Texas Kitten Adventures

Rhonan changed his mind AGAIN about donut names, so these are the FINAL names. I mean, I guess I shouldn't expect anything different from a 4 year old. I will not let him change his mind again 😆. We have Donut, Ice Cream, Popsicle, and Lollipop (I talked Rhoni out of the name Sucker, fortunately, so we went with Lollipop that sounds much better). . . . . #txkittenadventures #kittens #kittenplay #cats #animalcare #fosterkittens #kittenfosterer #adoptdontshop #fosteringsaveslives #shelterpets #shelterkittens #cutekittens #nbcats #newbraunfels #nbtx #mewbraunfels #innewbraunfels #catsinnewbraunfels

Skid Steer, more like Skid Stealer of the Socks 🧦! This boy is always getting into trouble, and I love it. He is officially ready to be adopted now that he has been neutered! He is seriously the sweetest, most loving kitten and would do great in a home with another cat to play with. He's also extremely tolerant of little kids and doesn't mind dogs at all. He's seriously the perfect kitten, and he still needs a home! Message me if you are interested or go ahead and fill out an application for him on hsnba.org.

Woohoo! The #Epic6Kittens Mama has been returned, the BEST part of TNR. No more sickly kittens being born and unsafe environments and having to face the elements. She has been spayed and vaccinated against Rabies and FVRCP. She also received a dose of Advantage Multi to test a plethora of internal and external parasites. She has truly had a do-over for life and a fresh start all thanks to New Braunfels Community Cat Coalition . ALSO, I trapped dad! I'll be posting that video later.

Not to self - Skid Steer wants ALL cuddles and pets! He's definitely the loviest of all our foster kittens right now. If you are interested in adopting him after he's been neutered in a month or so, PM me. Fair warning though, this is Rhonan's favorite foster kitten, so we're probably going to be pretty picky with Skid Steer's forever family 😂.

KID PROOF CAT AVAILABLE 😂: We stopped by the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area, Inc. yesterday to pick up our new foster kittens, and we hung out with Sylvester. He's definitely "kid proof" and would be a perfect addition to any family. Stop by and say hi to Sylvester or maybe give him a new home!

Just a quick video of Comet and his sweetness. He doesn't climb up on my shoulders often as Orion does, but he is definitely one that wants to be in the middle of the action. So, if you're looking for a kitten that is overly happy and affectionate, then you can't really go wrong with one of these boys. They're almost too affectionate to a fault 😆! It can be hard to get work done on my computer when these two are out and about. They tolerate my 3-year-old super well and are pretty indifferent to the dogs. Both of the boys are getting neutered today, then they will be officially ready to go. I like to call them #balllessandflawless now. Happy neuter day, boys! #CosmosKittens☄️

It's just a lazy #caturday for the #ToyotaKittenCrew🛻 . They're all recovering well from their spay and neuter surgeries on Thursday. Tundra did get a little scratch under his eye from bonking against his cage when waking up from surgery. He was just seeing too many dragons after waking up from anesthesia haha. BTW, all of their profiles are live on HSNBA.org. Just do a search for Avalon, Tacoma, or Tundra under "adoptable cats" to fill out an app. If you do end up filling one out, let me know on here so I can keep an eye out!

Just Miss Avalon and our new rescue pup getting used to one another! #ToyotaKittenCrew🛻

These 3 are GROWING like crazy! 🌱🌱🌱 I've decided to just keep their #ToyotaKittenCrew🛻 names of Avalon, Tundra, and Tacoma. . Right now, They're in the crazy "milk gremlin" stage. As soon as they see the bottle, they turn into little, scratchy gremlins 👹 who act as if they have been lost in the wilderness for 2 weeks without food and water and just got found. They are now drinking about a bottle each at feedings, but they are still about a week too young to start weaning. 🍼 If you start weaning too soon, their systems aren't able to handle more complex animal proteins, and you can cause severe GI upset and probiotic imbalances. . In about a week, I'll start mixing in a small amount of canned food and probiotics into their milk, and I'll up that mixture over the next couple of days. After a week of being introduced to the canned food i.e. complex animal proteins, I'll then give them the chance to start eating straight canned food. This is the MESSY part for sure lol. It takes a bit for most kittens to understand how to go from sucking to chewing. During this time, the ones that need supplemental bottle feedings will continue to get them!

Sure kittens are cute and cuddly...once they're in a good foster home and healthy (free of fleas and other external parasites, internal parasites, treated for upper respiratory infections, and perhaps even deadly panleukopenia.... if they survive it). Our situation in shelters around the US right now is devastating because we're in the thick of kitten season 🐈🐈🐈. Almost every shelter I'm hearing about is overly full with kittens and cannot find enough fosters to help. I see Facebook posts all the time of owners trying to get rid of kittens because they didn't spay their cat. Well, this is the reality of kitten season and shelter life. It's not pretty, but sometimes you just have to show it so that people can see just how serious it is and everything that we, as fosters and animal advocates, deal with on a daily basis. Please spay and neuter your pets, TNR feral and stray cats, or even more importantly and even better, volunteer at your local shelter to help clean out cages or FOSTER, FOSTER, FOSTER!!! Even fostering one litter in your bathroom can clear up an entire cage or kennel to allow just enough room for another set of kittens. It feels like one step forward two steps back every single day during kitten season Come on, y'all. We can do better!

That face Aioli makes when the blanky hits the toe beans juuuuuust right! #CalamariAndAioli🐙

Do you think Willow will ever catch the apple? #TreeKittenCrew🌳

Just a quick video of Aioli having some dreams of chasing butterflies. #CalamariAndAioli🐙

The #TreeKittenCrew🌳 are in full crazy, zoomie stage right now. Everything they see is a new object to attack, including each other, of course. Baobab usually just wants to sit and be loved on, Sequoia wants to pounce on everyone and everything, and Willow likes to observe until she sees an opportunity for her to win a wrestling match.

Of course Sequoia, the most food obsessed of the group, dives right in to the canned food without a second thought. They've been getting this mixed in with their milk, but this is the first time to actually "bite into" something. Let's hope Willow and Baobab follow suit after seeing Sequoia have zero qualms about a different type of food! #TreeKittenCrew🌳

I'm working on teaching Rhonan how to feed kittens! Needless to say, he doesn't like their sharp, little needle claws digging into his hand as they drink from the bottle. But hey, neither do I! They're in a crazy, hell kitten stage where they are super close to being weaned, but not quite ready yet. I've started mixing in KMR second step with their regular formula to get their GI systems used to animal proteins. In a few days, I'll start mixing in canned food with their formula and leaving a small dish out in their pen for them to try and eat out of. I always dread weaning because it can be such a process for some kittens, while others pick it up immediately. Since they don't have a mom to watch for an example of how to eat out of a dish, I'll let them watch my cat, Caspian the "foster dad", eat from a shallow dish like a cottage cheese lid. I've found those to be the best transitional weaning dishes. Wish me luck as the weaning date gets closer 😬! #TreeKittenCrew🌳

This is my biscuit making apprentice, Sequoia. He listens, for the most part, but gets distracted easily. We just started working on toe bean technique to get the best grip on the blanky. In a few weeks, he'll be promoted to biscuit making intern. In a few months, he'll be an official biscuit maker ready for his own home where he will professionally make biscuits on any soft blanky. He is accepting inquiries for future job openings! What's your advice for Sequoia to be the best biscuit maker possible? #TreeKittenCrew🌳

The kittens REALLY started moving a lot this week and playing with one another. They're still pretty awkward with moving around and their balance, which is what makes them so fun to watch! Willow is the biggest, followed by Baobab and then Sequoia. They're eating great and weighing in at 412g to 460g (about 1lb). We also started litter box training, which they're already doing awesome. They all poop in it and mostly pee inside it lol. That's a work in progress still! #TreeKittenCrew🌳

All I could hear was little patters of feet and bodies tumbling over the floor. When I peeked over the couch, there was full on kitten wrastlin'! Ylang Ylang and Jasmine were going all out. Who do you think the winner was? #EssentialOilsKittens🪴

We went to my parents for a few days because they have had consistent power, but we are back home now. I wanted the kittens to be warm because they are still so tiny. I continue to worry about all of the feral cat colonies out there dealing with this extreme cold, but I worry even more about the people. . Texas just does not have the infrastructure to support this amount of cold. Our pipes aren't winterized and people don't know how to properly prep for cold of this magnitude. When you say a cold front, we think a day or two at most. My prep is a full car and some groceries, not propane or a bathtub full of water. We are on a boil notice now because so many pipes have burst, so water usage is extremely high, making the pressure extremely low. . It's not a joke. It's not funny or a meme. Half of Texas has rolling blackouts, no power, no more food, and no water. We don't know how to drive in this and our cars aren't built for it. I'm lucky to have a Subaru Forester that is built for this weather, but most people aren't as lucky. Our house seems to be on the same power grid as our nearby HEB, so we have had consistent power, but only 2 houses down, the rolling blackouts continue. Please keep Texas in your thoughts and prayers and any winter advice is appreciated!