Fur Babies

Warning...This post contains graphic pictures of our cat giving birth.  So, if you get squeamish or are easily grossed out, you should stop reading.  There are four pictures of my sweet kiddos watching the birth until you get to the graphic pictures. 

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My sweet Keri (aka, little hussie) had her litter last night.  We were all worried about her because she was so young and little.  She came through just fine and all the babies are thriving. 

I fully expected her to have the babies in a dark closet or hidden away somewhere.  She actually came up to me and started meowing.  I thought maybe she was hungry, so I gave her some food and water but she refused it.  She came to me again and started meowing and I noticed her tummy was contracting.

Poor thing.  The first baby was the most difficult.  She did cry out a few times.

  I sent one child to get a box and another to get an old towel.  We put Keri in and pet her and loved on her and talked to her.  She had the first baby about 20 minutes after the first contractions.  4 more kittens followed.

 Keri did such a good job.  She broke open each sac and severed the umbilical cords.  She licked them all clean and started nursing right away. 

All the kittens except for one have the same coloring as Keri.  The oddball is black/gray/white. 

They are all just precious.

She will not leave the kittens.  Not even to eat, so we have been bringing her food and water and trying to take care of her.  

We are going to help Keri by bottle feeding the babies several times a day.  Since she is so young and nursing takes so much calcium and nutrients from her, she really could use some help.  Otherwise, she could loose a rib and become very nutrient-deprived.  

I'll post bottle-feeding pictures later on.

Brandon kept saying he could not believe he got to witness the miracle of life.  All the kiddos were just enthralled in the whole process, on the verge of tears. 

Yes, we are going to keep them.  Yes, all of them.  Yes, we are nuts but we have the land and resources to take care of them.  They will help control pests and have a happy home. 

 They are all going to get fixed.  I am going to put the date on my ical calendar with e-mail reminders and sound effects so I won't drop the ball again.  I'm already on the verge of being called that crazy cat lady.  All together that makes 7 cats.  Hopefully, they will eradicate our pest problem.  That is a whole other post.  I'm still not ready to talk about it.