WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.600 --> 00:00:23.960 Live. This is pet Life Radio. Let's talk pets. 2 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:29.280 Hello, my beeline friends, this is Michelburn, your host on Catitude. 3 00:00:29.679 --> 00:00:33.119 All right, guess what time of year it is? Yep, Spring, 4 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:37.280 but it's also kitty season. We're going to talk about today. 5 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:40.479 What is kitty season, what you should be aware of, 6 00:00:40.759 --> 00:00:43.320 and what you can do to make it easier for 7 00:00:43.399 --> 00:00:46.799 all of the thousands and probably millions of kittens being 8 00:00:46.880 --> 00:00:49.640 born this season. Stay tuned, we'll be right back. 9 00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:57.320 You know the expression cats have nine lives? Well, what 10 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:00.240 if you can give them one more? But give them ten? 11 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.560 Movement is on a mission to help give cats an 12 00:01:03.560 --> 00:01:08.280 extra life. How with spee and neoter, spain or nootering 13 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:12.040 your cat helps them live a longer, healthier life and 14 00:01:12.599 --> 00:01:16.840 it helps control free rolling cat populations too. Learn more 15 00:01:16.920 --> 00:01:20.480 about the benefits of spee and neoter and meet Scooter, 16 00:01:20.920 --> 00:01:24.840 the neutered cat at give them ten dot org. That's 17 00:01:24.920 --> 00:01:27.760 give them ten dot org. 18 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:43.239 Let's talk pets on Petlife Radio dot com. 19 00:01:43.439 --> 00:01:46.799 Welcome back everyone. It is kittyseason. 20 00:01:47.480 --> 00:01:47.680 Now. 21 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:51.400 What is kitty season? This is the time of year 22 00:01:52.200 --> 00:01:56.840 an unaltered female cat, which is called a queen, goes 23 00:01:56.959 --> 00:02:00.480 into heat. Now this time in at least the northern 24 00:02:00.480 --> 00:02:05.319 hemisphere is about April through October. It can vary a 25 00:02:05.359 --> 00:02:09.599 little sometimes as early as March, and it's generally, you know, 26 00:02:09.680 --> 00:02:13.240 in the warmer months. So my guess is in other 27 00:02:13.280 --> 00:02:17.439 hemispheres would probably be opposite. And there's a lot of 28 00:02:17.479 --> 00:02:20.000 reasons you should be aware of it, and there's a 29 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:23.039 lot of things you can do, as you know, a 30 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:27.520 pet parent or as a caring pet advocate person to 31 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.599 do your part two help the kittens that are being 32 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:35.520 born out there in the wild, and to protect your 33 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:40.599 cats and protect the T and R cats in your neighborhood. 34 00:02:41.159 --> 00:02:44.919 So here's some facts that I found while doing my 35 00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:49.360 research that I thought were pretty interesting. Cats can go 36 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:52.560 into heat female cats, of course, female cats can go 37 00:02:52.680 --> 00:02:57.199 into heat as early as four months old. As soon 38 00:02:57.240 --> 00:03:00.120 as the cats are able to go into heat, there 39 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:03.800 called a queen that's only for cats, you know, female 40 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:06.800 cats of course that are not fixed. Just so you know, 41 00:03:06.960 --> 00:03:10.280 cats can be fixed pretty early in age, just as 42 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:13.159 they give birth pretty early in age. They can give 43 00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:17.520 birth as soon as four months old, which I mean 44 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:20.919 that's pretty short, but they can be fixed as early 45 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:26.800 as eight weeks old or two pounds, which is definitely fixed. 46 00:03:26.800 --> 00:03:31.280 The sooner the better. There's been discussions between different veterinarians, 47 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:33.840 different schools of thought whether cats should be able to 48 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:36.719 go through their first heat or not. I'm on the 49 00:03:36.759 --> 00:03:39.360 side with fix them as soon as you can, because 50 00:03:39.800 --> 00:03:43.719 if you're not able to control your cat during the 51 00:03:43.759 --> 00:03:46.439 heat season, you may end up with a litter of 52 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:47.960 kiddies you weren't expecting. 53 00:03:48.360 --> 00:03:48.560 Now. 54 00:03:48.680 --> 00:03:52.240 Cats can also give birth to multiple litters at once, 55 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:55.919 and what happens is when the cat is impregnated by 56 00:03:56.039 --> 00:04:00.360 different males within a seven day period, they're likely to 57 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:04.759 have actually multiple litters within the same litter. And this 58 00:04:04.879 --> 00:04:08.800 happened to Sammy, the cat that gave birth my pregnant 59 00:04:08.840 --> 00:04:10.960 Tea in our cat that I didn't know was pregnant. 60 00:04:11.240 --> 00:04:14.439 More about her a little bit later. Also, another great 61 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:18.000 interesting fact is that when female cats are in heat, 62 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:22.240 they will do whatever they can do to find a tomcat. 63 00:04:22.360 --> 00:04:26.079 And a tomcat is an unaltered male cat. I think 64 00:04:26.120 --> 00:04:30.199 it has to do with the pheromones and hormones produced 65 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:33.480 in their body to just find a guy and have 66 00:04:33.600 --> 00:04:36.959 it done, you know, were lack of better words. And 67 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:40.160 there's also I believe the pheromones that are produced in 68 00:04:40.199 --> 00:04:44.360 the female queen cats the pheromones that are luring the 69 00:04:44.439 --> 00:04:49.759 tomcat to her as well, so kind of going both ways. Also, 70 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:53.800 cats can go into heat up to five times within 71 00:04:53.959 --> 00:04:57.480 a cycle. Now, when cats going into the heat cycle, 72 00:04:57.639 --> 00:05:01.480 that's like never ending. Some cat can give birth and 73 00:05:01.519 --> 00:05:06.560 get pregnant within just six to eight weeks, so while 74 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:11.680 they're actually nursing and recuperating with their babies, maybe just 75 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:15.560 six weeks later, before the babies are even fully weaned 76 00:05:15.720 --> 00:05:19.439 from them, they can get pregnant again. And yes, that 77 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:22.839 also happened to my cat, Sammy, and I'll tell you 78 00:05:22.879 --> 00:05:26.000 the story a little bit later. Now here's some tips 79 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.879 on how to tell if a cat is pregnant. There's 80 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:34.000 a few different states, actually five stages. There's one fertilization 81 00:05:34.439 --> 00:05:38.800 and you know what, cats, just like females female humans, 82 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:43.560 do get morning sickness and it's generally the first two 83 00:05:43.600 --> 00:05:47.839 to three weeks. So during this time she'll have, you 84 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:50.120 know what, it seems like morning sickness. You won't be 85 00:05:50.160 --> 00:05:53.759 eating too much, and by the middle stage, which is 86 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:57.600 the third stage, she starts to be gaining weight. By 87 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:01.079 the fourth stage, you can tell that she's labor because 88 00:06:01.120 --> 00:06:05.680 her nipples become visible, and she'll stop eating about two 89 00:06:05.800 --> 00:06:09.199 days before she gives birth. Now for labor and delivery, 90 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:14.519 she'll find a secure place. She'll lick her babies and okay, 91 00:06:14.519 --> 00:06:16.519 this is a little gross to us, but she eats 92 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:20.680 the placenta because this gives her nutritional benefits. You know, 93 00:06:21.000 --> 00:06:24.839 cats in the wild are very about survival, so this 94 00:06:25.040 --> 00:06:29.079 is just something that's normal to the female cat. Little gross, 95 00:06:29.120 --> 00:06:32.279 but hey, now, what do you do once the kitties 96 00:06:32.360 --> 00:06:36.800 are born? Okay, here comes the fun part, But it's 97 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:39.399 a challenge. You know, the kitties are born, they're adorable, 98 00:06:39.399 --> 00:06:42.360 they're cute, but you have to be responsible for them 99 00:06:42.680 --> 00:06:46.040 with her in a sense, and there's things that you 100 00:06:46.079 --> 00:06:49.399 will have to watch out for, and they become mobile 101 00:06:49.680 --> 00:06:53.160 very quickly. But first thing you should do don't disturb 102 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:56.839 the kittens unless necessary for a little while. Know that 103 00:06:56.879 --> 00:06:59.519 if the mom seems to have abandoned the kittens, she 104 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:02.839 might just be on the hunt for food and will return. 105 00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:05.319 Even if it's a cat mom that you're feeding, she 106 00:07:05.519 --> 00:07:08.199 still may go on the hunt to look for food. 107 00:07:08.279 --> 00:07:12.120 This is something that's in her nature to do, so 108 00:07:12.680 --> 00:07:16.160 don't become too worried. You only need to go into 109 00:07:16.279 --> 00:07:19.120 action if you see that the kitties are in harm's way. 110 00:07:19.720 --> 00:07:24.199 And this is something interesting that happened to us. When 111 00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:27.800 Sammy gave birth. She had the kitties on the side 112 00:07:28.199 --> 00:07:31.759 next to the side of my house by where there's 113 00:07:31.759 --> 00:07:35.399 some you know, brush, so she felt protected well. During 114 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:38.600 a heavy rainstorm, she didn't know, but she was near 115 00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:41.439 a water spout and the kittens almost drowned. So if 116 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:43.720 I hadn't moved them to a more secure place, there 117 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:46.600 would be no kittens. And you know she's a cat. 118 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:49.639 She wasn't aware of this. Of course, the next day 119 00:07:50.040 --> 00:07:53.240 we got some some hosing to move the water away, 120 00:07:53.399 --> 00:07:55.480 so if she still went to that spot, she would 121 00:07:55.480 --> 00:07:57.519 still be fine, and so with the kittens, of course, 122 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:00.519 But just try to keep an eye out for where 123 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:03.879 the kittens are, don't disturb them, and just make sure 124 00:08:03.920 --> 00:08:07.920 they're secure. Kittens can be weaned as soon as four 125 00:08:07.920 --> 00:08:11.199 to six weeks old, and they should be handled from 126 00:08:11.399 --> 00:08:14.959 five weeks old to socialize them. This isn't something else 127 00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:19.639 that's really important. Kittens they grow so fast. By I 128 00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:23.120 would say two to three weeks, they're already walking all 129 00:08:23.199 --> 00:08:27.000 over the place. And if the momcatcave birth, you know, 130 00:08:27.160 --> 00:08:30.920 someplace near your home by some brush or bushes, or 131 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:34.200 just some secure area where she feels a little hidden. 132 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:36.919 You want to keep an eye out for the kittens 133 00:08:36.960 --> 00:08:40.720 and see how far they're going, because it's very easy 134 00:08:40.799 --> 00:08:44.200 for them to go under a car during any time 135 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:47.399 of wet weather or very warm weather. That's where they 136 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:49.799 go under the car to keep them dry, to keep 137 00:08:49.840 --> 00:08:54.159 them away from the sun. So really it's time too 138 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:56.320 when they're about two weeks old, and if she's going 139 00:08:56.360 --> 00:08:59.440 to keep them in your area, try to find a spot, 140 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:05.279 if passed, where the kittens can be somehow contained. I 141 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:07.720 was lucky enough to have a little dog run, so 142 00:09:07.879 --> 00:09:10.360 I made a little house for the kittens in there. 143 00:09:10.639 --> 00:09:12.960 You know, they had a tarp, so they had I 144 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:15.679 made it, you know, put a tarpa actually the husband 145 00:09:15.720 --> 00:09:18.279 made of tarp so he gets a credit. We put 146 00:09:18.279 --> 00:09:20.679 a tarp up so that they would be protected from 147 00:09:20.720 --> 00:09:23.279 the sun and the rain. She was able to feed 148 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:26.559 them there, she was able to climb out and do whatever, 149 00:09:26.679 --> 00:09:29.879 but the kittens weren't at least for a while, and 150 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:33.200 it was a grassy area. There was a couple of 151 00:09:33.399 --> 00:09:36.039 plants we bought for they would have little bushes around 152 00:09:36.080 --> 00:09:39.919 them for jumping on some toys and things like that, 153 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:44.080 and they were fine. This way kept them somewhat protected 154 00:09:44.200 --> 00:09:47.519 from you know, definitely kept them protected from the driveway 155 00:09:47.639 --> 00:09:51.120 or going undering your cars. And it also kept them 156 00:09:51.519 --> 00:09:55.840 somewhat protected from wildlife such as raccoons and ducks and 157 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:58.600 possums and so forth. At least that's what I find 158 00:09:58.600 --> 00:10:01.360 in my aria, my neck and woods. You might find 159 00:10:01.399 --> 00:10:04.200 deer or something else that you need to protect them from. 160 00:10:04.440 --> 00:10:06.720 All right, we're going to be right back right after 161 00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:12.440 this break, real people, real stories. 162 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:15.799 Our little dog developed this lumph problem at the chemotherapy 163 00:10:15.879 --> 00:10:19.519 lasted for six months, started developing more lymph nose, so 164 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:21.879 I thought I'd just try carnivore. If the lymph nose 165 00:10:21.919 --> 00:10:23.919 started to go down, then I took him into the 166 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:26.120 vet to him checked out, and there was no signs 167 00:10:26.120 --> 00:10:26.840 at all. Inside. 168 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:29.240 My cad had issues that developed in his height, and 169 00:10:29.320 --> 00:10:31.840 three months later my ven airing said this, go ahead 170 00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:34.600 and remove the eye. I heard the carnivore on advertising, 171 00:10:34.799 --> 00:10:36.440 so I said, you know what, I'm going to order 172 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:38.960 this product. They did the procedure, they did all the 173 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:40.799 death and they said I don't know when you did 174 00:10:41.200 --> 00:10:43.159 this product, they had eye. 175 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:46.559 I've got a labrador. You could hardly lift yourself up 176 00:10:46.600 --> 00:10:49.360 off the door. The treatment list came to therapy. That's 177 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:51.840 when I said this could be the ticket. About three 178 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:54.720 weeks you could tell she was very alert. She was 179 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:57.080 going to buy my lock and she is just like 180 00:10:57.399 --> 00:10:58.039 crime again. 181 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:01.600 Well eight six six six eight seven three five. 182 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:05.000 That's eight six six eight three six eight seven three five. 183 00:11:05.399 --> 00:11:07.200 Or visit carnivore dot com. 184 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:09.759 That's c A r N I v O r A 185 00:11:09.919 --> 00:11:10.519 dot com. 186 00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:14.679 Use promo code pet Life at checkout for fifteen percent 187 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:17.879 off your order at carnivora dot com. 188 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:19.519 Let's talk past. 189 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:22.879 Let's cone pet about Life Radio HETLFE Radio. 190 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:35.639 Pet Live radio dot com. 191 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:40.320 Welcome back, everyone. This is Michelle Burn, your host on Catitude, 192 00:11:40.399 --> 00:11:43.960 and we're talking about kittie season and what you can 193 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:47.720 do to get through it. When you find community cats 194 00:11:47.720 --> 00:11:51.960 in your neighborhood that you want to assist or just 195 00:11:52.000 --> 00:11:55.960 to keep your cats safe, and especially if you have 196 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:59.399 indoor outdoor cats. So we've been talking about you know, 197 00:11:59.440 --> 00:12:03.600 what to do when the kitties are little and the 198 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:05.720 mom has just given birth and the kitties are a 199 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:08.759 couple weeks old. Here's another thing to be careful of. 200 00:12:09.240 --> 00:12:14.240 Watch out for kitties hiding inside your car. Yes, I 201 00:12:14.279 --> 00:12:18.480 said that right inside your car. Where I live, it's 202 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:22.799 an area that gets torrential rains and hurricanes and horrible weather. 203 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:25.639 And I found this also true for people that live 204 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:28.399 in areas where there's a lot of hail. So during 205 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:32.039 the time we were prepping for a somewhat mild hurricane, 206 00:12:32.279 --> 00:12:35.360 we couldn't find Sammy or what she did with her kittens, 207 00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:39.879 and so we were looking around, looking around, and we 208 00:12:40.039 --> 00:12:44.639 finally noticed that she hid them up inside my husband's 209 00:12:44.799 --> 00:12:47.960 SUV inside the car. I don't even want to think 210 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:50.559 about what could have happened if the car had been 211 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:53.600 turned on. That's oh, I can't even go there. But 212 00:12:54.039 --> 00:12:58.120 one thing that I've read many places on the internet, 213 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:01.519 and I've also heard from others show hosts on pet 214 00:13:01.559 --> 00:13:04.960 Life Radio, this is a good tip before you start 215 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:08.159 your car, bang on the hood. Just give a little bang. 216 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:11.200 This will startle any cat that happens to be climbing 217 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:15.840 up inside your car and will get them to jump out. 218 00:13:16.159 --> 00:13:18.559 So that was something I mean, I don't know how 219 00:13:18.600 --> 00:13:21.879 this mama cat, Sammy the mom and cat managed to 220 00:13:21.919 --> 00:13:25.080 bring all of her babies one by one up inside 221 00:13:25.320 --> 00:13:27.919 and she found an area she's a skinny little thing 222 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:31.320 to curb her body and have the cats still fit 223 00:13:31.480 --> 00:13:34.159 and wean from her. But the other thing that happened 224 00:13:34.240 --> 00:13:37.279 is the cat babies also fell out. You know, they 225 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:39.879 just like plopped out. They were so little, maybe at 226 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:41.679 this time they were a week and a half old. 227 00:13:42.039 --> 00:13:45.559 So we put some cushioning that was covered so from 228 00:13:45.600 --> 00:13:48.440 the even with the elements, it would still be you know, 229 00:13:48.559 --> 00:13:50.840 cushioned for them, so if the babies fell out, at 230 00:13:50.879 --> 00:13:54.200 least they wouldn't get hurt. Just be aware that kittens 231 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:58.240 and cats can hide inside and under your car so 232 00:13:58.639 --> 00:14:02.360 that you don't have any horrible surprises. You know, during 233 00:14:02.639 --> 00:14:06.480 the lifetime of a cat, she can have up to 234 00:14:06.720 --> 00:14:11.320 fifty litters of kittens, and most litters are anywhere from 235 00:14:11.440 --> 00:14:16.440 three to five kitties. And considering they can go into 236 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:20.480 heat maybe up to five times during their cycle, that 237 00:14:20.720 --> 00:14:24.120 is a lot of kitties. And multiply this times all 238 00:14:24.159 --> 00:14:26.519 of the millions of cats out there, queen cats out 239 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:28.879 there that are not you know, their queen cats are 240 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:32.360 not fixed. That's a lot of kitties, and what happens 241 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:35.879 to most of them is they are killed, euthanized, or 242 00:14:36.039 --> 00:14:40.080 run over or taken his prey by other wild animals. 243 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:42.639 The best way to put a stop to this is 244 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:47.320 to get your cats spade or neotered. That's, you know, 245 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:49.559 the best thing you could do. I can't think of 246 00:14:49.639 --> 00:14:53.399 anything better fix your cat, but one thing better, One 247 00:14:53.440 --> 00:14:57.639 thing that I am really a huge, huge advocate is 248 00:14:57.639 --> 00:15:02.480 is adopt, don't shop. There are so many kitties out 249 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:07.080 there that need to be adopted in shelters, especially during 250 00:15:07.159 --> 00:15:09.720 kitty season. This is a great time if you ever 251 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:13.600 wanted to volunteer at a cat shelter or if you 252 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:18.000 want to adopt, because there's an overwhelming amount of kitties 253 00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:21.679 that are available at places, you know, like your local 254 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:26.799 humane society or local you know cat shelter. There's a 255 00:15:26.799 --> 00:15:30.399 lot of vets that do TNR, so you might want 256 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:34.759 to inquire there or just you know, even there's neighborhood sites. 257 00:15:34.840 --> 00:15:37.440 One that I know of is called next Door. That 258 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:41.360 was actually where I did the responsible thing in getting 259 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:44.679 the kitties adopted. So I'm going to talk about that 260 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:47.159 in just a second. So there's a lot of ways 261 00:15:47.159 --> 00:15:50.440 you can reach out within your community to let people 262 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:53.720 know you have kitties. They're safe, they're okay. If you're 263 00:15:53.720 --> 00:15:55.840 able to take them to the vet for their first look. 264 00:15:55.879 --> 00:15:58.720 A lot of vets don't charge for the first visit. 265 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:01.440 Then you can let the people that are adopting the 266 00:16:01.519 --> 00:16:04.960 kitties know that they're healthy and you know, fine and 267 00:16:05.039 --> 00:16:07.879 ready to adopt. So there's a lot of things you 268 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:11.480 can do just to be I guess, a really good 269 00:16:11.799 --> 00:16:16.080 pet person, pet pet parent, pet advocate, and think about 270 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:19.600 maybe adopting yourself, you know. I mean, this is how 271 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:24.120 my kitty family grew by by four. I had one 272 00:16:24.360 --> 00:16:28.399 and now there's five. So this is what happened. So 273 00:16:28.759 --> 00:16:32.200 now I was talking earlier about Sammy and I mentioned 274 00:16:32.200 --> 00:16:34.200 little bits of her, but I want to share a 275 00:16:34.240 --> 00:16:36.720 little bit of the story. Some people might have heard 276 00:16:36.759 --> 00:16:39.279 it in an earlier episode, but you know, it deals 277 00:16:39.320 --> 00:16:43.559 with kitty season. When I moved into my now home, 278 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:46.559 it was around kitty season. It was right around April, 279 00:16:47.039 --> 00:16:50.080 and there was you know, a little I thought it 280 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:52.639 was a little kitty, but and she might have been. 281 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:55.559 I don't know how old Sammy was. And we started 282 00:16:55.559 --> 00:16:58.440 feeding her and then we thought wow, you know, she's 283 00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:03.000 she's getting kind of she must be doing okay, you know, 284 00:17:03.480 --> 00:17:07.640 and lo and behold, maybe a couple months later, she 285 00:17:07.799 --> 00:17:11.759 gave birth right in front of my doorstep, right there. 286 00:17:12.160 --> 00:17:17.200 And she must have been impregnated by two tomcats because 287 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:20.519 and remember earlier I mentioned that the queens can be 288 00:17:20.559 --> 00:17:25.119 impregnated and have multiple letters in one berth. Well, two 289 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:28.400 of her kitties looked just like her and just like 290 00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:32.039 who I think is the father. And the other kitty 291 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:34.640 was black and white. That's miss Molly. If you've seen 292 00:17:34.640 --> 00:17:39.039 her on Instagram, which is at catatude seventeen, she's a 293 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:42.079 little black and white diva with the most gorgeous like 294 00:17:42.240 --> 00:17:45.599 green alien eyes as I call them. Anyway, So she 295 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:49.720 gave birth and it was awakening for me because I 296 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:53.240 had never been around kittens that small. So these kittens 297 00:17:53.279 --> 00:17:56.079 are growing and they're mobile, they're walking all over the 298 00:17:56.119 --> 00:17:59.680 place by about three weeks, maybe a little less, and 299 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:02.200 that's when I decided we either have to put them 300 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:05.279 in some place, which we luckily had a dog one 301 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:07.359 And some people said, you know, why didn't you take 302 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:09.880 them in your home? Why didn't you bring them in 303 00:18:09.920 --> 00:18:12.440 your patio? We do have a covered and screen patio, 304 00:18:12.960 --> 00:18:16.039 and the reason is because of Mama. Sammy wouldn't have 305 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:20.079 liked it. She's very much a wild cat. She's I 306 00:18:20.119 --> 00:18:22.519 don't want to stay wild. She's a feral cat. She's 307 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:26.079 a community cat. She's come a long way and she's 308 00:18:26.200 --> 00:18:30.680 become much more socialized towards us, but she's still an 309 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:33.359 outdoor cat. So if I had tried to bring the 310 00:18:33.440 --> 00:18:37.000 kittens inside the patio, they would be separate from the mom, 311 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:39.279 and Sammy would have done whatever she could to get 312 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:43.079 to the cats. So we couldn't put her inside a 313 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:46.720 contained place. The only time we did is kind of 314 00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:49.359 and it feels a little mean, but we kind of 315 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:53.000 trapped her and put her in a very large cat carrier. 316 00:18:53.599 --> 00:18:57.599 Is during a hurricane that was going to be very, 317 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:01.000 very pretty bad and there was nothing else we could do. 318 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:03.000 But we did put her with the kiddies and put 319 00:19:03.039 --> 00:19:05.640 food in water, and she had plenty of room and 320 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:08.160 she wasn't in there very long. It was just during 321 00:19:08.440 --> 00:19:10.920 the part of the storm that was you know, horrible, 322 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:13.920 and probably a couple of hours. It wasn't very long, 323 00:19:14.160 --> 00:19:16.759 but we you know, built a little community for them 324 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:20.200 under a tarp well they had a tarp area, big 325 00:19:20.240 --> 00:19:24.880 grassy area, plants, toys, the whole bit, and they did well. 326 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:27.599 And so I was wondering, you know, when can I 327 00:19:27.640 --> 00:19:31.319 get her fixed? Well, I tried to catch her myself, 328 00:19:31.359 --> 00:19:34.920 and that didn't work so well. And so by the 329 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:37.440 time I did try to get her fixed, guess what, 330 00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:41.480 she was pregnant again. Yep. And that was only a 331 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:46.480 period of maybe oh geez, maybe like four weeks, five weeks, 332 00:19:46.559 --> 00:19:49.480 six weeks, maybe six weeks later she was already pregnant. 333 00:19:49.799 --> 00:19:52.279 And people told me, you know, you can't really take 334 00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:55.640 her in to get fixed until the babies are old enough, 335 00:19:55.680 --> 00:19:59.039 so you have to wait six weeks, eight weeks. And 336 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:01.839 then she gave birth today again to another three cats 337 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:04.519 off tabbies like herself. Oh and by the way, we 338 00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:07.640 did adopt the black and white one from that, you know, 339 00:20:07.720 --> 00:20:10.680 miss Molly, so we adopted one, and we adopted the 340 00:20:10.759 --> 00:20:13.839 kitten that she had when that was with her, Charlotte, 341 00:20:13.880 --> 00:20:16.799 so we adopted two from her litter. Plus we have 342 00:20:16.880 --> 00:20:21.079 Dennis in side, so that's three indoor kiddies anymore. And 343 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:23.839 I don't know if I would be able to breathe, 344 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:26.680 because I just about manage my allergies with the three 345 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:30.160 of them. So she had the second litter, and we 346 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:32.920 took care of them the same way. And when they 347 00:20:32.960 --> 00:20:35.039 were very very little, we did get them, you know, 348 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:38.799 some kitten formula and as they got older, you know, 349 00:20:38.920 --> 00:20:41.440 special food for kittens and so on. We did this 350 00:20:41.519 --> 00:20:45.839 with the first litter as well, and I began seeking 351 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:49.599 out a way to get her fixed earlier than I 352 00:20:49.640 --> 00:20:52.359 did before, because I didn't want her to go through 353 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:55.319 another litter. I made sure that all of the kittens 354 00:20:55.319 --> 00:20:58.480 were adopted the first letter, and you know, of course 355 00:20:58.519 --> 00:21:01.279 we adopted one. And then for the second letter, I 356 00:21:01.359 --> 00:21:05.480 did the same thing. I reached out on nextdoor dot 357 00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:09.839 com to my local neighborhood and adopted sim kittens that way, 358 00:21:09.920 --> 00:21:13.480 reached out to friends let them know. I also made sure, 359 00:21:13.519 --> 00:21:16.279 and this is common during kitting season, make sure that 360 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:19.759 whoever adopts your kitties want a kitty that will turn 361 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:23.680 into a cat and no longer be an adorable little kitten. 362 00:21:23.839 --> 00:21:27.960 There's still adorable cats, but don't just let anybody adopt them, 363 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:31.279 you know. I recently did a wonderful interview with Crumbs 364 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:35.279 and Whiskers, and they go through a little screening process, 365 00:21:35.359 --> 00:21:38.319 which is wonderful because a lot of times people will 366 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:41.640 impulsely say, oh, I want that kitty so cute, and 367 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:45.200 not realize all the care that goes into caring for 368 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:49.680 a kitten, a cat, a dog, a puppy or you know, 369 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:53.119 a durabil or rabbit whatever, But make sure that they're 370 00:21:53.160 --> 00:21:57.039 willing to deal with everything that's involved and the cost, 371 00:21:57.160 --> 00:22:00.519 the visits and so forth. So I had to do. 372 00:22:00.799 --> 00:22:03.599 And this is also an interview that I had because 373 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:05.480 I've never heard of it and I thought it was interesting. 374 00:22:05.519 --> 00:22:08.279 This is an earlier interview. I hired a cat trapper 375 00:22:08.599 --> 00:22:11.880 and the cat trapper was able to catch Sammy and 376 00:22:12.240 --> 00:22:15.440 Sammy was fixed. I got her baby daddy fixed. So 377 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:19.039 Sammy was fixed, and just to summarize where everybody is now, 378 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:22.519 her baby daddy was fixed. That's Jethrow. So Sammy and 379 00:22:22.599 --> 00:22:26.039 Jethrow are like our outdoor cats, you know, they prefer 380 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:28.880 it that way, and they have a house outside where 381 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:32.079 they can go into. They have a special heating unit 382 00:22:32.279 --> 00:22:36.559 in there that specially for cats and very safe that 383 00:22:36.599 --> 00:22:39.240 we use during when it's a little bit cooler, which 384 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:43.400 where I live is about fifty degrees. I know, not 385 00:22:43.480 --> 00:22:45.920 that called but for the kiddies, it's fine. They can 386 00:22:45.960 --> 00:22:48.960 go into there when it's raining, they get fed, they 387 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:51.720 get flea treatment, and of course they were both fixed, 388 00:22:52.039 --> 00:22:55.640 so no more unwanted kitties being born trying to find 389 00:22:55.640 --> 00:22:59.599 a home. And they seem to be much happier as well, 390 00:22:59.640 --> 00:23:02.480 you know, and they're just the cutest little pair. They're 391 00:23:02.519 --> 00:23:06.119 on my Instagram at times. I have pictures of Sammy 392 00:23:06.119 --> 00:23:10.000 and Jeffer, but they're a happy cat family. Mollie is 393 00:23:10.200 --> 00:23:14.079 now Wow, she's about almost two and a half. Whow 394 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:18.960 does time fly? And she's doing great. And Charlotte is 395 00:23:19.000 --> 00:23:22.720 her bigger sister. There's a little subling rivalry there, but 396 00:23:23.079 --> 00:23:26.839 Charlotte is doing very well also, and that's kind of 397 00:23:26.839 --> 00:23:29.680 what's going on. So I'm just so glad to be 398 00:23:29.759 --> 00:23:32.440 able to share this with you and to let you 399 00:23:32.480 --> 00:23:36.000 know all about kitty season. Also keep in mind that 400 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:39.240 there's a lot of pop up kitty cafes and kitty 401 00:23:39.279 --> 00:23:43.519