mother and six kittens - update

My cats have me well-trained, you may have noticed. 'Enslaved'
might be a better word.

"Enslaved" is exactly right

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Lesley wrote:
"Enslaved" is exactly right

It started six years ago when I inherited my mother's
cat. Low maintenance, I thought. Just leave her
dry food and water.

Now I follow them around, groveling, "Please eat this filet
mignon. I cooked it the way you like it."

-cr

"Calvin Rice" wrote in message
oups.com...
Lesley wrote:
"Enslaved" is exactly right

It started six years ago when I inherited my mother's
cat. Low maintenance, I thought. Just leave her
dry food and water.

Now I follow them around, groveling, "Please eat this filet
mignon. I cooked it the way you like it."

-cr


ROFL!!

It started six years ago when I inherited my mother's
cat. Low maintenance, I thought. Just leave her
dry food and water.

Now I follow them around, groveling, "Please eat this filet
mignon. I cooked it the way you like it."

LOL!!!!

Yes I remember well the moment when we first saw Speedy Joe and we said
"Well you just feed him and leave some water out he'll be no trouble"

And I am not telling the Furballs that there is someone out there who
feeds the cats filet mignon....they'd immediately demand a rise in food
standards or you'd find the pair of them on your doorstep!!!!

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

Lesley wrote:
... someone out there who feeds the cats filet mignon.

It was a slight exaggeration. I don't knowingly give the cats anything
but fish and fowl, except for the Gerber's ham baby food that one
of them likes. Who knows what they will be having in the future
though.

-cr

LOL Too funny! I am not at the groveling part yet--been at the 'conerne
meowmie' part a few times. I am an intelligent woman and I am like 'whuuuut?
"

It seems that my brood is more patient with me than I am them. I get looks
like, "We understand, yes, we understand!", or, "What's she doing now?", "Can
someone please go check on her?" ;-P~~

Through out adjustment time in getting to know each other--I have to honestly
say that they have been wonderful in accomodating me!

LOL

Have Fun,
Jen
(enslavement whut?)

Lesley wrote:
It started six years ago when I inherited my mother's
cat. Low maintenance, I thought. Just leave her
dry food and water.

Now I follow them around, groveling, "Please eat this filet
mignon. I cooked it the way you like it."

LOL!!!!

Yes I remember well the moment when we first saw Speedy Joe and we said
"Well you just feed him and leave some water out he'll be no trouble"

And I am not telling the Furballs that there is someone out there who
feeds the cats filet mignon....they'd immediately demand a rise in food
standards or you'd find the pair of them on your doorstep!!!!

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs


--
Message posted via http://www.catkb.com

On Mon 15 Aug 2005 11:06:33p, Betsy wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav ):

If you don't the mom will get more scared, not less, and the
kittens will adopt her attitude.

There is absolutely no need to separate them.

My suggestion to separate kittens from mom was only based on knowing
how quickly they learn from each other. I'm very happy to hear this
isn't the case all of the time.

Calvin, I take back what I said! Best wishes for your little family.

--
Cheryl

"The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited
breath."
- W.C. Fields

"Karen" wrote in message
...

I hear that Temptations are akin to kitty crack. You might get a package
and
give her one each time.

I refer to freeze dried chicken treats as Cat Crack. Mine don't like the
Temptations, but they absolutely freak for freeze dried chicken (I buy the
Halo brand). This week I'm taking care of a friend's 3 cats. Yesterday I
brought in a container of the Halo freeze dried chicken and gave a piece to
Kaylee. She's the tiniest thing and weighs nothing. As soon as I gave it
to her, she *screamed* for more. She wouldn't shut up the entire time.
This morning when I went over, she immediately began screaming and the same
thing tonight. She saw me put the container in the fridge yesterday and
tonight she ran over to it as soon as I got in. I've never heard such a
loud, obnoxious noise coming from such a little cat. My cats at work are
both addicted. My cats at home as well.

The other day I offered an almost empty container to a co-worker to see if
her cats liked it. Knowing how Harriet & Stinky react to it, she said she'd
better not because she wouldn't be able to afford their habit. I said,
"Come on... their first taste is free".

--
Liz

Cheryl wrote:
Calvin, I take back what I said! Best wishes for your little family.

There's no need to take back anything. Everyone is offering
honest thoughts about what is best, and we don't know yet know
exactly what will turn out to be best. Just because my vet says
something doesn't mean he will have final say. I'm trying to
keep an open mind and be sensitive to the cats' feelings.

Unfortunately there's going to have to be a sad separation of
the mother from the kittens eventually, because of the nature
of the situation with the owners.

Today I picked up each of the kittens, leaning over the side
of the bed and reaching under. While I was doing this the mother
went out from under the bed on the other side, and after a minute
or two she started walking around the bed, as if to come at me
from behide.

Thinking she might come at me with her claws, I put the kittens
back, but the whole procedure went smoothly.

Yesterday I fixed up a box with no top, a folded towel in the bottom,
and an easy step-over entrance on one side. The cats stayed under
the bed, but I'm going to try putting the kittens in the box, hoping
the mother will join them there, but I expect that she will just move
them back under the bed.

-cr

We seem to be at an impasse now, with the next move not obvious
at all. Yesterday for the first time the mother cat came out from
under the bed far enough to eat while I was lying on the bed, being
still of course. So I thought it would be ok to sleep on top of the
bed
for part of the night, just hoping it would help the cat would get used
to me being there.

But she didn't like me being above her and the kittens, even though
it's not a saggy bed, and she had previously tolerated me being on it
and leaning over the side to reach under and pick up the kittens now
and then. When I got up I found that she had moved five of the kittens
under the cedar chest, and probably was about to move the last one.

So I put the kittens in the box already prepared for them, including
the
sixth one, and put the box in what seems to me like a good place. I
think the mother has been getting into the box to nurse the kittens,
but
I don't know for sure. I haven't been able to catch her with them. On

one visit to the room the kittens were sleeping contentedly, and on
another visit I saw the mother running from me, and the kittens were
squealing a little as if she had just left them.

If the mother really is caring for the kittens in the box while I'm out
of
the room, then there's no problem; but if I'm causing her to neglect
the kittens, then I guess I should take them out of the box and put
them
back under the bed with her, and not spend any more nights in the
room.

The kittens seem to be in great shape. They're big and plump and
their eyes are open now. They will be two weeks old tomorrow,
Sunday.

-cr