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Fostering


lappir

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I've had "Tuna" for about 6 months now. She is a good cat except when she sneaks up and bites to get my attention. I constantly have scratches or bite marks on my arm. Thankfully she isn't doing both sides as much now. 

I had a great idea of maybe trying to foster another cat to see if it decreased her need to bite and picked up my papers from the local Humane Society many weeks ago. Yesterday I finally dropped them off and was met with a Cheer and "Our prayers have been answered".  Not all what I expected. 

Turned out they had a Momma Cat and some two week old kittens in need of a foster home for 6 weeks. The kittens can't be in the facility or something until they are at least 8 weeks old. I initially declined thinking it might be too much but some additional things happened throughout the day that made me change my mind. I now have a 6 toe momma cat and 5 kittens in my garage. So far my Tuna is being good and momma cat is a very good mother and has a very sweet disposition. She only hissed once when Tuna was trying to get a better look at the kittens. I'll keep them separated for a week or so and then monitor them in the garage. Momma and the kittens are in an enclosure. 

I doubt it will help with the biting and sneaking up, but maybe it will. 

 

Rod 

White 2000/2010Volvo VNL 770 with 7' Drom box with opposing doors,  JOST slider hitch. 600 HP Cummins Signature 18 Speed three pedal auto shift.

1999 Isuzu VehiCross retired to a sticks and bricks garage. Brought out of storage the summer of 2022

2022 Jeep Wrangler Sport S Two door hard top.

2007 Honda GL 1800

2013 Space Craft Mfg S420 Custom built Toyhauler

The Gold Volvo is still running and being emptied in July. 

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Fostering report. UEUVYS3l.jpg

Beatrice (I called Momma Cat) and her 5 two week old kittens arrived to my home on a Sunday in December. The shelter said I needed to keep them for 8 weeks till the Kittens were old enough to be at the shelter. 

I took my cat Tuna to the shelter in her carrier and placed the carrier next to the location when the Momma Cat and kittens were and there was not a sound from either adult felines. I thought all was good. I bring everyone home and place Momma and the kittens into an enclosure I had fashioned at the far end of the garage. I thought it was plenty big, as it was at least 10 times larger than the location they came from at the shelter. It was for a couple weeks. UEUVYS3l.jpg

gJAPzO5l.jpgIt was great fun watching the kittens learn to walk and how they would all cuddle together to sleep. It was even more fun when they started to play and fight and tumble. I added some cardboard boxes with holes cut into them for hiding and what turned into climbing on. Momma was very good and stayed very close to the kittens at all time. She didn't mind me picking them up or being in the enclosure with them at all. She was a ravenous eater and it showed in the litter box that required emptying twice a day. She also drank a LOT of water. What a learning experience. All my prior Cat and Kitten experience has been with "Barn Cats" that were never really friendly and quite protective of the kittens. That was in my youth, maybe things have changed now. 

It was one day after everyone had been staying in their locations and I wasn't thinking. I have a pocket door between the living area and the garage and it's sort of hard to open when you have your hands full of food for the cat and kittens. I could make two trips, but I didn't. I left the door open and Tuna decided to come into the kitchen behind me as I opened the door to the enclosure . Momma Cat was as fast a lightning and was out of the garage and at the other end of the trailer before I realized what was happening. I yelled Beatrice, get back here as she was heading under the bed(Tuna's hiding spot), and thankfully she did just what she was told to do. After securing the enclosure and closing the door, it took almost an hour for Tuna to come out of her spot. She was none too happy with me and sort of shunned me for a bit. 

I didn't make the same mistake again until much later. The family had outgrown the enclosure and I gave them free access to the entire garage space. I found the enclosure all folded up with it's door in the right place would work at allowing me to open the pocket door without someone sneaking into the living area.  It worked good and when I was home I'd leave the door open. My main HVAC unit pulls its supply from the garage and there was quite the draft under the pocket door if it was closed. At night time I'd usually close it because the kittens with there constant curiosity had climbed to the top of the enclosure and one had escaped twice at least I think it was the same one. There were only two white  kittens and both times it was a white kitten out. x4vRZZal.jpg

Then one night I neglected to close the pocket door. Tuna had decided to use the litter box in the kitchen area and apparently Momma Cat heard the covering or digging sounds and decided she could scale the wire enclosure too. (The kittens never tried to climb it when there wasn't something behind it. ) I heard the noise  and again Beatrice responded to her name and retreated back to the garage. Tuna was again traumatized and didn't use that litter box again until recently. Thankfully I had three boxes and she used one of them instead of punishing me for my thoughtlessness again. 

A couple weeks ago I get the call that it's time for "Shots". I was sort of worried that Momma Cat would not like my putting the kittens in the carrier and taking them away. I was wrong. She didn't even get up from her resting area. I had taken one of the kittens into my living area to try and introduce  to Tuna and she had not even noticed that I could tell. mGlSM4i.jpg%C2%A0

I didn't get to see the immunizations, the carrier with all the kittens was taken from me at the door and 5 minutes later it was returned. I asked a couple questions about the sex of the kittens and they said they hadn't really paid attention but felt the only females were the white kittens and I had already figured that  out. It was the striped ones I couldn't really tell. It was a painless event at least for me and the kittens didn't seem to mind being in the carrier, being shown off to some of the RV parks office staff and the ride in the Jeep. The hopped out of the carrier when I got them home and went about there rough and tumble play. LmVqy9nl.jpg

It was only a couple more weeks when the call came to me that it was time to surrender them back to the Shelter so the kittens could be examined by the Vet and "Fixed". I had been sharing photos with my daughter and her roommate expressed a strong interest in one of the white kittens. I had also become fond of one of the striped ones. (Mitten Kitten). I mentioned that to the shelter director and she said I just needed to let her know which ones and she would save them for me. She felt as soon as the photos were posted of the kittens they would be adopted quickly. I will try and stop by today to see how many are left. I did keep Mitten and She and Tuna are getting along well. Mitten felt like she was Queen of the house getting access to all of it and Tuna was good about just watching unless approached and then she would only hiss and growl, but never go on the attack mode. The first time I left them alone together to go to work I was sort of worried. Would it be the same when I wasn't there? It was. Mitten met me at the door when I came home. Tuna sort of shunned me for a few days, but over the past few days she had come to me to be petted and thankfully no longer sneaks up to me sitting at the computer to claw or bite the back of my arm wanting attention. She is getting plenty from Mitten. u7RYSwql.jpg

I'm going to try and post a few photos and maybe a link to some videos for your enjoyment. It's been a long post so Thanks for reading. 


Rod 

White 2000/2010Volvo VNL 770 with 7' Drom box with opposing doors,  JOST slider hitch. 600 HP Cummins Signature 18 Speed three pedal auto shift.

1999 Isuzu VehiCross retired to a sticks and bricks garage. Brought out of storage the summer of 2022

2022 Jeep Wrangler Sport S Two door hard top.

2007 Honda GL 1800

2013 Space Craft Mfg S420 Custom built Toyhauler

The Gold Volvo is still running and being emptied in July. 

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