Wednesday, July 14, 2004. Our Birth: we are born, but our mama decided to give birth to two of us on a rooftop in the pouring rain (our mama went to drier ground to give birth to the rest of our family). We two would have died if it hadn't been for this really nice lady (Mama Lisa) who rescued us. She got us off the roof, warmed us up, and fed us something that's supposed to be milk. She named us Gigi (Tan and black) and Simmons (Black and white with gray stripes on legs).

Day 1: Mama Lisa took us to the doctor and the doctor gave us some kind of medicine (Mama Lisa says it's a dewormer...whatever that is). We weighed in at 3.5 ounces (me Gigi) and 4.5 ounces (Simmons).

Day 2: Mama Lisa tricked our birth mama into showing her where our brother and sister were being kept. But she doesn't take them because she's worried about our birth mama.

Day 3: Mama Lisa asked the vet if she should take our brother and sister and he tells her yes she should. She goes and gets our siblings and takes them to the vet. They are called Lil' Pasha (he's black and white) and Tiny (she's gray and white). Lil' Pasha weighs in at 5 ounces and Tiny weighs in at 4.5 ounces. Our bin now is a little more crowded, but we all like it!

Day 4: We continue to eat like there's no tomorrow, and Mama Lisa decides she going to keep one of us and decides to keep me, Gigi (she says it's because I'm the smallest one and because I look just like my mama!)

Day 5: We're placed on the floor so we can crawl around a little and there's this big thing that we have no idea what it is (we can't see yet!). This thing has a cold nose and is always pushing us around. When Mama bring the bottle of milk we can smell it and we start crying real loud!

Day 6: Simmons' eyes begin to open in the morning. Mama says it's a big day for him because then he'll get to see different things and when his eyes open so will his ears and then he'll be able to hear, too! When she comes home from work my sister Tiny and my brother Lil' Pasha are starting to open their eyes. I don't think it's fair! They can see and I can't!

Day 7: My brothers' eyes and my sister's eyes are more open and I'm still blind. However, by the time our Mama come home from work, my eyes (in case you don't know who's keeping this diary, it's me, Gigi!) are beginning to open! Mama is so happy for me!

Day 8: All of our ears are beginning to open and our eyes are more open. We're now more active than ever and crawl around with so much energy (we fall over more than we go forward!).

Day 9: Mama leaves us out of our bin for little longer than she's been doing. She says she wants us to get stronger and stronger, so in a few weeks we'll be running around the house! Oh! I forgot to mention, every night Mama brings us upstairs so we can sleep near her and so she will be able to hear us if we wake up!

Day 10: I decided to finally type our first 10 days (actually 11 if you count the day we were born!). I asked Mama (since she's an editor of Funtrivia) if she could check it out and fix my grammar and spelling errors. But she said no (she actually told me no!) that it would be better if the diary came from me, spelling and grammar mistakes and all!

I'll be back tomorrow!

Lisa this will be absolutely beautiful.

I will read everyone of of theses posts.

And yes, this is Battle saying this.

I'm enjoying your diary, DakotaNorth. But was just wondering. Is the mother cat anywhere around? She could help greatly in the nursing department and, I think, will instinctively do so. I'm sure you don't want to adopt her, too, but with supervision you could put the box outside and I'll bet she'd nurse them. That would give you a bit of a break. I've had lady cats who didn't like the mothering department one bit but seemed to enjoy feeding her young. Once lunch was over she quickly took a vacation until the next time. I'm looking forward to reading more of this (I just adore kittens).

Keep it coming Lisa, it is great. Why did the vet suggest that you take the second two kittens?

The mother cat, Gopa, is around, but she's wild and will not come into my yard because of Dakota. And, even if Gopa would go into the yard, I wouldn't want her to help with the nursing because she has fleas and because she would move them in a milisecond.

The vet suggested that I remove the other two kittens so they wouldn't grow up feral and live their lives out on the streets.

Before I begin, I forgot to mention that on Saturday, July 24, 2004, we all went to the doctors and got weighed in. I gained 3 and a half ounces, making me 7 ounces! My sister, Tiny, went from 4.5 ounces to 7.5 ounces. My brother, Lil' Pasha, went from 5 ounces to 7 ounces. And my brother (and rooftop partner) Simmons, went from 4.5 ounces to 8 ounces, making him the biggest of the bunch! Of course, Mama became worried about Lil' Pasha!

Day 11: Mama is still worried about Lil' Pasha and is giving him more to eat because she thinks he should be over 8 ounces. We are let out of our bin and we wander around. Simmons wanders more than the rest of us do, earning him the nickname "The Wanderer." We finally see what that big wet thing is! It's a nose and it belongs to some kind of weird cat that Mama says is a dog! I asked her what a dog is and if it's a cat, and Mama told me that they're different. I have yet to figure out what the difference is!

Day 12: Mama is even more worried about Lil' Pasha and calls the doctor. The doctor recommends to give my brother additional feedings. However, by the end of the day, Mama calls the vet up again and asks how many times a day to 12 day old kittens need to be fed, and Mama's told 3 to 4 times a day! She finally realizes what Lil' Pasha's problem was...he was too stuffed! Mama was feeding us 8 times a day (that explains Simmons' belly! )! We walked on the ground more today and we went far! From the couch to the television!

Day 13: Mama now begins feeding us 3 to 4 times a day! What a difference on our bellies it makes! We now have more energy to play!

See you all next time!

Gigi (the runt of the litter!)

Hello again! Your kitten-in-chief is back!

Day 14: We turn 2 weeks old! We're walking better and going farther abroad (we make it to the computer desk now!)! Lil' Pasha is not going as far as me, Simmons, and Tiny are going. Mama says Lil' Pasha is lazy and she tries to help by nudging him along.

Day 15: All four of us are now up to 2 bottles instead of 1. That makes it a full ounce each! Mama says that Lil' Pasha suck with such concentration on his face, and Simmons sucks with an expression that says "don't bother me while I'm eating!". Mama says I flutter my ears faster than my brothers and sisters, and she calls my sister "Bug Eyes" because she has big eyes that take up half her face! Mama found out that I'm a little girl (what she wanted me to be because I look like my birth mama!).

Day 16: For the past few days Mama has been singing to us. She sings "A - you're adorable. B - you're so beautiful" (I'm sure everyone knows that song!). Anyway, she sings it to us and now I can't get the song out of my head! When Mama lays on the floor we all crawl over to her and climb over her. We fight for the right to suck on her bottom lip! Me and my sister have been having fights (and just take a guess who's been winning!)

Day 17: Mama took us to the doctor to get weighed in. We are (in order of highest weight): Simmons: 12 ounces; Me: 11 ounces; Lil' Pasha: 10.5 ounces; Tiny: 10 ounces. Then we went for a car ride and all fell asleep. When we woke up we were home and ready for the bottles!

That's it for now! Until next time!

Gigi (The not the runt anymore!)

Very nice Lisa. Didn't you at one point say something about pictures?

Yes I did, and as soon as I get them developed, I will scan them.

What a lovely story! A similar thing happened to me with Lucy (see avatar). Only it was when I was looking after a friend's cat and after he slipped a lead and collar I bought so he could go outside safely, I had to get a cage to trap him as he wouldn't let me catch him for 2 weeks.
The next day when it was dark I found a tabby cat in the cage as expected, but it was Lucy. We kept her in all night so Jake, the runaway, would have a chance to be caught, which he was the next morning.
Lucy returned every day for more food, and when it became clear no one else was looking after her, she moved in here, nearly 5 years ago. Being female, it wasn't possible to examine her to see if she'd been doctored, so nature took its course and she became pregnant. I read what to do, and got a box and blanket ready at the time she was expected to give birth. But this book hadn't mentioned the preference of cats to do this outdoors, and soon after she came back in her normal size.
Every day she'd come in her cat door, eat, and then go outside all day to look after the kittens, but no one could find them. We all saw where she went, over two garden fences, but then the trail dried up. I went to the garden opposite, and she arrived, and then asked me to follow her over the fence, presumably to show me, but by the time I'd knocked on the door of the house behind my neighbour's, she'd vanished.
She kept feeding them for weeks and one day didn't go out all day. All the neighbours in the block opposite had seen her, but not any kittens. I expected at least one to be brought home, but despite notices on lamp posts, no one has ever reported seeing or owning any tabby kittens (the father was also a tabby so that would be the likely result). I was told cats can leave their kittens on doorsteps etc., hoping they'll be taken in, and as there were never any wild kittens around to join the 3 wild tom cats that kept coming in my house at the time, I can only presume they were housed by neighbours who may not have known I was looking for them, so hopefully Lisa there was someone near me who was like you and did the same thing for them as you did.
Are you planning to keep all 4 or are you looking for some new homes? I was planning to keep one of Lucy's kittens, and had 2 people who wanted another, but cats don't take a lot of notice of our plans for them!

I'm planning on keeping the kitten who's writing the diary...Gigi, because she looks like her mother.

Day 18: Mama is beginning to fall for Lil' Pasha She holds him more than me, and cuddles him too.

Day 19: Mama gave us some kitten can food to see if we like it. We all had some (Simmons more than the rest of us) and then Lil' Pasha peed in the food so Mama had to throw it away. Mama holds Simmons more than me and cuddles him too. I think she's falling for him too!

Day 20: Mama says we're up to two and a half bottles and so she bought another one because she said that soon we would be up to a bottle each! Mama holds Tiny more than me and cuddles her too. I'm beginning to think that Mama doesn't want me anymore, but then Mama picks me up and cuddles me and tells me she loves me...I feel so special!

Day 21: We turn 3 weeks old! We're walking better than ever and beginning to stalk and play! We're even beginning to clean ourselves (not the best though!). Mama says that soon we'll being litter box training (whatever that is!).

See ya later alligators!

Gigi

Day 22: We're walking farther and farther and we're eating like there's no tomorrow! Mama tried us again on the kitten can food, and now we don't like it.

Day 23: We're playing with toys Mama bought us and with toys that Mama took from Uncle Pasha. Lil' Pasha plays with them more, and he also likes laying on his back and playing with his paws.

Day 24: Mama went down the shore for the day and we were left in the care of Grandma (Mama's mama). Grandma forgot to feed us and so when Mama came home we had poopy all over us (Grandma forgot to make us go bathroom too!) and after Mama cleaned us all up (we had to get a bath! ) we got fed, and we were so hungry we ate 3 bottles!

Day 25: Mama's last day before she goes back to work from vacation (we were her vacation! ). We're playing more and attacking each other more. Tiny has a mean grip with her teeth and I'm usually her target. Lil' Pasha thinks he's slick by hiding from us or by going over to Mama for her to hold him. I think he's chicken...he don't want to play fight. Mama says it's because he's a lover not a fighter. I say he's a chicken!

Day 26: Mama went back to work, and we stayed home. When Mama came home she let us out and we were roaming all over the living room.

Day 27: We're beginning to escape from our bin. Mama says that we're going to be moved to a cage soon as our bin is bgeginning to get small and we can escape from the bin (Mama calls us baby Houdinis). I'm not likeing this cage idea, but Uncle Pasha says he was cage trained and he turned out fine (I hope he's right!). Mama says the cage is more for our safety than anything else...so becuase Mama said that, I'll believe her.

Day 28: We turn 4 weeks old today and guess what? We ate 1 can of kitten food! Not each, but all together. Mama's been taking so many pictures of us...it's quite embarrassing, especially how she gets us too!

Until next time~
Gigi!

Sorry I haven't been around to post my diary, but you wouldn't believe the time it takes to learn how to stalk, pounce, be queen of the hill and eat off a plate!

Days 29 to 35: During these days we begin to act more like cats. On Day 31 Simmons and Lil' Pasha were seen by these two people, a man and a woman, and those people said that they love my brothers and will take them. They get to live together. On that same day, me and Tiny get new names. My name is NOT Gigi anymore...it's Lucy now. My sister's name is NOT Tiny anymore...it's Ethel. Mama says we're the "I Love Lucy" show until our brothers go to their new mom and dad, and that after that we'll be the "Lucy Show". On Day 31 we all got weighed...Simmons was 1 lb. 5 oz, I was 1 lb. 3 oz, Lil' Pasha was 1 lb. 3 oz (he's a little copycat!) and Ethel was teetering on the edge of being a pound and not being a pound so the doctor gave her the pound. On Day 35 we turned 5 weeks old.

Days 36 to 38: We're playing more and more and chasing each other. It's amazing how fast I ...I mean WE can move. We stalk each other and chase each other. And we even like can cat food...although Mama gives KITTEN food. We're still bottle babies (that's because we refuse to drink off a plate!).

Day 39 to 42: On Day 40 our bin days are no longer...we out grew the bin! Mama then set up a dog cage and that's where we live now. She has a blanket in there and a litter box. We were trained to use the litter box the same day the cage went up. We have TONS of toys too! On Day 42 we turned 6 weeks old. On this day Mama's mama said that Mama can't keep Ethel too! This makes me so sad because she's my sister and I love her. Besides, if she goes, who will I play with? The big white cat, Chick, isn't playful. He's always trying to steal our bottles and smack us in the head! Simmons actually stood up to Chick but in the end he was smacked down.

Days 43 and 44: Mama called the doctor and asked how she can get us to drink off the plate. The doctor was shocked to learn that we're 6 weeks old and still on the bottle. Mama was told to push our faces in the dish. Mama said on Saturday she will take us off the bottle and give us water. Our playground has expanded to include the kitchen and most of the living room. We're always fighting! On Day 44 we all got collars: Mine is red, Ethel's is hot pink, Lil' Pasha's is purple, and Simmons' is blue. The collars scared us!

Day 45: My brothers' new mommy and daddy came to visit them. Their mommy was sad that my brothers couldn't go to their new home today, but Mama said that they could go next Saturday because then Simmons will have been tested for feline leukemia and feline aids. He's being tested for all of us because he's the biggest with the biggest veins. If he tests negative, then we all test negative. When my brothers new mommy and daddy came to see them, Mama was told their new names: Simmons is now called JD and Lil' Pasha is now called Prince Nikki.

Well that's it for now...off to play!

Days 46 to 51: We're playing and running around so much that Mama has a hard time catching us, but somehow she does! On day 49 we turned 7 weeks old and Mama says that time with JD (Simmons) and Prince Nikki (Lil' Pasha) is coming to a close. She says that on Saturday (Day 52) they'll be leaving us!

Day 52: Mama took us to the doctor where we all had our first needles, were dewormed and had our claws clipped (Mama says we were hurting her! ). Poor JD...because he was the biggest he had to get blood taken so it could be tested for feline leukemia and feline aids. The doctor took him to a back room without Mama and he began crying so much that Mama was crying for him. When he was brought back his back leg was bleeding, making Mama feel so bad! She said that if the JD and Prince Nikki weren't going to their new home today that he wouldn't need to be tested, but because they're new Mommy and Daddy have two other cats, Mama had to have us tested for diseases. The tests came back negative meaning we don't have any diseases. Later this same day, JD and Prince Nikki's new Mommy and Daddy came and picked them up and took them to their new home. Mama was hearbroken to see them go, and even more heartbroken when she realised that Me and Ethel didn't miss them!

Days 53 to 56: It's only Me and Ethel left and we don't miss our brothers. OH! When we were at the doctors on day 52 I weighed 2.2 lbs, JD weighed 2.4 lbs, Prince Nikki weighed 2.2 lbs, and Ethel was given the extra ounce to make her 2 lbs and I was told I have the most beautiful markings on my coat...this guy told me so! Me and Ethel play and play and get into all kinds of things! On Day 56 we turning 8 weeks old exactly!

Days 57 and 58: Mama leaves kitten hard food in mine and Ethel's cage (we're being cage trained in case I forgot to tell you nice people reading our diary). And we have lots of toys...we would have had a lot more but we lost half in the great poopy escapade (we brought out toys into our litter box and got poopy all on them! )! Mama told Me and Ethel that next Wednesday we're going to be separated (What's Lucy to do without Ethel? Who's going to help me steal the footprints from Grauman's Chinese Theatre?)! I wish Mama would relent and keep us both, but I know she can't because our Gma (her mama) wants Ethel gone. She wants me gone but Mama is adamant that she's keeping me...Mama says she loves me!

The mother of the kittens who wrote the above diary had another litter of kittens in the first week of October.

When I saw the mother (who happens to be the sister of the black and white male cat I adopted in January) I noticed she was no longer pregnant. So I looked in her usual spot to have kittens (the neighbour's yard where she had her first litter, which froze to death in March, and part of her second litter, the second litter is the litter I rescued). I couldn't find any kittens in the neighbour's yard. I felt she had to have them some other place.

So I traipsed all over the alley, peeping in other neighbours' yards, but to no avail; however, I knew she was suckling kittens because when I petted her and felt her nipples, they were always wet. Perplexed, I kept going back to the yard where she's had kittens before, and was never able to find any kittens.

Then, on Saturday, November 27, 2004, I saw the mother (her name is Gopa) sitting on my cinderblock fence waiting to be fed. As I got the can of cat food and the paper plate ready, I noticed she was looking down on the alley floor. I've seen her do this the past couple of weeks, but hadn't thought anything about it, although I should have. When I saw Gopa peering down on the alley floor, it brought back memories of the Gopa's mother (along with Gopa, Pasha, and Tiny,(Gopa's brother and sister)) peering down on the alley floor last year, only then I looked in the alley and saw that Gopa's mother had three little ones.

This time, I must have had a stupid sticker on forehead for the past couple of weeks, for on Saturday, when I saw Gopa looking down on the alley floor, I figured her kittens must be there. So I got another plate of food and opened the door and put the food on the alley floor, and then waited. It seemed as though hours went by and I couldn't take it anymore, so I peeked into the alley.

There, peering out from an abandoned fold-up table in the alley, was a single kitten. The kitten is the spitting image of Simmons (Simmons is one of the kittens from the litter I rescued, which you can read above), and, if my calculations are correct, is going into her 8th week of life. I'm saying the kitten is a girl, that is until further notice.

The sad thing is, I looked all over the alley, except behind that abandoned fold-up table. I now feel guilty that I could have saved Gopa's third litter, if only I would have looked behind the table. I can only hope that I'll be able to rescue this new little kitten and make sure she gets a loving home with someone who will love her.

I wonder what happened to the other kittens in Gopa's third litter. Did they die? If so, when? Was this single kitten the only kitten in the litter? Some how I don't think so, considering Gopa had 5 kittens in her first litter that froze to death, and 4 kittens in the litter I rescued. Is this cute, adorable kitten going to be hard to catch? Some how, I think she will be.

More to come...stay tuned!

Quote:

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A similar thing happened to me with Lucy (see avatar).

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She changed into a man??!!?? Brings a whole new meaning with a new avatar huh?

It's great of you to try and save the kittens, DN, but wouldn't it be better if the mum was desexed?

Copago, I agree, it would be better if the mother was spayed; however, trapping her is not an option. The mother seems to be smarter than me when it comes to getting her. She refuses to go in the trap, even when I put sardines in it or tunafish in it.

I have her to the point where she trusts me...to a point. I can pet her anywhere on her body, but everytime I try to take her off the cinderblock fence, she digs her claws in; also it doesn't help that the cinderblock fence is a half a foot taller than me. Even when I put on my highest platform shoes, my head comes just shay above the fence, making it impossible for me to grab her to my chest.

One of these days, I'll get her, like I got her brother Pasha (the black and white male I adopted). He was easy to get, as their mother was once someone's pet and he took after her ways, allowing me to pick him up. Gopa, on the other hand, is a tad more feral than Pasha was, and that means I have a tough job ahead of me.

The kitten will more than likely give me a hard time in catching her, but I will catch her. I've decided to call the kitten a name that can go for either sex. The kitten's name is Meru (after the national park in Kenya).

Has your local SPCA or Humane Society tried getting her?

All I can do is rent cat trap, which I've done several times over...but the mother (Gopa) refuses to be caught.

She trusts me to pet her all over, but whenever I try to take her from the fence, she digs her claws into the cinderblock and when she does that it's like moving a boulder.

I hope you're right and one day she will trust me completely, but right now my main concern is little Meru. I have to get her before it gets too cold and snows.

I caught Meru tonight!

An update on Meru:

Meru was extremely easy to catch on Thursday, December 2, 2004. When I brought Meru into my house I had to give the kitten a bath with baby shampoo to kill the fleas.

Meru has been easy to handle and is not as feral as I thought. Meru was taken to the vet on Saturday, December 4, 2004, and it was discovered that Meru is a boy. He tested negative for feline aids and feline leukemia, given medication for ear mites, had Advantage put on him for any remaining fleas he might have had, and was given his distemper shot. He weighed 2 pounds and 3 ounces. The vet said he was a little under weight as he should be closer to 3 pounds for his age.

Meru was adopted by my neighbour who fell in love with him. I'm glad Meru (now known as Butterball..aka BB) has been given a good and loving home.

It seems as though Meru had a couple of angels looking out for him in this time of Christmas miracles.

Cool!

If you see any others, I'm looking to adopt a cat...