KITTENS!

[conuly]

I went down to check on the cat. Didn't see her. Went down again, still didn't see her, so I shook a box of cat food. No reply.

Shook it again. No reply.

Shook it again and walked around. Finally I heard some very very LOUD purring, but I just couldn't see her! Took me a while to find her under some furniture I would've sworn she couldn't get under (because it's totally blocked up in the front, but apparently not in the back).

There's definitely 3 kittens, two orange and one calico. There may be a third orange kitten, bringing the total to four. I couldn't tell and for sure I wasn't poking around when this kitty isn't used to being manhandled by me. Not with her infant kittens. I couldn't get any sort of picture in the location she's in, sorry, not without moving kittens around. When they get a bit bigger.

Edit: Add another calico to the count, that makes 5 all told.

Comments

[jan-andrea.livejournal.com]

Congratulations! Had you been expecting them? I know kittens are occasionally a surprise :)

[conuly]

Oh, I knew when she came to use that she was pregnant. I used to have quite a few cats (and I didn't take nearly as good care of them as I should have) and am pretty well acquainted with the signs of pregnancy in them, even before they start to bulge.

[leora.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the birthing seems to have gone okay. I look forward to utterly adorable pictures whenever it is reasonable for you to get them.

[conuly]

I'm glad too. I don't know, but I *suspect* she's only about a year old herself, making this her first or second litter if I'm right.

[leora.livejournal.com]

Aww, poor young thing. Nature is not kind to female cats. I feel sorry for them when I think about it. Their whole cycle and mating and so forth seems particularly unpleasant. It's part of why I don't feel at all bad about female cats being altered.

[conuly]

Indeed. And it isn't just painful, it takes a real toll on their health as well if they have kittens every time they go into heat.

I'm more concerned with her ability to take care of kittens (especially 5), as many new mama cats have trouble with it, more so when they're also young.

[leora.livejournal.com]

*nods* Yeah, I have seen some sad things cat-wise. And wow, I just got distracted from my train of thought by real life... But I hope all goes well with these kittens.

[conuly]

It seems to be. She hasn't left them for more than a few minutes (and then only because I opened up a can of cat food for her and put it down a few feet away), I haven't heard frantic mewing from the kittens, and she won't let any of us get close without carefully readjusting her position to limit how much we can see. These are all very good signs.

[ncp.livejournal.com]

Aww, ittybittykitties! (Sorry, I'm pregnant, I'm gonna talk like this for a while). How are the nieces reacting to the new (hopefully temporary?) additions to the household?

[conuly]

They're with their dad!

However, tomorrow they will KNOW about them but not be able to SEE them, because it's close to impossible to see the darlings without picking them up, and the wrath of Connie awaits anybody who touches a kitten before their eyes are open. Mom picked a great location, from her perspective.

[ourstreets.livejournal.com]

Please name them after famous hurricanes. It's too purrfect. ;D

Glad you dudes are all right. I may or may not have been poking around the Con Edison website to see if you all had power in the middle of the night saturday...

[conuly]

Well, St. Pauls behind us lost power, but we only lost cable :)

As for famous hurricanes, I guess that'll have to wait until I sex them. I know the calicos are girls (calicos just about always are due to cat genetics) but the tabbies, I don't know.

[ourstreets.livejournal.com]

The runt should be named Irene. ;)

[ncp.livejournal.com]

No, no, Irene's the mommy!

[conuly]

The mama, depending on who you ask, is either See-ay-tee, Candy, or "The Cat".

[ncp.livejournal.com]

Katrina
Gloria
Irene
Rita (?)

Andrew
Charlie
Bob
Floyd

I can't remember any other hurricanes.

[marveen.livejournal.com]

Ike. Gustav. Camille.

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

Also due to cat genetics, orange tabbies are almost always boys. :) You get the occasional girls, but those are more the orange and whites as opposed to the actual orange tabbies. :)