Happy Home Animal Sanctuary continues to trap at the apartment complex where the six kittens were found foamed into a wall. We’ve been out there multiple times every week, but progress has been slower than we would like. Many of the remaining adult cats have shown remarkable savvy avoiding the traps, and every day that passes without catching them increases the odds of them creating more kittens. Frustrating!

We did manage to get two more kittens from the complex. Both are males, between three and four weeks old. Currently, they are being kept in the same foster home, but separate from the other nine kittens, until we’re certain they are completely healthy. As you can see in the picture, they are still pretty small. The one on the left actually has a white blaze which extends across his entire belly. He is also sporting white “mittens”. The one on the right is mostly white, with some dark grey/black markings.

They are currently eating solid (wet) food, but we’re supplementing with kitten formula. In a week or two, after they gain a little more weight and start feeling a little less nervous, we’ll give them a bath, which both desparately need! Right now, their white furr is dingy and grey with dirt. Can’t wait to get them nice and clean! It may sound funny, but after you give a kitten a bath, they really do act happier and more “bouncy”.

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In preparation for their next vet visit, we decided to weigh each kitten. This would give us an idea of who would be ready to be fixed, and who still had a bit of weight to put on first.

This photo of Twitch sitting on the scale gives a slightly misleading impression about how this whole operation went. Even without the scale, getting one of these guys to sit still for more than three seconds before darting one way or the other is nearly impossible. Actually weighing them was an exercise in madness! Oh sure, Twitch looks nice and calm here, but approximately a half second later, he was flying off in one direction and the scale was flying off in the other.

We did manage to get them to hold still long enough to get weights on each, and as we suspected, Lucky is the lightest and Twitch is the heaviest.

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I know we talked about feeding time before, but I thought I would touch upon the topic again. I have a new picture, and some video footage which is absolutely hillarious. As the kittens have gotten healthier and larger, their zeal for food has reached dizzying new heights.

As I mentioned before, I feed the kittens by preparing their food on a large platter. Since I got tired of them climbing up my legs while I prepare their food–one actually made it all the way to the counter, once!–I don’t let them out of the bathroom until after I put the platter on the floor.

Honestly, the commotion they raise while waiting for me to open the door is completely over the top. How is it possible that kittens so small can make such loud meows? And the pawing at the door! It sounds like a pack of wolves in there!

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In my last post, I promised pictures of the three new kittens from the litter that was foamed into the wall. In between constant cleaning, litter box changing, feeding, and medicating, I finally managed to get their pictures together, so here we go…

Sierra was the first kitten that was rescued from the apartment complex. Only her paws were covered in foam, but that was enough to let us know this wasn’t going to be a “normal” rescue. The president of Happy Home Animal Sanctuary, Amber Snethen, took Sierra back to the sanctuary with her and began coordinating the rescue effort with the rest of the volunteers. She was reunited with the rest of the litter a few days ago, so we could get her to the vet appointment with the rest of the kittens.

Sierrra started out as a bit of a shy girl, unlike her brother Floyd who has similar markings but is quite an outgoing character. Now that she is settled in, she is beginning to show her true personality. Generally a calm kitten, she has moments of pure joy when she discovers a new toy or simply decides to pounce one of her unsuspecting litter mates…

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We had some good news after the rescued kittens’ vet visit… they were all deemed healthy enough for their first vaccination. They also tested negative for FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus), which is a very good thing! In a few weeks, they will have their second vaccination and we’ll have a better idea when they can be spayed and neutered.

We also had a few new additions to the litter. Sierra was the first kitten which helped bring this mess to our attention. She was in the care of Amber Snethen, the president of Happy Home Animal Sanctuary. Butterfly was trapped near the infamous foamed wall, and she is clearly part of the same litter. Finally, Lucky was picked up yesterday from the complex. A resident found him roaming around the wall as well. If you’re keeping track, that makes for eight kittens in this litter.

Lucky was particularly lucky… hence the name . He had a bit of foam on his tail, and it was a real mess. Under the foam we found blood, a bit of infection, dirt, and dead skin and we initially thought he was going to lose his tail. Fortunately, there was just enough blood flow, and the vet thinks he should be able to keep his tail. He is on a course of antibiotics to help fight off any infection.