Their Last Week

The four boys -- Cap, Jake, Brady, and Marshmallow (the black kitten) -- are leaving this weekend, and Mallory is probably leaving on Tuesday.

They're so very playful now! They love to play with yarn and climb peoples' pant legs, and they all definitely still love playing with each other. They're going to miss each other, and I'm going to miss them a little, but frankly, I want Mommy-Jess to myself again. I run into her room after her whenever she opens the door, and I even have to put myself between her and the kittens sometimes so that she'll pet me and not them! They're pretty grown-up now, in my eyes -- they don't seem to need me much anymore, unless they want a milky snack. And it hurts even more now that they all have teeth!

They're all more or less consistently using the litter box and eating solid food. Mommy-Jess seems very happy about this. And Jake purred for the first time yesterday!

Brady. This picture came out quite dark -- or it could be Mommy-Jess's screen. Either way, he's gotten so big and handsome!

The three-tier sleep-system -- Brady's on the top, Marshmallow's in the middle, and Mallory is on the bottom. The Oranges were sleeping on chairs.

Little Mallory never looks at the camera!

Relaxing Jake.

Marshmallow, with the litter box mess behind him. The carpet under the boxes is lined with newspaper, but they love to tear it up...

Mallory and Jake, playing with yarn.

And Cap, with his "who's that wakin' me up??" offended face.

That's about it. I'll be back at least once more to reflect on life-after-kittens. This was my first and will be my only litter, as Mommy-Jess made me an appointment for the girl version of what happened to Charlie at the end of next week.

I am very, very tired and very, very sore. The whole pregnancy process is exhausting, my friends.

Love,
Emma

Kitten Faces!

Happy Saturday! Mommy-Jess still doesn't have a new computer, so we're just hoping that this post works. Brief update first, then hopefully we can get a good picture post going!

I should note that since I'm not spayed yet and the babies are beginning to be weaned, I have gone into heat. =( And Charlie is, obviously, neutered now, so there is NO RELEASE. It is driving me crazy! I just want to go outside and find some Tom and dzohfvgouihdfov. But Mommy-Jess won't let me. Maybe I'll feel better once I'm spayed.

The kittens have all begun taking to the solid food. Mommy-Jess had to sit down with some of the more finicky ones and hand-feed them until they figured out what the gooshy brown stuff was, but they've all at least started to eat.

(Mommy-Jess says her method was to take a little chunk of wet food in one hand, the kitten in the other, and gently force open the kitten's mouth and stick the wet food in. Once the kitten realized it tasted good, he or she would take more food without being forced. The kitten still had a bit of difficulty realizing what the food was doing in a bowl as opposed to coming out of my milk-filled tummy, but Mommy-Jess scooped some food into her hand and let the kitten eat of of that before pushing him or her over to the bowl. And it worked! We'll see if they remember what to do tonight...)

They're still pooing on the carpet, but litter box training takes time. The best method, apparently, is to put the kittens in the litter box about a half-hour after feeding and rub their paws in the litter to simulate digging and burying. It's working somewhat -- there is waste in the box! -- but the results still aren't consistent. Hopefully in another week or so, they'll get it!

And now, what you've been waiting for -- PICTURES!

Cap! Isn't he the cutest little dear?

And here's Jacoby, offended by the flash going off in his face.

T'Challa (his -- yes, T'Challa is male, go figure -- prospective adopter has not chosen a name yet. I suppose she'll start thinking about it when she comes to see him next Thursday), looking all surprised.

Playful Brady!

Jake and Mallory eating, with Brady looking on. Mommy-Jess's camera ran out of batteries before she could get a face-shot of Mallory, but she promises she will by the next post.

That's it for today!
If you know an available Tom, will you please send him my way? Thanks, everyone.

Love,
Emma

We're back, for now!

Mommy-Jess asked me what I wanted to write and I told her and she says she's going to post it from work. First I said to give people a computer update: Mommy-Jess's laptop is working, but at half-speed and on a very annoying desktop monitor. It takes up so much space that I have no room to sit and walk around and knock over her jar of pens anymore! She seems very frustrated with it. I hope she can save up enough money to buy a new one soon. (Humans and their silly money.)

Next -- yay kittens! Mommy-Jess finally put down a second litter box, and I've been trying to show them how to use it. They seem to be catching on. They also seem to be sneaking into the food bowl that I share with Charlie, because a diet consisting solely of milk does not result in solid waste! But Mommy-Jess says that it's time to start them on their own solid food anyway, and I think she's going to tonight. This is good, because my poor belly is all bruised and bloody from their teeth pulling it at all the time. It hurts.

Gray ("Teddy"), Little Orange (formerly "Creamy," now "Jacoby" or "Jake"), and Calico ("Mallory") all have confirmed homes. Things are a tad up in the air for Black ("T'Challa") and Big Orange ("Cap"), but Mommy-Jess says she's pretty sure that she's found homes for both of them as of today. 

And... a few pictures. No videos today, but soon, hopefully. Mommy-Jess is looking into getting a new laptop! Donations accepted through PayPal! Comment for details! ;)

That's me! And the babies. Left to right, we have T'Challa, Mallory, Jacoby, Cap, and Teddy. This was taken last week, when they were actually staying in the playpen. They roam the whole house freely now, mainly because Mommy-Jess and Jae can't keep them contained.

Annnnddddd Mommy-Jess says her work computer wouldn't let her upload more pictures. Big photopost as soon as possible! Promise!

Love,

Emma

Leave of Absence

We're on a temporary hiatus over here because Mommy-Jess's computer is fried. More updates ASAP.

Kittens are doing fine. They're out of the playpen and running around, and prospective adopters are coming for the first time this weekend!

Kittens Climbing Playpen!

Aren't they adorable?

Well. Mommy-Jess "is turning 21" today. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but she seems really excited about it so I'm going to go stare at her with my ears turned back for a little while.

Kitten photodump, plus new videos!

Good morning, everybody! The kittens are three weeks old today, so I thought I should get Mommy-Jess to take a few more pictures and videos. The kittens have been moved into a playpen now, because they're starting to get feisty and playful! They're a little too much to handle sometimes, but they're my babies so I try not to mind too much.


Above, you can see all of the kittens asleep, last night, in the nesting box.



Here's Cali and the two Oranges. Look at those groggy, beautiful blue eyes!



They are getting so playful. That's Little Orange (or "Creamy") on his back on the left, and then we have Big Orange ("Cap") , Cali, and Gray having some kittenish fun.



Cali and Gray, play-fighting. I think Mommy-Jess was trying to get Cali's face, but she tucked it under Gray's body riiiiight at the last second.



There's Creamy, Cap, and Cali. Boy, we love our 'c' names, don't we?


And finally, we have Cali again, playing with Gray and one of the Oranges. =)

And here's a video of Cali learning how to walk:



Finally, a video of all five kittens, and myself, in the kittens' new living space!

Kitten Feature: Big Orange/"Cap"

I'm feeling a lot better. I still hate the nasty nasty medicine, but the bottle looks almost empty so maybe I don't have to take it much longer. In any case, I'm ready to show you pictures again.

The kittens are almost two weeks old now! I can hardly believe it - on one paw, it feels like I've had them forever. On the other, two weeks is a quarter of the time they get to spend with me! Three more two-week periods and they'll be gone.

Here's Big Orange, and me! The Mommies have started calling him "Cap" even though they know they're not supposed to name the babies.

They all have their eyes open now! Mommy-Jess says that all of the kittens will have blue eyes until they're older, so it'll still be another couple of weeks until we know their true eye colors.

And here's a video of "Cap" trying to walk!


Anyway. That's enough for today. As the other four kittens start moving around more, they'll get their own featured posts like this one!

No pictures today, sorry.

There will be no pictures today because I am on STRIKE. On Friday, Mommy-Jess put all of the kittens and me into one big box and brought us out to the Smelly Moving Machine. It made lots of rumblies and scared the kittens, and them being scared scared me even more! I got out of the box by making myself really really tiny and pushing hard, but Mommy-Jess stopped the Smelly Moving Machine and fixed the box and made me go back in.

When the Smelly Moving Machine stopped, Mommy-Jess brought us into the building that smells like other animals and clean things that sting my nose. We sat for awhile, and people cooed at us, and Mommy-Jess talked to them. Then we went into a room and they pulled me out onto a cold table. I tried to jump down, but Mommy-Jess wouldn't let me. Then a little woman and a big man came in and held me down and jabbed me with sharp things and wouldn't stop even when I clawed them! Mommy-Jess kept talking to me, but I could barely hear her over the blood pounding in my ears!

Well, the big man put something up my bum and it made a beeping noise and he made some concerned noises and said something to Mommy-Jess that sounded like "fever." This "fever" must me a bad thing, because they jabbed me with another needle that had stuff in it and now Mommy-Jess shoves a tube down my throat twice a day. The milky liquid tastes awful, but Mommy-Jess gives me treats or food after so I guess I don't hate her too much. Yet.

And the big man looked at all of my babies. He didn't jab them and Mommy-Jess doesn't have to give them any gross-tasting nastiness, so they must be okay.

On the bright side, the kittens are starting to open their eyes! I love that they can see me now, see who their mommy is. Only the Big Orange kitten and the Calico kitten have fully opened their eyes so far, but the rest are starting to as well! They're all growing up so fast.

And you'll get more pictures when Mommy-Jess stops making me swallow that foul-tasting substance. This is an act of protest!

(Edit from Mommy-Jess: To clarify, Emma has a fever and is on antibiotics for the next week. We haven't gotten her blood work back yet, but there could be an infection in her uterus. Most likely, antibiotics will solve the problem and everyone will be fine.)

Motherhood

I've decided that I like being a mother. It's very rewarding, knowing that there are five little lives completely dependent on my giving them milk! I've been spending a lot more time in the kitten box, sometimes hours on end, just because nothing seems more important right now than being with MY kittens.
All they do is eat and sleep. But once they're bigger, I'll play with them, and teach them to stalk and hunt. Maybe we can all play some pranks on poor neutered Charlie!


Mommy-Jess says that they'll open their eyes once they're ten or eleven days old, but that they'll still be deaf for about two weeks. They're all going to have blue eyes at first; we won't know their true eye colors or full coat colors for a couple of weeks yet. But I'm willing to bet that they'll have big, beautiful eyes just like Charlie and me!

KITTENS!

I am the happiest mama in the entire world! I gave birth to five kittens early Saturday morning (May 10th, 2008)! They are so cute and fuzzy and I feel lots better now that they're out of my belly and I can chase the laser and jump around again! Mommy-Jess sat up with me for three hours and then kept getting up to check on me and the babies until everyone was born and happy and nursing. And I'm not fat anymore, thank goodness!


This is a picture of the kittens and I at around 5:30 in the morning after the births. They're very clingy and their little mouths hurt me sometimes, so I have to get up and wander around to take a break, but I never go far and they cry if they need me. I'm very very very tired, but proud!


And in THIS picture, you can see all five of my little darlings! From left to right, we call them Gray, Big Orange, Calico, Little Orange, and Black. Mommy-Jess thinks that Gray and the two Oranges are boys and that Black and Calico are girls, but we can't be entirely sure yet. The initial sexing isn't always accurate because it's hard to see their little tiny parts!

Well, that's all for now. Everyone seems to be happy and healthy over 24 hours in, so I'm hoping that all of my worrying was all for nothing! I'll keep you informed!

What good timing. Happy Mother's Day to meeeee!

Ugh.

Everything hurts! The babies keep moving around and kicking me and it HURTS. I look to Mommy-Jess for help, but all she does it pet me and talk to me gently and try to put me in the nesting box. I don't like it in there, not yet. Maybe later. Maybe.

I just cannot seem to get comfortable. I lay on the hard floors because lugging this weight around hurts my back and my legs and the support feels really good... until they shift again and I have to turn over and try to get comfortable and ugh! I just want them out. I want to cuddle them and lick them and feed them and raise them. As long as they're out of my belly!

Okay. Next time, it'll probably be a birth announcement, for real this time. I just had to tell someone how frustrating and painful this is!

I'm back!

Hey everyone! I'm sorry it's been ages since my last post. My brother, Charlie, was neutered a couple of weeks ago (you know, to prevent this from happening again), so things have been busy over here. The Mommies were really stressed out, but now that Charlie is healing, they seem to be happier again and I can take time away from comforting everyone to write.

Mommy-Jess filled a cardboard box with newspaper and fleece. She keeps saying something about "nesting." As I'm no bird, I'm not sure exactly what she means, but Charlie keeps going into the box! If it's for what I think it's for, I don't want to raise kittens in a box that smells like my brother, so I may have to find somewhere else to accomplish this "nesting" thing. Maybe a closet. Or Jess's laundry. Tee hee.

I've gotten so huge! I'm likely to pop at any minute, I swear. I think Jess is taking next week off from work, which is nice, because it means we'll get morning cuddle time where I can plant my big pregnant self right on her chest. She makes such satisfying whiny noises sometimes! But, seriously. Look at that belly.

The babies are due within the next week or so. I'm glad that someone will be home with me. I'm still so young myself... I hope I know what to do when the time comes. I'm actually kind of nervous. I know I'll only have them for six weeks or so, but those are going to be long, long weeks!

My next post will probably be a birth announcement, so be on the look out.

Ugh. My tummy hurts.

Hello!

Hi everybody! My name is Emma. I'm a domestic short hair, and I have a funny mix of calico and tabby colorations in my coat. I just turned a year old, but my previous owner did not have me spayed between six and eight months of age. I live with my brother, Charlie, and he impregnated me when I began going into heat. My previous owner had to move to an apartment that doesn't allow cats, so he gave us to Jess and Jae. I was already pregnant when Jess adopted me, but she didn't know that. She found out when she took me to the vet to get my shots. But she's taking great care of me!

I love playing with the laser pointer and lying on Jae's windowsill. I'm also a huge fan of plastic bags, as you can see in the picture above.

I'm going to use this blog to keep my friends and Jess's friends up-to-date about my pregnancy, and to eventually post pictures of my babies! As of right now, I'm due in about two or three weeks. I'm probably going to start nesting soon, so Jess had better prepare some boxes for me!

I'm excited, but a little scared. Charlie is a great brother, as you can see in this picture, but I wish we'd been able to keep our hormones in check! Although the risk of birth defects to my kittens is relatively low because it's unlikely that our parents and their parents were also inbred, it still makes me nervous. Also, I'm just a baby myself, and this is my first litter! I don't know if I'm ready to be a mommy, but I guess I'm willing to try. I just want a healthy litter.

Anyway. I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures! I'm really moody right now, but I hope that will get better soon. I'll post again when I'm feeling a bit better.

-Emma