Dear Diary,
My babies are a week old already! Where does the time go? Soon they will no longer be “newborns”! Why, in another week or so, they will be opening their little eyes. I can hardly wait!
O.K. I know that I am biased, and I know that they might appear homely to some, but I think they are the sweetest kittens ever.
My kittens were weighed today. Tulley is the smallest; he weighs 7.75 ounces. Next is Molli at 8 oz., then Meg 8.25 oz. Flynn is the big boy, weighing in at 8.75 oz. They are really doing well, and have doubled their birth weight easily.
There is something bothering me, though. I overheard my foster mom talking on the phone to someone from the SPCA. They were discussing “adoption”. There’s another new word to add to the list. My name was mentioned, and I also heard something about my kittens being “ready to go” at around 8 weeks. "Go"?...... Where?
I don’t know what all of this means. I hope we are not being sent out into the snow banks again! I’ll try not to worry and just concentrate on being a good mother.
I love my kittens so much!
Lynda writes to Juno:
Dear Juno,
Adoption means that your kittens will have a new home. They will have matured enough to be "on their own", at about 8 - 10 weeks of age. You, too, will be "adopted" by someone who will care for you.
The SPCA folks will make sure that only responsible humans will be permitted to adopt you and your kittens.
There are a number of reasons I am unable to adopt you. My "grand cats" come to visit, and you may not accept them. When your foster dad retires, he and I hope to travel a bit. The time is not right!
Your present home is a "foster" home - a temporary, but loving, and safe environment.
There is no shelter in Antigonish for unwanted cats and dogs, so the SPCA must depend on kind volunteers to provide foster care. Many foster homes are needed, especially in the spring and summer months, when the numbers of abandoned and unwanted animals increase. Without foster homes, these animals, mostly cats and kittens, will have to be euthanized. Another new word!
That word, Juno, is NOT a word which we will discuss at this time.
Love,
Your foster mom, Lynda
PS I love your kittens, too!
3 comments:
I found your blog thru Bloomingwriter & so glad I did!
Lynda and Juno, I wrote a bit about Juno's blog tonight on Bloomingwriter, at the bottom of a post about toxic houseplants and kitties. I'm sure that Juno's babies will be good little ones and not get into plants, but I wanted to draw some attention to your blog and to the good thing that you've done, Lynda, in taking these little furballs in as a foster 'mother'.
Hi Juno and Lynda,
The babies are looking great and having doubled their birth weight in just one week is just what they were supposed to do, so they are right on schedule!
The recommended age for kittens to go to their new homes is 13 weeks, 8 is too early and can lead to lots of problems, healthwise and behavioural, in the future.
I'm a very experienced pedigree cat breeder and have also rescued and raised/looked after stray kittens and adult cats.
Lots of purrrrs from the Bliss team and their personal PA Yolanda.
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