Proof that I'm a very forgiving mom

[Siwsan]

This little guy kept waking me up last night by chomping on my toes. I maybe got 4 hours of non continuous sleep. During the last attack, that finally got me out of bed, he was accompanied by Madoc. Guess they were really hungry.

And NOW he wants me to snuggle him while HE sleeps??? Well, OK.

[Walleye]

1. Look at that face.Who can blame you?

[Polly Hennessey]

2. King Arthur's ears always on alert.

[piddyprints]

3. Well, you DID want him to start eating again.

You didn't say toes were not on the menu.

Honestly, I think I could forgive that kitten just about anything.

We had a kitten once who suddenly stopped eating, playing, everything. But there was nothing physically wrong with him except for dehydration from not eating. They called it "fading kitten syndrome" although I think he may have been slightly older than usual for that.

The vet tried everything, including acupuncture. Finally, as a last-ditch effort, she did something very strange: Waited until the office was empty and very quiet, fixed a plate of different foods, and then injected Valium. She said it didn't work with pills, just IV. And it would either work or not. Seconds after the injection, he became very alert, looked around, and polished off the entire plate of food. It was like a switch turning on.

The problem we had after that was that we couldn't find the dimmer switch! That kitten ate everything in sight.

He thrived and grew into a very healthy and beautiful cat.

I'm so happy Arthur got back to his usual adorable and hungry self.

[Siwsan]

4. I thought the very same thing.

He was especially energetic, this morning. Then, every time I sat down he wanted to snuggle.

I anticipate lots of kitten antics when his sister gets here. I'm putting off all outdoor chores until tomorrow so that I can gauge exactly what I got myself in for when I agreed to keep her for the weekend. Tomorrow is supposed to be a nice day, too, so I'll do the mowing when I see they're napping. Today? When they are napping, I'll be napping.

[piddyprints]

17. Good plan.

Kittens grow up WAY too fast. 🥰

[Siwsan]

19. It is amazing to watch.

Arthur is finally getting the skill to jump up at the cat teaser and land on all four feet. He's even executed a few body twists and managed to not land on his butt.

Last night he was rubbing his head against my face. Gryff does that on occasion but Madoc, never. He just likes to stretch out next to me and wait for me to start scratching his chin. Then he goes limp.

[piddyprints]

20. It certainly is!

They seem to know they’re growing. It’s fun to watch them imitate each other, too. I’m guessing that Arthur likes the idea of face rubbing.


When Luna was tiny, she kept trying to jump to the pull-up assist bands that hang from our pull-up bar. She’d try every day until one day she touched them. Another week or so, she could bat at them. Then she finally grabbed them and hung on. Now she jumps right up to the bar and over to the top of the sauna. She has a total “I’ve arrived!” look on her face when she’s up there. And she no longer has any interest in the low hanging fruit that are the assist bands.

[3catwoman3]

9. The droopy kitten became alert on Valium? How interesting.

Seems very counterintuitive.

[piddyprints]

16. I thought the same thing.

But we had nothing to lose and it worked.

[MuseRider]

5. I love that adorable face!

I just got a new kitty! I will be posting pictures soon but she has a snotty nose right now. She is a teeny tiny, and a black cat. I wanted one like yours, I love that look but hey, I could not resist. She needed a home.

[Siwsan]

6. I could have adopted Gryff's ginger sister but I chose him because he was a black cat.

For some strange reason that I'll never understand, black cats tend to linger in adoption situations. I think they are incredibly elegant looking. And Gryff couldn't possibly be any more affectionate.

Can't wait to see your new kitten!!

[niyad]

8. Black cats are still seen as witches' familiars, as evil, courtesy of the churches.

[Siwsan]

12. The biggest issue I have is encountering Gryff in a dark hallway!

He tends to flop down in front of me, roll belly up so I can give him scritches. I've learned to switch on the hallway lights at night.

[niyad]

7. Resistance is futile!

[3catwoman3]

10. I'm guessing you didn't require...

…too much persuading.

[RestoreAmerica2020]

11. He looks sweet,pero [but] you better do what he wants or he'll keep u up again tonight--so

..little rascal you have there!

[Siwsan]

13. I'm thinking he and his sister, who is going to stay with us all weekend, will tire each other out

They hadn't been separated for all that long when she came over on Sunday. After a few sniffs they started to play wrestle and groom each other, as if they hadn't been apart for a single day. Madoc got involved in the play but Gryff just observed. I don't know if that's because he's the only one not related. Hopefully he joins in, this weekend.

[Nanuke]

14. I too got a toe chomp...

…from my rascal felines Nora and Samson. Never happened before until this morning. Was outside barefoot walking through my overgrown flower garden forming my weeding plan for the day. Came inside and sat down at kitchen table with coffee and newspaper. All of a sudden CHOMP! Seems I had walked through my abundant catmint (like cat nip) plants earlier.

[CaptainTruth]

15. We have a toe chomper too!

Just 1 out of the 3 cats, & only my wife's toes. She has to sleep with her feet under the covers or her toes will get munched on in the middle of the night.

The funny thing is, the cat will rub against my feet & toes but has never munched on mine. I guess I don't have tasty toes!

[Siwsan]

18. Madoc was a crazy toe chomper when he was about Arthur's age. It must run in the family.

Now he's not too bad, unless egged on by his little brother.

Gryff is VERY well behaved at night

[catbyte]

21. Ha! My Rosie does that to me almost every morning, starting around 5:30 - 6:00 a.m.

I didn't even get up this early when I was working. Little stinker. Gotta love then, though -- they train us well.

[Warpy]

22. Cats are crepuscular beasties, kittens especially so

They adapt to our patterns but only when they're fully grown, about 2 years old.

Having places for them to go so they can watch birds and squirrels can help. So can cat toys they can play with without human help.

I'm afraid you've got at least another year of being awakened at a proper hour for milking cows, not living a modern urban life. This is why people used to let their cats out at night and let them back in to eat when the people were all up. We can't do that aany more, coyotes have extended their range and cats are too hard on songbirds.

You can try to wear them out before your bedtime with a Cat Dancer, https://www.amazon.com/CAT-DANCER-252-Cat-Toy/dp/B0784VLRZV/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1OTPMA7XTVIB0&keywords=cat+dancer&qid=1659110479&sprefix=cat+dancer%2Caps%2C426&sr=8-3 Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't and they bring you the toy at 5 AM, ready for more.

You can get one of these: https://www.amazon.com/Petstages-Tower-Tracks-Cat-Toy/dp/B00DT2WL26/ref=sr_1_3?crid=264Y979P0UTD1&keywords=cat+track+ball&qid=1659110610&sprefix=cat+track+ball%2Caps%2C317&sr=8-3 They're noisy, so they need a room away from your bedroom, preferably with carpet. Cats never seem to get tired of these things, although they'll stomp away when frustration kicks in. They'll be back.

There are cheaper versions of both these items these particular versions just displayed better.

[Siwsan]

25. It's funny because they usually don't wake me up.

Gryff used to wake me up in the middle of the night, just because he seemed to need to be scritched but that stopped when the kittens arrived. All three fall asleep on or near the bed. No doubt they do a bit of wandering because when I wake up they've moved positions.

I got accustomed to relatively undisturbed sleep.

Then last night happened.

Oh well. Right now Arthur and Freya are chasing each other around the house, and Madoc occasionally joins in the fun. Gryff just observes. For now, anyway. He did give Freya a sweet greeting.

Hopefully the babies will wear themselves out and let me sleep, tonight. Guess I'll find out, eh?

[dawn5651]

23. such a precious little boy and you can tell he loves his mama...

[wnylib]

24. Ember used to attack my toes when

they were under the sheet. If I wanted to avoid a toe attack, I had to keep them very still because as soon as she saw movement under the sheet, she pounced and swatted the moving toe lump. She has outgrown that now.

My previous cat was a toe biter all his life. Whenever he wanted me to get up, he went for the toes.

Don't know what it is about cats and toes. They all seem to know intuitively that it is a human vulnerable spot.

[Siwsan]

26. And he only attacks toes at night

He used to try nibbling during the day when he was tiny - jumping up and trying to get a grip. Madoc was the same.

I think I'll just put a couple of folded over blankets at the end of the bed to give my poor toes some protection.

[wnylib]

27. At night, of course. That's when we are most vulnerable.