Adventures with Callie

The Ambush: A Story in Pictures

2012-03-27T16:38:00.001-04:00

One day, Bippity and Boo were wrestling

when Bippity gets an idea.

"Do you give up, Bippity?" Boo pins Bippity in the nesting box.

(Just a little of Boppity is seen to the right.)

Personality

2012-03-27T00:53:00.001-04:00

The last time I updated this site, I thought that it might be hard to come up with things to say for the next entry. “Oh, the kittens are eating and sleeping… blah, blah, blah.” However, that is not the case at all.

Don’t get me wrong, the kittens are eating and sleeping – plenty. They are also getting BIG! Their eyes are fully open but will still be blue for a while. They are each developing their own distinct personality. They have been practicing their skills with walking and play fighting. They are also purring and beginning to clean themselves (and each other).

Money Trouble

2012-03-24T19:58:00.003-04:00

I’ve been having some trouble writing about Callie and her kittens lately because I’ve been sort of bummed out. The ad privileges on this site have been revoked due to invalid clicks. It happened shortly after I added the YouTube videos to the Adsense account, so it could have been from the blog or from the Ustream video that was shared on YouTube. Either way, the funding that had accumulated is now *poof!* all gone. If anyone has experience with fund-raising through blogging, I’d love to hear from you and what your recommendations might be. You’re welcome to send an e-mail or leave a comment at the end of the post. Thanks!

Don’t worry, there will be another post about the kittens soon. The toughest part has been getting pictures of them.

My, What Big Eyes You Have!

2012-03-15T00:21:00.002-04:00

Peek-a-Boo!

The kittens’ eyes are open, and they are moving a bit faster now. The kittens usually spend their time nursing and sleeping. They haven’t started walking yet, but they are able to move around pretty quickly. It’s especially cute when they’re trying to start walking but just sort of rock back and forth on all fours. There have been a couple of escape attempts interrupted by us, and we now have a barricade in the box overnight. It won’t be long before we’ll need that barricade during the days as well.

Our Live Feed!

2012-03-08T14:57:00.001-05:00

I have created an account on Ustream under my id, kiteflier98, and set up the channel, Adventures with Callie for a live feed. It isn't always exciting, but there are some fun moments when the kittens try to "climb Mt. Momma" or she is cleaning them. Check it out here! Ustream Channel - Adventures with Callie. I will record segments of the live feed for viewing if you aren't able to view us live. Thanks for visiting!

Postpartum News

2012-03-06T18:30:00.002-05:00

Momma and kittens resting
after a trip to the vet.

We didn't get to the vet until Tuesday because I was simply drained on Monday. Being a midwife and kitten sitter takes a lot of energy! I got a few hours sleep overnight, and took a naps on Monday when Callie wasn't needing attention. Part of the time I was just to weak to get out of bed. I've been so attentive to Callie and the kittens that I haven't been looking after myself, and on Monday I realized that I've been forgetting to eat on occasion and missed my vitamins for a couple of days.
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The New Arrivals

2012-03-04T20:12:00.002-05:00

What a busy weekend! Not only did we have family visiting this weekend, but Callie gave birth to her kittens this weekend. It has been a roller coaster of emotion for most of us. I am rather drained now, making this a difficult post to write in so many ways.

About 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Callie gave birth to the first of her litter, and by 8:30 p.m. we had three cute, healthy kittens being welcomed to the world. By the end of Saturday, both mama and kittens were settled in comfortably after a long journey.

Sunday arrived with everyone doing well, but in the early afternoon I noticed a sort of rattling sound in the breathing of kitten #2 (center of pic on right). A gentle tap on the back seemed to help, but I am concerned and will be looking for advice at the vet tomorrow.

The Hidey Hole

2012-03-01T15:44:00.001-05:00

Callie relaxing on the bed.

Although you wouldn't know it from her current behavior around the house, Callie has been an anxious cat from the very beginning. She would greet us by rolling on her back for a tummy rub, and if another stray competed for food, she would express dominance by hissing, "My food, stay away!" In fact, we felt sorry for the other stray (who is most likely the one to get her pregnant later), and would hold her back so that he could share some of the food.

However, as we approached Callie to take her up on that tummy rub, she would skitter off and peek at us from behind the dumpster in front of the apartment building. We got to know her as we lured her out with some food and eventually she would allow us to pet her. In time, she started to peek into the apartment building and one day followed us down the hall to our apartment, going back to the front door when we'd walk her out.
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Playtime!

2012-02-26T00:16:00.001-05:00

Callie took a while to get to know us and didn't really play much until we got some catnip. I think she was on her own too long and just needed some more socialization with humans. To be safe, I checked around to make sure it was okay to have catnip while pregnant, and it is! Here is a short video (a little low-quality) of Callie in action.

She is also quite fond of the laser pointer. I'll have to put up a video of that one another time.

Grooming

2012-02-25T00:51:00.000-05:00

Callie playing with a wand toy -
more to report about this in a later post.

Dana was courageous enough to give Callie a bath, and it all went pretty well. She cries (a long cat call sort of cry) a bit, but other than that, she's very trusting of us. She seems a lot happier now that she's clean, and so are we.

I noticed that it's also time to trim her nails a bit. I hope to do this in the next few days when she's sleepy and definitely before the kittens arrive. Just to make sure I trim her nails correctly, I'm reviewing a site I've had bookmarked. Callie does pretty well having her nails trimmed, and fortunately (for me), they're white, so it isn't too difficult. I'm hoping all will go smoothly again this time. Just the same, if anyone has additional advice, I'd love to hear it!

2012-02-14T18:54:00.000-05:00

Callie was taken to a local vet to be checked for a microchip. Unfortunately, no microchip was found so she will be staying with us a little longer. It was confirmed that she is healthy and indeed pregnant (we were saving to have her spayed).

We're hoping to find her a good home - my allergies have gotten bad enough that I'm having asthma trouble now.

Fortunately, the vet said they have people asking for kittens frequently so there may be hope in that respect. If you can help, please contact me so that we can find her (and the kittens) a good home. She is a very loving, mild-mannered, sweet cat in need of a good home.

2012-02-06T04:03:00.000-05:00

Callie is still living with us and appears to be rather pregnant. I didn't have the nerve to keep her cooped up while we were saving our pennies to have her spayed, so now I'm hoping to find a home for kittens as well. Aaargh. Add cat allergies to the mold from a neglected humidifier, and the past month has been a real pain in the arse.

2012-01-20T00:13:00.000-05:00

Well, I've done it. I've picked up a sinus/respiratory infection thing from spending too much time with the cat. How dare she be so lovable.

I'm about halfway through my course of antibiotics, and Sunday will be my last day of Prednisone. I need to be using my asthma inhaler until we have another home for the cat as well (grumble, moan).

a sidenote...

2011-12-22T05:09:00.000-05:00

Dana (my husband) was told that his contract position is ending on the 30th, the same time my unemployment benefits will be ending. The kids will be with us for the week following Christmas, making it tougher on the food budget. Oh yeah, our food assistance was cut at the end of November. We've reapplied, but these things take time.

It sucks not having enough money to spare so that we can get toys for the kids. At least we'll have food and a roof over our heads, and for that I am thankful. Hopefully the news will improve and we'll have something more concrete. Right now I don't know what we'll be doing after the first week of January.

Update: It turns out that I am still covered under federal unemployment for a few more weeks, although our budget is still seriously strained.

2011-12-12T17:52:00.000-05:00

Ugh... all I can say at this point is ugh. The cat was *not* happy with the kids coming to visit this weekend, primarily due to the quantity of people and the young ages. Although I've thought that she's a younger cat from looking at her teeth, she acts like an old fart and doesn't want to be bothered or play. I'm guessing she's a lot like me in the anxiety department. She's good with people one on one, but can't handle a lot of excitement from the younger ones, especially the six year-old boy. He wanted to chase her around both outside and in, and she finally hid under a chair and begged me to let her hide in our bedroom.
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sigh

2011-11-30T23:16:00.001-05:00

We've been suckered in by a cat, and now the weather is cold. She's a really pretty calico with green eyes, and although she looks cared for, it's hard to tell if anyone owns her. We've cleaned minimal leaves and twigs off of her only a couple of times over the last two months, and she's never had matted hair. She has no tags, but there's still the possibility that she has a skin implant ID. Dana and I checked for no-kill shelters in our area, and they charge a fee for animals. I guess that's understandable since they have operating costs, but for the same price, we might be able to have her spayed and keep her a while longer. It's tough to decide what to do.
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