# Foster Mum Bitsey and Kittens



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I picked up our newest foster mum yesterday. The poor girl had a busy weekend; intake and vet check on Saturday, and moving to my foster room on Sunday.

Bitsey is youngish, I think, amazingly sweet, VERY chatty, and was full to bursting with kittens. She's finishing up having them right now - I was distracting her, so I left her to it. There's 6 or 7 at the moment, hard to count without disturbing her!

I'll have pics later today  I love having kittens in the house!


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Some photos of the happy family 



Black and white male


Black male and female - I know it's fussy, but the male (top) has a funny coat. Maybe fever coat, maybe actually another color. We'll see as he grows  His little sister wasn't cooperating for a comparison shot, she's the lower kitten.


----------



## DebS (Jun 14, 2015)

I'm glad for them that they have a safe haven at your house.


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Me too 

My boys have been sitting vigil outside the door, very curious but quiet and polite too. I don't think Bitsy care at all, she's too busy feeding those babies.


----------



## amy22 (Jul 5, 2013)

how cute! is 6-7 babies at once typical? thats quite a litter!


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

amy22 said:


> how cute! is 6-7 babies at once typical? thats quite a litter!


4-6 is more common, but 8 isn't unheard of.


----------



## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

Oh, how precious!


----------



## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Mama Bitsey is a cutie.  How will you ever tell all those kittens apart?


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Luckily the kittens all have different enough patterns that it's pretty easy! No twins! lol

Kitten List:

Black male (fever coat?)
Black male
Black and white male
Gray and white male
Black female
Tabby female
Tabby female (white back legs)
Tabby female (white front legs)

I need help picking names for them, I want all 'B' names...but it'll be tough to pick them. I have about a week or so before the rescue needs to know, so I've gotta get on it!


----------



## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Baby Spice
Bad Bad Leroy Brown
Brandi
Bailey
Bogart
BamBam
Bella
Batman


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Lol! I'll have to wait and see who's naughtiest - they'll be Bad Bad Leroy brown! XD

One of the black males will be named after a cat client of mine I saw for 6 years - he passed away last month.

My Mom thinks one of the black boys should be Bagheera!


----------



## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Or you could name them after musical groups/artists with B names

Bowie
Branigan
Bret 
Bon Jovi
Bobby
Booker T.
Bananarama (okay, probably not that one)
Bangles
Brooks
Buffett
Bruno
Barbra
Bette
Billy (Joe, Ray, Idol)


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Oooh! Lots of great choices! Thanks


----------



## amy22 (Jul 5, 2013)

I just read about fever coat, I'd never heard of it before. For names, if you are going with musicians, don't forget Bing, Barry, and Biggie  Seriously, i do like Bowie (mainly because I'm a huge Bowie fan). I couldn't figure out the name for my recent kitty addition (her name was Emily) until I was finishing an art project devoted to David Bowie. I looked at her and realized "Your name is Ziggy" and it really is.


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

With our cats I prefer to wait until I get to know them a bit, and then something pops out. But with foster kittens I'm less worried about it as 95% of forever homes will rename their kitten anyways so I can call them whatever I like, lol.


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

marie73 said:


> Or you could name them after musical groups/artists with B names
> 
> Bowie
> Branigan
> ...




Benatar
B.B. 
Bryan
Brian
Bob, mon!


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

SQUEEE! I love baby pictures!! Yay!! It will be several weeks before I can foster again and I"m already looking forward to my baby fix! I don't care how old they are, I just need kittens again!


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Marcia said:


> SQUEEE! I love baby pictures!! Yay!! It will be several weeks before I can foster again and I"m already looking forward to my baby fix! I don't care how old they are, I just need kittens again!


I had kitten fever BAD before they came! My SO was sneaky and called one of my friends to get me out of the house the day they were born - he knew I'd want to just sit there and pester them, but Momma Bitsy needed space with her kittens. It was either that or I'd sit upstairs tapping my toes and trying not to go cuddle them, lol.

Now I've got an excuse to cuddle them - I'm supplement feeding KMR twice a day. Plus with them just a few days older it's not as big of a deal for me to be leaving them be. Well, other than the fact that Bitsy is so desperate for attention that she stops feeding them until I leave the room! Silly girl.

Turns out she likes head kisses, just like Doran does  She'll be so easy to find a home for once the babies are weaned, she's a complete sweety.


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Why supplement feeding? Is it because the litter is so large? I wish I was there to help!!! My momma was such a sweet girl too. She would spread her toes really wide and make exagerated kneading motions when she wanted loving form me. I loved her! She found a great home with a former adopter from our shelter and is so happy now with her new fur sister and family.


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Yep, just to help her out. I was a bit concerned about the two smallest kittens, but they've started packing on weight too. I might be able to get away with not feeding now, but I'm going day by day.

Have you found mum's can handle so many little mouths? 

In other news - I don't know if I'm just catching them at the wrong times or if Bitsy isn't grooming them as much as she should, but a few kittens have been full to bursting with urine the last few weighings! I've helped them out, but I'm not as experienced with getting them to poop and they might need my help. I'm off to YouTube for a lesson in pooping, lol.


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I had a foster mom that had 6 babies last year and I've had other moms that would take on orphans in addition to their own - and these were BIG kids (3-6 weeks old) in greater numbers that this. Shovel food at momma and she should be fine!! I would not worry about them at all but I'm sure it can't hurt to give a little extra formula. They need the momma's milk for the immunity building proteins though so don't over do it.


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

You were right! Everyone is happily gaining and I haven't needed to feed in a week  I'm still weighing twice a day, and giving each one a little snuggle, but they've been gaining quick enough that I haven't felt concerned enough to feed.

However, half of them have some little sniffles, a few sneezes, and wheezing breaths so we're going to the vet in the next day or two. I'm sure there's nothing the vet can do about it, but better safe than sorry.

I've taken more kitten pictures, but haven't loaded them onto the computer yet - they've all opened their eyes and look much more like kittens now. I love when they're teeny tiny!


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Awww, sneezes are tough on tiny bodies. Paws crossed it amounts to nothing. Momma will take care of things unless she comes down with the URI and can't nurse. Just be on the standby with formula if things take a turn for the worse.


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I've got formula at home, but they're no longer keen to take it.

The vets said the kittens were very healthy other than a bit of wormy tummy (which I expected), they have no nose or eye discharge, and the wheezing isn't uncommon. They were also very nice to me, ,saying I was an awesome foster mum to have such an organized weight chart. It's lovely to hear from people who really know the business 

Since Friday Bitsy has been much less interested in food - she's eating maybe 2 cans instead of her previous 4. She's hungry, yelling and fussing when I'm preparing it (mixing in lysine so it'll pass to the kittens through her milk), but she just has a few licks and then stops. Mu hunch is she's either bored of the flavor or thinks it's what has been making her feel ill. I found a can of Natural Balance in the back of the cupboard for my cats) this morning and fed her that, she ate well enough I think (she was wolfing it down when I left for work) so I went on my break to get a few different varieties of canned food to get her calories up again.

Don't tell my SO - but I spent half of what our cats need for food each month of foster mom! Gotta feed those babies! lol

Luckily, despite momma's reduced food intake no one has really lost weight - a few have gained the rest have stayed within 5g and fluctuated. She's still producing for sure, I've been giving her a mini check over every tie I'm down there. Since she's such a sweet girl it's hardly a problem to love her up  She loves head kisses, and is always desperate for attention. I'm really hoping a future potential kitten-adopter falls in love with her, since the last sweet mum I had is still in care at a different foster home and it's been nearly 6 months.

Anyways - pictures! Blurry ones, but still pictures 

Kitten pics! I found a few that are half-decent anyways, lol.

Bard (grey), Belle (tabby), and Brenna (black female)


Bard, the grey and white boy


Blane, the black male


Bitsy, being a wonderful momma
Kitten pics! I found a few that are half-decent anyways, lol.

Bard (grey), Belle (tabby), and Brenna (black female)


Bard, the grey and white boy


Blane, the black male


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

D'oh!


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

...I'm not sure why it posted all the pics twice. The last one was obviously supposed to be a picture of Bitsy and the kittens. If a mod could clean it up I'll repost the final pic.


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

Keep em comin, keep em comin!


----------



## amy22 (Jul 5, 2013)

they are adorable. I love Bard's mustache


----------



## purpleball (Mar 11, 2011)

What precious babies,and a beautiful mom kitty. It is truly a great pleasure having kittens in the house. Thank you for sharing these wonderful pics. They are so lucky to be with you.


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Well I haven't updated in forever! My goodness. I've been so busy with these little fuzzballs that I haven't had time for anything, lol.

More pictures! 

Brenna - Black F


Beau (B&W long haired male) and his crazy eyebrows XD


Sleepy Bebe (tabby and white F)


Less sleepy Bebe - "What the heck are you pointing at me??"


Bran (Black male, this is the one with the funny grey on his coat), being naughty


Sleepy Bebe (tabby and white F)


Sleepy Belle (It's easiest to get their picture when they're sleepy after dinner and playtime...but then we only get sleepy kitten pictures, lol)


Bette and Bran


A friend of mine is adopting this sweet boy along with his Mumma - I'm THRILLED. She's calling him Nimbus, so that's what I've been calling him, even though his paperwork says 'Bard'.


Miss Bebe


Blane


I think I got all 8 kittens...they're tricky to keep track of! lol

And one of Bitsy:


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

They're growing so fast! Playful bunch, the trick is to stay 1 step ahead of them! Or do they stay 1 step ahead of you? :lol: Beau's so cool! he looks like Floyd the muppet!


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

This is by far my very favorite age! I love 4-6 week old babies! You have a gorgeous batch of kittens! Beau's eyebrows alone will get him adopted!!


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I really hope so! I've just sent off these pics and their kitten bios so they'll be going up on the website this week. I want them all adopted ASAP! They're adorable but theyr'e definitely staying ahead of me! lol


----------



## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

What cuties! If I were closer, I'd take Brenna and Bebe in a minute. :luv


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

They all seem like such good kittos! Do you think you'll keep any of em? I like Beau and Bran!


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

...and Blaine, and Bebe, and Bette, and Nimbus!


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I won't be keeping a single one! lol Four permanent kitties is plenty.

They get their vaccines tonight, microchips tomorrow, and hopefully start leaving this week.


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

How did it go? Did everyone handle the needles O.K.?


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Yep, everyone tested clear for FCV/FIV and handled their shot perfectly. 

Bitsy will be going in for her spay on Thursday and then her and Bard (Nimbus) will be adopted! Hopefully I start getting inquiries on the rest of them soon.


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

Everyone tested clear! :wiggle

What time do you go in tomorrow?


----------



## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Bright and early - drop off is at 830 and I'll pick her up in the afternoon.


----------



## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

How did everything go?


----------

