| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 2217.1 | Do I hear music playing in the background??? | CLUSTA::TAMIR | ACMS design while-u-wait | Fri Feb 10 1989 14:58 | 47 |
| Well, congrats, Dad!
The Mom should be eating kitten food, like Science Diet Growth, or Iams
kitten formula. She should have been eating that when she was
pregnant. You vet might perscribe Science Diet P/D for
pregnant/nursing cats.
I'd keep other cats away from the kittens. You just dunno what might
happen.
Kittens really should stay with the Mom atleast 10 to 12 weeks, cause
they NEED her! I've seen kittens taken away at 6 weeks and what you
wind up with is a neurotic kitten. The breeders here will tell you 12
to 16 weeks. You can give them some food (NO MILK! That's Mom's job!)
when they're about 5 or 6 weeks old (Jo, you're the expert here!).
Again, it should be a high quality kitten food.
Make sure that there is a litter box near the bed where Mom and the
kittens are. When you start feeding them, keep them near by the box.
Mom will take care of teaching them how to use the box, and as they
grow older, she'll make sure they don't make any mistakes! Be sure
that you find a litter box that doesn't have real high sides and the
kittens will find it hard to climb in and out. As for litter, find one
with no chemicals or deodorizers cause the kittens will eat the litter.
Don't be alarmed by this (or grossed out, either!). My vet said it
helps to get their systems rolling (ugh!).
Keep the kittens very warm. If they're in a box of some type, you
might want to keep a blanket over most of it to hold their body heat
in. The #1 cause of kittens dying is loss of body heat, so take heed
on this! (see, Jo, I did learn something!) You might put a heating
pad under a thick blanket for them.
Speaking of blankets, don't use towels for bedding; their little claws
will get caught. I used flannel sheets and it worked out very well.
Their eyes will open at about 10 days and you'll start falling in
love...
As for price, I dunno....
Good luck and take tons of pictures. I really regret not having taken
more pictures of Meg's kittens. Turn around and they're tiny, turn
around and they're grown....
Good luck!
Mary
|
| 2217.2 | I love babies... | LEDS::TBROWN | | Fri Feb 10 1989 17:15 | 26 |
| Congratulations!
Siamesse are a special cat, very beautiful, sensitive and usually
intelligent. I have read that they tend to mature at a slower pace
than other kittens, and since I've had siamesse, I would tend to
agree with that belief. It's best not to rush the separation, check
with your vet for the best time, or a breeder.
As far as selling price, I think $50 dollars is as high as you should
go without papers. Some people might think that's too much, but
that's the price my father paid for mine 16 years ago (she's still
alive too!). Besides, if someone is willing to buy your kitten
for $50 dollars without papers, it might suggest they will take
good care of it.
Are both parents good natured? If so, it probably would not be
dangerous to introduce daddy to his babies. I have a male who
absolutely adored a female kitten I rescued from death. She was
wild and only about 6 weeks old. My male 'adopted' her and I
really think his love for her helped her to pull through.
Of course if daddy shows signs of aggression, or if mother obviously
is not pleased with his presence, don't push it!
Good luck,
Tracey
|
| 2217.3 | More thoughts | YOSMTE::CORDESBRO_JO | | Fri Feb 10 1989 18:29 | 31 |
| Okay, this is the third time I have tried to reply here, keep losing
the link and my replies are aborted.
I'll have to make this short then, I agree with everything that
has been said so far. I would say $50 - $100 would be tops. This
will cover your costs for all three of the vaccines, fecal exam,
leukemia test and health certificate. It will also cover the expense
of raising them and caring for them for the next four months. Of
course, there is such a thing as what the market will bear.
You are right about charging for them. There is also such a thing
as implied value. I a person pays money for something, they are
more likely to take better care of it.
To help make them better pets to their owners, make sure to give
them lots of love and atttention and handling. I handle my kittens
from the minute they are born and they grow up loving to be held
and petted. Also start them on scratching posts as soon as they
can walk! You can start making a gruel when they are between 3-6
weeks. I mix a spoonful of baby food meat with a couple spoonsfull
of feline growth canned and maybe a spoonful of KMR. Stick your
finger in it and put it in their mouths. They will get the hang
of it eventually.
I don't recommend forced weaning. Let them nurse as long as they
want to. Just because they are eating doesn't mean they don't need
to nurse.
Hope this makes it in, send me mail if you need any specific
information.
Jo
|
| 2217.4 | Ma ma got tired !! | AIMHI::BOYKO | | Fri Feb 10 1989 19:00 | 0 |
| 2217.5 | What fun! | SUBURB::TUDORK | SKEADUGENGA | Sun Feb 26 1989 11:43 | 17 |
| 5 Siamese kittens!
What a houseful!!
Congratulations. With reference to some of the points raised, be
careful about introducing other cats. They may not have any bad
intentions but Mum could go apes**t. From experience I wouldn't
introduce another cat into a room with a nursing queen.
I think our kittens weaned at about 5 weeks. You'll soon know when
they're ready (ours used to stand in Mum's food dish, eat a little
and then sit down and lick their paws - cute).
Good luck, keep us posted. The most exciting bit is when their
eyes open!
Kate
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| 2217.7 | I WANT MY BABIES!!!!!!!!!! | CLUSTA::TAMIR | ACMS design while-u-wait | Tue Feb 28 1989 15:38 | 14 |
| I MISS MY BABIES!!! WWWWWAAAHHHHHHHH!!!
There...that's better....
If you think they're cute now, give them a couple more weeks for their
ears to get to the tops of their heads and little eyes to turn violet
blue.
Take TONS of pictures. I really regret not having taken more (or not
having a video camera going for 10 weeks straight). Wait till they
respond to the sound of your voice (no doubt accompanied by the smell
of your food). Can I visit.....???....
Mary (who's last baby is being spayed today...)
|
| 2217.8 | Those little ones sure grow up fast | WITNES::HANNULA | Cat Tails & Bike Wheels Don't Mix | Tue Feb 28 1989 16:21 | 8 |
| Re:
> Mary (who's last baby is being spayed today...)
Wow. It's already time for Julie to be spayed. It seems like just
yesterday that a pregnant Meg walked through your door.
-Nancy
|
| 2217.9 | It was just yesterday, wasn't it?? | CLUSTA::TAMIR | ACMS design while-u-wait | Tue Feb 28 1989 17:54 | 10 |
| Gee, I know. I wonder if this is how parents of human babies feel.
Sometimes I sit and marvel at Julie...she was born in my lap and I'm so
attached! I look at how her little ears have this tiny flap at the
bottom, and how pink and round her toes are. I wonder where that one
little black whisker came from when the rest are all white. And how
did she get those stripes??? I think that having two kitties that are
such fluff balls hides all the amazing parts cats have. I never
noticed before how the fur grows in different directions........
Misty-eyed Mary
|
| 2217.10 | Mary really needs our help !!!! | PENPAL::TRACHMAN | | Thu Mar 02 1989 16:12 | 15 |
|
Mary, Mary, Mary,
Mary, Mary, Mary
Mary, Mary, Mary.
I think we can all point you in some direction where you can get
some more babies, Right guys????? Shall we "all" help Gramma Mary
feel less sad about not having those round pink baby toes and pink
noses around????? Boy, Gramma Mary really needs our help, NOW !!
E.T._The_Inn_is_Full !
|
| 2217.11 | Congrats and some more advise | JULIET::APODACA_KI | Songs from the Razor's Edge | Thu Mar 02 1989 18:13 | 11 |
| I haven't seen this mentioned yet, here goes...
If these are unregistered cats, I'm not sure how you can make this
stick, but it would be advisable to strongly urge buyers to committ
to spay/neuter their kitten when it is old enough. Granted, nothing
is cuter than a kitten, but nothing is worse than an unwanted one
in the humane society. Please do implore the buyers to help put
a check on this growth (yes, I know, oh-bah humbug, but this, too,
is reality and it's important enough to put it here).
---kim
|
| 2217.12 | CONTRACTS!!!! | YOSMTE::CORDESBRO_JO | | Mon Mar 06 1989 16:19 | 6 |
| There is a very easy way to make it stick. You make the new buyers
sign a spay/neuter contract stating that they will spay/neuter the
cat by _______________. That way, you can take them to court if
they fail to honor the contract.
Jo
|
| 2217.13 | | JULIET::APODACA_KI | Songs from the Razor's Edge | Mon Mar 06 1989 19:15 | 2 |
| Excellent idea, Jo. Why didn't I think of that? :/
|