The Kittens Are Here! *** DIAL UP WARNING ***

[bertha katzenengel]

First, the very proud, protective, and incredibly beautiful Mommy:



(Mrs. V. calls this a "wad o' cats")

:wow: :bounce: :woohoo: :party: :wow:

They were born yesterday while we were at Assateague Island. Even though I'd prepared four places for her to bear her kittens, she went back into the travel carrier. I guess she felt safest there. :)

Listen up, everyone in the DC Metro area: these fabulous kittens will be available for adoption on September 23!

And what was I doing while my beautiful foster kitten was in such travail?



Wiping out and cracking up.

[Arugula Latte]

1. Awwwwww! Beautiful babies!

Thank you for helping Mama! :toast:

If there is anything on this planet cuter than a kitten, I don't want to see it -- I couldn't take it! :loveya:

[bertha katzenengel]

3. I wish I had been there for her, but I would've been a nervous wreck.

:bounce:

[auntAgonist]

2. they are beautiful!!

thanks for sharing!

You look like you were having a LOT of fun, glad to see it!

:hug:

aA

[bertha katzenengel]

4. Oh, yeah. And I needed it

given what's coming up on Wednesday. It was a four hour drive. One way. Kathy is VERY good to me.

:loveya:

[Mutley]

5. Aww, they are so cute!

:loveya:

I probably won't be able to take one. I'm graduating and I don't know when I'll be able to find a job. Maybe things will be different on Sept. 23rd. I'll let you know if things turn out right for me to get one of those cuties, though. :D

[bertha katzenengel]

11. Well, congrats on the graduation!

:party: :yourock:

[Mutley]

24. Thanks!

Congrats on the new babies.

:party: :yourock:

[Flaxbee]

6. wow - she was quite far along in her preggers condition, huh?

darling kittens - you caught her almost right at the end of term. Great job! Looks like 4-5? Can't tell in that first picture with so many tails, ears, and toes sticking out all over the place. ;-)

You look very happy in that water. It's been ages since I've been in the ocean and I think I might just have to insist on a trip one of these days. Damn that looks nice.

What's coming up on Wednesday (if I may presume to ask)? You gonna need Lounge vibes?

[bertha katzenengel]

12. Hey, Flax, bud,

Yes, she gave birth about a week after I caught her. She'd gotten very cozy with me, and in the last couple of days had some pretty bad separation anxiety. I felt bad about leaving her yesterday; we were gone for twelve hours.

There are four kittens -- two dark tabbies, one gray tabbie, and one black. So far I haven't been able to see any markings on the black one.

I needed the beach. I am a beach baby from about three months of age; I grew up on the beach in Huntington Beach, CA, and moved to Maryland six years ago. I have since been to the beach on both coasts, but until yesterday hadn't been in the water. I needed it desperately -- needed to go where I am most comfortable on earth, able to be free, to be myself, to be at home. Wednesday I'm having breast surgery, to remove what may or may not be cancer. Vibes: yes. serious ones. please. thank you.

:hug:

edited for last paragraph to make better sense

[Flaxbee]

21. yeah, I spent my early years in the water in San Juan Capistrano..

and now live in the mountains, 9 hours from the NC coast. It hurts to be that far away from the ocean.


OK, major vibes on Wednesday! :hug: Several of my sisters have had the same thing, all benign. One had one that was cancer, but caught early, had radiation, and she's been clean for 10 years. It'll be OK either way, but the vibes are tuned full-power to "benign"! One of the things my sisters learned, though, is to have a few silk squares handy (thick silk if possible; cut up a blouse or get some swatches at a fabric store) to tuck between your bra and breast - eases some of the discomfort post-op while you're healing. You must 'baby the boob' post-op!

[bertha katzenengel]

23. LOL "baby the boob"

:rofl:

Tomorrow my post-op bra arrives, 2-day FedEx. I wanted to be sure it was here on time. It's actually a hefty front-closure compression sports bra. I am sure it'll do the trick, and it was far less expensive than the bras sold on medical sites.

Love your sister's idea about the silk. I have just the blouse. It got split up the back; I now know why I saved it all these years. :hi:

Thank you. I don't intend to post a "vibes" thread. A few people know about it already. Thank you so much. :hi:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

7. KITTIES!!!!!!!

They're sooo cute. Their mama looks just like my Midnight, except with long hair, right down to the little white spot.

[bertha katzenengel]

13. Hey, haruka

:bounce: I love black cats, with markings or without. This one's feral. We have two tame tuxies, and a third - feral - outside. :)

[graywarrior]

8. So goddamn fucking squishable CUTE, I say!!!

[bertha katzenengel]

14. LOL

:bounce:

[YellowRubberDuckie]

37. And so are the kittens, graywarrior.

:evilgrin:

[graywarrior]

39. And so are YOU YellowRubberDuckie

[NMDemDist2]

9. awwwwww! in 5 weeks they will be terrorizing the whole house! my new

adoptee figured out the doggie door last night and has made herself right at home





here's the first post on my newest "kid"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x5426788

[bertha katzenengel]

15. Congratulations, NMDem.

S/he's so sweet. Isn't it nice to have sweet lover kitties?

[NMDemDist2]

17. yup. and yours are so adorable! they are such a hoot when they

start running around. they will just take over the place but they are so entertaining you won't care

have fun with your babies!

[bertha katzenengel]

25. We will! I can't wait until we can pick them up. But . . .

I'm not going to name them, except for calling them Black, Gray, Tabby One, and Tabby Two. I must socialize them for adoption but I can't get attached. They are going away.

[Roon]

10. Awwww!

Kisses for the Mama and the babies!! :o

[bertha katzenengel]

18. Meow!

[barb162]

16. They are beautiful and Mommy too

[bertha katzenengel]

19. Hi Barb

:hi:

[smokey nj]

20. Awwww, Momma cat looks like my old Willie........

I'm so jealous, I miss having a kitten around.

[bertha katzenengel]

22. Willie's a great name. Y'know, smokey . . .

It's only about a four and a half hour drive from your town to mine. And we have a guest room . . . :7

I know it's not realistic. You can get kitties there. ;)

[smokey nj]

28. I so wish I could take one of th, but we have a full house..........

we have 5 others besides old Willie.

[pink-o]

26. Your momma cat looks a lot like mine

even down to the white hairs on her chest. And it sounds like she did a fine job delivering her babies--I remember my calico didn't really want our help when she gave birth, she ran under the bed where we couldn't reach her, even though we had a dresser drawer all prepared. Amazing how animals can deliver 4 or 5, completely independently, and we need all this medical help with just one!

So tell me: how're you gonna give 'em all away when the time comes??? We always ended up keeping one kitten or one puppy we'd bonded with and couldn't bear to part with. Unfortunately, we kept a male both times, who turned into a wuzzie momma's boy. Next time, it's gonna be a girl!

[bertha katzenengel]

27. We HAVE to give them all away. We have bonded with too many

cats around here to keep anymore. We'll soon be crazy cat ladies if we don't quit! :bounce:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

29. My dear bertha!

What beautiful babies!

And I just know you were having a glorious time!

You deserve it..........

BTW....Wednesday I go to have my first surgical consult.....the day before I leave for the Ohio meetup!

You will be in my thoughts........:hug:

[bertha katzenengel]

31. you'll be in mine

:hug:

[RevCheesehead]

30. Kitties!!

:loveya:

[bertha katzenengel]

32. Where's my popsicle?

Oh . . . Hehee

:hi:

[RevCheesehead]

33. I had plenty of extras.

Enough to get through the 3 evening meetings we have this week! :hi:

[ThingsGottaChange]

34. The little darlings!!!!!!!!

And Mama is just beautiful! I love the way her eyes came out in that pic! You're gonna have so much fun!!!

[bertha katzenengel]

41. Aren't they? I might post a weekly thread so folks who like cats can see

how their growth progresses.

I got lucky with the eyes. I tried the non-red eye setting on my camera's flash, et voilá!

[SeattleGirl]

35. They are so beautiful, Bertha!

And the momma kitty's eyes are stunning! Here's hoping that all the beautiful babies find good homes!

[bertha katzenengel]

42. Yes, here's hoping

:toast:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

36. Awww! Kitties!

You WILL keep the photos coming, won't you?

[bertha katzenengel]

43. You betcha -- see post # 41

:bounce:

[Hissyspit]

38. Congrats!

[bertha katzenengel]

thanks, Hissy!

:bounce:

[lumberingbear]

40. Beautiful little kittens....

and it so nice to see you so happy Bertha!

[bertha katzenengel]

45. I love that smiley, LB

Thank you. :blush:

[LadyoftheRabbits]

44. AWWWWW!!!!

I haven't seen anything so precious... they're beautiful!

[bertha katzenengel]

46. Hi, lelapin -- welcome to DU

:bounce:

(lelapin -- the rabbit?)

[LadyoftheRabbits]

47. Yep!

:applause: Thanks for the welcome!

[Sugar Smack]

48. Bertha, thank you! I loved and adored every one of your pictures.

The kitties are precious, and I love the picture of you in the green blue water. Isn't the ocean the best for play and philosophy both? I like your expression cause you're wearing the same one I do when I get in the water. The ocean swallowed MY sunglasses too; yes she did! But they were a cheap pair (but such a nifty pair as well) and I said, "Well, that's what I get".

:D :loveya: :yourock:

[bertha katzenengel]

49. You wouldn't believe what I found when I peeled off my suit.

Fortunately at that beach there were some outdoor private cold water showers. I went in there to get the sand off of myself. I peeled off my suit and out plopped two live sand crabs.

:rofl:

Mrs. V. rescued them for me.

:rofl:

[Sugar Smack]

50. Aaaaa! I would have FREAKED OUT!

It's understandable that as you get hit by wave after wave, you miss the tactile sensation of lil' critters coming at you from here & there. And when it comes time to disrobe, EEk! Did you do a little "I have critters on me" dance? :rofl:

Anyway, I just looked at that picture again. It looks as though you're about to be brutally mowed down by another wave. I love the thrill of the split-second decision: Can I jump over this wave, or should I duck under it?

[bertha katzenengel]

51. "brutally mowed down" -- see, this is why I was cracking up:

I SERIOUSLY underestimated the power of the Atlantic Ocean. I've always heard that it was wimpy when it came to surfing. Now, granted, I was not surfing, but I grew up in the Pacific, getting nailed by huge waves & getting back up again (and swallowing plenty of water), ducking under the big ones to AVOID being nailed, body surfing etc. . . . I figured quite arrogantly that if I could handle the Mighty and Superior Pacific, well! . . .

Plus, since the last time I swam in the Pacific, I have gained considerable weight, and lost considerable reflexes and mobility. I took NONE of this into account yesterday.

Add all these things up, and you get one seriously embarrassed beach baby. Finally I just let myself get nailed, and enjoyed wipe out after wipe out, cracking up each time I got up.

No, I didn't do a critter dance. I only do that for insects. I had been looking for sand crabs all day, so I was actually pretty happy. :7

[Jamastiene]

52. Awwww, those pictures remind me of when my Sunday Girl was a baby.

It was back in 1992, when my then boss found Sunday Girl in a pile of wood on a cold rainy night in October. Her mother had abandoned her and her brother, who was about 20 feet away and screaming too. My boss and her sister couldn't get Sunday Girl to nurse on the bottle so they gave her to me hoping if anyone could get her to start nursing a bottle it would be me. I put some kitten milk replacement on my bottom lip and she started nursing. She got healthier and healthier but sadly, her brother, the one they kept, didn't make it. He had leukemia. Sunday never tested positive for it, so she got her vaccinations. I was no pro when it came to kitten rearing, so I tried to wean her too soon. She ended up having to stay on her "bodoo" for 12 weeks total. Here is a picture of her as a little baby getting ready to nurse and a picture of her from last year. She'll be 14 years old in October of this year.



and all grown up

[Sugar Smack]

53. OMG!!!!!

:loveya: Have you been told today that you're a saint? Can I call you Saint Kitten?

Wonderful to see you. :pals: :yourock:

[Jamastiene]

55. Why, I'd be honored. Yes, you can.

Oddly enough, my bottom lip is a little bit swollen today and feels much like it did back when I was "transitioning" her to the bottle nipple. I had to let her take the KMR off my lip a few times while I slipped the nipple into her mouth. Eventually, I figured out that I had forgotten one very important step. I didn't know at the time, that you had to poke a hole in those nipples because they don't come with holes already. I was wondering why I didn't feel any milk come out, lol. Eventually, after poking the hole in the nipple, she hit that nipple sucking milk like she was starving. There is no telling how long she had been without food as it had been raining heavily for days and her cries were only faint cries when my boss happened to hear her and her brother.

I have to honestly say that if raising baby orphaned kittens could be a career, it would be the career I'd pick. There is nothing I have found to be more rewarding and heartwarming. I have a bond with Sunday Girl like nothing anyone has ever seen before. She knows my thoughts and understands what we say to her. If you tell her something, she goes straight to it and does it. Like telling her there is a piece of chicken to her left near the speaker, she goes right to it. She's something else. If anything she is the saint. She saved me. Before her, I was recklessly living out of a shed and drinking myself into ruin. After her, I was a happy momma kitty who quit drinking really quick. I had to get up every 2 hours to feed her for 12 weeks. As much as I normally hate getting out of bed and breaking up my sleep like that, I happily did it for her to eat. I can still remember the day her eyes opened and the day she started hearing (her ears unfolded slowly over several days and it was obvious when she started hearing.)

Btw, I forgot to add that it's nice hearing from you too. I start talking about my babies and lose track of everything else.

[Sugar Smack]

56. Damn. What a powerful story.

Little Sophie is a really good guide for me. I love her so much. And Sunday Girl is such a cute name- it's really impressive the bond you have with her. Sometimes I feel such a bond with Sophie it sends a very brief cold finger down my spine. I fear for her ever hurting, and I've made sure she's felt no pain or fear, only comfort and love, since she was six weeks old.

When I went to the Florida Keys for 3 weeks, my Dad came to my place and visited with her daily. They love each other too. But when I got back, she lay down next to me and put a paw on my face, stared at me for the longest time. We lay still, looking at each other in the eyes.

What a good cat.

[bertha katzenengel]

57. Sunday Girl is just beautiful. Well done with the baby-feeding.

I haven't had to do that yet. I don't look forward to it. :yourock:

[Jamastiene]

59. It's not bad at all even though it does interfere with sleep.

I relish the memories of those days.

Your momma kitty will probably do a fine job and not abandon her precious adorable babies though. I'm sure Sunday Girl's mother had a reason. My boss didn't agree with me and just thought she was a bad mother. I think she didn't know what to do.

Btw, I forgot to mention how huggable your momma kitty is and how cuddly those babies look. I was too busy oooing and awwing over them. I'm such a sucker for a kitten.

[AirmensMom]

54. Beautiful babies, Bertha!

:loveya: :hug: And they'll be available for adoption on my birthday! :bounce: (It's a sign ... but I don't know what it's a sign of. :shrug:)

[bertha katzenengel]

58. It's a sign that on or near your birthday, up to four families will have

new joy in their homes!

:bounce:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

60. They're beautiful!

I'd love one, but I don't think my three 13 year olds could handle it...

[bertha katzenengel]

64. There is something to be said for letting older cats age without the

introduction of whippersnappers. Keeps 'em happy.

[Skittles]

61. that's a great color swimsuit on you

:thumbsup:

[bertha katzenengel]

65. oh, my

:blush:

[yellowdogintexas]

62. They are just gorgeous, take lots of photos for us as they mature

they are going to be real cuties...mom cat is gorgeous gorgeous

Feral or tame?

[bertha katzenengel]

66. The mom is feral, but becoming quite affectionate. I brought her in to

foster her litter so the kittens would NOT be feral. We'll socialize them, start handling them at about a week. Then we'll find them homes.

[mike_c]

63. oh bertha-- good on ya, luv....

Wad 'o cats indeed. Kittens are the finest form of life on earth. Whenever I get depressed or pessimistic, I remind myself that there are kittens frolicking somewhere.

[bertha katzenengel]

67. mike_c, it's good to see you

I love what you've said here. :hi: