Tips for separating littermates?
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| Wed, 05-11-2005 - 12:42pm |
I took Bailey home by himself last night and he cried his little heart out. It was his first time away from ALL of his siblings and he was very stressed. I kept him in a crate in the 2nd bedroom again last night, so that Tasha wouldn't find him, and this time he was alone. About 6am, I became aware of him crying, so I got up and went into his room. He was NEVER so happy to see me - he climbed up onto my chest and even started purring - but he still had a very distressed look on his little face. I went out to the kitchen to get his feeding syringe ready, and while I was out there, he shrieked all the louder. When I came back, he ate quite a bit, so I thought maybe he was crying because he was hungry. But as soon as I left him alone again, he started crying all over again.
He is here at work with me again today. The lady who took his brother ended up bringing him in too - I didn't think she was going to - and as soon as they saw each other they started playing and grooming each other, and now they are cuddled together and sleeping. They love each other so much and it breaks my heart to separate them again!
I'm going to start introducing Bailey to Tasha tonight - but Tasha will certainly be no substitute for his brother, even if she DOES take to him right away. What am I going to do? It's been so long since I've had a kitten, I can't remember how long it takes for them to stop crying for their littermates. My heart is breaking for him - I'd never seen anything so pathetic in my life as the look on that poor little guy's face this morning. :(
On a brighter note, Bailey got a clean bill of health from the vet last night! He weighs 1lb 2oz, and the vet figures he is at least 5-6 weeks old. He said a feral mother probably would have left her kittens to fend for themselves about now, or very soon, anyway, so it's a good thing we found them! In two weeks we'll be going back to start his shots.



Awww, poor little guy.
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Yes, we can definitely hope! LOL. Stranger things have happened - my grandfather's dog mothered an abandoned kitten once. She'd recently had a litter of puppies herself, so she still had milk, and even allowed the kitten to nurse! It was before I was born, but my mom has told me the story several times.
Tasha heard Bailey crying last night, and she seemed VERY curious, not apprehensive or tense at all. I'm hoping that's a good sign!
PS: Bailey ate from a bowl this morning!!! Yay!!!!! No more nursing him with the syringe! (Though I may use it once more so I can get a picture - LOL).
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That's great Bailey ate from a bowl this morning.
I'm not sure if Tasha ever had kittens. My BF and I have wondered from time to time whether there were ever any baby Tashas running around somewhere. :) She was supposedly with her previous owners her whole life, but she was an outdoor kitty with them. If she wasn't spayed until later on, I guess it is entirely possible!
I will post some pics of my Bailey soon. I don't have a digital camera, so I have to wait for my film to be developed the old-fashioned way. :)
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