All's Well

Arwen went to have the sutures removed after her spaying. The Vet say that she is healing up just fine.

I was wondering if I would notice a difference in recuperation between Smokey who was spayed at nine weeks (adopted from MSPCA) compared to Arwen (from an acquaintance) who was spayed at 6 months.

I am not considering the first night because the MSPCA kept Smokey overnight while my vet had me pick Arwen up the same say as surgery. So as a result I really did not notice much of a difference. Arwen was back to running around and chasing Smokey. Just as Smokey Began to investigate her new home. Neither kitten seemed to show any outward signs of pain.

As it stands now assuming all goes well I am officially done with bringing the girls to the vet until next year for their annual exam. I am going to get both of them on the same schedule to have both examined with one visit to the vet. The main thing I have to work around is the booster for rabies. I believe the booster needs to be within a year but not less than eight months. All should be fine if I plan on getting them in late August or early September.

I wasn't planning on two kittens but if I were to do this again I would definitely get them at the same time. I have been going back and forth to the vet since July getting them UTD with shots, exams and spaying.

I noticed a change

I took the entire holiday week off. So as a result I was in and out of the house all week with the exception of the my overnight trip. I think the kittens noticed that I was around more than usual during the week. They seemed to look at me saying "why are you still here?" All in all it seemed that they liked the extra attention the were getting. They seemed to be even more affectionate than usual. They seemed to always end in the room that I was in. Whenever they they had an opportunity they would simply relax on my lap.

Things will go back to normal on Monday it will be interesting to see what they do.
Arwen is sitting on my desk as this is being written while Smokey is in the living room taking a nap.

Some History

I originally was going to have one kitten which was coming from a acquaintance of my parents who took care of a pregnant stray who gave birth to four kittens on May 17th. The person was not able to keep any of the kittens including the mother. They were raised on a porch of an old convent that was in the process of being rented. Despite being raised on a porch of a vacant house they had a steady stream of visitors so they were well socialized and friendly kittens. Homes were found for all the kittens including the mother by the simple method of word of mouth. I am glad to say that the mother cat has since been spayed so there won't be any more unplanned litters from her. I had the opportunity to visit the kittens a few time prior to picking her up. It was a joy playing with the litter My first visit with them was at 4 weeks of age.

I wasn't really looking kitten but the opportunity to get a kitten who needed a home overtook me. After being approved by the care giver I was able to take Arwen home. This is where things changed. One of the adopters had a trip planned to at the time the kittens had to go to there new homes. I was asked if I wanted to take two kittens home for a couple of weeks that the other owner was gong to be on vacation. I said "sure" in order to help out and it would be a good transition for my kitten to come home with a littermate.

I really enjoyed watching them play, chase, and sleep together. At the age of eight weeks they had the energy of I don't know what. They really focused their attention on each other. If I remember right that the two kittens were under my care for twelve days. I must admit that it was very difficult to let the other kitten go after two weeks but from the time I got her I new that she had a home waiting for her which made the process easier.

It seems that I missed the other kitten more than Arwen did though because from the time she was alone she did not call or look for her. She did grow much more attached to me after she was the only kitty. She would follow me around like a puppy chase my feet and attack my toes under the covers. Things were going very well and Arwen adjusted just fine. Though I must admit that I missed the interaction of the two of them. This set the stage for the addition a second kitten.

I left things as they were for about a month and a half when I had to travel for a four day business trip. As the trip was approaching I was thinking more and more that Arwen was going to be alone with only a visit a day for food and water and some play time. I began to feel guilty so I decided to get another kitten.

Off I went to the local MSPCA shelter just to see what they had. I had my mind made up that I would not adopt a kitten that day. Since it was still "kitten season" there were several kittens there. I looked and played with several before leaving. I went back the next day, again just to look (yea right). I must admit that I was surprised but all the kittens that were there the day before were gone! They did have a new selection though. To make matters even ironic the first kitten I looked as I walked into the door was a nine week old kitten that looked almost just like the one I babysat in July. Needless to say I made up my mind right then and there that this was the kitten for me. I did take the time to play with her and look at the others that were on display but I did not let her out of hands until I committed to adopting her. The last thing I wanted was to have some "stranger" take her home. After all she was my kitty. All I could think about was that Arwen would have a playmate that looks like it could be her sister.

I went to the desk and filled out the paperwork paid the adoption fee. This process took place on a Friday and would not be able to take her home until Tuesday to allow for her to be spayed.

Smokey (l) Arwen (r)


So this is the story of how Arwen and Smokey joined my family.

I'm Back

Well I'm back from my overnite trip. Everything seems to have gone well with the kittens. They still had plenty of food and the house was still in one piece. Though they seem to have even more energy than usual. They are running around like crazy chasing each other and when they are not doing that they are following me around the house.

I did have fun with my sisters kittens. But I guess they have a liking to me because when I woke up during the night both of her 6 month old kittens were sleeping on my bed so I felt like was home! I hope that Arwen and Smokey don't get too jealous. I will have to spend extra time with them to make up it.

Home Alone!

I hope I don't find out the the kittens threw a wild party! I'm going away overnite for the holiday and the girls will be home alone overnight. As I write this they have extra food, water, and the litterbox has been cleaned. I brought out a few extra toys for them to play with. I know that all will be fine upon my return. I gave them extra playtime this morning. They are bouncing off the walls chasing each other as write this.

This is one of the reasons that I like cats as pets. They are more self sufficient and don't need to walked everyday like dogs do. I have gone away one other time for four days and had somebody come over to check on them. Since I will only be gone for a 24 hour period they will be left alone this time. They have each other to keep themselves occupied. I am not the type of person who travels a lot so this type of thing rarely happens.

I hope that they don't think that I'm cheating on them but my sister adopted two kittens this summer also so I will have fun playing with her kittens.

Smokey's vet visit

Smokey went to the vet today to get her rabies vaccination. Even though she is a indoor kitty state law states that all cats must receive rabies vaccination. She has to go back within one year to get a booster then she only needs boosters every three years. I am going get both Arwen and Smokey both on the same vet schedule to eliminate multiple vet visits. At this time Smokey is all set until next year.

The only item left to do on Monday is to have Arwen's staples removed from her spaying that took place on November 15th. Once that is completed there should not be any more vet visits until late next summer.

Smokey was spayed at the tender age of 9 weeks prior to me adopting her compared to Arwen getting done at the age of 6 months.

Just getting started

This is my first blog. I am planning on listing my thoughts about my two kittens Arwen and Smokey who both came to live with me this year. I have never had cats before so this is all new to me. I am keeping them as indoor cats. I got the idea for this blog from here

Arwen was born May 17, 2004 as a kitten of a stray that an acquaintance of my parents took in she was one of a litter of four. I brought her home on July 12th. She is now six months old.

Smokey was born approximately July 15th. I brought her home on September 21st acquired her from the MSPCA. She is now four months old.

I will list the differences between getting a free kitten from an acquaintance and adopting one from the animal shelter.

I must go now I will post more later.