Patience’s Kittens
On July 22, 2007, I took in a pregnant stray cat who was found on the campus of Penn State University. Her initial vet visit gave her a clean bill of health – she combo tested negative and was given an approximate due date of one month. A couple days later, however, I noticed that she had worms, fleas, and a lot of diarrhea. Back to the vet we went! She was given Drontal for the worms with a follow up of Pyrantel Pamoate, Frontline Plus for the fleas, and the diarrhea was monitored for blood or mucous, neither of which had shown up. After giving her the Frontline, I waited 24 hours and then fogged the room for any remaining fleas.
Because she went through all this, and also because she’s a total lap cat who would wait near the door for me to come back, she was given the name Patience. Pateince, however, was a little impatient for her kittens to be born. After having had her for only 12 days, far less than the month the vet had given her, Patience gave birth the morning of August 2nd, 2007. It was quite the surprise as although the kittens were kicking and moving about, I hadn’t noticed any discharge or other signs of labor. Instead, she woke me up about 8AM by sitting on my head. I got up, saw that she was having contractions and that there was a tiny head poking out her rear end. I was afraid that Patience might have her kittens on my bed, but I didn’t think she’d try to have them on ME! I quickly picked her up and put her in the kittening cage where they were born.
I’m very happy to report that she had six healthy kittens. =)
#1 born at 8:50AM, Tortoiseshell with White Female, 95g
#2 born at 9:10AM, Tortoiseshell with White Female, 100g
#3 born at 9:25AM, Black and White Female, 100g
#4 born at 9:53AM, Cream Tabby with White Male, 105g
#5 born after 10AM, Black and White Male, 120g at 7:45PM
#6 born after 10AM, Black and White Female, 110g at 7:45PM
The kittens will be available for adoption after October 25th. I believe that keeping them together for a full 12 weeks will help them to become well-socialized cats. I will require a spay/neuter and no declawing contract be signed, and a $25 adoption fee to help cover their deworming and shots. Preference will be given to people wanting to adopt in pairs as, because of my work schedule, these kittens are used to being without people for long periods of time, but not without each other.
Deworming Schedule
Patience and all her kittens have been dewormed with Pyrantel Pamoate on the following dates:
August 16, 2007
August 30, 2007
September 13, 2007
September 27, 2007
October 11, 2007
October 25, 2007
Shots Schedule
The kittens had their first shots on Sept 27, 2007 and their second shots on Oct 25th, 2007, and their final distemper shot as well as their rabies shot on Nov 21, 2007. Thus, the remaining kittens are up to date on their shots for a year.
Claw Trimming
I began trimming their claws weekly at two weeks of age. However, at six weeks of age they have stopped the rapid growth and I thought their claws still pretty short from the previous trimming. From now on, trimming will be done as needed.
Progress
The kittens are now over twelve weeks old and ready to go to their new homes! They are all litter box trained and eating solid foods. They are all up to date on their shots and everyone is in great health. Captain was combo tested and he turned up negative, which most likely means all of the kittens are negative. You may want to check with your vet should you suspect something amiss. Also, Flower had some waxy ears but was negative for mites. She has not had waxy ears since.
Meet the Kittens!
Click on the thumbnails to view the full photos. Photos are listed in order as they age.
Maggie – ADOPTED! 11/20
First born! She was also the first to really walk around and explore all four corners of their cage. Had she been a boy, she would have been named Magellan, but little miss Maggie (the Walker) suits her just fine. As she has gotten bigger, she is still the most curious of the bunch, investigating and swatting at nearly everything. However, she is turning into a real sweetheart, too. She was the first to purr when I pet her, and still enjoys a back scratch.
Photos:
China – ADOPTED! 10/29
If I can’t find a good home for her, I would be very happy to keep China. Not only do I think she has some of the prettiest markings, but she’s also turning into a lap cat just like her mom. She will crawl into my lap as soon as I sit down with them and then lay there. Of course, she’s also using my lap as an ambush spot to attack the other kittens when they approach, but at least she likes it there. She got her name mostly from the little smudge above her left eye, it gives her this look of constant concern like a porcelain doll. Hence, China!
Photos:
Cindy – ADOPTED! 1/24
Cindy was originally named Zap because of the lightning-like blaze on her forehead. However, she is too dainty to fit that name, so she was renamed after the small black spot under her nose, the Cindy Crawford “mole.” =) As one of the smaller ones in the litter, she started out a bit shy, but now that she’s bigger she is quite the active but still sweet little kitten!
Photos:
Caesar – ADOPTED! 10/25
Just like the like-colored famous feline, Garfield, I’m fairly certain Caesar will turn into a fat and lazy cat. He was the first to start eating dry food and is always at the bowl when I go to refill it, and he naps more than any of the other kittens as well. He can be pretty playful for a short spell, but once he’s worn out, he’ll find a nice spot to curl up in and snooze away. Recently he has taken to stretching out not quite in my lap, but alongside it in search of a nice petting.
Photos:
Captain – ADOPTED! 10/25
For quite a while, Captain was the largest of the litter. His littermates are starting to catch up to him now, but he’s still a leader in many ways. He was the first to begin opening his eyes – at only four days old! Along with his cap’n saddle coloring, Captain just seemed the perfect name. He is by far the most playful and energetic of the bunch, he can be found anywhere and everywhere. He will bat at, chew on, carry away anything no matter how much bigger than him it is. He starts most of the fights with his siblings and will chase anything that moves. However, once he wears himself out (and that takes a while) he can be a snuggler. He doesn’t mind being held or petted and will crawl into my lap, if China’s not already there.
Photos:
Flower
This one took the longest time to come up with a name for and I finally ended up naming her after the skunk from Bambi because of her coloration. It turned out that the name suits her well as she will spend a goodly amount of time sniffing things, and even licking them. I wouldn’t call her shy either but she doesn’t seem to be too interested in being petted, even if she’s worn out. If she’s laying down and I go to pet her back, she will get up, move a couple inches over, and lay back down. If I go to pet her again, she’ll move again. She doesn’t get involved in too many of the brawls with her siblings, but she loves to bat at and chase small objects, like the little fuzzy mice I have laying out for them.
Photos:
Group Photos:
