I just cleared off the dresser in the bedroom and set one of my large carriers on top. I started the heating pad to warm up the new digs for the kittens. My back is getting old and bending and stooping for this old lady becomes difficult, so I wanted to make it a bit easier. As I worked, I remembered wistfully back to the day I started first rescuing (i was in my 20’s) and everything seemed so easier back then. I am grateful God has only placed four kittens in my care at the moment versus six or eight.

This morning, I enlisted Mike’s help in bottle feeding and it became painfully clear, that for now, he can’t help me. I am going to have to enlist the aid of friends in the area on days where I work longer than 4 hour shifts. The kittens can go that long without food, but not any longer than that. Mike’s fingers no longer respond to his commands and he couldn’t hold the bottle. He also had problems holding the squirming kitten so much that I ended up taking the kitten from him before the kitten came to harm. The kitten was fine thankfully but Mike got mad when I told him he almost hurt her. I know his anger comes from the inability to do anything and the frustration of that and not at me. It was just sad.

All four kittens are doing good. I never breathe a true sigh of relief until they reach 8 weeks old because so much can happen. In their new carrier, the heat rises to help keep them warm and now I have to be careful I don’t make them to warm.

At the first feeding this morning the runt took over 3/4 of the bottle! Now that is good sign. Their purr motors are engaged now when they are nursing and a few will still try and spit and hiss at me. It’s so funny to see feralness in ones so young. I hate that I had to put them back to bed, but I have a gazillion things to do today.

With limited sleep (I got about 2 hours last night) I had to go to work for a full day. My friend Hailey took the kittens and bottlefed them for me and after work, I went and picked them up.

They are doing well. Someone emailed me and asked me how I fed these young ones. I kneel on the floor near the box, and wrap one kitten in a towel (like a burrito with the head sticking out). Then, I prop the kitten against my stomach so it is sitting up (prevents aspiration) I feed them one at a time and if after they are done sucking on the bottle, they start sucking on the towel, I feed them more. You know they are done when the milk runs out of their mouth in small bubbles. But sometimes, if you pause a few minutes and let their tummy rest, they will take more. They are currently taking about a teaspoon of formula in one sitting.

Once they are done eating, I unwrap the lower part of the towel and expose their bums. Using cotton balls and tepid water, I stimulate them while they are still in the sitting position and catch the waste in another towel. Then I clean them up and put them in their bed.

I know you can’t really see them that well but I can’t seem to get larger photos to load on my blog right now. They are somewhat feral, they hiss and spit and huff which I find quite cute.

A local clinic just called and a woman has found 3 two week old kittens in her backyard. She wants to bring them to the clinic to be euthanized! I told the gal to give the woman my phone number and have her call me instead. I can’t imagine someone wanting abandoned kittens killed versus saved. 🙁

The kittens are here at the house and there are four of them, not three. They are a cross between mackeral tabbies and torties. At their first feeding, the boys fought the nipple. I tried using a new product I recently received- a critter litter titter- but they really didn’t take on to that either. I managed to feed each one using a small feeding syringe as they are really young (about a week and a half old) to know how to suck a nipple. A queen’s teat is another story, but I am fresh out of queens.

There are (I think) three boys and one girl. Stimulation produced only urine no stool but there is no telling how long it has been till they have eaten.

My two adorable Mackeral Tabbies with white points are now in a new home. I know this home well as it belongs to a former vet tech. She has a great passion for Mackeral Tabbies (and who can blame her) She has been eyeing these kittens since they arrived, she helped me when Cyrus was so ill to administer his meds- and she has been a great support system since I met her.

She is in the process of building her own cat enclosure which I am proud to say my husband has had a hand in helping with. It is not entirely built yet, but close to launching.

Cyrus is such a strong alpha that he and Hurricane Charlie (my smallest and most alpha of my group) started clashing.

The fights frightened me- going airborne just as two tomcats would during mating season. If you have never seen this aerial display of cat aggression, count yourself lucky. It is terrifying to watch and listen to and sometimes what is left in the wake is pretty ugly.

These confrontations (there were four of them) weren’t a matter of two tough guys bluffing. There was deadly intent behind them- it was truly a fight to gain dominance here. Charlie may be small but he has lived through neglect and abuse that forms him into a formidable opponent. There is no way these two cats (even though they both are neutered) could peacefully co-exist in the same environment.

I wondered, because when Cyrus arrived and couldn’t be neutered right away due to health issues, he was the first tomcat I have ever witnessed who would sexually relieve himself on objects. Not humping a furry slipper or doing the normal thing toms who have previously mated do, but rather just doing it different. I’m trying to be delicate here on a sensitive subject for some. I believe I knew then that I had a contender for the throne. I did not realize that the battle he would wage would be so deadly.

The fights lasted just seconds but seemed to go on longer. They would happen immediately when the door was opened and Cyrus would slip out. In the last few days, he was so determined to get to Charlie, that he would launch himself starting at the corner of the room and run full tilt to the screen door- jump on it claws out in the middle of the screen, climb down and do it all again until finally the latch broke.

I love this kitten. His favorite trick was to jump into my arms when I made a cradle, crawl up to my shoulder and wrap himself around my neck. He would stay there as I did the dishes, walked around the house..etc..It was clear he was claiming me and telling the others I was his. Charlie didn’t like that-I was his first.

This gal also took Phoebe. She flipped for Phoebe the minute she arrived here and so two of my beautiful mackeral tabbies now have a loving home.

i will miss both of them, Cyrus the most- but Charlie was here first and he is my $2,000.00 free kitten. Mike calls him our Bionic Baby! LOL He stays-

I was not surprised to find out that when Cyrus got to his new place and was released, he showed no interest in the other mackeral tabbies already there. There is less activity for him there (our place can get pretty chaotic at times. He is laid-back and already bonding with a 6 year old boy. Plus, her Alphas are submissive Alphas. There will be no wars in her home. Ten minutes after Cyrus left, I felt the entire house just breathe a sigh of relief.

I am pleased to let you know that I have been asked to assist in helping people with stray and feral cat questions on a new website soon to be launched, backed by the Cat Fancier’s Association.

When sending in my first article about what to do with a stray kitten you see in your yard, I suggested to the woman in charge of the website the possibility of adding a feature (once a month) that showcases not a pedigreed cat, but a stray.

The idea has been embraced and so I am asking my readers if you have a stray cat story that is exceptional (and yes, I know that ALL stray cats are exceptional) but if you have one that truly has given you different gifts, or made you appreciate your life when you didn’t before. Please contact me through this blog and let me share the story with the new audience.

I am thrilled to be a part of this project and once the website launches, I will provide the address. It is parked right at the moment.

This one is more cut and dried. For Frontline for Extra Large Dogs (80- 132 pounds) use 0.5 mL on all ADULT cats. For kittens (under a year old) call your vet for the proper dosage.

We are barely into kitten season in this area and my phone is already ringing off the hook. How do I tell people on the other end that I can’t help this year, and really neither can most of the rescuers I know. All of us are full up whether it be dogs or cats, or rabbits or gerbils.

Last night one of the late night callers got really snippy with me and told me that if I don’t come and get this pregnant female in her shed, she won’t be responsible for what happens to this cat in her shed, I would be!her husband will probably shoot it! I cried after that phone call.

This hasn’t happened to this home in years, but I have so many cats right now that I actually ran out of cat food. I have a little that I can scrape by with until payday Weds. but with the added trips to the eye surgeon and mike’s medicine plus the fact that I broke his insulin bottle the other day…dang it- my emergency food money has been used up.

So this just keeps me in the reality of the moment and even though my phone is ringing and all these people need help- this year, I can’t help them and that just makes me sad leaving those cats and kittens to an uncertain fate. Gosh, if I could I would take them all- but I don’t just take them and feed them. I spay and neuter when necessary, medicate when needed, and provide long-term care both physically and mentally for these cats. People telling me that it my problem these cats are in their yards, sheds or on their property, need to take a good, hard look at how they care for their own animals. Not blame me for the situation.

Along with kitten season (which I dread) we also have flea season arriving. Even if your cats are indoor only cats, keeping them safely flea-treated is imperative.

When I rescued Torah who was crawling with fleas and even though her health was hanging on the edge, I flea treated her with my vet’s help. The fleas didn’t all die at once and some escaped. I found one in my car as well the other day which didn’t thrill me. I detest fleas. I have seen the damage they do to a young kitten. They are hardy species and have been a constant companion to both man and animal since the dawn of man. Interestingly, if an animal doesn’t build a nest- such as a beaver or seal, they don’t have fleas. This has nothing to do with the fact that both mammals are aquatic, because anyone who has bathed a flea-ridden cat knows that fleas can swim quite well and water alone does not kill them. Once they have found a host, the female flea can suck enough blood from that host to form her abdomen into the shape of a tiny pea. If you think about how tiny fleas are, that is a lot of blood.

In my multi-cat home during flea season, I save a tremendous expense each year by buying Large Dog Size Advantage and using this to flea-treat my cats. I also never purchase this product off of store shelves, or online. I always buy from my vet. They know the proper way to store it, plus (God-forbid) if something adverse should happen, I am covered because most clinics have the company’s guarantee on the products they buy.

In most instances, dog related health products are not safe for cats. But if you use the REGULAR Advantage, NOT the other products introduced later: K-9 Advantix or Advantage for Multi-Dogs your cats will be safe.

This doesn’t mean that you should rush out and buy a tube and apply it to your cats immediately- NO NO NO! There is a formula breakdown to use for this product and here it is:

If your cat is nine pounds or better you will need .8 mL (point 8) of Regular Large Dog Advantage.

Under 9 pounds (EXCEPT for KITTENS) .4 mL (point 4). Kittens should always be flea-treated by your vet with Kitten Advantage and no other product!

1 box of Large Dog Size Advantage contains 4 tubes. Each tube holds 4.0 mL of Advantage. One tube will treat five cats weighing 9 pounds or up. One Large Dog Size Advantage package will last your cats over 20 treatments.

Since it is not a good idea for you to just squirt the tube on your cat and try and figure out if you are giving the correct dosage- get a syringe from your vet. With fine needle-nose pliers break off the very tip of the needle to blunt it. Take a piece of sandpaper, and remove any rough edges. Just be sure you still have an injection hole so you can draw the flea treatment into the syringe. If your cats vary in weight (and they probably do) get two needles and treat each the same way.

With a black tip indelible marker, mark off the .8 and .4 on each syringe. The reason being- after a few uses, the factory marks will fade away and you won’t know how much to draw. Because the needle tip has been blunted, you can use this tip to apply the right amount of Advantage to your cat(s).

I have found that applying Advantage works best at feeding time. This eliminates the need for catching, scruffing or holding a squirming cat and cuts down on how often I get scratched in the process!

I buy the stinkiest fishiest wet cat food I can and just dump it into the feeders. When the cats come running, I just work my way down the line squirting every kitty’s neck with the flea treatment. The strong fishy smell helps cover-up the chemical smell of the Advantage and it works like a charm.

I rotate the flea treatments every month- Advantage then Frontline because fleas can build up resistance if you use the same product over and over. Tomorrow I will put the Frontline formula on my blog.

I don’t know if it is her exposure to all the kittens and cats here at the house, or her natural curiousity that gets Gretchen into trouble every year when the “black and white” babies return home.

Years ago, a mama skunk was hit on the road outside our home. Her babies were in the weeds running in circles and making these really high pitched squeals. I was afraid they were going to be hit by cars, so I grabbed several burlap sacks and scooped them up.

There were four of them, and I hand-raised them- what an adventure that was! LOL I learned quickly that before they spray, they warn you by lowering their heads and stamping their back feet.

They were released when they were old enough to fend for themselves, but no one told me that they return to their place of nuturing every year. So every year, we have had litters of skunks born under our home- PHEW!

Gretchen met one of the skunks two days ago. My husband is so dense right now (to many pills I think) He lets Gretchen in the house and shouts “Hey Mary Anne, does Gretchen smell like a skunk to you?”

Two years ago, I stumbled across a skunk at night, actually brushed it with my leg as I was going to the pasture around midnight. At first, I thought it was one of my barn cats, and when I reached down to “apologize” I got directly sprayed in the face, neck and chest. If anyone has ever been sprayed by a skunk, you can imagine how that felt. The spray is oily and the only thing that saved my eyes were my glasses.

I ran into the house and jumped into the shower. I hurled several times for the next couple of days. Now when I smell a skunk, my stomach rolls and I lose my lunch.

So Gretchen is now in kennel protection. If we are outside, she can come out and join us. But if we are not, she stays in her kennel. She isn’t happy as she loves to play in the long grasses in the pasture. But it is for her protection as well as mine. No more skunk encounters!

Thank God for Nature’s Miracle Skunk-off takes the odor right out of her coat!

I wrote about my skunk encounter here:

Skunks