Step in the right Direction

Quinn has finally taken food off our fingers!

It’s a small step but its one in the right direction. He’s been coming closer day by day and on Sunday we sat in the kitchen will all 5 cats hand feeding them sardines in tomato sauce.

My husband got Quinn to go to him first and he just kept coming back for more!

Got him

I managed to clip Quinn’s claws finally.

He’s taken to clawing at my kitchen table so that will have to be sanded at some point.

I got him to go into the library and then spent 10 minutes playing the in circles game until he finally let me pick him up.

Didn’t make a peep once I had him and allowed me to clip the claws without so much as flinching, I then gave him a load of treats to make up for it all.

Harley continues to do very well, she’s stalking Lirael back which is fun to watch and enjoys coming up for a bit of fuss.

Quinn is slower and still unapproachable but I believe he’s starting to get the idea that I won’t grab him.

Update

I had been trying to update this once a week at very least with the progress of Harley & Quinn.

Unfortunately my mom passed away on the 15th August which has thrown everything off.

On the 16th Harley & Quinn went back to the branch runner of CAT1977 to stay while we were in the US, we had no idea if they would be coming back or not.

When we arrived home on the 22nd I called and they were still with the branch runner and he promised to bring them over later that day. About 9pm we got them as they didn’t’ want to go into the carrier and do get a bit upset when it comes to travel. I put them in the library for the night thinking they’d be scared, upset and not wanting to run amok in the house.

So all night they threw themselves at the library door wanting out, about 5am I caved in and let them out. Harley came right up to me tail up wanting fuss and Quinn was happy to run around.

Both saw Penguin and immediately rubbed all over him giving him headbutts and kisses.

This morning while putting the plate of wet cat food down I managed to stroke Quinn, just for a second and he didn’t run. It’s a small step but for Quinn it’s a huge one!

The other week when trying to clip Quinn’s nails he bit the heck out of my arm and I bled all over the bedroom before finding a plaster, so like I said it’s a huge step for this little cat.

Leaps and Bounds

It’s been a few days, well more than a few really.

Harley is coming along very well, you can go up to her slowly and waggle your fingers and she’ll sniff and then allow you to pet her.

Quinn has pretty much stopped hissing & growling at people although you still can’t get close.

Harley is a girl! It was confirmed on Sunday as she let me pet her tummy. Still no idea about Quinn though were assuming Quinn is a boy based on his huge paws.

We’ve let both out of the library into the main house and they are loving it. They tend to stay under our bed when sleeping but are out and running around when they are awake.

Penguin is their hero. They adore him to no end and will go right up to him and rub against him whenever he is around. Unfortunately Penguin isn’t used to this and tends to run.

Harley likes to lay on the computer desk and lay with Mark at night. Quinn just likes to attack feet and anything that moves.

They are adorable and a lot of fun, even if they do wake me up a few times each night for various reasons I love them. Which will be a problem when its time for them to leave.

The way to a cats heart is via their stomach

Harley took the sardines in tomato sauce off my fingers last night, she almost took my fingers!

This morning she was happy to see me and let me hold her, within a minute I had her purring her head off.

I’d let Penguin in with them for a while last night and though he threw up (hairball) him and Harley were both in the window when I came up to let him out.

Quinn I took downstairs to sit with us and fed her sardines by pushing it in her mouth and then she would lick it off my fingers. I gave her a good helping of it once we were back upstairs.

Some days I despair thinking I’m a horrible foster mom and will never get these two to be people cats and then they go and surprise me.

Smoke and Lirael are getting closer to Harley and Quinn before they hiss so about another week or so and I’ll have 5 cats running through the house!

Trust is hard to earn

Little Quinn is still hissy/growly, last night I gave both Quinn and Harley some sardines in tomato sauce as a test to see if they like it. And boy do they. So tonight I’ll see if I can get either to take it off my fingers.

Both kittens seem to like Penguin and Harley purred at him.

So I’ll be taking Penguin in more to visit them. Lirael & Smoke are still very growly.

On Friday we’ll be out having dinner, seeing Die Hard 4.0 and buying Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

I plan to come home at 1am set up in the library with the kittens and read the book so that’ll be a lot of time spent with them and hopefully I can get Quinn to come around a bit more.

Harley will even let me stroke her a bit.

Third time lucky

We had Friday off to spend more time with all the cats, Harley and Quinn were let out and brought down stairs to be cuddled.

Quinn sat on the sofa watching everything and Harley hid behind the door. So I took them upstairs to see if they would be more comfortable roaming around there. Left them until my two girls woke up then went up to put Harley and Quinn away only to find Quinn was back in the library and Harley was under the bed!

Been going in and playing with them every night as well as seeing if they will come out on their own, Smoke (my girl moggie) took a half hearted swipe at Harley so I can’t leave them alone. Lirael (my Burmese) growls and hisses every time she spots a kitten, time will tell.

Harley gave me a third purr on Monday which was lovely. She really likes her chin rubbed and pushes against your hand.

Quinn is still hissing though enjoys playing.

Found out today that the Leeds Branch of Act Action Trust 1977 only has a few volunteers, a possible of 4 total and it may be only 3 (this includes myself!). I’ll probably be offering more help in the future.

Out and About

I had the library door open last night and sat in the bedroom doorway playing with the laser pen so that way I could distract my cats and let the kittens have a bit of a roam around.

My Burmese is a bit bossy and wouldn’t let the kittens come out too far, so I can only let them out with supervision.

They enjoyed playing with the laser pen as much as my cats did.

You can hear them bouncing around and knocking against the library door in the evenings and early morning. All they want to do is play.

Still getting hissed at by the black one.

To help stop this Mark and I took Friday off so we’ll have 3 whole days of kittens. I also plan to spend tonight with them.

They do want to come out and aren’t as scared so that’s good. Not heard another purr yet but it’ll come.

A bit of purring goes a long way

The weekend as per usual wasn’t long enough, and I never get as much time to spend with the kittens as I would like.

However yesterday about 7pm I got a surprise.

I had picked up the B&W kitten and stroked her only to have her start purring.

First time either had done that and I couldn’t help but cry. To know that this little kitten was okay with me holding her for a bit and showing that she actually enjoyed it.

Of course later when Mark and I were both in the library with them they hid and didn’t appreciate Mark holding them. He’s just too tall.

We also had a nail clipping session, they were both a bit afraid but didn’t attempt to run away or scratch so that was a plus.

Each day they come a bit further.

A bit higher

The kittens are still with me and every day or so get a little braver.

They keep enjoying playing with the stick and I can normally sneak in a stroke on the B&W kitten.

I picked her up last night and she was not going to sit quietly in my lap so I had to let her go and she immediately wanted to play more.

They still hide a bit when I come into the room or stand up but they are getting better, it’s a slow process especially when I’m not home all the time.

Last night I heard them causing havoc in the library so went in there to discover both in the window sill. They had figured out climbing onto the chair and then into the window.

I lifted them both down so I knew they could get down and got hissed at by the black one.

They tipped over the water bowl this morning so when I went to clean the litter box I stepped in water. Which normally isn’t bad but I had my socks on.

Pictures Included!

I moved the kittens permanently into our library, I put an old duvet on the floor so when I want to go in there I can get down to their level.

They are still pretty scared and won’t come up to me without me using the stick (stick with feathers on the end that we shortened to call the stick). Its easier for them to be in there they can get the feel of the room as well as run around and play when they want to.

Instead of sleeping in any of the comfy spots offered (and there are quite a few) they’ve both taken to laying on top of some magazines that are on one of the bookcases. At one point I caught the black & white one sleeping on top of the black one.

They do enjoy playing a lot and will allow me to play with them as long as I don’t get too close, no more than 6 inches close to them.

They had a lovely treat of cooked chicken last night, and so did my horde. They also enjoy the Pounce treats that my mom sent me for my cats. So every time I go in the room and play with them they get a treat of some sort and hopefully they’ll come closer to me soon.

I took more pictures of them and they can be seen here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63441911@N00/

They are very adorable thought the black one still hisses – again, I think it just likes to hiss!

The black one is very agile and able to move faster, to be honest I think the black and white one may have minor problems with coordination. It could just be due to its age but I wouldn’t trust the little mite outside.

One step forward Two steps back

Last nights play session was cut shorter than I would have liked. Due to me waiting for a food delivery for the kittens.

So to gather them up into the basket I got the black and white one in it and then went for the black one but I guess all the movement scared the poor thing as it poo’d on the floor. You could hear its tummy rumbling so I think it had to go anyway.

Later when I held them both before going to bed both were fine if a little hard to get a hold of while in the cage.

Tonight it’s full on in the library and possibly over night if they do well. I may sleep on the floor so they get more used to bouncing around me.

I promise to take more pictures.

I was told a add in the paper would be put in next week, so I’m not sure how much longer I’ll have these two cuties. I’ll be sad to let them go even though I’ve tried very hard not to get attached.

Pouncing

Last night I took the kittens and ventured into the library with them both.

At first they were cautious but 15 minutes in they started playing. Pouncing on each other and being so adorable.

I then took a nap for a while and they kept playing. I just don’t feel comfortable enough yet to leave them in there on their own for any length of time. I’m sure I’ll calm down.

They are just so tiny.

I managed to clean the cage out and air the living room so that it didn’t smell nearly as bad as it had been.

The black one is still hissing and growling a bit, the B&W one is being adorable and I don’t see it having a problem it will learn quick to come around to people whereas the little black one will take longer.

We’ll be in the library again tonight ;)

The saga continues…

The black&white kitten is still the most out going and is still happy to sit in my lap and lick food off my fingers. Last night it jumped from my lap into the cage (I was sitting right next to it.

The black one is still hissing at everything and anything. I think it just enjoys hissing.

They seem more comfortable with us around now as both decided to play while we were in the room. The B&W one likes to roll around in the litter box and reach over to smack the black one on the head.

It’s adorable to watch them play as they are showing a bit more trust and that they are kittens.

Now if I can just get the smell to go away as Mark complained about it this morning. I bought air fresheners and I plan to open up everything tonight to help the odour. I started cleaning the litter box twice a day but it only helps so much.

I will find a way.

Tonight it’s into the library with them for a nice round of running and playing, well that’s my hope. Oh and I’ll be clipping their nails.

Gotta Keep On

The kittens are settling in, I put the black & white one in the library for a short time on Sunday. It walked around and was generally sniffing at everything but wouldn’t come too close to me.

I’ve been taking them out and stroking them 5-6 times a day and last night put them both in the library whilst I read Harry Potter to them. They moved around quite a bit and then discovered the cat bed and slept.

The black & white one hissed and growled at Penguin who is a very sweet cat so I had to shoo him out of the library.

Last night whilst watching Happy Feet (cute film) I held the black & white one and got it to lick food off my fingers, it was quite happy to do this as well. The black one did the same.

This morning it continued for the black & white one but the black one has taken up hissing & growling at me when I get it out of the cage, it’s not scratching or biting nor is its ears going back. Still, it’s fine to sit in my lap and be stroked.

Tomorrow I plan to leave a Book CD on for them to listen to all day. It’s a toss up between Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings.

They have arrived

The two kittens arrived on Saturday afternoon, Friday had been very wet (thundering etc) so a day later than planned we have the two kittens are in our living room at the moment. They're in a cage that is big enough for them to move about & have their litter box.

The black and white one is a bit more out going and today walked around the cage meowing and climbing. The black one is still very shy and I have the scratches to prove it doesn't like being picked up.

They eat like mad though:)

and without further ado, here they are.

And...

And finally I know when the kittens will be showing up.

Tomorrow after 7pm. I’m to call after we’re home and hopefully help the gentleman with directions – well I’ll be handing the phone to Mark to help as I’m rubbish.

We’ll be going to the super market first to buy our normal set of supplies for 2 weeks and in addition I’ll probably buy more tuna fish then normal and seeing what other wet cat food I may be able to sneak into the basket.

I’m really excited and can’t wait to help these two kittens find their way to trust humans and go onto a happy home.

Pictures of course will be posted once I’ve got them settled.

Getting closer

I spoke to the gentleman who runs our local branch. It looks like I’ll be taking care of 2 12 week old feral kittens that are currently hissing and hiding when people come near them.

They’ll be in a cat cage (I lack the knowledge of the technical term here) and will be kept separate from my cats.

The goal will be to get them to enjoy human companions and stop hissing and hiding.

I’ll be speaking with him again later today to figure out when he can come over I assume and assess which room to put the kittens in – I believe it’ll be either the living room or kitchen (the kitchen has less hidey holes for when they can roam from the cage).

With the noise our neighbours make (they have 3 or 4 kids) that you can hear through the walls I don’t see it taking too long for these kittens to get used to human noises. I may put a radio on as well so they get used to that as well.

We tamed up our cat Smoke who we rescued in February, the rescue did not have any information for us as to what her previous owners if any were like or why she was at the shelter so we had no idea what she would be like.

She’s now quite lovey and will get jealous when I get home if I pet Lirael too much first. She also loves food, especially ham.

Knowledge is Power

Today I’m on pins and needles waiting for the rescue to call me back about fostering. If I don’t hear from them by tomorrow midday I’ll be giving them a call.

Till then I thought it appropriate to print out as much information as I could with what I know. So I’ve got one 7 page document about raising feral kittens and one about having a feral mom with kittens.

I don’t mind either so I’m eager to see which I’ll get. Of course the situations can change and I might get something altogether different and will have to go on another printing spree.

The Beginning

I finally made the phone call.

And thankfully ended up getting a voice mail system so I left a message.

I was a bit nervous as I didn’t really know what to ask or if I was going to understand the gentleman I would be speaking to.

What’s all the fuss? Why rather get a voice mail?

I decided to become a fosterer for the Leeds branch of Cat Action Trust 1977. Thanks to a UK cat forum I discovered a whole world of poor cats who don’t have homes but are looking. A lot of these guys don’t get the chance to be in a shelter but are taken into kind soles homes.

After a few months of reading the forum and talking to a few of the fosterers I thought well, we’ve got the room and a bit of the equipment so why not.

I emailed the head office of Cat Action Trust 1977 and got a reply with a contact for the Leeds branch.

I spoke to him today and now it’s a bit of a waiting game. They have two kittens 12wks old who need a bit of taming and they may have a mom cat with kittens who will need a place to raise the kittens and be tamed.

These aren’t cats who have enjoyed loving homes all their lives these are poor cats who have been on the streets with no one to look after them. So they are a bit afraid of people and need a bit extra to show them that they won’t get hurt and hopefully they will learn to trust humans again (if they ever did in the first place).

So in the next few days I may have a few new (though temporary) additions. We’ll see.

The gentleman who runs the Leeds branch has 40 cats, true he lives on a farm.. but 40?

Imagine that food bill.