FOSTER KITTEN UPDATE

First of all, I will tell you that we now have 8 foster kittens instead of just 5.  We got the 3 newest ones almost 2 weeks ago.  They are all boys, and their names are Andrew, James, and John.  Mom did not give them these names.  In fact, she thinks these names are sort of boring and they sound like they came right out of the Bible.  Which is why we have been calling these 3 kittens "the New Testament boys."  When Mom told this to Aunt Tania, Aunt Tania said the kittens got named by a lady who only works there on Sundays, helping clean the kennels, and this person is a good Catholic.  So she probably really did think up the names out of the Bible.

Andrew, John, and James

Anyway, Aunt Tania said the New Testament boys are 3 weeks older than our "A" kittens, but Mom finds this hard to believe.  She thinks they are maybe only 2 weeks older.  Or else they might have got off to a slow start in life.  Andrew is the tabby one, John is the bigger black one, and James is the smaller black one.

Within a day after Mom brought the new kittens home, they were playing and cuddling with our other kittens, and pretty soon Audra started letting them nurse, just as if they were her very own kittens.

Audra with Abra, John (or James), Alec, and Andrew

Mom has been trying to keep Audra out of the kitten room a lot of the time because Audra was getting thin and dehydrated, what with feeding all those kittens.  But Audra sits outside the door of the kitten room, and she makes all kinds of funny yowly cat noises.  It sounds like she is cussing somebody out instead of calling for her kittens.

John, Adair, Abra, Alec, and Andrew

We think Audra is trying to be in season again so she can make new kittens.  Of course, we don't want this to happen, which is why we hope Audra's milk will dry up soon so she can be spayed.  Sometimes Mom can't stand hearing Audra being so noisy outside the kitten room, and then Mom opens the door to let Audra go in there, just to shut her up.

Anderson, Abra, Andrew, and Adrian

It's really hard for 8 kittens to nurse when there are only 6 nipples.  Andrew and John are bigger and pushier than the others, so they usually get more than their share.  James is the runt of his litter, and he is so shy that we think he is not always getting enough food to eat.

Left side of Audra: Anderson, Abra, Adrian,
Right side: James (or John), Alec, Andrew, and John (or James).
Where is Adair?  Maybe in the litterbox?

Sometimes Audra wants to eat some of the kittens' food when she is in their room, so she does this while also nursing.  I think this is what they call "multi-tasking."

Alec, Abra, Andrew,
and more kittens on the other side of the Milk Bar.

On Friday night, Mom let the kittens out of their room for a little while so they could explore the house.  They didn't got very far because it was their first time, and they were kind of scared.  Next time, they will probably go farther.

Anderson and Alec explore the world.

And tomorrow the "A" kittens will turn 7 weeks old.  Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you some very good news, which is that Erica and Esmé got adopted yesterday!