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OK, I actually know do how I got into this. I do TNR for a local rescue organization. I trapped the very pregnant momcat from a local colony, and the neutering center we use refused to spay her because they thought she was in labor. At that point our choices were take her back out and re-release her to have her kittens in the wild and then try to catch them all later including a now-trap-shy mama, or ... take her home, let her have her kittens here, try to socialize them and foster them out, and get her spayed and released once the kitlets are weaned. You can guess which option I chose. And, predictably, I get Momcat home and build her a little Momcat haven by daisychaining wire kennels and proceed to wait for the kittens ... and ... nothing. 24 hours on, no kittens and no signs of active labor.  Momcat is actually considerably bigger than she looks in this picture; she's got an impressive tummy. And the kittens are very active -- my husband says he's predicting an alien chestburster type birth if they get any more active. However, Momcat isn't eating at all although I've offered both wet and dry food, nor has she used the litter box or eliminated anywhere in the cage. She doesn't appear to be in distress, just uncomfortable and unhappy. She's not overly freaked out at us being around, fortunately, she just has this "why-me" look on her poor little face. Should I be concerned? Anything I should be doing that I'm not? I'd welcome comments or suggestions here!
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Mar 25, 2015 18:02
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Good idea -- I went on and put a Feliway plug-in in the room. Momcat is shifting around and changing position a lot now, so maybe something is starting to happen? She still won't eat though 
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Mar 25, 2015 23:50
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No other input or suggestions? Momcat is still hanging out with no babies and no signs of active labor. Periodically she'll make little pissed off "unph" noises and change her position, but that's it for action. She did drink a little KMR last night and peed a small amount, but still hasn't eaten or pooped. Moving her would be traumatic for her, but shouid I take her to the vet or keep waiting? She doesn't seem to be physically in distress, just scared and uncomfortable.
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Mar 26, 2015 13:45
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Momcat is starting to roll on her side rather than kittyloafing, which I hope means Babies Coming. My vet says she'll run by the house tonight and check on her -- thank heavens for caring vets who will do house calls on occasion, because I REALLY did not want to try to get Momcat into a carrier and drive her across town to a noisy vet office! Belly shot:  Leave me alone damnit shot: 
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Mar 26, 2015 15:43
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Momcat is bitchy today  I really thought she was going into labor, but it doesn't look like it. I have the end of one of the cages covered completely so that it's a little cave, and she's hanging in there but not really doing anything other than hanging. You can see the babies rolling around though, so at least SOMEONE is having fun!EDIT: Good idea on letting her nest more. When the vet comes and has her out of the cage, I'll toss some towels in there so she can make her own little nest (although she sure seems to like the cat bed that's in there now!).
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Mar 26, 2015 20:24
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Thank you, Tower and Topo. I haven't been around a pregnant cat since I was in 7th grade, and that was a long time ago, so ... I brought Momcat home with me, I'm responsible for her, and it helps to know what's normal and what's not. In today's Momcat news: Momcat ate a little yesterday evening, and a good amount last night, and used the litterbox! Go, Momcat! My vet ran by and took a look last night; we didn't want to stress Mom by trying to force her out of the cage and handle her, so this was just visual. Visually she's healthy, neither malnourished nor dehydrated in appearance or attitude, and definitely towards the end of pregnancy. How far towards the end? Without handling her or really getting a good 360 on her, it's hard to tell exactly -- we can't see her nipples, for instance, to see if she's started lactating, and while she's pretty calm with me she got hissy when Dr. Carla tried to get close, so we backed off. We could have labor in an hour, it could be a few days. Dr. Carla will stay on call for us and come out if there's an emergency; otherwise it's just a waiting game. I covered her cage more after Dr. Carla left, so that now about 2/3 of it is completely covered. I also attached a large cat carrier with towels in it to the Momcat Maze at Dr. Carla's suggestion, to serve as a birthing box if Momcat wants it to. It's really enclosed and perhaps more comforting for a scared kitty. Sure enough, Momcat ate a fair amount more during the night, drank more KMR, and then moved into the carrier. She's now lounging in there happily; when I checked on her this morning and changed her food and water dishes, she just watched me and didn't move or tense up at all. We're going to peek in and check on her every 3 or 4 hours and otherwise leave her alone. I'll post a quick daily update and definitely post kitten pictures when we achieve kittenage!
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Mar 27, 2015 14:06
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:Yay momcat! Do you think you'll keep one of her kittens? My husband is a patient man ... but not THAT patient! We have 5 rescue cats already 3 of whom are special needs, plus a rescue dog, plus we dogsit for my sister's dog when she travels for work (at least 1 week a month). We're out of room, energy, and patience, not to mention money! BUT the rescue I TNR for has a foster whose current litter of kittens is going up for adoption in 3 weeks, so she'll be standing by for these kittens once they're weaned. When they're old enough, they'll go to the PetsMart adoption center that we staff to be adopted out. Our rescue is picky, picky, picky -- vet references, personal references, and a home visit before a potential adopter is approved -- so they will find good, loving homes. EDIT: special needs: 2 diabetic and 1 tripod with part of his intestines removed (stray, bobcat attacked him), who is incontinent and wears diapers and is a love-bug. Elaieva fucked around with this message at 16:01 on Mar 27, 2015 |
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Mar 27, 2015 15:59
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Kittens!  Yay!  I was beginning to think Momcat took a look around here and went hey! cushy life! I'm gonna hold out as long as I can! but yesterday she started vocalizing, purring, pacing, and generally having a total personality change She wanted me in the room, although she won't let me touch her; if I left she went bananas with the wailing. So, I hung out and did nothing at all productive and finally went to sleep next to the cage, and Momcat promptly and quietly had kittens -- in the litter box. Sigh. I guess it makes sense; she's a beach cat, and her previous litters probably have been born in sand so it was familiar, but what a mess. So anyway -- the first kitten, a big orange guy, was stillborn After that in short order she had three more; another little buff-ish orange tabby, one tha looks like maybe a dilute tortie or a gray with tabby stripes , kinda hard to tell in the dim light, and a dark one with tabby markings on the face but what appears to be tortie coloration on the back .. we'll see. I'll get a better feel on color when they aren't quite SO new and I can handle them a bit more without Momcat worrying so much. Obligatory kitten pictures to ward off the imminent danger of KES: Kitten 1:   Kitten 2:   Kitten 3:   Yay for kittens! One last question for the experts: the little orange did not have the umbilical cord cut; he's dragging the dried cord/placenta around. Should I do anything about that, or trust Momcat to handle it?
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Mar 29, 2015 15:50
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6-Ethyl Bearcat posted:She could get comfortable enough with people to be placed in a home. Obligatory Momcat and kitten pic (this is Kitten 3, the dark tortie). That wee little squinched up face! And damnit, these kittens need names!  We usually theme our names for litters that we are fostering/adopting -- any ideas? Momcat is from a colony that lives beside a Winn Dixie and behind a Bayou Bill's Crab House if that spurs anyone's creativity
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Mar 31, 2015 00:25
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OMG the ever-rotating kitten pile (click pics to embiggen). You can (kind of!) see all three kitties in the first pile ... little grey kitty is almost buried. Little orange kitty IS buried in the second pile   
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Mar 31, 2015 02:16
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Viola the Mad posted:What are the kittens' gender? I'd like to know for naming reasons. I haven't sexed them yet; because Momcat is feral and was pretty freaked out, I've left her (and the kittens) alone as much as possible for the past couple of days. She's gotten very calm about me being around, so as the kittens become more mobile I'm going to start getting her, and them, used to me handling them. At that point I'll figure out what's what  Only one I'm pretty sure of is ... the little tortie is gonna be female! Gratuitous adorable kittens pic: 
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Apr 2, 2015 00:15
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Momcat has resting bitchface down to an art form. And Topo, the dark kitten may well be a black tabby; my husband is sure it's a tortie, i go back and forth. I still can't tell if the grey is a dilute tortie or grey with faint stripes, either ... with both of them one day I think one thing, the next day in different light I think the other. It's so hard to tell without taking them out and getting a good look, and I'm just not going to upset Momcat by doing that right now. She's doing so well and being so tolerant of me changing her litter box, changing her food bowls, etc., with just a little warning hiss now and again. When the kittens start moving around more and not staying right with Mom, we'll all find out
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Apr 2, 2015 17:26
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Today, Momcat's brood went from 3 kittens to 5 kittens in less than 5 minutes -- another pregnant kitty in our rescue delivered her kittens and died less than 24 hours later. So, we split that litter of 6 up among 2 rescues and 3 nursing mamas, and I would now like to present Momcat and her new and improved litter! Momcat's kittens are 4 days old and the new ones are barely 2 days old and much smaller, so I'll have to really watch that .. but she's the Best Momcat Ever and took these little guys the minute we put them in reach -- one she took right out of my hand! She's currently purring up a storm and they are happily nursing and squeaking a little, so I have hopes that they'll do well. Both are little white babies with black spots on them, so they're pretty easy to tell apart from the "original" kittens.
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Apr 3, 2015 00:11
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Little orange kitty is going to be a BEAST, look how big he is! The new babies look bigger already; their little tummies are fat and round and they've gone from pathetic little scraps of fur to active squirming babies. I'm really, really pleased at how well they're doing 
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Apr 4, 2015 02:02
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Sorry ya'll, I can't resist taking (and posting) pictures of the kitten piles. Also I just discovered that the little mostly-black orphan kitty, the second one back here, is a bobtail   Brothers make the best pillows. That is such a content little kitty face  
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Apr 4, 2015 22:33
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You're right, we can't risk KES! Therefore, have some pictures. Here are the original 3 kittens, sprawled all over the poor lil orphan kitties and hiding them Pretty sure at this point that the little grey one is just that, grey and not dilute tortie. Still not sure on the dark one whether she's a torbie or a tabby. And the orange one is just a big lummox.  You can see all 5 babies in this kitten pile picture.  I spy, with my little eye ... a kitten with one eye open! Go little orphan kitty! Makes me think maybe they weren't as young as we thought, they were just woefully underfed 
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Apr 6, 2015 02:06
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Kitten Photodump; apologies in advance for So Many Pics. The kittens are three weeks old tomorrow and all are doing really well; they are healthy and happy and, because Momcat has calmed down so much and is so relaxed, they are all friendly and open to being held and patted. And Momcat? We've been really working on it, and she will now let me touch her front paws and even, occasionally, skritch her chin a little. Hands above her head or raised above eye level are a big no-no, as is trying to touch her body, but I think touching her at all is a huge stride for a kitty who as far as I know or the woman who has fed and cared for this feral colony for 3 years knows has never let a human touch her before. The kittens are just flipping adorable, and when my husband or I are having a bad day we make a beeline for the Kitty Room for some kitten therapy. The grey kitten is the only girl, and she is also the most shy and timid of the kitties.  The orange boy is the biggest and most outgoing;  the little guy with the Charlie Chaplin mustache is -- I don't know what you would call him, I guess a bobtail? but he has No Tail. None. No stub, no nothing. Zip. I've honestly never seen that before, is that A Thing?  Cowcat (on the left here) is the most vocal and the most curious,  and the little tabby is the sweetest and most cuddly.  We are totally besotted with these kitties; it's a good thing there is a foster already waiting for them, or I'd really be in danger here. I'm already trying to find alternatives to re-releasing Mom at her original feral colony, and have reached out to several local people about maybe taking her as a barn cat.
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Apr 19, 2015 02:29
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You don't. You need a third and a FOURTH, that way they would entertain each other and not annoy your current cats! Actually I already have a line on a home for little bobtail boy and Another Boy To Be Named Later, and a foster with the rescue I volunteer for is waiting for the rest. These kitties will have happy homes.
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Apr 19, 2015 02:42
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pandaid posted:No tail = Manx gene, so it is a thing. The same gene can produce a range from a shorter than normal tail, a stub that's fused, or just a nubbin. It could be a spontaneous mutation which happens occasionally as it's a dominate gene. I am a little concerned that there's not even a nub, because sometimes the gene causes a spinal cord deformity when there's no tail at all. The complication doesn't cause noticeable problems until about 6 months old - mostly in the form of incontinence. Would be good to ask the vet about whether or not they can tell if there will be complications at this age. Thank you! I'll definitely have my bet take a look and see if they can tell anything. There is literally no tail at all; you can run your hand across his little backside and there's just nothing, so I'll get it looked at.He's a cute little bugger though!
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Apr 20, 2015 16:13
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Kittehs They'll be four weeks old tomorrow and they are awesomely cute. When I come into their room they run out and cry for me to open the cage and take them out  It's getting harder and harder to think about giving them up, but realistically I can't keep them with 5 of my own already including one with serious health issues which are getting worse As cute as they are, though, I know they'll find loving homes. And in good news (a) I had little bobtail guy checked by my vet and he has one vertebra worth of tail and good anal tone; she thinks he'll be fine, and (b) Momcat will be going to a farm just north of here as a barn cat; they only have one and need at least one more, they feed their cat once a day in addition to providing all the mice they can eat https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmbHCrb_B_s
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Apr 26, 2015 02:23
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pandaid posted:does little bobtail have a ring of white surrounding his nub?! So glad it looks like he'll be ok. My Manx rescue cat says to him that you can still swish your tail even when you got none. Just give it a wiggle. He does have a ring of white around his silly little nub. It's ridiculously cute.
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Apr 26, 2015 06:31
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 Just in case anyone wondered what was going on with these babies .. they're growing up, happy and healthy, tested FIV and FLIV negative, and will be up for adoption in another couple of weeks. They're rowdy little shits and I love them all and will miss them when they go to their perma-homes. But ... this happened, too.  Little Mama here was chased into a garage by some dogs and had her kittens on a pile of tools. The owner of said garage also had dogs, and All The Dogs wanted kitten for breakfast (or lunch, or whatever). So Little Mama and her four bebes are now living in my other bedroom. Kittens are Black, Black and Grey, White-that-is-probably-going-to-be-flame-point, and Orange. All, including Little Mama who is under a year old and probably more like 7 or 8 months old, are flipping adorable. My husband is a saint.
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May 16, 2015 03:16
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SynthOrange posted:How do you keep getting all the kittens! I *cough* haven't re-released Momcat to her colony yet, although her babies are weaned, because I've grown attached to her grumpy little face and am trying to convince said husband that she would make a good outdoor cat here. Not working very well so far but I'm still trying and she's still hanging out with her kittens being grumpy
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May 17, 2015 17:25
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Kitten Cuteness -- first, the original five, Momcat's kittens: Four out of five kittens agree that the crib is a fine place for kittens to sleep (from left to right Victor, Jean, Logan and Charles):  and since Hank wasn't in that picture, have a picture of Hank: 
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May 24, 2015 04:37
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Next, Little Mama's five kittens. What?? But she only had four kittens, El, you say? Right you are -- we have another little orphan kitty. This one was found stuck in a fence, and after the finder waited for several hours and mama cat never came back, she picked up the wee little one and put out a call for help. Little Mama's kittens are a couple of weeks older and much bigger, but nobody else had a nursing mama at the moment and the kitten wasn't eating ... it was worth a shot, and Little Mama only took a little coaxing to accept her. So, without further ado, meet Tiny Girl. Tiny Girl is not only tiny, she's a calico and another bobtail. She's going to be a cutie when she gets older! The little flamepoint kitten, who is female, is sweet as sugar and spends a lot of her time curled up with Tiny Girl.  And finally, no orange kitten I've ever known has had an ounce of dignity and the one in this litter is no exception to that rule. He sure is cute, though, and you can see little flamepoint girl's pretty coloring starting to show in this picture.  Kittens 
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May 24, 2015 04:50
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Wow, I didn't mean for this thread to sit without updates for so long! Momcat's 5 kittens, the x-kittens, have gone off to find their forever homes. Momcat .. well, Momcat She's staying right here, with me. She currently lives under one of my couches most of the time, with occasional forays out to lie under the end table and watch the goings-on in the house, but she's gotten bold enough to come to the kitchen for breakfast and dinner now. She loves treats, so I'm working with those and she's gotten to the point that she'll take a treat from my hand if the other cats aren't around and the dog is in his kennel and the moon and stars are aligned properly. We know that Mom was in the feral colony where I trapped her for at least 5 years, so it's going to take her a while to adjust to being an Owned Kitty but I'm willing to give her that time. Little Mama is a twit, and now that her kittens are 6 weeks old she's in heat. Cue loud yowling, lots of it. She's going to get fixed on Monday, thank God, and as soon as Tiny Girl is a little more weaned she will be returning to her feral colony. Unlike Momcat Little Mama has no interest in being an owned cat Her kittens, now, they are another story! They are growing up and so pretty; hard to get pictures of them because they are so nonstop, but here are a few Oliver. I'm beginning to wonder whether his eyes are going to change, at 6 weeks they are still REALLY blue. Ollie is super outgoing and super sweet.  Ash. His brother Midnight is solid black, but Ash has white hairs mixed in with the black so that he looks ashy. Ash loves him some tummy rubs.  Barbie. Barbie is beautiful. Barbie is dumb. Dumber than a box of rocks, bless her pretty little heart. She is probably the dumbest cat I've ever known. However, she's really pretty, and really sweet. Hopefully she will find a home that will love her for her beauty and not care that she's so. so. stupid.  Midnight was nonstop tonight and I couldn't get a picture. And finally, Tiny Girl. I'm going to make another post about Tiny Girl because she has some problems but here's a picture in the meantime. Tiny Girl is 2 weeks younger than the other kittens, and is as smart as Barbie is dumb. She's also super sweet and I am crazy in love with her. My husband refuses to hold her because he says if he ever does, he isn't going to let her go. 
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Jun 11, 2015 03:23
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McDragon posted:What does Barbie do that makes her so stupid? Just general "woo, I am a cat" stupidness or anything specific? She does other stupid things ... but this. This was notably stupid. Good thing she is really pretty.
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Jun 11, 2015 17:31
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It was simultaneously annoying as hell and ... kinda weirdly endearing, because she was so. so. so. glad to see me riding in to her rescue, and would purr and snuggle and be generally adorable. By the end of the second week of that the 3am shrieks of kitten panic were getting old though, so I'm really glad she's figured it out.
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Jun 11, 2015 20:42
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Quick update and I'll post Momcat and kitten pictures later. Periodically I take the cages apart and clean them, one at a time. Today is one of those days. Barbie now cannot figure out how to get into the cage, because she was going in through the long side of the one I am cleaning, and the only side she can get into the other one on is the short side. She is baffled and upset, and is pacing up and down and crying. Mind you, the other kittens are coming and going at will .. apparently she thinks they can teleport or perhaps like Disco Salmon's other cats they are just magic!
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Jun 12, 2015 16:26
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Moar kitten pictures! Oliver being adorable:  Barbie yawning:  Tiny Girl being more adorable than Ollie:  Ash being fierce:  Tiny Girl and Midnight playing:   Tiny Girl again. I can't help it ... she's just That Cute. 
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Jun 13, 2015 03:02
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Tendai posted:I wish I was close to you and had a cat that didn't hate every other cat with every fiber of her idiot being. Then I could have two dumb cats LOL can you imagine? The entertainment value would be unreal.
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Jun 13, 2015 03:03
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DreamtShadow posted:So what are Tiny Cat's issues you mentioned earlier?
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Jun 14, 2015 23:47
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Per request: Momcat! Momcat happy after dinner and some treats:  Momcat angry at another cat encroaching on her food dish:  Momcat bored and chilling under the baby's stroller:  Momcat hoping for a treat:  Momcat's resting bitchface trumps all other contenders for Best Resting Bitchface. She's doing really well. She still stays under the couch most of the time, but she'll come out and interact with us more and more. We try to each spend some one-on-one time with her every day, just sitting and talking to her/giving her treats/whatever, and it's working. We've also started making her brush up against our hands to get her dinner or treats, and she will do it. She still doesn't want you to actually PET her, but she is at the "recoil a bit from the hand" stage rather than the "OMG the hand is going to kill me runrunrun" stage so, progress. And if she is the one who chooses to brush against the hand, she's fine with it -- a little nervy, but fine. She's really a very timid little momcat and I can't even imagine how she lived so many years as a feral. I'm so glad my husband caved and let her stay here
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Jun 20, 2015 00:25
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Tendai posted:Is Momcat as crosseyed as all hell like those pictures make her look?
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Jun 20, 2015 14:45
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