My babies refused their bottles today, 2 refused last night and most of yesterday. Today they all got mad and were not interested...I still offer it but they don't want it. This means my time with my babies has come to an end. They are weaned and doing so well, it's time for me to let them go and finish growing up with another bunch of kittens about their age so they can learn that they are cats and what that involves.
I imagine by weeks end I will have given them their last kisses on their heads before bed, last cuddles when they ask for it, scooped their litter for the last time. with them doing as well as they are and not staying in their weigh buckets there is no need for me to post on this litter anymore. If however anything changes with them I WILL post and let everyone know.
This has been am amazing experience, I didn't intend on loving them this much, but I am glad I did. I feel successful in the fact that they are alive, healthy and normal kittens. The chances of losing a kitten after weaning is very small, so I feel like i can honestly say, I have beaten the stats....I kept 75% of my babies alive, while stats say that only 30% survive.
I thank you all for reading, the wonderful comments in real life and on facebook. I loved people watching these babies grow up right along with me. The condolences when we lost DW at 8 days old.
One final word....PLEASE spay and neuter your pets, not only so they can't reproduce but to keep them healthy. I promise you, they really do live longer if fixed. Too many animals are on death row b/c who thought that fixing your pet wasn't important, too many animals die at the roadside every day b/c they wandered off in search of a mate...too many are left to have litter after litter...to many are suffering with cancers and illness that could have prevented with a quick surgery.
Take care and when/if I get a new litter, I will start posting again if people can stand to "listen" to me. Once again thank you very much for your interest in my blog.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
from the perspective of an 8 year old
I decided tonight to "interview" Jilly to get her opinion on these kittens and the idea of fostering. I will do the typing so you can read it, but I assure you these are her thoughts and opinions.
Questions I asked Jilly?
1) did you like having the kittens stay with you?
2) Who is your favorite and why?
3) what was the most fun part?
4) what did you like least about them?
5) Will you be sad when they go in a day or so?
6) Would you foster kittens with your mom again?
ANSWERS?
1) yes
2) Baby Kate, because she is cute and cuddly and she is the one who mostly plays. She doesn't bite me when I feed her from my finger, if she does I just say "no biting" and she doesn't do it again.
3) playing with them all over the house, watching them grow up because they were blind and deaf when we got them
4) That they couldn't see for a week or 2
5) Yes i will be very sad. We already named them and we already like them
6) yes, they are cute, cuddly and won't bite.
So there you have it.
I think we are pretty close to being fully weaned for Kate and Arthur anyway, neither of them were interested in there last 2 bottles. Arthur ate a small bit but Kate would have none of it. Arthur fought his 2pm feed, scratching me and chewing the nipple, pulling away and finally getting right ticked off at the nerve of me for trying to feed him. Kate just chews the nipple but doesn't want to suck. Muffy still likes her bottles but even she has decreased in the amount she will take at once. It makes it a little tough for me, to not waste formula I am making smaller amounts at one time which means I am making formula more often. I could probably stop offering it totally, but worry that they will not eat enough solids. Which is silly, b/c they eat an entire can between the 3 of them a day, and I am mixing leftover formula from their bottles into that so they should be getting enough, nobody cries or seems unhappy, they are all full of energy and quite wound up at times with excitement.
I couldn't get weights on them tonight as nobody would stay in their weigh tub long enough to let the scale register. So I don't have any numbers for you, but I am certain they are all fine and well. I hate not being able to see the numbers as that is often the first indicator of any brewing trouble.
Tomorrow they will be 1 month old, an entire month, 30 days, 2 592 000 seconds, 720 hours, 43,200 minutes, 1/12 of an entire year.....
Questions I asked Jilly?
1) did you like having the kittens stay with you?
2) Who is your favorite and why?
3) what was the most fun part?
4) what did you like least about them?
5) Will you be sad when they go in a day or so?
6) Would you foster kittens with your mom again?
ANSWERS?
1) yes
2) Baby Kate, because she is cute and cuddly and she is the one who mostly plays. She doesn't bite me when I feed her from my finger, if she does I just say "no biting" and she doesn't do it again.
3) playing with them all over the house, watching them grow up because they were blind and deaf when we got them
4) That they couldn't see for a week or 2
5) Yes i will be very sad. We already named them and we already like them
6) yes, they are cute, cuddly and won't bite.
So there you have it.
I think we are pretty close to being fully weaned for Kate and Arthur anyway, neither of them were interested in there last 2 bottles. Arthur ate a small bit but Kate would have none of it. Arthur fought his 2pm feed, scratching me and chewing the nipple, pulling away and finally getting right ticked off at the nerve of me for trying to feed him. Kate just chews the nipple but doesn't want to suck. Muffy still likes her bottles but even she has decreased in the amount she will take at once. It makes it a little tough for me, to not waste formula I am making smaller amounts at one time which means I am making formula more often. I could probably stop offering it totally, but worry that they will not eat enough solids. Which is silly, b/c they eat an entire can between the 3 of them a day, and I am mixing leftover formula from their bottles into that so they should be getting enough, nobody cries or seems unhappy, they are all full of energy and quite wound up at times with excitement.
I couldn't get weights on them tonight as nobody would stay in their weigh tub long enough to let the scale register. So I don't have any numbers for you, but I am certain they are all fine and well. I hate not being able to see the numbers as that is often the first indicator of any brewing trouble.
Tomorrow they will be 1 month old, an entire month, 30 days, 2 592 000 seconds, 720 hours, 43,200 minutes, 1/12 of an entire year.....
Sunday, May 22, 2011
4 weeks old
the babes are 4 weeks old today, they went from total blindness to having vision, they were once deaf but now they can hear. They went from totally helpless, to almost independent creature. Its amazing how fast they grow and I am so thankful that our human children do not grow that fast, they grow fast but not quite as quick as kittens.
It's hard to imagine them being on their own in this big world.
I had them locked in the kitchen this morning to make cleaning their area easier. They can run, and pretty fast too. I was impressed at just how last week they were still wobbly legged, but are running just 7 days later.
They have become little balls of fire. Arthur seems to have quite the temper, he was fighting with me about his night time bottle, I knew he needed it but man he is stubborn and when he finally did take it he was growling and pissed right off, I have never seen anything like that from him. He has been fighting all his bottles today, but when he realizes that everyone else has had one, he wants it, so now I leave him to the last. Between the 3 of they drink a little less than 4 oz, about every 4 hrs thru the day as well as kitten food mixed with formula.
I did some calculations between both formulas I have given them:
KMR is much easier to mix with the water:powder not changing based on weight. It gets very lumpy and I run it thru a small strainer to get it lump free. I also mix it with the liquid KMR. They gained less on a daily basis with the KMR but were also less colicky and bloated, and their poops were better as well.
Born Free, is less simple to mix as the ratio changes with each bottle, this makes making bottles a pain in the butt since you have to mix each bottle for each kitten differently. They did however gain more weight daily while on the just born.
I will NOT use born free for the mixing reasons unless its a last resort. KMR is much more simpler for me and for anyone, even my 8 year old was able to make bottles for me. However in an emergency, I will resort to this stuff. I have read about homemade formulas online and the fact that they contain raw egg, and mayonnaise concerns me. We all know raw eggs can carry serious risks of illness, I just don't see how tiny newborn kittens would be immune from these illnesses. I suppose though in a true emergency it would be better than nothing. I have also been researching whiskas cat milk, I haven't found anything that says you can give it to unweaned kittens but I do know that in general, whiskas food is not that great. Cats in the wild would seek out a corn field to get their supper, they would however seek out chicken, fish etc etc. ANy food that has corn, rice or any other grain as their first ingredient is not a great diet.
Anyway I have pics tonight, but firs here are their weights
Muffy - She did it and is now 1lb .15oz
Kate - 1lb.15oz notice something about her and Muffy?? for the first time ever, muffy is the same weight as Kate....I no longer have a "smallest" kitty, I have 2 that weigh the same :)
Arthur - weighs in a 1lb.2oz
Pics :
Kate is such a pretty girl , don't be alarmed at the dirt on her face, learning to eat cleanly is tricky business for the cat who is just learning
Muffy has the cutest wee face, I got her while the others were sleeping, but she was awake just sitting there all by herself.
None of Arthur though tonight, he is camera shy and keeps turning himself around so I get great pics of his butt which nobody wants to see. Will try again tomorrow to get some of him.
It's hard to imagine them being on their own in this big world.
I had them locked in the kitchen this morning to make cleaning their area easier. They can run, and pretty fast too. I was impressed at just how last week they were still wobbly legged, but are running just 7 days later.
They have become little balls of fire. Arthur seems to have quite the temper, he was fighting with me about his night time bottle, I knew he needed it but man he is stubborn and when he finally did take it he was growling and pissed right off, I have never seen anything like that from him. He has been fighting all his bottles today, but when he realizes that everyone else has had one, he wants it, so now I leave him to the last. Between the 3 of they drink a little less than 4 oz, about every 4 hrs thru the day as well as kitten food mixed with formula.
I did some calculations between both formulas I have given them:
KMR is much easier to mix with the water:powder not changing based on weight. It gets very lumpy and I run it thru a small strainer to get it lump free. I also mix it with the liquid KMR. They gained less on a daily basis with the KMR but were also less colicky and bloated, and their poops were better as well.
Born Free, is less simple to mix as the ratio changes with each bottle, this makes making bottles a pain in the butt since you have to mix each bottle for each kitten differently. They did however gain more weight daily while on the just born.
I will NOT use born free for the mixing reasons unless its a last resort. KMR is much more simpler for me and for anyone, even my 8 year old was able to make bottles for me. However in an emergency, I will resort to this stuff. I have read about homemade formulas online and the fact that they contain raw egg, and mayonnaise concerns me. We all know raw eggs can carry serious risks of illness, I just don't see how tiny newborn kittens would be immune from these illnesses. I suppose though in a true emergency it would be better than nothing. I have also been researching whiskas cat milk, I haven't found anything that says you can give it to unweaned kittens but I do know that in general, whiskas food is not that great. Cats in the wild would seek out a corn field to get their supper, they would however seek out chicken, fish etc etc. ANy food that has corn, rice or any other grain as their first ingredient is not a great diet.
Anyway I have pics tonight, but firs here are their weights
Muffy - She did it and is now 1lb .15oz
Kate - 1lb.15oz notice something about her and Muffy?? for the first time ever, muffy is the same weight as Kate....I no longer have a "smallest" kitty, I have 2 that weigh the same :)
Arthur - weighs in a 1lb.2oz
Pics :
Kate is such a pretty girl , don't be alarmed at the dirt on her face, learning to eat cleanly is tricky business for the cat who is just learning
Muffy has the cutest wee face, I got her while the others were sleeping, but she was awake just sitting there all by herself.
None of Arthur though tonight, he is camera shy and keeps turning himself around so I get great pics of his butt which nobody wants to see. Will try again tomorrow to get some of him.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
what have I learned?
Sometime next week I will be laid off as my babies will move on to their next foster home, the last one before they become adoptable. I will miss them and will probably wonder daily how they are, who has them, and are they ok. I have learned a lot in the almost 4 weeks....wanna know what was learned?
1) I learned that it's important to wear old clothing or clothing that you don't mind getting peed on or pooped on b/c newborns will do this without any warning or care.
2) I learned that staying up late to wait for the next feed will make me exhausted in the morning. so best to go to bed earlier.
3) I learned that I need more towels, and receiving blankets
4) I learned that these particular kittens are genius and very clever
5) I learned that no matter when you just cleaned them last, they will need it again in 5 mins.
6) I also learned that despite them being so tiny, kittens bladders and bowels can hold a surprising amount, but only if you are letting them play on my couch, my bed with sheets just put on that day.
7) I learned that Ruby is really a great dog, she took care of a lot of the work for me and never once did she complain....
8) I learned that sometimes no matter how much you do right and care, sometimes bad things happen. I also learned that when DW wasn't getting enough food from mom, that there was a reason why. Mom was saving her precious milk for those kittens she had no doubt would survive. I probably shouldn't have pulled her and supplemented her, I probably should have let nature make its decision without my intervention, but I would intervene again, so I guess I didn't learn that much in that aspect lol.
9) I learned that I really did love these past weeks, despite the work, the time, the worry, watching my 3 babies grow up into healthy kittens makes everything so worth it. I would do this all over again in a heartbeat.
ok so really most of this stuff I already knew since I have tended to newborn kittens in the past, it was however all stuff I had forgotten. Kinda like when you have a human baby and in 9 or 10 years you have another, you forget how much work, how much you will worry, how much you will fall in love.... it all is. Each milestone was just as exciting for the 3rd kitten as it was for the first. Will I be able to be strong when they leave? maybe, but since I cry at the drop of a hat I am not expecting to be. Sometime this week I will be laid off from my job until new kittens need my help. Sometime this week, my babies will begin a new journey of their life.
Their weights tonight were pretty good.
Muffy - 15.9oz - I didn't think she would make a 1lb tonight but that didn't stop me from hoping.
Kate - 1lb .08oz - a small gain but again she is pretty active, I don't think she is even still when she is sleeping, always something moving with her lol.
Arthur - my big boy is 1lb .12oz
1) I learned that it's important to wear old clothing or clothing that you don't mind getting peed on or pooped on b/c newborns will do this without any warning or care.
2) I learned that staying up late to wait for the next feed will make me exhausted in the morning. so best to go to bed earlier.
3) I learned that I need more towels, and receiving blankets
4) I learned that these particular kittens are genius and very clever
5) I learned that no matter when you just cleaned them last, they will need it again in 5 mins.
6) I also learned that despite them being so tiny, kittens bladders and bowels can hold a surprising amount, but only if you are letting them play on my couch, my bed with sheets just put on that day.
7) I learned that Ruby is really a great dog, she took care of a lot of the work for me and never once did she complain....
8) I learned that sometimes no matter how much you do right and care, sometimes bad things happen. I also learned that when DW wasn't getting enough food from mom, that there was a reason why. Mom was saving her precious milk for those kittens she had no doubt would survive. I probably shouldn't have pulled her and supplemented her, I probably should have let nature make its decision without my intervention, but I would intervene again, so I guess I didn't learn that much in that aspect lol.
9) I learned that I really did love these past weeks, despite the work, the time, the worry, watching my 3 babies grow up into healthy kittens makes everything so worth it. I would do this all over again in a heartbeat.
ok so really most of this stuff I already knew since I have tended to newborn kittens in the past, it was however all stuff I had forgotten. Kinda like when you have a human baby and in 9 or 10 years you have another, you forget how much work, how much you will worry, how much you will fall in love.... it all is. Each milestone was just as exciting for the 3rd kitten as it was for the first. Will I be able to be strong when they leave? maybe, but since I cry at the drop of a hat I am not expecting to be. Sometime this week I will be laid off from my job until new kittens need my help. Sometime this week, my babies will begin a new journey of their life.
Their weights tonight were pretty good.
Muffy - 15.9oz - I didn't think she would make a 1lb tonight but that didn't stop me from hoping.
Kate - 1lb .08oz - a small gain but again she is pretty active, I don't think she is even still when she is sleeping, always something moving with her lol.
Arthur - my big boy is 1lb .12oz
Friday, May 20, 2011
TGIF
I love Fridays, it means that for 2 days I don't have to rush around trying to get ready for school, have other kids and I get to relax. This weekend is even better since it's along weekend.
In 4 days the babies will be 1 month old, how incredible it has been to watch them grow and develop from blind, deaf and totally helpless newborns, into strong and healthy kittens. They have typical kitten behaviour now, they play, they hiss, they chase things, shadows mostly, they run and are learning to pounce. Arthur especially will be a great mouser, fly chaser, anything that moves he will likely chase lol.
Kate will do well in a family who can lover her up, she is a snuggle bunny, and eyelid licker, a nose and lip sucker.
Muffy, is a cross between her brother and sister. She is the smallest, but doesn't lack the energy or skill. She was by far the easiest kitten ever to raise. She just kinda goes with the flow and follows what everyone else is doing.
Their weights are great and as predicted, baby Kate hit 1lb today. It's weird b/c she looks smaller than muffy, but the scale says otherwise.
Their weights are:
Muffy - 15.5oz I don't think she will hit 1lb until Sunday, mind you she might surprise me and get there tomorrow.
Arthur - 1lb.7oz
Kate - 1lb even
I bought them some toys today. I bought some specifically so Jilly could interact with them, they still sleep a lot and I don't like them being bothered while resting after a feed. Maybe this will be a great way for her to be with them when they are awake and as they get older I expect them to play a little more each day. None of them are real serious about life and love to play.
In 4 days the babies will be 1 month old, how incredible it has been to watch them grow and develop from blind, deaf and totally helpless newborns, into strong and healthy kittens. They have typical kitten behaviour now, they play, they hiss, they chase things, shadows mostly, they run and are learning to pounce. Arthur especially will be a great mouser, fly chaser, anything that moves he will likely chase lol.
Kate will do well in a family who can lover her up, she is a snuggle bunny, and eyelid licker, a nose and lip sucker.
Muffy, is a cross between her brother and sister. She is the smallest, but doesn't lack the energy or skill. She was by far the easiest kitten ever to raise. She just kinda goes with the flow and follows what everyone else is doing.
Their weights are great and as predicted, baby Kate hit 1lb today. It's weird b/c she looks smaller than muffy, but the scale says otherwise.
Their weights are:
Muffy - 15.5oz I don't think she will hit 1lb until Sunday, mind you she might surprise me and get there tomorrow.
Arthur - 1lb.7oz
Kate - 1lb even
I bought them some toys today. I bought some specifically so Jilly could interact with them, they still sleep a lot and I don't like them being bothered while resting after a feed. Maybe this will be a great way for her to be with them when they are awake and as they get older I expect them to play a little more each day. None of them are real serious about life and love to play.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
YAY!! he did it
My baby boy Arthur hit 1lb today, just over actually. When he came to me he was 126.2G he has gained 334G in just under 4 weeks. I am so proud of him and it was so worth every sleepless night, every 5am knowing I was up for the day, every bum wipe, every cry etc etc. It really is incredible how fast they grow in weight and maturity.
I was shocked when I got up this morning, NOBODY wanted their morning bottle, they wanted real food. I was kinda sad but yet it was another milestone. Last night Kate refused her bedtime bottle, I was worried it was gonna make for a long night, but I guess she got enough food yesterday b/c at 6am they were ALL still sound asleep. They didn't actually take a bottle until 10am.
Their weights:
Muffy still the smallest baby at 14.2oz
Kate will hit her lb mark in the next 2-3 days I am betting, tonight she weighed 15.3oz
Arthur weighed in at 1lb .25oz
I discovered today that Arthur doesn't much like the vacumn, not sure why the sudden change, I vacumn everyday and its never bothered him, but today poor guy backed up into a corner and started hissing, the vacumn wasn't even near him, it was just on. I felt bad, but with dogs, kids, parrots and kittens I MUST do this task at least 1x a day. It's also a household noise that he will hear a lot and needs to get used to it. I am going to work with him the next few days and see if I cannot make him less afraid.
I was shocked when I got up this morning, NOBODY wanted their morning bottle, they wanted real food. I was kinda sad but yet it was another milestone. Last night Kate refused her bedtime bottle, I was worried it was gonna make for a long night, but I guess she got enough food yesterday b/c at 6am they were ALL still sound asleep. They didn't actually take a bottle until 10am.
Their weights:
Muffy still the smallest baby at 14.2oz
Kate will hit her lb mark in the next 2-3 days I am betting, tonight she weighed 15.3oz
Arthur weighed in at 1lb .25oz
I discovered today that Arthur doesn't much like the vacumn, not sure why the sudden change, I vacumn everyday and its never bothered him, but today poor guy backed up into a corner and started hissing, the vacumn wasn't even near him, it was just on. I felt bad, but with dogs, kids, parrots and kittens I MUST do this task at least 1x a day. It's also a household noise that he will hear a lot and needs to get used to it. I am going to work with him the next few days and see if I cannot make him less afraid.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
why spay and/or neuter your pets?
Why people are so against fixing their animal so they can not create any more is beyond me. It makes me crazy to see so many animals bred irresponsibly, back yard breeders are my pet peeve. The only reason an animal should ever be bred is to better the breed, that means that only purebred bitches should be bred, and not many cats these days are purebred though I admit there are several of them out there, but the majority are a mix of many breeds.
Did you know that if you spay/neuter your cat or dog:
1) you can eliminate certain types of cancers? Remove the uterus, uterine cancer is gone, dogs and cats that have never had a litter, lose a huge chance of getting breast cancer, yes animals get this as well. These are both fatal diseases in many cases. ALL cases could have been prevented. Neuter a male dog and you can cross testicular cancer and unwanted behaviours off your list, of course some behaviours are just that behavioral and they will require training to end, but a good number can be stopped with that snip.
2) have you ever heard a cat in heat? that awful constant calling they do? the cat calls are terrible to listen to, terrible to watch. By looking and listening you might actually thing your cat is dying. What about the Toms that take over your yard b/c they can smell a cat in heat? What about the dogs that go crazy b/c they can smell that female from miles away?
3) neutered dogs are less likely to become roamers, decreasing or eliminating the chance of being hit by a car, stolen etc etc. Spayed females will not break through your fence to get the dog next door, nor will that dog next door dig up his yard to get under the fence. Neuter a male cat young enough and they don't spray, cat spray is terrible, it smells so bad and it's a small that is hard to get rid of.
4) take a walk thru a shelter one day, look and pay attention to how many animals they have, see how over crowded they are? There is no need for this, if people would fix their pets, more pets would have homes and not laying on death row wishing for just 1 more day, 1 more hour, 1 more chance.
5) female dogs bleed while in heat, fix them and your furniture, carpet, bed, car etc etc are saved from unwanted blood stains.
6) fixing your pet can SAVE you money, by cutting down health risks your pet is healthier, the end result is a healthy pet who doesn't get sick, who doesn't need you to spend thousands on a vet bill when a couple of hundred could have saved a lot of grief in the first place.
Lots of reasons for you, your pet, your family, your life. Cats and dogs do not live for tomorrow, they do not plan families, they do not mate to have babies. They mate b/c it's instinct, b/c nature and hormones are telling them to. Animals live for today, this moment. It's us as humans who are in the wrong...buster will not even notice his boy bits are gone, nor will he care. SO fluffy has no more uterus, she doesn't even have a clue what a uterus is or what its for. Humans need to step up and need to be responsible and sensible....if you have a prize winning show dog, and you can better the breed, not think you can but KNOW you can, than by all means, as long as its done right, go ahead. Animals do NOT need to experience birth to know what it's like, nor does it calm them down, nor does it make them better pets.
Breeding an animal isn't as simple as locking them in a room and letting nature take its course...its about seeing the vet first, checking both the dame and sire, queen and tom for genetic disease, making sure they are in good body condition. It's about knowing what disease run with the breed and having each and every one of those babies tested for the disease. It is about an emergency vet visit to extract puppies or kittens that are in trouble, major surgery for the animal, and sometmes with c-sections the mom won't feed her babes, than you need to be willing to hand feed the babies around the clock, every 2 hrs day AND night, you can't ever slack off, if you do it could cost a life or lives. Any life you had is now gone...all b.c you felt your dog, your kid, etc needed to witness the miracle of life...go watch you tube if you wanna see some miracles, there are hundreds of them on there.
Ok, getting off my soapbox. I didn't have much to write tonight so I decided to post this instead with of course the weights of my babies.
Muffy - 13.90z
Arthur - 15.5oz he will be at least 1lb by tomorrow.
Kate - 14.8oz
Arthur will surely surpass 1lb at tomorrows weigh, I am so excited. They say when you get a kitten to 1lb, the chances if their survival goes up to 90%...I am so close for all 3 but that first one hitting that mark is more of a milestone for me instead of them lol. I took them visiting tonight. We went to visit Mary D a few houses down, she was pretty impressed with their sizes, and capabilities given their age of 23 days!!
Did you know that if you spay/neuter your cat or dog:
1) you can eliminate certain types of cancers? Remove the uterus, uterine cancer is gone, dogs and cats that have never had a litter, lose a huge chance of getting breast cancer, yes animals get this as well. These are both fatal diseases in many cases. ALL cases could have been prevented. Neuter a male dog and you can cross testicular cancer and unwanted behaviours off your list, of course some behaviours are just that behavioral and they will require training to end, but a good number can be stopped with that snip.
2) have you ever heard a cat in heat? that awful constant calling they do? the cat calls are terrible to listen to, terrible to watch. By looking and listening you might actually thing your cat is dying. What about the Toms that take over your yard b/c they can smell a cat in heat? What about the dogs that go crazy b/c they can smell that female from miles away?
3) neutered dogs are less likely to become roamers, decreasing or eliminating the chance of being hit by a car, stolen etc etc. Spayed females will not break through your fence to get the dog next door, nor will that dog next door dig up his yard to get under the fence. Neuter a male cat young enough and they don't spray, cat spray is terrible, it smells so bad and it's a small that is hard to get rid of.
4) take a walk thru a shelter one day, look and pay attention to how many animals they have, see how over crowded they are? There is no need for this, if people would fix their pets, more pets would have homes and not laying on death row wishing for just 1 more day, 1 more hour, 1 more chance.
5) female dogs bleed while in heat, fix them and your furniture, carpet, bed, car etc etc are saved from unwanted blood stains.
6) fixing your pet can SAVE you money, by cutting down health risks your pet is healthier, the end result is a healthy pet who doesn't get sick, who doesn't need you to spend thousands on a vet bill when a couple of hundred could have saved a lot of grief in the first place.
Lots of reasons for you, your pet, your family, your life. Cats and dogs do not live for tomorrow, they do not plan families, they do not mate to have babies. They mate b/c it's instinct, b/c nature and hormones are telling them to. Animals live for today, this moment. It's us as humans who are in the wrong...buster will not even notice his boy bits are gone, nor will he care. SO fluffy has no more uterus, she doesn't even have a clue what a uterus is or what its for. Humans need to step up and need to be responsible and sensible....if you have a prize winning show dog, and you can better the breed, not think you can but KNOW you can, than by all means, as long as its done right, go ahead. Animals do NOT need to experience birth to know what it's like, nor does it calm them down, nor does it make them better pets.
Breeding an animal isn't as simple as locking them in a room and letting nature take its course...its about seeing the vet first, checking both the dame and sire, queen and tom for genetic disease, making sure they are in good body condition. It's about knowing what disease run with the breed and having each and every one of those babies tested for the disease. It is about an emergency vet visit to extract puppies or kittens that are in trouble, major surgery for the animal, and sometmes with c-sections the mom won't feed her babes, than you need to be willing to hand feed the babies around the clock, every 2 hrs day AND night, you can't ever slack off, if you do it could cost a life or lives. Any life you had is now gone...all b.c you felt your dog, your kid, etc needed to witness the miracle of life...go watch you tube if you wanna see some miracles, there are hundreds of them on there.
Ok, getting off my soapbox. I didn't have much to write tonight so I decided to post this instead with of course the weights of my babies.
Muffy - 13.90z
Arthur - 15.5oz he will be at least 1lb by tomorrow.
Kate - 14.8oz
Arthur will surely surpass 1lb at tomorrows weigh, I am so excited. They say when you get a kitten to 1lb, the chances if their survival goes up to 90%...I am so close for all 3 but that first one hitting that mark is more of a milestone for me instead of them lol. I took them visiting tonight. We went to visit Mary D a few houses down, she was pretty impressed with their sizes, and capabilities given their age of 23 days!!
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