Meet the new kitten houseguests! Two brothers, just trapped. They were born outside to a feral mom that has a caregiver, so they are familiar with humans but have not been handled. They haven’t hissed at me, they’re just terrified. We estimate them to be about 4 months old.
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I’m going to give them time to get settled before I go forcing my love on them. I’ll turn on the Petcube for you all to see what they’re up to but they’ll likely be mostly hiding! @whiskersnpurrs said.
The boys are settling in. They don’t panic when I enter the room but they’re definitely not interested in me getting too close. Their appetites are great and they’re using the litter box. Isn’t that amazing? They’ve never been inside and yet they figured out the box. Clever little monkeys.
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Now that they have settled a bit I will start working with them more, and decide on names 😍 @whiskersnpurrs said.
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Meet Wyatt & Sawyer, the #cowboykittens! Wyatt is the first photo, he has the most white on his face 💙
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They actually have a sister, we named her Wynona. She was spayed today and has gone to another foster home for socialization. We often split up feral kittens if we have enough foster homes available. They come around to people faster when they are alone.
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Wyatt is the bravest of the two. I see him on the pet cube exploring the room and sitting on the windowsill. They were both playing with toys last night. I can’t wait to pet them! 😍 @whiskersnpurrs said.
I don’t care if it’s ‘whisker wednesday’, get that thing out of my face ~Wyatt @whiskersnpurrs said.
Good morning from the cowboys ☺️
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They are allowing me to approach without bolting, but my attempts to reach out with food or treats are still met with hissing and/or panic. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s only been 6 days. They are very similar to Misty and it took a month before she would take a treat from my hand #patience.
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My biggest concern now is that they have a vet appointment next Tuesday and I have no idea how I’m going to get them into a crate 😳 @whiskersnpurrs said.
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The cowboys are home and settling back in. Their neuter surgeries went well today and the vet tech said they were so brave. I’m going to give them some space to rest tonight. I’ll turn on the Petcube so you can take a peek ☺️ #cowboykittens.
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Petcube is a live webcam in the foster room. Instructions on how to access it can be found in my bio, under a story highlight called Petcube @whiskersnpurrs said.
A step in the right direction with my cowboys 😍
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I’m realizing lately just how deeply scarred I am from my experiences last year. Getting attacked repeatedly by meanmama, another attack by pregnant mama Midnight, and then getting bit by a German shepherd – 2017 was the year animals turned on me! And now I’m carrying this irrational fear that I can’t seem to shake.
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I have never been afraid of animals. Growing up on a farm I was surrounded by them and I loved them all. A good chunk of my childhood was spent in the barn, taming feral kittens and playing with my cows. I trusted them and they trusted me.
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Animals communicate through energy, not words. So me bringing my fear into the foster room is not helping the situation with the cowboys. They need to feel safe and trust me but no amount of slow blinks and kitten talk can mask the energy of fear that I’m giving off.
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Today the vet tech said she reached into the crate to pick up the boys and they were terrified but did not lash out or try to bite. Knowing this gave me the confidence to reach my hand into the crate when we got home and stroke Sawyer.
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It’s progress, for them and for me. I’m not certain who is taming who in this scenario, but I think our time together is going to be very mutually beneficial ❤ @whiskersnpurrs said.
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I asked Wyatt to be my valentine. He’s thinking about it ❤ @whiskersnpurrs said.
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Oh it’s breakfast time? Na, we’re just going to stay in here thanks 😕 @whiskersnpurrs said.
Cookies or no cookies, I still hate you ~Wyatt 😭😭😭 @whiskersnpurrs said.
Sawyer and I have progressed to first base. His face when I went in for the cheek rub tho 😂 @whiskersnpurrs said.
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Ok then…top of the head good, cheek bad. Got it 👍🏻 @whiskersnpurrs said.
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There’s this scary guy outside the window shovelling white stuff, so foster kidnapper closed the blinds. Other than that we’re good. No, you still can’t touch me ~Wyatt @whiskersnpurrs said.
Isn’t Sawyer gorgeous?! I think maybe he’s my new bf 😬
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Oh, and I pet Wyatt last night. No really I did! I swear! He hated it and won’t let me get near him this morning 😭 @whiskersnpurrs said.
Swoon 😍 Wyatt purred for me! See, I totally wasn’t lying about petting him ☺️ #cowboykittens #feralkittens 🔈 up for purrs @whiskersnpurrs said.
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So, cheek rubs are on the menu now with Sawyer 😍
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Wyatt didn’t want my love today. I’ve been thinking about his purring yesterday and considering that it may not have been an affectionate gesture, as much as I’d like to believe he likes me! Cats don’t just purr when they are content. They also purr when they are stressed out, scared or in pain. It’s common for mama cats in labour to purr for this reason.
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So, maybe in the moment he was enjoying my pets. But more likely (especially given the side eye he was throwing me) it was stress purring 😩 @whiskersnpurrs said.
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Sawyer is a total dreamboat 😍
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I feel some clarification might be needed about what I’m doing with the Cowboys. Please be assured that I always have my fosters’ best interests in mind.
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They were born outside to a feral mom who was being fed by a concerned citizen. Sawyer & Wyatt (and their sister Wynona) had some exposure to humans because of the feeder, but have never been handled.
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There are varying degrees of feral (feral refers to a domestic animal living in the wild). A fully feral cat that has had no human exposure will usually be quite defensively aggressive – growling, hissing, spitting and lashing out to claw or bite. These cats are TNR’d (trap, neuter, return) – they are sterilized, ear tipped and returned to where they were trapped, unless that location is unsafe in which case they are relocated.
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When the trapper gets a cat or older kitten in her trap that is non-violent she assesses their potential for socialization. In some cases, cats that were previously pets and ended up strays living outside can be re-domesticated. In the case of the Cowboys she was able to touch them and pick them up to transfer them from trap to kennel, which is a good sign that they can be socialized. They are also young which makes them easier to work with.
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Each cat or kitten that is trapped is assessed on an individual basis and a decision is made about what is best them. We don’t force all ferals into domesticity as many cats would never be happy inside and many cats could never be tamed. But if there is any sign that they can socialized, we will always try that route in foster care. Life outside for a cat is harsh and there is a lot of suffering. Yes, the first few weeks in foster care are scary, stressful and confusing for them but it’s nothing compared to the years of hardship they would endure outside.
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One final note…please can we all be kind and respectful to each other here at whiskersnpurrs? We don’t all have to agree on everything, but we can be nice. There’s a lot of hate, intolerance and division in the world right now and I’d like to keep this space a positive place to oggle cute kittens 😘 x @whiskersnpurrs said.
Me n’ Wyatt had a good day today. He hates me just a smidgen less than yesterday 😍 @whiskersnpurrs said.
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Oh Sawyer, why are you so stinkin’ cute?! .
He hasn’t purred for me yet, but he’s very relaxed when I pet him. He doesn’t tense up or try to get away. He just looks at me with slow blinks. I’ve tried playing with them but they’re not ready for that. Soon! 😍 @whiskersnpurrs said.
