...It's coming! I promise!
New workload this week, but I know I'll be back into the swing of things soon. You should SEE these kittens growing. I need to update soon, cause they're going to be full-blown cats soon!
Trying to read everyone's posts as I can in my late evenings. Sorry for not actively commenting for now. Soon...soon, I promise! :D
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Last Weekday Off
And I'm making the most of it.... considering that I'm still in my pyjamas at 3pm. :P
Yoko is crashed out on me here, making it difficult for a long post. So, just some pictures again today!
Rosie and the boys were squirmy today, so I didn't get good pictures like I wanted, but I did get a few :)
Yoko is crashed out on me here, making it difficult for a long post. So, just some pictures again today!
Rosie and the boys were squirmy today, so I didn't get good pictures like I wanted, but I did get a few :)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Back! But still a little behind...
What a trip! Left on a 4 hour drive on Tuesday (got super lost, so it really took 5 hours), then drove all the way back (6 hours this time because of a fun detour) yesterday morning. It was a nice little break, and lots of fun. Good to be home though! I missed my babies!
Still had company up until a couple hours ago, so I'm still a little behind on all my blog-reading and picture taking... which is what tomorrow morning will be for. Right now I'm just vegging in front of the TV with my feet up. Had to do some shopping today to get some work clothes, as I start my new job on Monday (where did the past 3 weeks go???).
L/LH/Elle/Ellie/Spock is certainly a boy.
Haha... Man, how many takes is it going to be before I decide?
I'm sure now though. The... um... "beans" that have appeared under his legs have given him away. ;)
The name still gets bounced around though. Poor guy. He has all these nicknames because we've waited so long. So, I'm taking suggestions. Should we keep him as L (Elle)? Maybe go with Spock? I call him L all the time, and Doug will probably always call him Litterhead forever, but...but...that's no name for a sweet little guy like him. I really like how everyone on here thinks of him as Spock, and it goes along with the Star Trek theme. I've tried it out on him, but I have trouble not calling him Elle. My problem with Elle though is that I can't get out of my head that the name is too feminine (Elle is french for She)
So, I'm taking name suggestions/votes!
Here's a few pictures of Wesley that my sister took, and a few that I took of my friend (that was visiting) and him.
More to come tomorrow :)
Still had company up until a couple hours ago, so I'm still a little behind on all my blog-reading and picture taking... which is what tomorrow morning will be for. Right now I'm just vegging in front of the TV with my feet up. Had to do some shopping today to get some work clothes, as I start my new job on Monday (where did the past 3 weeks go???).
L/LH/Elle/Ellie/Spock is certainly a boy.
Haha... Man, how many takes is it going to be before I decide?
I'm sure now though. The... um... "beans" that have appeared under his legs have given him away. ;)
The name still gets bounced around though. Poor guy. He has all these nicknames because we've waited so long. So, I'm taking suggestions. Should we keep him as L (Elle)? Maybe go with Spock? I call him L all the time, and Doug will probably always call him Litterhead forever, but...but...that's no name for a sweet little guy like him. I really like how everyone on here thinks of him as Spock, and it goes along with the Star Trek theme. I've tried it out on him, but I have trouble not calling him Elle. My problem with Elle though is that I can't get out of my head that the name is too feminine (Elle is french for She)
So, I'm taking name suggestions/votes!
Here's a few pictures of Wesley that my sister took, and a few that I took of my friend (that was visiting) and him.
More to come tomorrow :)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Picture Day
I'll be going away tomorrow morning until sometime on Wednesday, so I won't be getting any pictures or posts in until about Thursday.
Things are still going well over here, so again, not a whole lot to report - except for maybe a comment about yesterday's post. After pretty much confirming that Elle is a girl, while she snoozed this morning, I took a reeeeally good look, and well, now I'm second guessing myself AGAIN. Hah! Oh well. So, that's honestly still be determined. I figure if she turns out to be a boy in the end, we'll call him Elliot. :D (whew, SAFE!)
Okay, so, here's a load of pictures. I'm thinking that maybe on Thursday when I'm back from my trip and taking pictures, I'll take the kittens into a nicer area than under the desk to take some shots. They're moving around a lot now, so I'm thinking they may be almost fully walking by the time I'm back.
Things are still going well over here, so again, not a whole lot to report - except for maybe a comment about yesterday's post. After pretty much confirming that Elle is a girl, while she snoozed this morning, I took a reeeeally good look, and well, now I'm second guessing myself AGAIN. Hah! Oh well. So, that's honestly still be determined. I figure if she turns out to be a boy in the end, we'll call him Elliot. :D (whew, SAFE!)
Okay, so, here's a load of pictures. I'm thinking that maybe on Thursday when I'm back from my trip and taking pictures, I'll take the kittens into a nicer area than under the desk to take some shots. They're moving around a lot now, so I'm thinking they may be almost fully walking by the time I'm back.
"Whatchya got in that there dish, mama?"
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Busy weekend!
Lacking in the posting department because I've been swamped with stuff going on this weekend (sorry!).
Didn't get many pictures taken either, unfortunately. But, things have been good around here.
We've begun transitioning Litterhead's name. Her name will always be Litterhead to us... but now it has slowly worked it's way from L.H. (because it sounded nicer), then L (or Elle).. and finally found myself calling her Ella. Which is a pretty name, if she is the female that I think she is. So, Litterhead, L.H., L, Elle, Ella... there'll be a variety of names referencing her on here until we've solidly verified she's a girl (I'm almost certain she is though).
Wesley is doing fantastic. He's socializing and rolling around with Ella now, and mama Rosie takes good care of him when he's with her. The only thing that's still lacking is the nursing, but I'm still keeping on top of it. It's nice that he's getting a little older now (2 weeks tomorrow morning!), because he's sleeping longer and eating more (not eating 2ml every 2 hours anymore - it's now about 5ml every 4 hours). He's almost 8 ounces and climbing. I believe Ella is almost 9 (but I didn't get to weigh her today)... but he's catching up!
His coat is really shiny and soft, and he's really turning into a real sweet looking boy. Still has a huge set of vocal cords though! Definitely louder than his sister, and more demanding. I'm eager for him to get bigger, cause I have a feeling he's going to be a ham when he's older!
Here's a quick (and not-so-great) picture of the family this morning. :)
On Friday, I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floors(and cables) in there, reorganized my desk to it's original position, and moved them down into a new spot (Rosie fought it a bit, but I think she's happier there now, with no computer cables in her way). I put the blanket on the floor in the little space, which lasted a few hours before she moved it again. She really loves her hard floor that girl. That's okay though, it's still nice and warm in there, so I'm not too worried. And the kittens go out and lie on the blanket when they want to.
Oh! One last thing... More about Ella. She comes when she's called now, too! I was lying on my stomach on the floor right in front of the blanket that you see in the picture and calling her name, and she crawled right over to me and put her head on my arm. She's so calm and sweet. She's gonna be motoring around that room in no time, I just know it! :)
Didn't get many pictures taken either, unfortunately. But, things have been good around here.
We've begun transitioning Litterhead's name. Her name will always be Litterhead to us... but now it has slowly worked it's way from L.H. (because it sounded nicer), then L (or Elle).. and finally found myself calling her Ella. Which is a pretty name, if she is the female that I think she is. So, Litterhead, L.H., L, Elle, Ella... there'll be a variety of names referencing her on here until we've solidly verified she's a girl (I'm almost certain she is though).
Wesley is doing fantastic. He's socializing and rolling around with Ella now, and mama Rosie takes good care of him when he's with her. The only thing that's still lacking is the nursing, but I'm still keeping on top of it. It's nice that he's getting a little older now (2 weeks tomorrow morning!), because he's sleeping longer and eating more (not eating 2ml every 2 hours anymore - it's now about 5ml every 4 hours). He's almost 8 ounces and climbing. I believe Ella is almost 9 (but I didn't get to weigh her today)... but he's catching up!
His coat is really shiny and soft, and he's really turning into a real sweet looking boy. Still has a huge set of vocal cords though! Definitely louder than his sister, and more demanding. I'm eager for him to get bigger, cause I have a feeling he's going to be a ham when he's older!
Here's a quick (and not-so-great) picture of the family this morning. :)
On Friday, I got down on my hands and knees and scrubbed the floors(and cables) in there, reorganized my desk to it's original position, and moved them down into a new spot (Rosie fought it a bit, but I think she's happier there now, with no computer cables in her way). I put the blanket on the floor in the little space, which lasted a few hours before she moved it again. She really loves her hard floor that girl. That's okay though, it's still nice and warm in there, so I'm not too worried. And the kittens go out and lie on the blanket when they want to.
Oh! One last thing... More about Ella. She comes when she's called now, too! I was lying on my stomach on the floor right in front of the blanket that you see in the picture and calling her name, and she crawled right over to me and put her head on my arm. She's so calm and sweet. She's gonna be motoring around that room in no time, I just know it! :)
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Late Post - But with Important Info!
Been doing a little catch up on some things since yesterday was busy with St. Patrick's Day and my niece's 1st birthday, so today's post is a little late.
A couple things I want to touch on....
First of all, recently I've come across some information about KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement by PetAg). I'm not sure how many other foster parents out there have heard anything about the tainted powdered formula -- but apparently it's a pretty serious issue. At first, when I came across it, I did a quick search on what I could find, and the one thing I read said it was a false accusation against the company, so I disregarded it. Wesley had been doing fine, and I didn't really notice anything wrong with it, so I just continued to use it.
But today, I happened to stumble on someone else mentioning it on their blog - Stacey Chen over at TwoMamaCats.com (go there if you haven't, great site), so it got me thinking to look it up again, because I'm still using KMR.
Well, I found out that it really HAS been a problem, and for anyone out there who is currently using powdered KMR should be super duper careful to watch if it smells or looks funny. There's a great article and video found on this website. I encourage anyone fostering to have a quick read.
Luckily, the liquid formula has had no problems whatsoever... and that's what I've been using to date. I probably will continue using it, too, because it's helping Wesley gain like a champ. Plus it's easy to warm up during those 2am feedings. I have another powdered formula that I have been waiting to use, when I have more time and the kittens are a little older (just in case it's more difficult to digest), and I checked the directions on that one too (not PetAg brand)... Well - Something I have learned... Apparently all or most powdered kitten formula must be refrigerated before or after opening. I wouldn't normally think a powder would need it, and I'm glad I learned about this BEFORE I used it.
So, anyway, with that being said, the next on the list is Wesley and his super gaining-weight-ness!! Since last Thursday, a mere week ago... he has doubled in weight!! Today, he is a wonderful 6.2 ounces!!! Hurrraaaaaaayyy! And he looks great and is sweet as a button :)
Here's a picture of him when I got in from a relaxing (and much needed) dinner out tonight:
He was fast asleep like that in his box. He loves to sleep on his back, and seems to be most comfortable in that position.... gah. He's just SO cute.
And for kicks, here's a video of him a little later after a feeding. He's totally chilled out in a little nest of blanket:
Well, I'm off to do a little blog reading, since I'm a bit behind. I'll try to get more pictures in tomorrow!
A couple things I want to touch on....
First of all, recently I've come across some information about KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement by PetAg). I'm not sure how many other foster parents out there have heard anything about the tainted powdered formula -- but apparently it's a pretty serious issue. At first, when I came across it, I did a quick search on what I could find, and the one thing I read said it was a false accusation against the company, so I disregarded it. Wesley had been doing fine, and I didn't really notice anything wrong with it, so I just continued to use it.
But today, I happened to stumble on someone else mentioning it on their blog - Stacey Chen over at TwoMamaCats.com (go there if you haven't, great site), so it got me thinking to look it up again, because I'm still using KMR.
Well, I found out that it really HAS been a problem, and for anyone out there who is currently using powdered KMR should be super duper careful to watch if it smells or looks funny. There's a great article and video found on this website. I encourage anyone fostering to have a quick read.
Luckily, the liquid formula has had no problems whatsoever... and that's what I've been using to date. I probably will continue using it, too, because it's helping Wesley gain like a champ. Plus it's easy to warm up during those 2am feedings. I have another powdered formula that I have been waiting to use, when I have more time and the kittens are a little older (just in case it's more difficult to digest), and I checked the directions on that one too (not PetAg brand)... Well - Something I have learned... Apparently all or most powdered kitten formula must be refrigerated before or after opening. I wouldn't normally think a powder would need it, and I'm glad I learned about this BEFORE I used it.
So, anyway, with that being said, the next on the list is Wesley and his super gaining-weight-ness!! Since last Thursday, a mere week ago... he has doubled in weight!! Today, he is a wonderful 6.2 ounces!!! Hurrraaaaaaayyy! And he looks great and is sweet as a button :)
Here's a picture of him when I got in from a relaxing (and much needed) dinner out tonight:
He was fast asleep like that in his box. He loves to sleep on his back, and seems to be most comfortable in that position.... gah. He's just SO cute.
And for kicks, here's a video of him a little later after a feeding. He's totally chilled out in a little nest of blanket:
Well, I'm off to do a little blog reading, since I'm a bit behind. I'll try to get more pictures in tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Happy St. Patty's Day!
100th Post!!!
Hurray!
In honour of St. Patrick and my 100th post, I present you with pure pictures for today! Enjoy!
Head fuzz!!
And open eyes! Today they are fully open - Sorry it's still hard to get pics of them like that though. You can sorta see it in that third picture above.
Mommy snuggles.
I just want to nom that big belleh all the time!
Crashing out with a milk 'stache.
I love the way L sleeps... sooo cute. :)
Just as I am about to go upstairs after this post, I find this little girl smiling in the sunshine. ;)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Just a quickie...
Don't have much time to make a long post today... which means I haven't uploaded any pictures yet either. I had a bit of a sleepless night last night, which resulted in my taking a couple extra hours to sleep in this morning. And of course, Wesley has been super fussy. Because he's growing, I think he's getting hungrier much more frequently, so it's keeping me busy.
I'm a bit frustrated with the feedings lately... and again am looking for advice on those who have hand-reared kittens before. Wes can't nurse on his own, it seems. He still doesn't have a great sucking power, even being over a week old. His head wobbles all around and he can't find the "nipple" (he hates the bottle nipple, after several tries, so I'm still using an eyedropper). I have to hold his head completely still and stick it in his mouth and squeeze the end in order for him to start eating. Mind you, when he gets started, he's eating about 3-4 ml now... but, I can't get him to do it himself. He just bangs all around until he gets help from me.
Today I decided I was going to see what would happen if I put him with Rosie. First of all, I almost lost a hand, because she -hates- it when I mess with her kittens (understandably).
I weighed both of them.. L.H. is 7.3 oz and Wesley is 4.8 oz. Such a huge difference still.
Seeing the two of them side by side you see a noticeable size difference. But it's because L.H. has no trouble with eating at all.
Rosie accepted Wesley with no problem, and even licked him, which was nice to see. The first time I tried to put him in, he was still hungry. I wanted to see how he would do if I left him with the nipple. So I took a seat in the back of the room to observe. Even sticking his nose right-at-her-nipple, he just wobbled around and screamed bloody murder.
So, I took him out and fed him myself. After he ate (and ate and ate and ate), and was finally content, purring away, I stuck him back with Rosie. She put her arm around him and cuddled him (she's really getting down with this mother thing)... and I just left them. It's been half an hour, and I'm going to check on things in there soon. I may just keep taking him out of there for his feedings so that he bonds with L and Rosie a bit more.
His eyes are opening now considerably (and I checked L's eyes too.. also coming along nicely), so I'm hoping that once he can fully see, he'll be able to just SEE the nipple for himself. What do you think?
Anyway, I said I wasn't going to make a long post, but here I am rambling away. Off to check on kitties and do some dishes. Here's a video a put together yesterday from the videos I took when taking my pictures yesterday. Note the last video clip of Wesley feeding, I was trying to hold the camera with one hand while he tried to put the whole eyedropper in his mouth. I'm usually holding the eyedropper with one hand and his head/body with the other so that doesn't happen. Just wanted to document how cute it is when he's eating ;)
(The first clip is L and Rosie, the second is Yoko)
I'm a bit frustrated with the feedings lately... and again am looking for advice on those who have hand-reared kittens before. Wes can't nurse on his own, it seems. He still doesn't have a great sucking power, even being over a week old. His head wobbles all around and he can't find the "nipple" (he hates the bottle nipple, after several tries, so I'm still using an eyedropper). I have to hold his head completely still and stick it in his mouth and squeeze the end in order for him to start eating. Mind you, when he gets started, he's eating about 3-4 ml now... but, I can't get him to do it himself. He just bangs all around until he gets help from me.
Today I decided I was going to see what would happen if I put him with Rosie. First of all, I almost lost a hand, because she -hates- it when I mess with her kittens (understandably).
I weighed both of them.. L.H. is 7.3 oz and Wesley is 4.8 oz. Such a huge difference still.
Seeing the two of them side by side you see a noticeable size difference. But it's because L.H. has no trouble with eating at all.
Rosie accepted Wesley with no problem, and even licked him, which was nice to see. The first time I tried to put him in, he was still hungry. I wanted to see how he would do if I left him with the nipple. So I took a seat in the back of the room to observe. Even sticking his nose right-at-her-nipple, he just wobbled around and screamed bloody murder.
So, I took him out and fed him myself. After he ate (and ate and ate and ate), and was finally content, purring away, I stuck him back with Rosie. She put her arm around him and cuddled him (she's really getting down with this mother thing)... and I just left them. It's been half an hour, and I'm going to check on things in there soon. I may just keep taking him out of there for his feedings so that he bonds with L and Rosie a bit more.
His eyes are opening now considerably (and I checked L's eyes too.. also coming along nicely), so I'm hoping that once he can fully see, he'll be able to just SEE the nipple for himself. What do you think?
Anyway, I said I wasn't going to make a long post, but here I am rambling away. Off to check on kitties and do some dishes. Here's a video a put together yesterday from the videos I took when taking my pictures yesterday. Note the last video clip of Wesley feeding, I was trying to hold the camera with one hand while he tried to put the whole eyedropper in his mouth. I'm usually holding the eyedropper with one hand and his head/body with the other so that doesn't happen. Just wanted to document how cute it is when he's eating ;)
(The first clip is L and Rosie, the second is Yoko)
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Crazy Cat Household
The sun is back shining brightly again this morning, so I've been visiting all the kitties in the house going picture happy!
This is Wesley's feeding station - where I spend a good portion of my day.
Yoko's taking advantage of the chair I usually sit in (my chair is always better than the rest).
Boy... my table needs a dusting! :P
Yaaaaaaaaaawn!
I looove it when they sleep with their tongue out of their mouth.
No teethies in there! :D
Mama Rosie giving me the evil eye.
She doesn't quite know what to make of the camera, but I think she's starting to get used to it ;)
Snuggly Wesley
Does this just not make you want to crawl back into bed and cuddle??
Nothing overly major to report today. Except! I noticed that Wesley's eyes are beginning to open as of this morning! You can see that he's trying super duper hard to get them open when I talk to him. I bet it'll just be a couple more days and we'll get to see them.
Everything else seems to be going well over here still though. Wes is still eating well, L.H. is still a chub, and Rosie.. is well, Rosie. Going to do a weigh in on the two of them shortly and make sure that the numbers are still climbing, too. :)
I have some videos that I'll try to get around to posting later. For now, it's feeding time, so I better go!
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