Kittens in the Coal Mine
08-13-2010, 06:31 AM
#81
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Lexington Park, Maryland
Posts: 1,052
When I have kittens, I turn my big dog crate into my kitty condo. I take the divider panel that you use for puppies and put it in vertically and this makes a shelf for their bed. On the bottom level, is their litter box (inside of another box to keep the mess contained) and their food/water. This gives them space to play on both levels and the box for the litter box is their steps to the top level.
My boy - 5 year old white Boxer - thinks that all of the kittens I bring in are his. He is extremely protective and mothers them contantly. It doesn't matter is they are newborns or 4-5 weeks old when we get them. He is so big and they are usually so small that he can't carry them by the scruff of their neck so he just carries them by their heads. And they somehow know to trust him.
When the kitty condo is up, I too will leave the door open during the day and then everyone is put back in for bed. My Sissy was one of my babies. Her brother died in my arms and she had major problems. She was the ONLY foster that my tom had every paid attention too so she stayed. And she is definetly HIS girl. But when Sissy was migrating from a foster to a permanent member, she still would run to the kitten cage when she wanted to use the litter box or get a bite. It was so funny to see her out playing and then suddenly running back to the crate.
My boy - 5 year old white Boxer - thinks that all of the kittens I bring in are his. He is extremely protective and mothers them contantly. It doesn't matter is they are newborns or 4-5 weeks old when we get them. He is so big and they are usually so small that he can't carry them by the scruff of their neck so he just carries them by their heads. And they somehow know to trust him.
When the kitty condo is up, I too will leave the door open during the day and then everyone is put back in for bed. My Sissy was one of my babies. Her brother died in my arms and she had major problems. She was the ONLY foster that my tom had every paid attention too so she stayed. And she is definetly HIS girl. But when Sissy was migrating from a foster to a permanent member, she still would run to the kitten cage when she wanted to use the litter box or get a bite. It was so funny to see her out playing and then suddenly running back to the crate.
08-13-2010, 07:54 AM
#83
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 611
Originally Posted by vanessa
I am in love with Simba! What breed is he? Just ship him to me please!
Vanessa
Vanessa
Did you notice he only has 3 legs?! He is an indoor cat ONLY, as he had been declawed by a previous owner. Anyway,one night after I had went to bed early with a migraine, my sons had been running in and out of the house, playing basketball, etc. At some point, they must have let him out, although they swear up and down they didn't.
My husband was working 3rd shift at the time, and he came home the next morning about 7:30 or so, and there he was laying at the bottom of our steps. At first he thought he was ok, there wasn't any blood around him, and then when he went to pick him up he saw his mangled back leg.
He ran into the house and got me up, and I freaked out. I thought maybe a wild animal or a dog had gotten a hold of him. We rushed him to the vet, and the first thing he asks is "Do you live by a train tracks?"!!! He said that the bones and blood vessels and things were so cleanly cut that it had to be something like that. We live right by a train track, so it all clicked then. Later on, we found his little foot/leg waaaaay down the tracks. It hurts my heart to think of the poor baby dragging himself home in that kind of shape,you know?
The vet said that he would have bled to death if the train hadn't cauterized it! And just think, a few inches,he would have been gone! He wasn't meant to go that day.
He had to have surgery to remove what was left, and it was really rough on him. He was on morphine for a few days, and it knocked him for a loop. I didn't sleep at all for a few days. The doctor said that a cat can't have a partial leg hanging down like that, it will throw their balance off too bad and they can't walk. So, they had to take it all the way to the hip.
He healed, and now you wouldn't think he even misses his leg! He never was really an "athletic" cat, he was always very lazy, LOL! So, in a way that's a good thing. But you'd be surprised how high he can jump with just 3 legs. He can jump my chain link fence thats over 4 feet high that my bulldog can't jump!
So, he's my special boy. He is the sweetest, most loving cat ever. He loves everyone he sees. He will "pet" me, LOL. I pet his head, and tell him to "pet mommy" and he takes both his front paws and pets me! Everyone cracks up at this.
08-13-2010, 07:57 AM
#84
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 611
Originally Posted by jrhboxers
When I have kittens, I turn my big dog crate into my kitty condo. I take the divider panel that you use for puppies and put it in vertically and this makes a shelf for their bed. On the bottom level, is their litter box (inside of another box to keep the mess contained) and their food/water. This gives them space to play on both levels and the box for the litter box is their steps to the top level.
My boy - 5 year old white Boxer - thinks that all of the kittens I bring in are his. He is extremely protective and mothers them contantly. It doesn't matter is they are newborns or 4-5 weeks old when we get them. He is so big and they are usually so small that he can't carry them by the scruff of their neck so he just carries them by their heads. And they somehow know to trust him.
When the kitty condo is up, I too will leave the door open during the day and then everyone is put back in for bed. My Sissy was one of my babies. Her brother died in my arms and she had major problems. She was the ONLY foster that my tom had every paid attention too so she stayed. And she is definetly HIS girl. But when Sissy was migrating from a foster to a permanent member, she still would run to the kitten cage when she wanted to use the litter box or get a bite. It was so funny to see her out playing and then suddenly running back to the crate.
My boy - 5 year old white Boxer - thinks that all of the kittens I bring in are his. He is extremely protective and mothers them contantly. It doesn't matter is they are newborns or 4-5 weeks old when we get them. He is so big and they are usually so small that he can't carry them by the scruff of their neck so he just carries them by their heads. And they somehow know to trust him.
When the kitty condo is up, I too will leave the door open during the day and then everyone is put back in for bed. My Sissy was one of my babies. Her brother died in my arms and she had major problems. She was the ONLY foster that my tom had every paid attention too so she stayed. And she is definetly HIS girl. But when Sissy was migrating from a foster to a permanent member, she still would run to the kitten cage when she wanted to use the litter box or get a bite. It was so funny to see her out playing and then suddenly running back to the crate.
I'd love to see pics of your babies!
08-13-2010, 11:19 AM
#86
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Mountains of North Carolina
Posts: 203
I didn't notice, but that wouldn't matter to me either. He is so beautiful. What a precious boy! I would love him too! It brings tears to my eyes to think of what he went through that night. Give him lots of kisses and hugs for me!
Vanessa
He is a flame point Himalayan. These pics don't do him justice, though, he is GEORGOUS in real life.
Did you notice he only has 3 legs?! He is an indoor cat ONLY, as he had been declawed by a previous owner. Anyway,one night after I had went to bed early with a migraine, my sons had been running in and out of the house, playing basketball, etc. At some point, they must have let him out, although they swear up and down they didn't.
My husband was working 3rd shift at the time, and he came home the next morning about 7:30 or so, and there he was laying at the bottom of our steps. At first he thought he was ok, there wasn't any blood around him, and then when he went to pick him up he saw his mangled back leg.
He ran into the house and got me up, and I freaked out. I thought maybe a wild animal or a dog had gotten a hold of him. We rushed him to the vet, and the first thing he asks is "Do you live by a train tracks?"!!! He said that the bones and blood vessels and things were so cleanly cut that it had to be something like that. We live right by a train track, so it all clicked then. Later on, we found his little foot/leg waaaaay down the tracks. It hurts my heart to think of the poor baby dragging himself home in that kind of shape,you know?
The vet said that he would have bled to death if the train hadn't cauterized it! And just think, a few inches,he would have been gone! He wasn't meant to go that day.
He had to have surgery to remove what was left, and it was really rough on him. He was on morphine for a few days, and it knocked him for a loop. I didn't sleep at all for a few days. The doctor said that a cat can't have a partial leg hanging down like that, it will throw their balance off too bad and they can't walk. So, they had to take it all the way to the hip.
He healed, and now you wouldn't think he even misses his leg! He never was really an "athletic" cat, he was always very lazy, LOL! So, in a way that's a good thing. But you'd be surprised how high he can jump with just 3 legs. He can jump my chain link fence thats over 4 feet high that my bulldog can't jump!
So, he's my special boy. He is the sweetest, most loving cat ever. He loves everyone he sees. He will "pet" me, LOL. I pet his head, and tell him to "pet mommy" and he takes both his front paws and pets me! Everyone cracks up at this.
Vanessa
Originally Posted by stefanib123
Originally Posted by vanessa
I am in love with Simba! What breed is he? Just ship him to me please!
Vanessa
Vanessa
Did you notice he only has 3 legs?! He is an indoor cat ONLY, as he had been declawed by a previous owner. Anyway,one night after I had went to bed early with a migraine, my sons had been running in and out of the house, playing basketball, etc. At some point, they must have let him out, although they swear up and down they didn't.
My husband was working 3rd shift at the time, and he came home the next morning about 7:30 or so, and there he was laying at the bottom of our steps. At first he thought he was ok, there wasn't any blood around him, and then when he went to pick him up he saw his mangled back leg.
He ran into the house and got me up, and I freaked out. I thought maybe a wild animal or a dog had gotten a hold of him. We rushed him to the vet, and the first thing he asks is "Do you live by a train tracks?"!!! He said that the bones and blood vessels and things were so cleanly cut that it had to be something like that. We live right by a train track, so it all clicked then. Later on, we found his little foot/leg waaaaay down the tracks. It hurts my heart to think of the poor baby dragging himself home in that kind of shape,you know?
The vet said that he would have bled to death if the train hadn't cauterized it! And just think, a few inches,he would have been gone! He wasn't meant to go that day.
He had to have surgery to remove what was left, and it was really rough on him. He was on morphine for a few days, and it knocked him for a loop. I didn't sleep at all for a few days. The doctor said that a cat can't have a partial leg hanging down like that, it will throw their balance off too bad and they can't walk. So, they had to take it all the way to the hip.
He healed, and now you wouldn't think he even misses his leg! He never was really an "athletic" cat, he was always very lazy, LOL! So, in a way that's a good thing. But you'd be surprised how high he can jump with just 3 legs. He can jump my chain link fence thats over 4 feet high that my bulldog can't jump!
So, he's my special boy. He is the sweetest, most loving cat ever. He loves everyone he sees. He will "pet" me, LOL. I pet his head, and tell him to "pet mommy" and he takes both his front paws and pets me! Everyone cracks up at this.
08-15-2010, 08:26 AM
#87
Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 97
If you type Feral cats in the search bar, you will be able to find the closest group that works with feral cats and they can gett you cages that capture them without hurting them and again, get them fixed. My neighbor and me managed to do that to 6 or 7 around our neighborhood and it is now wonderful. NO MORE KITTENS. The clinic we used charged about $30 to do the work and the shots were just a small amount. It was worth the effort. Now I have had 3 kittens from one of the litters and they have 5. We enjoy them very much. One of them still hugs me around the neck and nurses on my neck. That is her "Comfort" spot.
Good luck
Peg-TX
Innova 18"
Good luck
Peg-TX
Innova 18"
08-28-2010, 01:41 PM
#89
Super Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Renton, WA
Posts: 2,045
Please, please get the kittens checked for feline leukemia before letting Simba lick on them anymore! The vaccination does NOT protect your pet from long term contact with an infected animal, only casual contact.
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