I am absolutely delighted with the progress of the four Xmas kittens. This morning was a huge breakthrough for them and me, which left me feeling quite emotional – all four of them ran to greet me at the door. Not only that but soon thereafter three of the four climbed spontaneously into my lap and began to purr while I petted them. The white and red one has been purring for about two weeks now, but the two black ones purred today for the first time. Furthermore, the second little black one allowed me to touch and tickle him – he went from Stage (1) to (5) in a 24-hour period (see previous The Seven Stages of Stroking a Feral Cat blog post). Miss Tortie-and-White allowed me to get to Stage (1) today – I have not been able to touch her up to now. They are all glossy and sleek with thin elegant and nimble limbs. They are probably about three months old. The first two have been with me for about five weeks; the second one has been with me for nearly four weeks; and the fourth – about three weeks. For obvious reasons they have are progressing at different rates.
The first three are exceptionally playful and cheeky. I have a new toy for them which is working effectively – I ripped off the collar from an old flannelette pyjama and then tied one end into a knot. I can drag it across the floor, across the furniture, across my lap and they in turn chase it down. At one stage I had a cat at each end and lifted it up off the floor so they were both swinging in the air. Too bad I didn't have a camera on hand. Please note – when I'm not there I hide or tie the cord up out of their reach as I don't want to have them get tangled or accidentally strangled.
The first black kitty is in love with my feet and my shoes. As I recline mermaid style on the floor, she comes up and rubs herself all over my feet and then she flops to the floor and plays with my toes. She also does the same to my shoes. I promise you I have clean feet so I am wondering what the attraction is – I've never known a cat to be a foot fetishist before!
Miss Tortie-and-White still hangs back but is engaging in play activity. She side swipes the material cord when it is thrown her way in the same way a wild animal might side-swipe a snake. The only obstacle in our way happens before she gathers her momentum – the other more dominant cats jump into the fray and she backs away. There's a watchful stillness about her. Her eyes have softened and she has put on some weight – I have to put some food aside for her because the others jump into the two food bowls and eat everything before she has a chance to push her way in.
On the weekend, I vacuumed the entire gym. All but the second little black one took off and hid. He watched me with fascination. Later on I brought in a large basin filled with straw. Once the noise abated, they all came out, put their paws onto the rim and peered inside. Yes, it is a truism – cats are exceptionally curious – and we need to stay one step ahead of them by constantly giving them new challenges and toys. They then one by one climbed onto the rim and did a balancing act around the perimeter before jumping inside to play in the straw.
One person I know would like to take the white and rust colour kitty as a companion for her Siamese cat. This person is extraordinarily kind and fusses over her animal companions but I am reluctant to disattach the kitten from at least one of its siblings. The physical and emotional welfare of these kittens is my number one concern. I am going to create a flyer for them in the next couple of days and start putting it onto vet, farm supplied shops and shopping centre notice boards.
By the way, I just gave them a little snack of some minced meat – the first three accepted the meat from my fingers while Miss Tortie-and-White came within a couple of feet of me again. In case I have not mentioned it, they have all been wormed. My next challenge is to wash them.
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