Yesterday moved past in a continuous blur of feeding every few hours in between all the usual daily chores. I am feeding them in the same manner as the lambs, no set routine, just tiny sips often. Now that they are hydrated the kittens are starting to look about three weeks old. One even played a little at nappy time. Both the bigger ones are now actually sucking on the bottle, I still have to start them off but we are making big strides in the right direction.
The marmalade-cat kitten is the biggest and the loudest. Boo watches it with barely disguised adoration. I close to the door to the cloak room when I am not in there and he lies outside the door with his nose pressed to the crack listening.
The littlest one almost died twice. I came into the room the first time to find him quite still with his head thrown back and his mouth wide open, eyes glazing over, barely breathing. Shallow. So like a mother cat I roughed him up, massaging his belly, stroking and getting him moving. It took a while, but both times he seems to rouse. I fed him only water until he began to pee properly.
I checked with a local cat breeder and she said that RAW cows milk is so much better than pasteurised boxed goats milk. And of course raw goats milk would be better than raw cows milk. But I don’t have a milking goat. So raw cows milk it is. The raw is the important word. Cats, like many people, often develop lactose intolerance to ultra-pasteurised milk.(When the enzymes necessary for digestion have been killed off plus most of the nutrients). And cats, like people, have a much easier time digesting raw milk. So I am feeding them diluted raw cows milk with no problems at all. All systems are go.
By 2.30 this morning the little fella had begun to purr when he was brought to my knee for his feed. He is on warm diluted milk now. Though it is still more of a force feed and only drops at a time. But I feel he is improving.
Boo would spend all day in there, if I let him. Once when I popped out to get a rag, I found that he had jumped over their barricades and was in with them because the marmalade kitten was getting itself in behind a dresser and it worried him, he was making darting movements towards its disappearing tail, not sure what to do. But he is too big for that and was told to jump back out and stay out while I rescued the little worm of a cat.
TonTon busied himself with the real chores while we coaxed the little scraps to eat.
He is not a cat-dog. He much prefers to be outside with his big animals.
In the night as I was up already, feeding the wee kitties, I thought I would take some shots of the sky. This being the challenge for this month and all.
Just to prove that there are lots of stars here.
Today I will do some study on taking shots of the moon. The moon is my objective after all and it is a different set of equations to the stars I think. Plus it is a big light in my night sky, like a search light. I had another trouble with the star shots last night because LuLu the little cat was following me around the yard, rubbing herself on my legs and the tripod legs. Sigh.
Good morning. The coyotes have been close by since the early hours of this morning. Yipping and barking and running along the creek. After one kitten feeding time I went out with the torch to the boundary and the dogs and I shouted at them. As I write Ton is barking himself hoarse making sure they know not to come too close. It is still dark. Predawn.
With their playgrounds (the fields) being harvested, they are on the move again. Their territory lines are being busted up. Plus the big machines dislocate all kinds of other tiny mammals and birds, the field mice and the ground squirrels, the pheasants and quail. The coyotes are having a literal field day. I don’t want them getting emboldened and drifting into my fields. Today, I will very slowly walk the chickens in their ark back closer to the barn. It is easier for the dogs to guard them when they are closer. Our corn is still up. Lots of cover for predators.
Have a lovely day, it is going to be another busy one here, but just maybe I can take some time off and get down to pick those apples. Thank you so much for all your kind and informative comments yesterday. Your combined knowledge has helped save these wee kittens. I think I should rename that post “How to hand rear kittens – please see the comments of the Fellowship”.
My arms and hands are tired. You know, that tiredness that gets into your little bones. And now it is time to get dressed and begin the chores.
your friend on the farm, celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
59 responses to “Stars and Stars. Kittens and Coyotes.”
Well done, both of you, with the kittens 😉
Celi, I am rooting for our teeny tiny little kitten! He is clearly a fighter!
Beautiful shot of the stars – hope you will five us a few guidelines on how to get it right.
🙂 Mandy xo
at the moment i am bracketing, so I shoot above and below what my machine tells me i should be at. But I need to take notes. Lucky shots don’t count!! c
glad to see the the kittens doing so well. you truly are a blessing the kittens and i think so mike
Hey Celi, how does it feel to know you saved lives, even little scrappy purring ones? And Boo is clearly longing to be a surrogate parent too.
All I feel is fury when an animal dies that I could have saved.
I am full of admiration for all that you do, but hope you can squeeze in a little sleep to your programme! I love those little kitties, and am particularly impressed with young Boo!
I am tired just reading this. You are quite a woman. Those kitties are feeling such love and warmth from you. And of course from Boo! 🙂 Hope they ease up on you a bit so you can get some rest!!!
The coyotes have been in-close the last few nights around here, too…happens every autumn. I think the small prey is drawn closer to the warmth of the house, and the predators follow. Found a spot in the back field where someone had a Turkey Dinner recently. Angel likes to hear them calling at night…
If the kitties made through this far, you’ve probably got over the hardest part…best of luck with them.
OH! Almost forgot! AWSOME star photo!
Good morning! You are doing a great job momma kitty! 😀 The health food section of one of our grocery stores has the raw goat milk here. Maybe not where you are. But I didn’t know that about the raw cow milk! Good to know! My father-in-law said that he used to give raw cow milk to the barn cats and they loved it! They used to drink it all the time as well and they are all healthy and have longevity in their family!!! All up in the high 80s and 90s! And a few in their 100s!!!! Maybe it was all the pesticide and hormone/antibiotic free foods! Farmers are relatively healthy people!!! More so years ago. If they made it past the flu epidemics!
I just adore your Boo!!! He is so gentle and concerned! What a great pup!!! I can’t wait til the kitties get bigger and he herds them! He will be the best babysitter ever! LOL
I pray that the little one continues to improve….sounds like he/she is responding to you! Love and kindness with a little food and Boo!!!
Boo must have been a momma kitty in a past life! 😉
Back in the fields today…hopefully the weather will hold out, but they are predicting rain for us Friday. Terrible weather in the east…have to check in with my farm friends on the coast this morning! Glad my cousin is home! He’s a tug boat engineer. Safe and sound!
Take care and the photos are wonderful!!!!! I truly enjoy them! Love the stars!!! But oh those of the kitties and Boo!!!! My heart smiles! 😀
p.s. I really hate coyotes…they are cute when they are little, but then they become a real pestilence and they are prolific. This is why I lock up my kitties at night, never let my dog loose at night and when I have my chickies…they are locked up in my barn every night as well. They will kill anything…the sound of them at night sounds like death. It is and eerie sound especially when they make a kill. They will lure the dogs out to the fields and then the pack will kill them.. Hateful. Back east they have a real serious problem with them. In Rhode Island they are in huge numbers killing all the cats, geese and ducks and any other small animal in the area. They pick off the young deer too.
I think that is the reason the deer population is down out here. Only a gratis this year.
The big room where the peacocks hung our for the summer will shortly become a cat house. Mainly so I can feed them without the chickens eating every single thing and keep them from the coyotes util they are much bigger. I will feed them at night and close the door ’til morning. Have to. I have lost too many now. The big cats sleep in the basement, the door is open all summer. Which has helped with their longevity I think.. But in the end, we live with wild animals, this is how it is. I am more resentful about wild domestic dogs, abandoned to go feral, they are the one who do the most damage here.. c
I know….we don’t have that problem out here. They get shot. We have had some cougars and an occasional bear or wolf. Yesteday there was a moose in one of our fields! LOL
But the coyotes are sneaky beasts….sly and cunning. Feral dogs are bold and dangerous!!! They have no fear in a pack. Dangerous for people as well! Yikes!
A donkey!!! They have them here to guard the cattle and sheep! And they also have them with the horses! They are really very cute Ceci! 😀
I will send you a photo of a baby moose we had in our front yard! LOL What a gangly leggy looking little guy! 😀
A cat house is a great idea! We have one in our barn with a warming light! Like you use for the baby chicks! Nice comforter on the floor of it! 😀 And I take carpeting and used the staple gun to attach it to the beams! They just love it! And I grow catnip for the kitties as well! They are so funny over the stuff!!! LOL
I sure wish you lived closer to me! I really like you! Good people!
I would LOVE a donkey, or a llama, though we might be a bit too rough and ready for a llama, a donkey would fit right in, I wonder if they have rescue donkeys around here?! c
I don’t know where you are! But it is worth a try! I have been looking at Golden Rescues. I would love to find another golden that will love our new puppy arriving the first week of January. The rescue (Ragom) in MN only has goldens who have been treated horribly in puppy mills and have issues. I don’t have a fenced yard…and he/she must get along with other animals… like kitties and people!!! Makes me so sad. How could anyone treat a pup so cruely. And I have also been looking into a retired service/therapy golden as well. They are older but would fit right in here. I will ask my friends Andi and Uti about donkey rescues! They rescue horses and would probably know. Will check into it for you!
p.s.s. If you get a donkey they will protect your sheep! They are really hard on coyotes! And they are adorable!!!! 😀
Wish I could send you up some raw goat milk Celi! But sound like the kitties are doing well. So glad! That Boo would make a great mama….if he were a female that is! 🙂 Well, looks like he’ll be a great surrogate papa! Sure do hope you have time for a wee nap later today! xo
You know..even a Celi cannot burn the candle at both ends. I do hope that you will not over tire yourself and become ill…. take it easy mrs…lots to do and little time..kittens take up a lot and your efforts will be rewarded in Heaven….may God bless you for all your hard relentless work
Oh, those stars. How you’ve made me miss the prairie this morning.
Love the Black Velvet spickled with teensy teensy diamonds 🙂 Laura
The first thing I thought about was interrupted circadian rhythm and your health. I fly x the Atlantic so much that I understand the effect so I’m just going to say it: Please take care of yourself and get enough rest.
Hugs
I love that Boo’s new job is herding cats!
Now that you’ve loved the babies and gotten their eyes open and nutrition in their tummies, they look like actual kittens!