I have never had a litter of kittens easier to name. After spending the first day cowering at the back of their kennel, they decided their fear or humans was slightly less than their hatred for being incarcerated.
Any approach to their kennel resulted in a rolling mass of kittens, begging for release. If you opened their kennel too quickly, they'd tumble out.
Once out, they wanted NOTHING to do with humans and would run, hide, or hiss if approached. Especially Shawshank, the fluffy gray boy. But if given enough space, they'd sprint around the room, pouncing, and tumbling around.
This carefree behavior lasted around an hour before they discovered the door. It was getting stuffy, so we opened it up to get some air. Then they realized they were out of the tiny cell just to be in a larger cell... and they wanted OUT.
Though humans were rather terrifying, they never showed the slightest fear of the dogs (or the other cats who wanted in as much as the jailbirds wanted out). For a few days, every time we had to corral them and put them back in their kennel, they looked so sad.
Azkaban was the first to realize that humans equal food, and food was delicious. Twin brother Alcatraz quickly followed his lead.
The girls, Eyrie and tiny Kyln followed suit within the next day. They were happy to approach me for attention or food. Could you resist these soulful eyes?
But Shawshank remained terrified. He played happily with his siblings, but one twitch in his direction would send him scurrying for cover. The only time he'd creep up is if I was holding an especially delicious treat. His favorite seemed to be chicken filets for cats- but he'd only get close enough to snag it from my fingers before backing away again.
New fosters are in a 2 week quarantine. This policy helps prevent a house full of sick pets and fosters if they come in with an unknown disease. Most of the litters are fairly content for at least a week- slowly getting comfortable with in the kitten room. By the end of their second week, they're showing more interest in the rest of the house.
The Jail birds were a different story. Not only were they determined to escape- they were bigger than most of my new litters- almost 2 months old when they arrived. They were fast and agile!
To make things more complicated, I still had the Donut Shop. Only a few weeks older, very active, and extremely clingy- the donut shop kittens wanted to be wherever I was. Getting in and out of the kitten room was exhausting! It was nearly impossible if you had anything in your hands, like carrying in kitten food or carting out bags of poop.
These babies were so intent on getting out of their kennel- it seemed to actually become a little dangerous for them to remain cooped up. One day I came home and thought I'd take a cute video of them climbing the walls... but my mental count was off... one... two... three... four....
I looked up and down to see where the last one could be hiding when I noticed the pillowcase moving. Azkaban had crawled under the pillow, then turned around and into the pillowcase, then managed to get up on top of the pillow... with the end of the pillowcase still tucked underneath! No telling how long he was stuck in there, but he lost a lot of weight that day.
The next day- I came home to discover they'd managed to knock down a floating shelf, a ramp, and their water bowl, completely blocking off their litter box. No one seemed badly injured, so hopefully none of them got bumped or crushed in the process.
The husband agreed that they seemed healthy enough- and a full 2 weeks wasn't some magic number, but a guideline. At 12 days, we approved their early parole. Almost the entire household rejoiced!
They had NO fear of the puppies or the house cats. They even charmed Mochi- who has been extra grumpy since feeling a little sick.
Only Kairi and Roxas were put out. Roxas... well, because he's become the grumpy old man cat and he doesn't like change at all. Kairi... because Kyln took one look at her and was convinced she was the momma cat!! Missed the video, but she immediately ran underneath Kairi to try to nurse- which got all her siblings excited. They chased Kairi around until she got up higher than they knew they could climb... until they realized they could. :)
Letting them socialize with the other fosters and the housecats made our lives easier in multiple ways. We no longer needed a detailed battle strategy to get in and out of the kitten room. But Shawshank took comfort in the unconditional love the Donut Shop kittens gave to us and his fear melted away.
They all became quite content. Like every litter of kittens I've had since I found it, they particularly love the pink unicorn bed. If they can, Alcatraz and Azkaban prefer a human lap or shoulder. They've all learned to purr, though Shawshank does so sparingly still. He's the most food motivated though, and the heaviest of them all. In fact, he's the only one gaining weight nicely... the rest have either lost weight or simply maintained in the past 3 weeks, which is extremely worrisome. The same thing happened with the Donut Shop kittens- and they were cured by a weekend at my friend's house... so I might seek reinforcements soon (I know you'll read this V... up for it?!)
Update 11/7/20
For a few days, things were great once they were out of quarantine. Azkaban discovered that we sometimes disappeared into the shower and he was determined to follow us. He came with reinforcements on his second night!
But things turned a little scary. I think I almost lost this litter. Even hearty Shawshank stopped gaining weight, and lost what he'd gained. 4 weeks with me, and 3 had barely maintained their starting weight and 2 were lighter than they started. They were lethargic and often cold to the touch.
Although this photo shoot with Mochi looks adorable, in a few of these pictures you can see how lifeless Azkaban got. He was struggling the worst- losing weight daily and barely moving when he wasn't eating. Heating pads and moving him closer to his siblings or my cats to try to keep him warm, or holding him close was the only way to keep him warm enough to stay alive- or that's how I felt.
I sought help and advice from my rescue- we tried several feeding strategies, including force feeding them- a very messy task. Finally, we put them on an antibiotic- and things turned around. Azkaban finally had enough energy to eat on his own. Ever the trendsetter, his siblings were quick to follow.
Within 24hours, we started to see (and feel) delightfully round kitten bellies.
Within 48, they were playing again. It was joyful to hear them thunder around the room, wrestling, climbing, pouncing, and attacking the food dish whenever we brought in fresh mush (kibble mixed with wet food and water).
They still HATE being kenneled. As a foster, I know how important it is to kennel train them, and usually it's not so bad. This crew makes me feel guilty every time I go to set them free. Their kennel is ALWAYS trashed, because they are crawling over everything in a desperate attempt to GET OUT. I've already started worrying about them being adopted. Since COVID-19, kittens that aren't adopted during our weekends are taken back home for the week. But starting this weekend, they'll stay at Petsmart where they can be seen by potential families. I think these kittens will not do well if that happens to them!
Update 11/28/20
Jailbirds received early release for good behavior and they are fully enjoying their freedoms. Most of the time, they're confined to the master bedroom. If I'm with them, they're happy. They thunder around with wild zoomies until they pass out in various kitten heaps. Each one loves the company of the others.
They also love their foster floofs, especially "Mama Pig". The day the kittens were gone for surgery, Mama Pig wandered the house listlessly, looking for her babies. They could not wait to be reuinited.
Alcatraz, Kyln, and Shawshank knead Mama Pig into bliss.
Mama Pig grooms Shawshank while Kyln hangs out in the huddle.
It's hard to get anything done around here. I cannot resist a kitten pile. Sometimes I can't even tell where one kitten ends and another one begins, and it doesn't matter to me a bit. I have pictures on my cell that are nothing but toe beans or tiny kitten boops. Kitten nose poking out from under their paw- at least 5 shots from different angles. I'm a terrible photographer, so I work with quantity more than quality. They delight me when they're sleeping, or playing, or this mini sleepy playing.
Harder still when you stretch across the bed to get something... and think "I'll just lay here for 5 minutes", then get completely trapped.
So..... my Thanksgiving dishes didn't get prepped and my floor didn't get vacuumed. In the end, I had to cut out a few desserts (I still ended up delivering extras to the extended family) and no one dared complain about the floors. I have no regrets.
Typically the Jailbirds are sprinters, thundering around the house. This rather lazy play session doesn't happen often.
Their favorite cat treat seems to be what we just call "meat sticks". Azkaban will try to swallow it whole, ignoring the small pieces you break off and trying to snag the whole thing.
Putting their bios and collages together were time consuming, but I was pleased with the brainstorm I had to make mugshot pictures behind bars... a little sneak peek here- but more pictures are in their individual blogs!
Updated 12/8/20
On their way to get microchipped, the Jailbirds stopped at my parents house for a play date with Beignet. They grew up with him for a few weeks before he was adopted- and he enjoyed their visit very much. But he was a bit too big and bold for some of them. Eyrie hid and got lost for 5 hours. The others had to tell Beignet when he got too rough- without siblings, he's lost touch with proper kitten social skills.
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