I still haven’t gotten around to processing photos from the DSLR for my critter of the day pictures – partly because, until I can pay to upgrade my WordPress account, and have almost filled my flickr account, I don’t really have anyplace to upload them all. :-/
So once again, I have kitten pictures for you. I hope you don’t mind. ;-)
Check out Beep Beep’s babies!
Yes! All their eyes are open now! Well. Mostly open. :-D
Butterscotch, I am happy to say, has been joining her kittens in the box nest that I made more room in, and so far, she hasn’t tried moving them again.
My heart melts every time I see that little skunk-stripe nose!
This is a story that began yesterday, when I found Beep Beep like this.
Yup. The family has finally outgrown the nest I’d made inside the “cat cave” box. Time to open things up again!
Aaahhhh!!! Much better! Lots of room to spread out.
This morning, I discovered Butterscotch had moved her kittens again. With the blanket she’d put them on before now gone, she just used a shelf.
Poor little things!
I had to move the cat cave set up – with Beep Beep and babies inside! – to get to them.
So I took advantage of the situation.
I put them all on top, then after pushing the whole set up back again, I checked out the babies.
It looks like all 4 of them are male.
I had also opened up the box nest that Butterscotch’s babies were in, taking the smaller box out and putting the pillow and little cat bed back inside the bigger box, but should I even bother putting the kittens back in there?
Where would be a good place to put them, instead?
In with the other kittens sounded like a good idea.
Beep Beep came over to sniff them and immediately started to groom them, so she’s fine with it. As you can see, Butterscotch’s babies are real chill about it, too.
Checking them after doing my rounds, I see the kittens seem fine with it, too – one of Beep Beep’s kittens is cuddled right in with its cousins!
Butterscotch, on the other hand, wouldn’t even let me show her where I’d put her kittens. She and Beep Beep aren’t exactly best buddies, so I’ll be checking frequently to see how things are.
When starting my rounds this morning, I had both mamas looking at the door, waiting for me in the sun room! As soon as I opened the second door from the old kitchen, Beep Beep ran right in, then looked at me… waiting…
For what, I have no idea, but it gave me a chance to peek at her babies.
Just look at them! They’re like an adorable row of furry sausages. <3
Then I looked into the box nest for Butterscotch’s babies.
I just love that little skunk stripe on the tuxedo’s nose!
Later, I was able to handle and cuddle each one of them.
I got quite a laugh at the timing of this photo, while Beep Beep was stretching her paw out.
I was able to cuddle the tabby (tortie?) in front for a bit. As I was putting it back, I was just in time to catch the orange tabby he was on top of, as it suddenly rolled off the blanket!
This morning, I had what has increasingly become a rare sighting of Doom Guy. I was able to pet him briefly, but he was much more interested in the food. Bob is around more, but very antsy of late, and not willing to stay still enough for much pets. I also saw Rosencrantz getting some food. She almost ran away when she saw me, but I didn’t try to come any closer, so she went back to the food. I hope her kittens are doing well.
It seems really strange to be outside and not have cats all over the place, all the time! Once the babies are big enough, that’ll change, of course, big time! :-D
Butterscotch’s babies have been easier to get pictures of; they are old enough that Butterscotch will come out more often.
This is the first picture I’ve been able to get of Beep Beep’s babies, without having to try and get around Mom.
I admit, I did quite a double take when I uploaded the photo and saw that one kitten’s nose.
No. It is not blood or a wound. It is just skin and fur colouration.
*phew*
This next picture was actually taken the evening we had the trees taken down.
I saw Rosencrantz looking very agitated, so I had to check on them.
Note that there is only three in the picture.
I took this next photo, the next morning, while putting the cat kibble out.
Alas. They are gone. :-(
I admit to being part of the problem; while I tried to keep my distance, she was not happy with anyone coming near the dog house. All the noise and activity while the trees were being cleared – especially when they moved the equipment into the south yard – was just too much for her.
I think they are now under the storage house. I’m hoping she found something to serve as a cat cave, because it’s mostly open under there.
It may be weeks before we see this litter again. :-(
Ah, well. Such is life.
Speaking of which…
Our other outside cats have all but disappeared, too! I saw Bob last night, but have seen Doom Guy only in passing (as I write this, I can see him way up on a tree branch). I haven’t seen Big Jim or Rolando Moon in days. In fact, we’ve been seeing the visiting toms more than our own resident cats of late.
I get that, now that the weather is better, the young males in particular will be wanting to explore. It’s just that a lot of the cats we were feeding last winter did the same, and most have not returned.
So while we now have 12 new kittens, we have less adult cats outside. Next year, we can expect much the same to happen again; some will stay, some will disappear.
I’ll just have to keep taking lots of pictures. :-)
I swung by the beach this morning, after dropping my daughter off at work. The last time I was there, the water was free of ice.
It isn’t, anymore. It’s harder to tell in the photo above, but there is ice covering the water in the distance.
The lake narrows a bit in this area; enough that we can just see the far side (visible in the top and bottom photos). It extends a considerable distance to the north, and the ice is being blown south.
It was moving so fast, I could see the ice coming closer to the beach, even in the short time I was there. You can even see how much closer it came between this photo, and the one at the top, which were taken less than a minute apart.
For a lake as large as this one, it will take a long time for the ice to clear on all of it.
My husband went out to visit the cats in the sun room, and found the kittens squirming around on the floor!
He put them back in their spot and told me about it, so I made them a new bed. Hopefully, the walls will be enough to keep them from rolling off the bench seat they are on.
Unless Butterscotch is the reason they were down. She’s been using the box next I made in hopes that Beep Beep will have her kittens there. I thought she might have tried to move her kittens there, but when I went in later, I found her in the box, and the kittens on the swing bench.
The theory is that mama needs a break from the babies. :-D
While mama was snoozing in the box, her babies were snoozing on the bench. Even when they started mewing as I moved them, Butterscotch stayed right were she was!
It’s been a chilly few days, with even a bit of snow during the night. Nothing like what they got in other parts of the country, that’s for sure! I actually wouldn’t mind more snow right now. Or rain. Instead, as of yesterday, we are now under a burn ban. It’s just too dry out there.
I had a bit of company while doing my rounds today. Just Rolando Moon this morning.
It’s funny that such an ornery cat acts so affectionate at times. She’s gotten better at letting me pick her up, but not for long. She either jumps down after a few moments, or starts biting at my fingers. Not full-on bites. Just enough to feel it. Then she jumps down. :-D
The Re-Farmer 