It will probably surprise no one reading this (except myself).That I am now in my cat room surrounded by major cuteness! (as you can probably tell by the photos).

When I learned the other day that the people whose roof they landed on, were not able to bring them inside for the Winter and had also planned to shore up all the openings under the house (where the kittens could actually stay warm.) I grew concerned. Their plan instead involved keeping them outside in wooden three-sided shelters on sawdust. Not providing them with straw, which would have provided the kittens with insulation  (sawdust is not insulated.)

I knew that even though the dog kennel they were staying in was huge and one side was protected by a fence and the other side was protected by the side of the house. It wouldn’t be enough for these kittens to be able to survive. Especially so since their mom would not be there to show them how to stay warm and safe.

I went home and prayed about it. I argued with myself, I wrote down the pros and cons. But I knew in my heart that these kittens were in for a very rough couple of months just to survive.

I returned to their house and offered to take the kittens and foster them until they are either adopted out or the weather got better. (Essentially until Spring) .

I know, I know, I’m nuts. But I have been in the game long enough to know what happens when well intentioned people try to do something which is out of their comfort zone or where they lack some common sense, especially when dealing with newly- born kittens.. If I had left them there, not many of them would survive. I did not want to wear that weight the rest of my life.

After I loaded the babies into a container. I stopped at Rustic Cuts to show the ladies my new arrivals. They are always telling people about my operation. I’ve gotten cat posts, cat food, cat litter, and money from their clients. I wanted them to take photos of the kitties and show them to their clients to see if they could help me find good homes.

Well, that short visit almost resulted in two instant adoptions. No home visit needed because I knew the people well. But unfortunately, the wives could not sway their husbands. So the kittens came back home with me. Before I left, both women confided-they were going to work on their men!

Right now, all the kittens “look” female.. They all look female at this age and their sex doesn’t appear until one to two weeks after their eye color changes. They have had a big day. Mama went in this morning and got spayed and she goes to her new home tomorrow. They have been uprooted from the place they have been for a little over a month. Now they have been introduced to the cat room, where they will be well-cared for spay, and neutered when they’re old enough. They will be warm and safe.

They spent about two hours hiding underneath the couch. I just wanted them to decompress so I left them completely alone except for providing them food, litter and water. I sat in there with them reading out-loud softly, getting them used to my smell and my voice. They finally came out and enjoyed a rousing game of tag. They also showed me that they have pretty bad stool right now. It’s not the right color, it smells to high heaven. I am taking a fecal and one kitten into the vet in the morning. Soffit the dark gray kitty started crashing about an hour ago. I gave her fluids, I put rubbing alcohol on her ears and her paws because she was running a fever. She sat in my lap for quite a while before she finally settled down. I’ve seen two of the other kittens having the same issue with their stool. The color is really offputting and concerning. I’m hoping it’s worms or food-related. The family was feeding them Fancy Feast Adult which is way too rich for baby kitties. So that may be why their stool smells so bad. Their stomachs can’t handle this. I made Kitty Glop for them instead.

Now they are all sleeping. Even Soffit when I took her off my lap and put her on the ground, she went over  to Mudslide (Muddy) and settled down.

They all have names now: Soffit, is the gray one, Muddy is the long-haired black, Eave is the darker Mackeral Tabby, the lighter Mackerel Tabby is Gimble.
Amur is the second black kitty- Amur could be Muddy’s twin excet for the shorter hair. They have all used the litter box. Most of them were using the floor. However, one of my many  tricks at least was successful-It only took them about two hours for Gimble  to understand that their litter pan is where they need to go potty. While Gimble was using the litterpan- three more kitties joined him. (I have found that the best litterpan for a litter of kittens is a drain pan for under the water heaters. I just put a piece of duct tape over the hole to plug it. The sides are low enough where the kitties can get into them easily. They can all fit at one time and it’s easier for them to handle then the regular litter pans.

Now it is nice and peaceful in here with everyone sleeping. So I will end with this note. If anybody would like to send me kitten, food, wet, or dry I wouldn’t be mad at it. My last donation I got, which was yesterday (before I even knew I was going to have these kittens here). I spent it all on cat litter.. (I won’t get paid for another two weeks.)

My heart is lighter tonight than it was last night, thinking about these kitties trying to survive the winters that we have here and failing through no fault of their own.

They are now up for adoption. Because I am not in control of how they’re being kept. I’m hoping they will go to new homes quickly. She has them in a warm area, but they will still be outside and we’re going to get bitterly cold soon. Unfortunately, they are not big enough yet to be spayed. They will spay at 2 pounds currently they are under that weight. anyone living in the Willamette Valley if you’re interested in adopting one of them or two of them. Please let me know.

I

there are two more but she couldn’t get a very good picture of them Due to the bad weather, we’re having. Once the rain stops, she will try again. Mom has been adopted.