And no pictures today, either... Sorry :-(
Monday was a long day involving vets and commotion. First the vet story...
Tika, Henry, and Abby have been with me for 12 days following the Petco evacuation. They are having a pretty rough time getting over this upper respiratory so we are introducing more treatments, including using a nebulizer to do an updraft three times a day. We are also discussing splitting them up to get the healthiest out of sick bay earlier. No answers yet. Just keeping on keeping on.
And now the commotion...
After finally reaching the re-application day for flea control meds, we had to wait for another few days for the vet to get Capstar back into stock (apparently, everyone is having issues this fall... joy!) Every animal in the house, except for the baby Jeffersons (who got a precautionary bath), received a dose and we went to work rotating from room to room putting off the carpet bombs and trying to eradicate the last of the creepy crawlies. Now... imagine how happy the husband was to spend his day off doing this.
Mother Jefferson spent the day in the bathroom with her babies. To say she was upset by the commotion would be a complete understatement. When I came to retrieve them, Mama was hissing, howling, and swatting. The babies were their sunny normal. I put them back into their room and left them to their business. This morning, Mama still isn't thrilled. She spent the night on the cat tree with her babies on the floor. But after sitting in the room with her for a bit, she allowed the babies to nurse.
Which brings on the questions...
Our Jefferson munchkins are five weeks old, which happens to be the same age that the Adams chicklets came to live with me without their mama. If Mother Jefferson keeps pushing them away (or if this is the beginning of weaning), is there anything that I should be doing or not doing to help them along? I don't want to traumatize her any more than we already did yesterday.
As long as you make sure they have food and water available to them and keep an eye on them to be sure they're eating and drinking - and/ or nursing - I think you'll be good. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd soon as I started worrying, she took them all into her little cave and nursed and napped with them. I think she was stressed over the bathroom and the baths that I gave her babies. She kept looking at them like they were aliens.... fluffier, shampoo-smelling aliens.
DeleteAll of the babies are starting to eat on their own. I just want Mama to hang in there for another couple weeks with part-time stuff.
Can you give her a break? My momma cats always seemed to enjoy a break in another room. Maybe the kittens can go in he bathroom for a few hours?
ReplyDeleteGood idea. I will try to do that... after she gets used to her babies again. I think their bath really threw her off... these fluffy, funny-smelling little aliens kept trying to suck on her. She's doing better this morning, but I don't blame her needing a break from time to time. I would have hissed at and swatted my own kids last night if I thought it would have gotten me a break ;-)
DeleteHugs Kelly-hang in there! I have no experience in that department, but I'm sure the new smell threw her off a bit. It sounds like they will all figure it out.
ReplyDeleteAs time went on, Mama became much more accepting of the babies. She does nurse them, but she's demanding more "alone time" too. It's about the right time for her to cut back and teach them to eat on their own... and they all did today.
DeleteI agree - so long as the kittens have access to food and she now has them smelling "normal" again, she should be fine. It is about this time that the mom cats we have had here have started looking for places that are up from the kittens to allow them a break. :)
ReplyDeleteShe's definitely enforcing a few more boundaries today and is looking for more "space" of her own. The babies are pretty respectful of it, too. Either that or, at five-weeks-old, they're far more interested in play than snuggling with Mom.
DeleteJust keep an eye on their weights.. as long as they don't lose they are fine. You can provide wet food which is easier for kittens first meal. You can even pop a little in their mouth to see how ready they are to wean. Kittens generally have one of two reactions to food.. either YUCK!! that is the grossest thing EVER (and I eat poop) or YUM!! this is freakin awesome where do I get more.
ReplyDeleteI've witnessed each of them eating from the plate today. And when Willie Rae was whining at her mama, Mother Jefferson walked over to the plate and started eating. Willie Rae followed suit. Mama is nursing them, just not as much "on demand" as the kittens would like.
DeleteWow, you have really not had an easy time lately! hugs!!!
ReplyDeleteI have no advice to offer for the kittens, except to ask if they are eating anything other than from mom? If they are, and they keep their weight, they'll probably be good.
Hope things look up soon!
Yes, they are all starting to eat kitten food on their own. In fact, Lionel and Roxie are almost exclusively eating solid food. Willie Rae needs a bit of convincing, though. I'm just surprised because Mama's attitude towards nursing seems to have changed suddenly. The baths and different smell probably had a lot to do with it. But Mama has definitely decided that she wants "Mama time" again.
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