Meet Alex (as in “-ander Hamilton”) and Sweet Baby James!
Found abandoned in some blackberry brambles, Alex and his tiny brother Sweet Baby James were the youngest kittens to be fostered so far at BeeBee’s House. Barely three weeks old, they were still nursing, so it was bottle-feeding every three hours (around the clock, mind you! Kittens need feeding during the night as well!) for them in the beginning.
You can see this feat of accomplishment here. Alex did not fool around at mealtimes.
As they got older, the time between feedings increased, and semi-normal sleeping schedules resumed. Bottles became less and less frequent and weaning ensued. These kittens did not take kindly to the slurry idea (mixing wet kitten food with formula) and went straight for the unadulterated can I’d left out by my leg when preparing their slurry bottle. Alex was the first to investigate and adore this yummy thing, and James thought it was a great idea, too. So we skipped the slurry stage and went straight to wet food in a dish, supplemented by bottles. This worked out well, and soon they didn’t even ask for (*cough*demandloudly*cough*) their “baba.” I still made one every time I came in with their food (they had a bowl always available, but I came in at scheduled times to make sure it was refilled with fresh canned food) for three days straight, and once three days had passed without them wanting a bottle, I stopped making them altogether.
They didn’t miss their bottle at all. Wet food was a hit. They’ve been on solids for about three weeks now, and about a week ago I introduced them to kitten kibble. Most people feed dry food to their cats, and it’s standard fare at the shelter they are adopted out of, so I wanted them to get used to the idea of kibble before they’re up for adoption.
Alex loves his wet food, but dry food is his idea of wonderful. He adores his kibble, and prefers it to the can.
James is the opposite, and loves his wet food. He will eat dry, but it’s not as nice as the can. As soon as he hears that can pop open he comes running.
At first, James had some issues going to the bathroom, and we had him looked over at the vet. It turns out both James and Alex are of Manx descent, and while Alex is just fine with his stumpy tail, James had a slight touch of the congenital issues that can occur with Manx kittens. James is a Rumpy Manx, with absolutely no tail whatsoever. He was given a prognosis of “guarded” when he was three weeks old. Only time would tell if his spinal issues would improve with growth, or worsen.
Guess what?
James is a happy, healthy, nine week old kitten, ready for his forever home along with brother Alex.
Sweet Baby James takes a nap. It’s a hard life, being a kitten!
He can run, jump, and climb with the best of them. His legs are a little bowed and his bottom a little rounder than usual, but that doesn’t stop him from doing everything his brother does, including using the litter box just fine, thank you very much!
Sweet Baby James is a better climber than his brother Alex.
Alex likes red. It’s his favorite color.
Two new graduates of BeeBee’s House Kitten Rescue! Congratulations, Alex and Sweet Baby James!
