How I tear myself away from the nest when they look this cute I have no idea... but you can see here from this picture of Kurt how much they now look like proper little cats and how quickly their colour is developing. Kurt's nose, tail and ears are really very dark indeed now, and his paws and face are darkening. Some of the kitties have darkening patches on their backs/ base of their tail as well.
The kittens are also starting to play fight, lick themselves and each other, pounce and otherwise behave in a very cat-like way. When you advance to the nest now, the babies all run forward in anticipation- they are learning that humans are friendly and trustworthy beings. They like to have their ears and chins rubbed, I've had a few purrs, and one even dozed off mid cuddle the other day. (Kurt- I'm getting a sneaking suspicion Kurt is another cuddlebug like Monty- Jonah- was...)
Its such a vital stage in their development, and easy to see how, managed wrongly, it could shape a cat's attitude towards people for life These babies are not quite three weeks, by four weeks a feral kitten is truly feral, a hissing spitting wildcat, although there's always the chance that feral rescues can relearn positive patterns of relating of course. No cat should ever be written off. Still, the window of opportunity here is short, they develop so fast, there's not much room for error.
Weights good again for the second day running... could it be that the past week was just a blip? Indigo has been eating like a horse. Long may it continue!
I've fostered ferals, believe it or not they CAN be turned around.. but boy is it hard work! One little black fluffy girl I had took weeks to socialise, and then I was back to square one again when I had to put worming paste in her mouth! (She has a new home now, hopefully nice and settled) At least they had a chance. Its nice to be able to give them that opportunity. You are right, no cat should be written off. Even the ones that keep you awake at night and the ones you end up having to throw pillows away after they've wee'd on them or the ones that hide and hiss at you... there's always a chance they might become little snugglers.
ReplyDeleteThank you for what you did fostering, I really admire that. Yup, some ferals can become successful pets. I know a lady oop north who takes the ones who can't be and gives them a nice big barn to live in (after they've been altered, chipped and vaxxed of course)- so many kind people about willing to give cats a home that suits their needs. And my US relatives have a small feral population on their property (sounds grand lol) that they are gradually TNR-ing. I suppose my point was that it's best to get it right in the first place because (as you know) its much harder if they come already having learned that humans are Bad News. Oh and that worming paste... I don't know a cat alive that doesn't hate it with a passion. Why can't they make it meat flavoured, that's what I want to know!
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