A Clean Bill of Health
Mama Cat and the kittens’ visit to the vet yesterday went very well and it reassured me. They found all of them to be in good shape and told me that the babies looked fat and happy. I had been worried about one of their eyes being stuck shut, but they told me it wasn’t a big deal. The kitten has conjunctivitis in that eye so they cleaned it with saline and gave me an antibiotic ointment. There has been a marked improvement since yesterday and now I can barely tell the kittens apart. They also gave me a de-wormer for them and their mom, as well as flea medication. The last thing I need is fleas in my house, and fleas can be very harmful to such young kittens if they get out of control.
I have continued to let Mama Cat in and out of the house, and it seems to be working all right. It’s far from ideal but even the vet agreed that the kittens were better off indoors than outside where their mom couldn’t seem to find a safe spot for a nest due to the excessive rain. He also told me I shouldn’t worry so much about them not spending lots of extra time with her. He pointed out that when they were outside Mama Cat surely left them for periods of time to go do her own thing, and so this isn’t such a big change. I still feel some guilt about having them inside because she doesn’t have full access to them whenever she wants, but I have been unable to keep her indoors, and this is the first day so far that it hasn’t rained. The kittens seem to be handling it pretty well. They seem satisfied when they finish eating and curl up with each other to go back to sleep. They don’t squeal much – only to complain when Mama Cat gets up after not feeding them enough, or in anticipation when they notice that Mama Cat is approaching to feed them.
Lena has mostly been staying upstairs, though she did come down this morning, and looked into the bathroom. When she noticed that the little furry lumps in the box were moving, she decided she had no business there and left. Smart cat. Actually she doesn’t seem too disturbed by the presence of the kittens and Mama Cat’s comings and goings. I’m relieved because I’d feel terrible if Lena suffered as a result. She has already had bad experiences with other cats, and I don’t want to be the cause of more such experiences.
Mama Cat just had a very productive feeding and cleaning session with her babies, so I’ve let her go outside for a while longer. This is the second time she has fed them since I got back from work. I’ve recently learned how mother cats keep their nests clean. When they curl up with their babies, in addition to licking them all over, they stimulate the anal region so the babies will defecate. It may sound gross, but it’s a great solution to keeping the nest clean and predators away. Keeping feces out of the nest isn’t unique to cats. After all, humans are the only animals that have invented diapers (though diapers have been invented by humans for a wide range of animals, including poultry). Among certain birds, the chicks learn early on to expel their feces from the edges of the nest. I’d love to see footage of that actually happening! Other animals must have their own solutions to this problem, but I don’t know what they are. I have to say it’s pretty amusing to see the kittens drinking milk while at the same time their mom is stimulating them to go to the bathroom. In one end, out the other.
Tim has earned himself some extra credit points from my mother. She already thinks very highly of him and they get along famously, but when she found out that he let me bring the kittens into the house to keep them safe from floods and cars, she told me that she realized she has an angel for a son-in-law. Go Tim! And thank you for being so understanding of the situation.
I have continued to let Mama Cat in and out of the house, and it seems to be working all right. It’s far from ideal but even the vet agreed that the kittens were better off indoors than outside where their mom couldn’t seem to find a safe spot for a nest due to the excessive rain. He also told me I shouldn’t worry so much about them not spending lots of extra time with her. He pointed out that when they were outside Mama Cat surely left them for periods of time to go do her own thing, and so this isn’t such a big change. I still feel some guilt about having them inside because she doesn’t have full access to them whenever she wants, but I have been unable to keep her indoors, and this is the first day so far that it hasn’t rained. The kittens seem to be handling it pretty well. They seem satisfied when they finish eating and curl up with each other to go back to sleep. They don’t squeal much – only to complain when Mama Cat gets up after not feeding them enough, or in anticipation when they notice that Mama Cat is approaching to feed them.
Lena has mostly been staying upstairs, though she did come down this morning, and looked into the bathroom. When she noticed that the little furry lumps in the box were moving, she decided she had no business there and left. Smart cat. Actually she doesn’t seem too disturbed by the presence of the kittens and Mama Cat’s comings and goings. I’m relieved because I’d feel terrible if Lena suffered as a result. She has already had bad experiences with other cats, and I don’t want to be the cause of more such experiences.
Mama Cat just had a very productive feeding and cleaning session with her babies, so I’ve let her go outside for a while longer. This is the second time she has fed them since I got back from work. I’ve recently learned how mother cats keep their nests clean. When they curl up with their babies, in addition to licking them all over, they stimulate the anal region so the babies will defecate. It may sound gross, but it’s a great solution to keeping the nest clean and predators away. Keeping feces out of the nest isn’t unique to cats. After all, humans are the only animals that have invented diapers (though diapers have been invented by humans for a wide range of animals, including poultry). Among certain birds, the chicks learn early on to expel their feces from the edges of the nest. I’d love to see footage of that actually happening! Other animals must have their own solutions to this problem, but I don’t know what they are. I have to say it’s pretty amusing to see the kittens drinking milk while at the same time their mom is stimulating them to go to the bathroom. In one end, out the other.
Tim has earned himself some extra credit points from my mother. She already thinks very highly of him and they get along famously, but when she found out that he let me bring the kittens into the house to keep them safe from floods and cars, she told me that she realized she has an angel for a son-in-law. Go Tim! And thank you for being so understanding of the situation.
posted by Ana at 18:33
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