My Kittens - An Introduction
I finally got to borrow a camera (I got mine back but I have misplaced the memory card and my financial situation is less than optimal currently) so now I can document the kittens progress. Consider this their introduction post!
Three of them suffer from twisted hind legs which basically means their tendons are shorter than they should be which causes the legs to become twisted. This can be treated in a lot of different ways but stretching the legs several times a day seem to work the best. They all have a long way to go but I am really confident they will be able to walk like normal kittens soon.
Even if they sort of run around on their knees, they are still as active and playful as other kittens.
This is Zearah, she is a lady, which many already would know since she is a calico. She has a very sweet personality but is starting to get more playful every day, also very curious!
This is Dio, he is the shy one. He does not mind being by himself and does not play and run around as much as the others but sometimes he likes to have fun too! He is a bit careful and seems to think things through before he does them. He looks a little sad in this picture and that is because kittens have very sharp claws and sometimes they scratch their sibling's eyes by accident, hence why some of them look a bit teary.
This is Vixen, the charmer. She is the one who likes to be held the most, even if all kittens enjoy it and are used to it (especially the ones with twisted legs, they need stretching after all and therefore are used to being picked up a lot.)
This is Alistair, the only kitten with 'normal' legs. He loves to explore and gets very vocal if he does not get his way (he wants to be out with the adult cats, not in his kitten area!) Even since he was just a few days old he has wanted to explore and sometimes he is a bit too clever for his own good as he seems to find new ways to sneak out for each day.
"Stop scratching my eyes, mean siblings!"
I hope you like the little kittens so far, thanks to the camera I will be able to offer an almost neverending supply of kitten pics!
Okay @kittylicious, I just swooned all over the place at your little furbabies.
My big boy, Mr. St. John, used to have curled under little legs too. He was not getting anything to eat as a baby because he was the dying runt in that litter and was just being clobbered.
When I took him, I started feeding him colostrum out of a little kitten bottle. He actually straightened up, too. It has been fascinating. He's 14.5 now and you'd never know that had been what his little hind legs looked like before.
We had one that had to be bottle fed but he sadly did not make it, it is crazy how attached one can get by bottle feeding, I was a mess when he passed. I try to focus on the kittens that remain now.
Did you stretch his hind legs or did they just work out when he got older? We keep stretching the kittens daily but there is very little progress.
Awww, I know what you mean, @kittylicious! It was touch-and-go with my little guy when I received him. Emergency vet trips in a rural area to a very small city to get help, et cetera. I would have been pretty devastated to see him perish.
I'm sorry your family had to go through that. It's always difficult to see a being suffering, especially one in your care. 💘It's good you have had the little ones there to co-nurture. That's how it really works too. They're little healing secret agents, undercover(fur).
As for my Johnny-boy, he sort of bounced back. He was all full of piss and vinegar. As soon as he was being held (he was constantly on my chest) and fed this stuff, he kinda tore the place up. lol He just started ripping around and got stronger and stronger. He would run up my leg (especially when I was in shorts, OUCH!) and climb me.
Those little curly legs straightened themselves out, if you ask me.
Colostrum gives the naive immune system the polypeptides carrying messenger data from a more robust immune system. While they're so little like that, it is easily assimilated for them to integrate into their growing bodies. I have a feeling that's what helped give my little guy the edge, plus I'm a kanga-daddy, so he was spoiled with constant love.
Will keep that in mind, I just worry their legs will never get well you know? They are so sweet and I want them to find loving homes but some might be a bit put off if they legs won't straighten out.
Heart....melting....
SO ADORABLE! And so glad they have you to take care of them.
We used to have kittens a lot when I was younger. Seemed once a year or so our mama cat would come home pregnant. Still can't figure out why my parents never spayed her. But maybe it was because they're so dang cute and it was just great fun having a litter of kittens around the house. We never had issues finding homes, and of course once every few years kept one for ourselves.
I just helped my little kitty transition to the other side. Great timing to see these happy, healthy young little darlings!
thank you!
I am so sorry to hear that about your kitten, having to say farewell to a loved kitty is awful. Did you only have one cat or do you have other little ones that can help you cope?
I have two dogs that are helping me, thank you. It's so weird, 17 years with that kitty. So now I find myself expecting her to walk by and several times I've headed to her little room to check food and water. It's an adjustment for sure.
https://steemit.com/cat/@appiepearl/crossing-the-rainbow-bridge-zoe-s-story
too cute i cant dies