Caturday Saturday

Lots of stuff going on this Caturday!

I had time to do another kitten photo shoot and out of about 50 photos, a quarter of them turned out good enough to share...and out of 3 videos, made one where they weren't just sleeping, MOL.

The babies are doing great! Gaining weight consistently now and starting to crawl around with their legs getting strong enough to lift themselves up now, instead of just their front legs pulling themselves along. They also can right themselves faster when they topple over. And, they are just starting to "groom" and "bite" themselves and each other and mom...it's so cute, like a baby noticing it's toes for the first time!

They are all quite fuzzy, and at this age, their fur isn't soft and velvety but more like one of those green kitchen scrubby things. I love all their patterns and colors--the cute tiger-like look of Daisy, the cute white stripe on Clover's face and who doesn't love little orange tabby cats?! Both Buttercup and Dandelion are Mackerel Tabbies, which is the pattern that has "fishbone" stripes down their sides. As they get older, it is a little harder to distinguish stripes from waves, as they go in the same direction.

Here's the latest pix!














and the newest movie!



And more news...

Disco moved in with his new owner yesterday and is causing quite a stir! He is a seasoned show cat and took all the traveling and hotel rooms and new accomodations all in stride, but he is going through some Separation Anxiety, and that surprises both me and his new owner, Tabitha (who works at the cat hospital where Teri works and who fell in love with Disco the first time they met!).

For the past month or so, he had been going in to work with me to bond with Tabitha, and so he would be less stressed, I sent him with his familiar litterbox, numerous cat beds/blankies/sleeping bag so he would have familiar scents in his new home. She is following my directions on how to acclimate him--keeping him in her bedroom for numerous days, then letting him investigate the house when she is home, but again confining him when she is gone. And I think he will settle in...but the first 12 hours have been filled with anxiety for both Disco and Tabitha.

First email:
Teri, it's 5:40am and neither of us have slept a wink.

I really didn't think it were possible for a cat to constantly meow and move around for 6 hours on end. I can't shut him in the bathroom because he starts screaming, and has woke Brian up twice (he has work this morning).

From 11-12:30 I snuggled my brains out trying to get him to settle down. From 12:30-2ish I consistenly ignored him, thinking he would get tired and go to sleep. First he spent a while going in and out of the bathroom, meowing etc. Then he started digging at my shoulders (I sleep on my hands) and eventually leaving bite marks all over them. It looks like I've been chewed on by a mouse! Toward the end of my "just ignore him" stage he started acting like he was lost... standing in the middle of the room yowling and pacing by the door.

Of course I felt terrible and started the snuggling phase again. No luck.

He's terribly unsettled, and although he's enjoying contact with me he's getting overstimulated and still acting ill at ease.

I know he needs time to adjust, but he needs to sleep! Should we ask Dr Jan and Fern if there is something else he can take at night time for a few days to get him sleepeh? Right now he's standing in the middle of the room emitting a "MYEHH" about every 4 seconds.

I'm going to sleep on the couch downstairs after Brian goes to work, I'll be back up to check my email.... later!

Taberious

Ps. I'm in love! Please don't think that I'm displeased with him. I can catch up on sleep, but he needs to settle down for his own good. The anxious excitable Disco needs... some help.

Second email:
I got a few zzz's on the couch. Whe I went downstairs (this was after his breakfast, and he has dry food to nibble on) he meowed for about 10 minutes and then was totally quiet. When I got back upstairs, I snuck in and found him sleeping in his bed on his heat pad. I knew he was tired!

But why didn't he sleep with me? I even let him sit on my face! When we were at the hospital he would get tired and go back to his cage to sleep. Maybe he just needs to establish his own space.

This email is taking me like 20 minutes to type due to mancat distraction. If he can stay off my keyboard long enough, I will update the blog. I have some very cute photos!

Third email:
Teriiiiiiii!

After my blog post I went downstairs to eat and watch some tv while he napped... I heard him start yowling and when I got back up here after breakfast he had pooped on my bed. I guess I'll be doing laundry...

Fourth email:
Talked to Dr. Fern on the phone. She said he's having separation anxiety (from you and his old home, not from me!) and we should change his meds. Just like the rest of us, the less sleep he gets the more stressed he is. I will either get valium or ace to give him tonight. Fern said on Monday we can figure out what to give him throughout the transitional phase (clomicalm, diazepam, more lorazepam etc).

He peed in the box while I was on the phone w/you. When I was talking to Fern he fell asleep on my bathrobe... he's SO tired. I'm going to nap with him for a while before going grocery shopping. Later this afternoon I will go by the clinic and get meds for the weekend. Patrick and I are supposed to have dinner, and Fern says to give him the valium or ace before I leave for dinner so he can get some solid rest.

I put his sleeping bag on the bed, too. Fern agrees it would be best to keep the disturbances to a minimum, so I'm going to limit my coming and going from the bedroom. I have to get used to using my bathroom without closing the door!!! I'm going to keep my window open a bit so there is some white noise. Also, no visitors for now (we must resist).

He's still asleep!!! *whispers* (see attached photo)

Thanks for your guidance. I'm very tired and kinda freaked out with the poo on the bed... but I can only imagine how he feels! We are just going to take it easy today. I will update you!
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I am so glad I work with super people and wonderful vets, too! Tabitha has lots of experience with her work at shelters, with all the emotional baggage pets come with, so I know she will try her best to make Disco happy...and if he just can't settle in...of course, I will take him back to join the Furrydance clan again. I want him to be happy too, and after Mike died and he began his spraying and peeing outside the box, I knew he was not happy...but I worked with him, rehabbing him and he was doing 100% best behavior and I considered keeping him.

But I have worked very hard this past year to get down to having 5 cats in the Furrydance household, as I owe it to them and me to be able to have the time to love and care for each one, and keep the cattery small and manageable and so I have found new homes for 5 cats, and now they get lots more one-on-one time with their owners and can rule the roost instead of having to share, mol! That's what makes me smile and be happy when I think of them, and lessens my missing their presence in my house. (Plus, most of them are close enough for me to visit, too!).

If you want to get to know Disco better, you can visit his Catster page at
Disco's Catster Page
and his new blog at:
Purr, Baby, Purr!

Here's a new pix of Disco in his new home...sleeping, finally!