We are six weeks old!

[ginnyinWI]

Hi DU Pets group! We will be six weeks old tomorrow, so our foster mom, Ginny took some new pictures! We went to the shelter yesterday and saw the vet and got our first vaccinations and routine dewormer. We were very sleepy last night as a result, but sure made up for it today! Mama also got her tests and shots, so she's all up to date, too.

We have two cubes now, and a shredded paper pile to tumble in!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/ThxWLk][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/ThxWLk]fullsizeoutput_9152[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

I am Max and here I am next to the scratcher.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/UjzU7r][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/UjzU7r]fullsizeoutput_914c[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

Here I am wrestling with my bro, Alfie. I'm bigger than he is, so I win!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Uw7bKe][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/Uw7bKe]fullsizeoutput_9145[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

Here we are playing in the tunnel! Since last week, we learned to run and to pounce!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/TeF1Y3][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/TeF1Y3]DSC09157[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

I am Alfie and I am cute!
[url=https://flic.kr/p/TW6sNC][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/TW6sNC]fullsizeoutput_9156[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

I am Ellie and I love to climb! Needed help getting down from this one, though.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/UstCiw][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/UstCiw]fullsizeoutput_9142[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

We like to play "catch the ball in the ring".
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Uw7kRk][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/Uw7kRk]DSC09172[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

I am Milo (on left) and here I am in the paper pile with my sister, Ellie.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/Uw7inn][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/Uw7inn]DSC09182[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

We still like time with Mama.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/ThybxD][img][/img][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/ThybxD]DSC09146[/url] by [url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/ginnylym/]Ginny[/url], on Flickr

[niyad]

1. squeeeeee, and thank you for sharing your selfies with us!!

[democratisphere]

2. Beautiful cat clan.

Looks like they are full of fun and mischief.
Thank you for sharing and good luck!

[livetohike]

3. So cute! Thanks for sharing all of these pics.

Nothing like kittens to make one smile

[aquamarina]

4. I love that play pile of torn up paper

I am fostering a set of five 4-week old furries and I think they would love a pile of ripped paper to play in. What a great idea. And such beautiful kittens and momma.

[ginnyinWI]

10. Yes!

I discovered this accidentally when I had my first litter, and since then have been doing one for them. Wrapping paper holds up better than newsprint, which tends to go limp and flatten out. Brown packing paper is ideal, or old gift wrap. They love the sound of the paper and at six weeks have learned to pounce into it!

You want to make sure they are solidly litter box trained before you give them a paper pile, or else you might have someone using the paper for a potty.

[aquamarina]

13. Great info

Three of the five are solidly using the litter box. One is using it about half the time and one prefers a piddle pad. Hopefully by the end of the weekend they will all be using the litter boxes and I can give them their very own pile of paper to play in!

[ginnyinWI]

21. good luck!

Let me know how it works out. Glad to share good fostering ideas.

[aquamarina]

27. Thanks. This is my 5th batch of kittens

so I have some experience. Most of the kitten families I've gotten in the past were from shelters so I've had to deal with a lot of sickness and death which is very hard to deal with when they are so tiny. However, this bunch is right off the streets and fortunately never went through the shelter so they are healthy little rascals. It is so much fun.

[ginnyinWI]

28. me, too.

Many of the orphaned ones have something--upper respiratory or sore eyes or something. This mama and kittens were transferred to me immediately so that they wouldn't pick up anything at the shelter. She and kittens were almost directly off the street.

I don't know how many litters I've had but the total cats/kittens is in the 60's after almost four years.

[aquamarina]

32. They are very lucky

We had to leave the mother cat behind because she was feral. It isn't always the best thing but we had to make a choice - risk losing the kittens or taking them from mom. There were approximately 3 groups of families living in this area. The kittens have all been collected and we were able to trap the the adults and they are all getting fixed and tipped so this will be their last batches of wee ones.

[ginnyinWI]

33. I had five bottle babies a year ago.

That was a similar story: the lady took the kittens when they were two and a half weeks old because her dogs had killed a previous litter in her yard. She wasn't able to trap the mom. So I raised them from there. They became super sweet little girls and very social and went to good homes.

[JHan]

5. gorgeous kittehs

[DarthDem]

6. Sooo Adorable!! Thank You!

Truly beautiful pics and kittehs. Thanks for sharing!

[get the red out]

7. LOVE!

How sweet they are!

[samplegirl]

8. Swoon!

Loads of sandpaper kisses!

[lunamagica]

9. Kittens!

[mnhtnbb]

11. Oh, so cute! We had a Max and Alfie (Simba and Mouse)

brothers that came to live with us when they were kittens in 1995. Both have since gone on to the Rainbow Bridge,
but thanks for renewing the memory of them.

Hope some of you get to stay together when adoption time comes.

[2naSalit]

12. Thanks, I needed that!

Oh, to have kitties in my world again... if only!

[ginnyinWI]

18. fostering is fun.

Yes there is responsibility but overall it's fun. All you need is a space for them and a little time. Our shelter supplies an initial supply of food and kitty litter, but then I continue funding them. All medical needs are fully covered--vet visits, vaccinations, meds.

The biggest objection I hear is, "oh I could never give them up". But you can: if you have ever socialized cats at a shelter, you don't expect to take them home. These kitties were never mine--it's like you are babysitting them for a while. I can sometimes name them, but then Graduation Day comes and off they go to their new lives.

[2naSalit]

22. And I would be able to do all that...

if I had my own home.

[tblue37]

14. K&R. nt

[luvMIdog]

15. so cute :)

[NewJeffCT]

16. Wonderful break

from all the news about Team Trump and company.

[japple]

17. Awwwwwwww. What a sweet little family. Love your kitten playground. Very

creative and guaranteed to produce healthy, curious, playful kittens. You have made a kitty paradise.

Bless you for all you do to help the feline families in your area.

[shenmue]

19. Squeeeeee

[Brogrizzly]

20. I can't take the cute.

Way to ruin my melancholy, thanks a lot!

[brer cat]

23. Yay!

Moar kitteh pictures from Ginny! They are so adorable I want a handful myself.

[JudyM]

24. Loving these posts. When these graduate, how soon will you get the next mama/litter?

[ginnyinWI]

29. Depends.

If some are available that I can take care of for only a month, I'll take them. I have vacation plans after that. But often I get a fall litter or two, too--running as late as December sometimes.

[JudyM]

30. I've often thought about fostering, have spoken to one of the local animal rescue groups about it.

I'm not often home for more than 5 or 6 weeks at a time, though

It's a treat to see your journaling about it!

[ginnyinWI]

31. the way it works at my shelter

If I have to go away for a weekend, I bring the kitties back and they will watch them. Like right after I got my first litter I had to go to a wedding overnight. If it is going to be longer, then I have it planned in advance and just don't accept fosters until I return.

[Jack-o-Lantern]

25. Kittens! Whee, makes me smile inside and out!

[Shrike47]

26. I need Alvie. My house needs Alvie.

My kittens just turned five years old. Not quite as cute but noisy enough to make up for it.

[Judi Lynn]

34. They look happy and healthy. Thank you. n/t