MY GARDEN IS PROTECTED !

[susieqz]

12th week kittens:
watching the weekly changes in my kits has been interesting, because the changes are dramatic.
i saw infants, babies, toddlers, kids n last week, teens.
they outgrew the teen look nnow just look like small cats.
emotionally, some are learning to enjoy my cuddling.
i even get an occasional purr.
that's something drifter never did.
they are quite athletic. they can go anywhere.
they can leap 3' up my desk without noticing.
they know how to use ladders, for going up n down.
they spend time on top of my arbor, which is 7' high.

drifter is finally getting back to normal. she has ignored me for 12 weeks
yesterday, she cuddled up to me n watched johnny carson for a while.
i think she knows the mom thing is ending.
they were effectively weaned at 8 weeks, but they have been drinking from mom once/day or so, but now drifter is cutting them off.
she no longer enjoys it.

these guys are able to leave the garden at any time.
i dread this, because there will be losses as soon as they start to prowl.
i don't know how, but drifter may be keeping them in.
i'm not sure how. if all 4 made a break for it, she couldn't stop them.
besides, when they are on top of the fence, all they need to do is just jump the other way n they would be out.
they are very curious, but have decided leaving the garden isn't smart.
this keeps them alive, but i sure wish i understood how they figured it out.

 

[Redbert31]

Trust the wisdom of drifter.. She knows what's out there and somehow she'll keep them safe. You can build that enclosure if you feel they'd be safer. They're still too young to defend themselves. I'll pray that they stay safe. I feel very attached to them and hope she can teach them what they need to know and will protect them from harm [emoji120][emoji307][emoji307][emoji120]

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[Redbert31]

it seems like everybody in the world has loving cats.
but me.
drifter has never been a bundle of love, n now, she has kits to play with, so she ignores me, unless food is involved.

the kits think i'm just part of the landscape.
i'm furniture, like a couch, unless food is involved.

what am i doing wrong?
is it i don't play?
anyone that comes within arm's reach does get cuddled.
is it these guys haven't been neutered?
i must be doing something different than you guys n i'd like to know what it is.

To play with them you can get a thin pole and tie a string to it with a bunch of small feathers at the end. It's fun for them to catch the feathers as they wiggle. Or get a laser pointer and let them try to" catch"it. Don't let the red dot shine in their eyes though. There are other toys you can get in a pet store or online. Trial and error! They'll all have a different favorite so find a variety of fun things to chase. Kitties do love to play and maybe they'll bond with you while playing. You aren't doing anything wrong. You're doing great. I would schedule appts neutering for them all at about 5-6 months. If you neuter drifter, make sure to keep them inside during that time till she's back and active so they dont get out and get killed by a predator. [emoji307][emoji177]

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[susieqz]

drifter is the best mom i've ever seen.
since i know she will survive, i'll get her fixed.
then, any kits that survive will get fixed, unless they decide to be outdoor cats.
i wouldn't mind more outdoor cats, but i don't want any more litters in the house.
you know, i've always thot of cats as solitary critters.
not so.
they all, including drifter, want to be part of a clowder.
this may change with age, but right now drifter, myself n the kits are one tribe.

 

[snubbyfan]

I had a fellow send me a buckle and he wanted a belt to go with it. He wanted it single layer and made of a leather thicker than a regular strap belt and since a leather side would cost way too much, I ordered a strap.
I had to trim the width of the strap and ended up with a thin leather strip that I tied to a stick.
The cats love it. I've become the keeper of the stick with the leather tied to it person. Every night they gather 'round and stare at me until I play with them.
Sara's the most athletic while Sandy and Natayo lay on the floor and bap at it and try to catch it.
The belt came out pretty good too but it was a lot of stamping and a lot of leather dye.

I wear an extra large glove and my anti-gimpy meds help by increasing peripheral blood flow. That gives me big warm hands.
Every night Sara waits for me on the bed to get a full body stroke with my big warm hands. If I take too long, she comes and gets me. She'll walk up and start fussing 'til I get up off my butt and come into the bedroom to give her the big warm hand full body stroke. She'll just lay there and purr.
Cats like routines. At least ours do.
My wife likes my big warm hands too.

 

[susieqz]

you know, snub, i was just telling ig that i wish i had your skill in making vids.
what i have in front of my nose is a ton of kits n one moth.
they are all aware of it n take turns leaping high in the air to try to grab it.
these leaps are very graceful, in fact, beautiful.
not kittenish at all.
your leather work is beautiful too.

 

[Redbert31]

Very nice belt snubby! Great idea to use that strip of leather as a cat toy... They love to go after anything that moves as you know and warmth is a plus. Happiness to a kitty is a warm stroking on a cold night. Keep those warm hands going [emoji39][emoji16]. @susieqz a video with the moth and the kits would be great.. Do you get fireflies in the summer? They might like those if you have them. Have a good night

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[snubbyfan]

you know, snub, i was just telling ig that i wish i had your skill in making vids.
what i have in front of my nose is a ton of kits n one moth.
they are all aware of it n take turns leaping high in the air to try to grab it.
these leaps are very graceful, in fact, beautiful.
not kittenish at all.
your leather work is beautiful too.

Ya just gotta hold the camera steady and try to keep 'em in frame.

 

[susieqz]

THANK YOU ENGINEER 1911 !!
this super nice person sent me a strong carrier, that will hold drifter.
i bot a cheap one, but it's too flimsey for drifter.
now, i can get her to the vet.
i didn't want to fix her, but she is going into heat every 3 weeks.
so, she has to stay indoors 6 days straight, every month..
she hates this,
drifter hates being inside during the day.
she won't like the vet, but she will like being able to come n go at will.

 

[susieqz]

amazingly, i still have 4 kits.
today was the day they left the garden.
with them, it's all or none.
they act in unison.
i thot i'd lose some, because a storm was rolling in n i'm not walking well enow to chase them down.

one was hungry, so he came in, but the others ignored me.
of course, when another one showed up, the first dashed out.
this is how it works here.
if you corral a couple, they will make a break for it when you open the door for others.
finally tho, i locked a couple in the bath when drifter herded the rest indoors.
i opened the gate because they were crying, but they can all scale a 6' board fence.
from now on, they take their chances.
i think i'll lose some because they are vocal n make noise.
drifter is always silent outside, but they haven't learned this.
i cannot cope with cleaning up after them unless they spend time outdoors.
they are happy together. this is a pack, no matter what anyone says.
i guess the blood relation is important.
drifter won't let me feed other cats, but these i can feed.
they all think i'm just part of the pack.
drifter is happily back to normal, but she has a calender.
on their 12 week b day, drifter finally came to watch movies with me n now comes to me nightly, like before.
as i'm typing this, i hear coyotes cutting up.
any kit that stays out after dark is gone.

 

[vonn]

Susieqz you just have to remember Mother Nature is a tough old gal who doesn't suffer mistakes by any of her children. Cats are better equipped than most animals but it is a survival of the fittest situation when they venture out into the world. If they become outside cats they will face many dangers you can't help with. If momma lets them go so must you.

 

[susieqz]

today, drifter n 3 kits came in.
bear is missing.
if he gets back to the garden, he can live thru the night.
drifter wants to go looking but i can't let her out without the rest of them going.
i have no effective method of border control.


well, bear is back, 4 hours after curfew.
i have no way to punish this.
i'd love to beat him, but he wouldn't connect punishment with staying out late, partying.
the only real punishment would be not letting him in, which makes no sense.
bear was last in the other day too.
if this is a habit, i won't be able to keep him alive..

 

[Redbert31]

I'd keep them in when drifter is at the vet for sure, especially if the coyotes are out. Drifter can't defend them when she's not there or when she's recovering which should take a few days. It would be worthwhile to suck it up and keep them in during drifters surgery. You may not be happy with their mess but if the predators don't smell drifter out there, they may be bold enough to grab all 4. That would be worse. She'll go out looking for them while recovering and that would be bad for all 5.

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[Engineer1911]

^^^ And that is the ugly truth. ^^^

If that happened, there would be a lot of blurry monitor screens and wet keyboards.

Suzie,
Thank you for the kind words about the carrier. Your cats are now a little safer when you have to transport them.

 

[susieqz]

yup, the cheapest carriers won't hold a mean adult cat.
they might get a babe back n forth to the vet, but barely.

you know, raising kits in the house is no favor.
they don't understand the world.

after some months with me, drifter learned to meow to ask for stuff.
now she has a quiet whirring sound that means ''kits, come to me''.
she is silent mostly.
always, outdoors.
if she walks thru dried leaves, she makes little noise
more, i can see her when she lounges in the garden, untill the plants grow.
but, when she leaves, she becomes invisible.
black n white aren't camo, but she just blends in.
drifter in the bush can't be seen or heard.
this is why she's alive.
coyotes can't find her n mice don't know she's there until they are getting gobbled up.
he kits are clumsy n loud. they make noise moving.
they couldn't sneak up on anything.
worse, they meow, even outside the garden.
this is stupid.
n, if i look for them, i can find them.
they don't understand hiding.

all this is fine, for indoors.
they know how to cuddle n even purr.
a purring kitty is very pleasant.
drifter never purrs.
too much noise.

so, drifter can go anyplace safely.
she understands ''careful''.
the kits don't.

 

[Redbert31]

yup, the cheapest carriers won't hold a mean adult cat.
they might get a babe back n forth to the vet, but barely.

you know, raising kits in the house is no favor.
they don't understand the world.

after some months with me, drifter learned to meow to ask for stuff.
now she has a quiet whirring sound that means ''kits, come to me''.
she is silent mostly.
always, outdoors.
if she walks thru dried leaves, she makes little noise
more, i can see her when she lounges in the garden, untill the plants grow.
but, when she leaves, she becomes invisible.
black n white aren't camo, but she just blends in.
drifter in the bush can't be seen or heard.
this is why she's alive.
coyotes can't find her n mice don't know she's there until they are getting gobbled up.
he kits are clumsy n loud. they make noise moving.
they couldn't sneak up on anything.
worse, they meow, even outside the garden.
this is stupid.
n, if i look for them, i can find them.
they don't understand hiding.

all this is fine, for indoors.
they know how to cuddle n even purr.
a purring kitty is very pleasant.
drifter never purrs.
too much noise.

so, drifter can go anyplace safely.
she understands ''careful''.
the kits don't.

They're just babies still. Drifter will teach them. She's amazing, isn't she? It will take a while before they're properly schooled. They still have the luxury of the garden and inside the house for protection. She's had time alone to hone her skills, and it will take time for them to learn. You're wise to give them that time till they're ready for what lies in wait.... Outside...

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[susieqz]

i found out why the kits haven't been cuddly to me.
bear decided to spend the night outside.
drifter elected to stay with him.
i could have got drifter in, but i let her stay out, to teach him how to stay alive.
they were fine this morn.
actually, bear may not need drifter.
i made a cat hose for drifter that she never used, but the kits often nap in it. he's safe in there.
these guys seem to spend most of their time on the roof anyway.

anyway, without drifter here, the 3 kits i had cuddled me, n tromped all over me, all night.
they still have an active period in the middle of the night, so were jumping on my head.
kinda fun.

 

[Redbert31]

That's probably best for drifter to teach them one at a time! Then she can concentrate on each one. They're probably a handful for even her to teach given the predators that they can face outside your garden..

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[susieqz]

AAARG!!
DRIFTER IS IN HEAT AGAIN.
every 10 days?
i don't care if it's possible, it's happening.
i'm trying to keep her in, but she got out when i was letting the herd out.
might be preg already.
i don't mind keeping my drifter in, but i need those kits out !

they really need outdoor time.
not just less litter clean up, they are just happier critters when they play outside.
they climb all the time outside.
this satisfies them.
they have never been on my counters inside.

 

[Redbert31]

Going into heat every 10 days may mean drifter has a medical problem. You may want to give your vet a call and have her seen to determine if there's a problem that needs attention right away.

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