Yesterday I went to The Breeders farm to collect my milk. (The Breeder bred Daisy and is my mentor in all things Cow). She was flat out. Jogging across her quad to say Hullo. Huge tractors and trailers parked by the bins. The flat sun was shining and they were harvesting and there is no rest until the crop is all in. Can you take these criers? she said. Their mother has gone. We briskly trotted to her barn. I did not realise’ til this morning but I have been in the fields. She continued. I don’t have time. It added up slowly. The mother cat might have been gone a few days. Abandoned kittens. No longer crying. Just lying still.
Ok, I said, without thinking, following her into her barn, she scooped up three tiny, tiny kittens. Eyes still closed. This one feels cold, she said. Still alive though. She works with animals. She knows the score. She knows what a small cold body means. Pop her in, I said. I will see. Not looking good though, I agreed, as I tucked the cold wee body in with its siblings. One marmalade coloured was bigger than the rest and two the colour of fresh mushrooms.
I put the box of kittens in the car. Ton moved back, he is not a Cat Dog – Boo moved forward and lay himself on the seat next to them. We drove home. Quick Smart.
Their eyes were still closed. Glued shut. I added a hot water bottle to their box and Boo and I cleaned all the gunk from around their eyes with warm tea and the first thing this wee cat saw was this .
And all the rest of the day as I fed them with an eye dropper, every hour, with warm very diluted raw cows milk and a little egg mixed in- Boo had his face in every stage. More than once I had to tell him not to take the kittens out of the box without asking first.
And I learnt an interesting thing from Becoming Cliche who works in a zoo – so she knows about these things. I sent her an SOS as the littlest one was so cold. If you try to feed a little animal who has already gone cold, so cold they cannot digest, the food will rot in their bellies, she wrote. So it is important to warm the animal first. In your bra, she suggested! She obviously has no idea how small my bra is. However. Boo took over.
Boo has their corner.
Yes, that is a shot of a dog asleep with his head in a box of dozing kittens.
Good morning. Boo and I fed the kittens tiny feeds of milk through the night and each time they seemed stronger. I am using the same theory as the lambs. Tiny drinks often. They are in a bigger box now, which is wrapped in a duvet. The little pale fella is warm now and as noisy as the others.So far so good. They can slowly creep about the floor at feed time, though not very fast (and not far as Boo lays in front of them to prevent them getting away) but I am hoping that soon they can lap their milk from a saucer. I think they might be about a week old but it is hard for me to tell. I do not have a bottle small enough for a cat, and using the eye dropper is not ideal. Though I have read that a syringe is better so I will try that today.
I have also read a dozen alarming articles on hand rearing kittens and it seems the problems are myriad. But I am going to follow my own instincts and do the best we can.
So I did not get around to picking the apples yesterday. Today maybe?
your friend on the farmy, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
75 responses to “Oops, she’s done it again! Boo too. Boo is as much to blame!”
Good luck Celi! That Boo will be a big help, that’s for sure! xo
Good luck – they will all think Boo is their mamma 😉
They look to be at least 3 or 4 weeks old. Prognosis is good! You may even find that they can “toilet” on their own already!
Ahhh, you and Boo are just heartwarming, and breaking… I had to go make a coffee in the middle of reading. Those kitties’ luck was in that you needed milk. What is it with cattle dogs and cats. I called my Bo a cat-tle dog, as she adored her cats… the cats didn’t adore her so much.
I love that the Commenters Lounge offers so much info. We surrendered a tiny found kitten to Cat Rescue because they need such intensive and special care. Your little guys look like they have a good chance. We can only hope, and we’re all thinking of you 🙂
All this love you put out there – the caring, warmth and generosity? May it come back to you a million times over…
Your story is heart warming – to say the least! wonderful little creatures – and wonderful Boo! and wonderful you!
I never would have thought it of Boo that he could turn himself into a mother cat. Brilliant. You’re going to be overtired again if you don’t get some sleep, though. But the kittens are worth the effort, they are gorgeous.
What is a cat person anyway? Do they look like cats? Ha! Cinders, I have no doubt at all that you and Boo won’t nurse these little guys back to sweet kitty health! They are adorable and seeing the photos of them and their new Nanny is over the top heart warming!
I know just where to go, if I ever get abandoned or lost! 🙂
Oh my goodness, Celi! The bra may not have more room because you have such a big heart! These little kittens have been brought to the animal equivalent of “the happiest place on earth.” You and Boo are going to be mama to those kittens, and I’m looking forward to hearing how they fare. Fingers crossed! If anyone can pull this off, I know it’s you. oxo
Beautiful, keeping everything crossed for the kitties….
Miss C, I’ve missed you! You’re kittens are absolutely adorable. I too am a sucker for such things. Looks like Boo will be a very good father. 🙂
*Your…oh typos.
Those photos are some of your best work. Beautiful.
Thank you Bill. Can’t beat cute.. c
They have to be some of the loveliest photos I’ve seen. My favourite is the one of the kitten looking over the box edge.
Best of luck with rearing them.
Methinks Marie put it best when she stated Boo has undone a lot of ‘Naughty’ by joining in at the latest farmy venture . . . the two photos of him nose to nose with a trusting kitty are priceless . . .
If you can find time to cross fingers just once: our worst bushfire day for ten years predicted today: temps a century, winds 100!! Shall count the hours . . . And this is supposedly spring ~ the Illinois autumn would suit fine at the moment!!!!!
am crossing fingers and prayers immediately, 100 already, that is just awful.. c