Day 30

Found out we still can't return kittens. We had a goodbye ceremony and thought we were really bringing them back, but got a last minute call to keep them till next week! We were all mentally ready to give them back, but if they are just going to sit in a cage at the shelter, we might as well keep them. The kids will be going back to school so it's going to be very busy for us, but the kittens have been a real joy. They are so social now, we really feel they are prepared for life in the real world. They are not scared by dogs barking, or airplanes, or kids video games and screaming. Our cat never warmed up to them so they did not get to interact with an old adult female cat, but the kittens were always curious and never afraid. I actually never gave them the chance to get too close because I could not trust our cat's reactions.

We have taken hundreds of photos to remember them by, and given lots of hugs and kisses knowing we won't have them much longer. I have to admit I am frustrated on the return schedule. I guess I thought it was more firm than tentative, but we will know for next time. I do know I am bringing them back next week for sure. I know they will be okay even if they have to wait again for their surgery.

Day 29

Today is the scheduled return day for the kittens. I have just learned that they don't have room for them and that their surgery for spay and neuter can't be scheduled yet. Not sure why, but the kids don't mind keeping them for a few more days. The kittens are now all over 2 lbs and 2 months old. I have stopped weighing them, they eat well and play hard!

Day 25

The kitties are now 8 weeks old and crazy with energy. Constantly running and playing. Nothing so rough that our 9 year old can't cope. We remind everyone to be sure the kittens are not under foot when getting up from a chair or the couch. So far, we've had no accidents, but they are getting bolder and more curious!! Two of them tried to climb into the dishwasher as I was loading it! Gandolf, the boy cat, found a way inside the arm of our couch, the inside of the framing!! He could get out, but it was quite a surprise to hear meowing from inside the couch!!

We are counting the days until they are returned to be adopted out. Everyone will be sad to see them go, it's our first time so it will be extra hard. We know they will be easy to adopt out, they are so fun to be around and love human company.

I would say I've run out of various supplies about 2 or 3 times over the course of this month. I've just emailed the foster coordinator and she has things ready for pick up in their office. That has made it easy to just run by and get it, but since the place is locked up, someone needs to be at the facility to let you in.

For anyone taking on this loving effort of fostering kittens, you really just need to be able to handle the smells of cat food and poop - both are very stinky. The rest is easy!!

Day 21

The kitties have been gaining weight consistantly now. The boy has been gaining an easy 20 grams a day! The girls less, but almost 10 grams a day. They are now eating more dry food, and I have stopped wet food for lunch. The dry food really has made a difference in their weight gain.

I would say to anyone who takes on fostering kittens, especially the 5 to 8 week kittens, they are fun, not a tremendous amount of work, but a regular effort to keep them fed on time and their environment clean. Playtime and having fun is really important and they are so curious. They need a safe space to have adventures.

My kittens do not necessarily seem to need to be held and petted, they prefer each other for interactions, but Gandolf in particular loved to sleep on someone. I can tell they are all getting used to being petted, and we have invited all the guests to our house to touch them so they get used to different styles of handling. I hope this helps them adjust as they go out into the world!!

Day 17

What fun we've been having. The kittens have become VERY active and love to chase and play fight. They have also learned about dogs. Dogs bark, dogs run, some dogs don't like to be crawled on. The kitties don't seem to be scared or bothered. Our dog Roy has also learned about small furry running animals. He has been very patient and has not once lunged or chased them. They escape quite often from the living room where they spend most of their time, and they run like true escapees, across to our dining room. The dog just watches as they scurry by. They even wander our kitchen area together, with no problems.

We have been very pleased, but we took it very slowly. The dog was only allowed to watch them for the first 10 days or so. Then we let him in their area, then we allowed the kitties out into his area. We watch very closely, since I don't believe you can truly trust nothing will happen. No matter how good the dog is, I think constant supervision is required.

It would be a tragedy to think "my cat or dog would never...", because they just might. I have decided not to let our cat around the kittens. She is really not pleased to see them and is happy to find other places around the house to hang out.

Day 13

Since I am hoping this blog will help others who foster for the humane society in San Diego, I want to include a few things I have learned so far...with my grand total of 13 days experience!

• Three 5-week old kittens can share one litter box, three 6-1/2 week old kittens can't. They poop and pee around the box instead of in it, since two tend to go at the same time (and they don't fit as well). You'll need 2 boxes as they get bigger.
• Stick to the toys they give you, I just re-read notes from my orientation, weeks before I actually got kittens, and was reminded not to give them anything with cat-nip. I have not shared any of my cat-nip cat toys, but my little nephew almost did. Will have to ask why this is not good for kittens.
  
• They are completely silent when playing. A person could easily step on one or sit on one, and they can squeeze through tiny holes when they want to, and believe me...they want to!! You'll need to re-cat proof from time to time.
• When you take them to a vet appointment, you don't get to go back with the kitties. I did not know this, and since I had questions, it was a little hard to get a proper answer. I found that if I wrote a note for the vet to see, the assistant who brought back the kittens to me, had the answers from the vet. I thought that worked well.
• The coordinator is great...she is always available and will call to talk to you anytime you need to. I've been lucky with healthy, happy, no big problem kitties, but I am sure that is not always the case.
• It's FUN! Kittens are just fun to play with, watch them play, and watch develop new skills. They are amazing, cute, sweet balls of fur!!!
  

Day 11

We have settled into a nice routine of eat, sleep and playtime. The kittens love playtime and we have been slowly adding areas of the living room for them to roam. We also have been adding new toys. Today we introduced a cat tunnel. It crinkles and has strings - cat heaven! They love batting at it!

We also introduced the dog. He does not bark at them or show any strong reaction when they get close to him, although when they are close, he does his best not to stare at them directly. I know he just wants to get to their food - cat food is really stinky and quite tempting I'm sure.

Their weights are much better now. The male cat has gained the most and is over 1 and 1/2 lbs already. He is tall dark and handsome, and loves to snuggle. The girls also have their own personalities. My kids have given them nicknames:

• Gwen is the smallest but the most curious so her name is Curiosity. She is also the only one that purrs so far.
• Gigi is the furriest and she has the sweetest face, we call her Sweetie. She is the only one with full whiskers...I'll have to ask why since the others look like theirs were trimmed off.
• Gandolf, the male, is the most likely to make the first strike at play, but he also just loves to sit on you. We call him Mischief.

Day 9

Kittens have learned to climb up the metal cage!! It's unbelievable how they change from day to day. They are so much more active this week, and that also means a little louder. The boy, Gandolf, and started growling when he plays with his little fur ball, he carries it around like prey and then lets out this gutteral growl when the girls come over to play with him.

Their play is really rough and bothers my youngest son to see them biting and kicking each other. As we watch them, I've explained that they know how to communicate to each other to say, "hey - you're too rough - knock it off"! They are silent when they roughhouse, even when getting kicked in the face repeatedly with a hind leg kangaroo kick. But they meow when it gets too rough and you can see that they are communicating quite clearly to "cool it".

I wish our boys would listen that well to each other so mom would not have to come in to break it up!!

Day 8

Right on queue, the kitties are 6 weeks old and climbing and escaping! They have discovered how to use their little claws! They are also running, and fighting each other. Quite funny to watch, and we spend a lot of time just watching them amuse each other.

The vet visit went well, the day I took them in, they had gained weight, and since then, things have been better. So looking back, it took 5 days for them to adjust to our house and our eating schedule. I tried to keep it on the hours they were feed at the shelter, but it's creeped out to about an hour later for each feeding. They are hungrier than they were before and the two bigger ones are much more comfortable eating the wet food, the littlest one still kind of licks at it and slurps at it. I think she is still dreaming about milk!

Day 5

All the kitties have been losing weight since they came home with us. Emailed the foster coordinator to ask if this is normal. She called back and was concerned enough to ask us to take them into the vet. She told me that she is looking for at least a 10 gram increase in weight daily. I wish I knew that earlier, that is an easy thing to remember to help me gauge how things are going.

The magic number is 2 months and 2 lbs before they can be returned and go up for adoption, but we report the weight daily to the foster coordinator in grams. How many grams are in 2 lbs? I'll have to look that up...