and walked away. lol

Sqeek sat there for 5 minutes communicating with the wee one.

Mooshie is still a bit groggie from the anethesia they used at the clinic. So she is in her crate. And she'll be there for about a week with limited romping until she heals some more.

Now, to find the other two. I think the momma kittie may have moved them yesterday because two of the neighbor girlies were over here while I was gone dropping off my son - trying to get the kittens to come out.

I haven't seen hide nor hair of them for over a day now. :(

I may do a walk about the neighbors houses to see if they'll come out to food.

I also made an arrangment wiht the vet for a basically "on call" rescue appointment in the evening after work.

Jade

<<< saved one!

[Red Kittie Kat]

Pretty cool Jade :)

I bet she feels better now with that thing out of her chest .. poor little thing.

[urstwile]

Aww, poor Mooshie, I'm glad they were able to take care of it. That sounds yucky.

I hope you're able to find the others, Jade. :)

[Drazan]

Well - moshie is in her crate and both Meeps and Squeek walk by and his at her now... :(

Probably from invading their space. Plus Squeek smells mooshie on me - and don't wanna cuddle with me. :(

All I can think of is to give it time and take it slow.

Jade

[urstwile]

Yup, they'll get used to the situation eventually. When I found Darla, it was the same way with the other two I already had (who have since passed). Eventually they all made their peace, but you do have to give it some time.

[budafist]

Ewww...Larvae in the chest is the stuff of horror movies! Glad that got sorted.

[Drazan]

Day 3 of trying to catch the kittens and -- no kittens :(

I think with everyone trying to get a look at the 'cute kittens!!' that the momma got scared and took the other two away. I think she left Mooshie because she was sick.

^^ see post above about people minding their own business. So who knows what is going to happed to the other kittens. I'll be talking to the land lady tomorrow to put out a post on the stray kittens. I did walk around a few houses, but no luck. :( A day late from rescuing them :(

Mooshie is up and perky. OH what a purry motor the little one has! she totally lets me pet her and she comes right up to me. She's eating very well, passing good and taking her antibiotics and de-worming medicine very well.

Since I live in a really small house there's no real safe room to let her out except for the bathroom. So this week I'm going to lay down the new linoleum (right now there's only bare OSB) and get it spiffied for the kittens romping ground next week, if she's healed enough.

She kinda sorta gets the idea of a litterbox. lol - she's totally separate from the other two and probably will be for at least 2-3 weeks. Until she gets bigger and stronger.

She is also a vocal kittie. Which will be a little different, since my other two don't meow. she is still sleeping tons, but that's a given. And she is super duper hungry. We're feeding her this canned food that the vet gave me. It has some extra protien and good stuff to help boost her recovery. I'll be getting some more canned food for her.

So now it's wait and see. Hopefully the bigger cats will eventually accept little Mooshie.

Jade

[Red Kittie Kat]

They will except her .. it's just going to take time ;)

Too bad about the others ... but not much you can do about that if the mother takes them off.

I'm sure it didn't help with the neighbors poking around under there every chance they got.

[Drazan]

Day 5 - a racoon!

What the heck! lol

And somehow the old towel I had to cover the trap from the heat of the day is in with it. :/

oh jeez...

~~~~~~~
On a side note, Mooshie is doing extremely well. She's already gaining a little weight. She was literally skin and bones. She is very happy to see us coming with food. And her chest is healing well.

:)
Jade

[garricks]

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a249/garricks/BBU%20avatars/icon_rofl.gif "You can't always get what you want...sometimes you get what you need" Did you need a raccoon? http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a249/garricks/BBU%20avatars/icon_rofl.gifhttp://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a249/garricks/BBU%20avatars/icon_rofl.gif

Cheers, Drazan, I'm glad Mooshie is doing well. Can't wait to see pics.

[Red Kittie Kat]

lmao Garricks ;)

Good news on Mooshie :)

[Virgo Nightingale]

A high school friend of my sisters had a raccoon as a pet. Though I'm pretty sure that wouldn't work quite as well here. :eek:

Glad Mooshie is doing well. :)

[urstwile]

Weird about the raccoon, Jade. o_O

I'm glad to hear that Mooshie's doing well. She's got a good human mommy though, so that's no surprise. :)

[Drazan]

Mooshie has learned to use the litter box. lol.
no more dumping everything on the floor then doing her business. Leaving me with a messing pile to clean up every morning/evening.


She's also learned that an open door means freedom. Except now she bolts out the main doors into the hallway, where she goes a foot away and stops. meanwhile I'm trying to do a "not step on kittie dance" as she weaves in between my legs around my shoes etc. trying to get her before the big cats come around the corner.

<< if you'd seen me this morning you'd be LYAO (laughing your asses off).

She is really an ankle rubber. But she's so small and quick that you can't get to her.

She's VOCAL!! she takes a big breath and lets out this """AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOW" takes a breath "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOW" takes a breath "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOW".....repeat. There's no nice little "meows" on this one yet. They are full fledge "AH!Ow!" . She's quiet until we open the door to her room. lol

Then she gets super excited that she pops up in one place like a little pogostick. lol. All four paws leave the ground in one shot.

My camera is out of batteries, but I'll have new pictures this weekend.

Too Cute!!

[garricks]

How cute!

What about the rest of the fambly? Still disappeared? :(

[Virgo Nightingale]

Aww..... my heart is melting trying to imagine those sounds!!

[Red Kittie Kat]

sounds very cute ... and sounds like she's settling in nicely :D

[Drazan]

The rest of the family are still MIA, Tiger the male adult cat is still wondering around, but the momma, shadow (black baby) and Egypt (the tiger tabby baby) are still MIA. I contacted the land lady to see if she'll post a notice in this months newsletter.

They all have a place at Camp Companion when caught. I do want them to be safe. :(

I just keep thinking that I was a day late getting to them. :(

~~~~~~

I'll try to get a decent video of Mooshie to - so that you can all share the "AH!OW" sound. lol

:D
Jade

[garricks]

Aw, Jade, don't think like that...I think most of it was your neighbors poking around.

[urstwile]

Jade, you can't possibly blame yourself.

[Drazan]

Here's Mooshie!!

And you can see my ugly bathroom in the process of remodeling bit by tiny bit. It's the only place we can let her go and not get lost. lol

http://drazan.com/shared/cats/mooshie_1.wmv 5MB

turn your volume down ;)

*** I don't blame myself, but I just really, really, want to find them.

Jade

[Red Kittie Kat]

lmaoo what a yeeeeeowl!! She is hysterical :D

she looks like she has a bit of tortoiseshell going on .. reminds me of one of my past cats Pepsi :)

She's really wants your attention ... what a sweet loud little thing :D

[Drazan]

Thing is, there's not even a peep out of her once we leave the room. lol

She's very tortie. The only white is on her face and chin. If you watch her chest you'll see the fairly large "hole" that's healing up.

:D

[urstwile]

Wow, thanks for the heads up on the volume! :D

She's a sweetie pie. :)

[garricks]

ROFL I've never heard a kitty that loud! (that wasn't in heat, that is) I'm still giggling. Mooshie's a cutie, that's for sure. Thanks for sharing with us, Jade.

[Kool]

LOL, what a cutie. :)

[Virgo Nightingale]

What an adorable little sweetie!! I wonder how much louder she's gonna get as she grows up... :D

My favorite part is at 34 seconds, full screen of AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! :D :D :D

[Drazan]

Update!

Here two week checkup at the vet went perfectly. She is completely healed from that larve hole. The fur is already starting to grow back in. And she also had her first distemper shot.

In two weeks she went from 1.4 pounds to 2.9 pounds. She had grown quite a bit too.

<< is a happy momma :D

[urstwile]

Good news, Jade! :)

[xc-runner]

:)

[Red Kittie Kat]

aww that's great :)

[garricks]

Yay, Jade!! :D :D :D

[Drazan]

Mooshie has been freed!!

She is under supervised release from her "room". The problem is the big boys don't like her. Squeek is ok as long as she doesn't try to play with his tail. Then it's just a friendly swat on the head for being annoying.

Meeps is a different story. He wants to nip at her.

Mooshie is the one instigating the "fights" so I let them bat at each other. It's so funny. She'll squish herself into a pounce position then attack! --- then promptly flip over belly up and four paws waving, immediately surrendering. too cute. I figured she just has to learn the boundaries of the other cats on her own. Half the time she just annoys them so must she actually chases them away. heh.

Supervised because I still need to intervene once in a while if Meeps gets carried away. So mooshie is free as long as we are around. Hopefully in the next couple weeks we can let her stay out without any problems.

She is a kuddle kittie too. Which makes Squeek totally jealous. :p

:)
Jade

[Virgo Nightingale]

Aww....

No word on the sibs and mom, huh?

[WannaBrie]

Yay, Mooshie! I love when kitties pounce on each other, its so cute! Glad to hear all is well for Underworld Kitty, Jade. :D

[urstwile]

Jade, for what it's worth, Darla was a foundling, and I had two adult cats already (both elderly and since passed). Her initial few weeks I kept her in the bedroom (litterbox in there as well) and let her roam once I was home. Eventually the elders got used to her, although they never really liked her much, but at least she was big enough to defend herself once I let her out when I wasn't home.

[Red Kittie Kat]

hehe too cute :)

Once they establish their pecking order things will settle down ;)