They are so cute......thank you for taking them in.

I miss having a pet~ Especially a kitty!

Yes, thanks for taking them in.. so many people would have just left them to fend for themselves. They are a pretty bunch!

Hemi is darling (all three of them are) but I love her little grumpy face.

A motley crew for sure.

They sure seem to be at home, at least in the picture.

Elgie looks so much like my Lottiegirl, who has been gone almost a year.

Lucky kitties!

Sue

They are so cute, Lynn!

But I just gotta ask... is it really possible that Baby-Baby was born 5 weeks before the other two from the same mother? Seems like I'm learning a lot today! LOL

How adorable and how kind of you too

Soo Cute!! My neighbors used to have a cat just like Hemi-gorgeous! But a bit of a character!

Thanks for your kind words! They are doing pretty well, especially considering their start in life. Baby was brought in and was quite the little spitfire. Murraysmom and Nita helped get her tamed down by playing with her. We are doing the same with Hemi and Elgie, but it is really taking a lot of patience and time. Their sibling was eaten one night and then something killed their mom a week or so later, their flee response is enhanced. But we have made great strides and I know we will work thru it.

We will have an undecorated tree this year but they are having a ball with it.

They are beautiful!! When I was trying to hand-tame Peachy and her siblings I watched a couple of YouTube videos on using food to accomplish this. They recommended using baby food meat (chicken or turkey), but "my" kittens actually preferred canned cat food.

Ohhh, Hemi is so cute. Wish I could have a kitten again, but the allergies are a serious problem.

Bless you for taking them in and caring for them....If you've had kittens before, you know it takes patience and since they had such a rough start, it might take extra patience....But, the love you'll receive will make up for all the undecorated trees....

I too have decided, the big tree will stay in the box this year...Our new kitten, Ms Baylee is just too wild and crazy to attemp the tree...I did put a smaller one together with her help and I finally had to put her in the bathroom while I finished and stuck it out on the porch, out of her reach......There's always next year, right....

You fur babies are a gorgeous bunch and they really do look at home......

so cute

The hissing, spitting, and avoidance is typical of kittens raised in the wild. They were 'wild' cats when they came under your care. For the first week of their lvies, their eyes are closed and they are totally dependent on mother cat for sustance and nesting. Soon after the eyes open, they become aware of differences between mommy and other creatures and their displeaasure toward foriegn creatures begin to appear. If they had no human contact for a month after eye-opening, they can be quite fearful of an invading human: Its a normal behavor.

Kittnes two months and older coming into human care can be challenging. It requires much patience and demonstration of gentlenss before they begin to trust you. At first, its best not to 'force' you intentions, but let the animal gradual warm to you and investigate you.

In a group of kittens, differences in personality will show and one or two will be quicker to want you attention. When you find this more accepting kitten, you can begin to make use of "cat jealosy". When the entire herd avoids you and acts the same, all is neutral in their pod. But if one begins to get favored and petted, some of the other will want to horn in on the action, and this is when you will begin to break down the natural defence barrier of the group toward you. Often, there will be one that refuses to be fully tamed for a long period. It'll probably the older kitten of the group.

When we were children, my sister and I learned the hard way that barn cats can be over-tamed. One year, we had about 8 barn kittens. We handled all of then and made dear pets of them. They trusted us completely and that was the problem. These young kittens became so tame that they did not recognize impending danger if we were present and they failed to get out of the way of inanimate objects - they associated our vehicles with us. We lost one when we climbed aboard a horse drawn wagon. When the wagon began to move, one kitten, hoping to be hoisted aboard, did not get out of the way of a wheel.

We found that the over-tamed cats had to be protected. They had lost their survival instinct and would not make good barn cats until some of that wariness returned.

Moonie, I'm sorry I didn't notice your question. Cats can carry more than one litter at a time. We noticed after she brought Baby around that she was still 'chubby', DH said that he thought she was just fat but I didn't think it looked like fat, she looked wide. I think when she abandoned Baby on the patio that night was when she was giving birth to the others.

Jemdandy, you sure know a lot about cat behavior. Lynn, I had no idea cats could carry more than one litter at a time. Those poor mommies! Your cats are very sweet, Lynn. I loved seeing the pictures. Hemi is a pretty girl.

We adopted our kitty from a shelter when she was 4-5 months old. She is a nice pet but kind of nervous and skittish, doesn't care to be held much, will sit on your lap but only for a few minutes. I've often wondered if she was captured as a feral cat before we got her. She's also thin. The vet cannot find a reason and she is otherwise healthy.

Triple sweetness! :)

You're a sweetheart for giving them a chance; thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to type up all that info, Jemdandy. Hemi is trying very hard to gather the courage to get close but she just cannot allow herself to do so. We play and she will let me touch her, very briefly and last night she ate some turkey from my hand. I fell asleep on the sofa and DH said she came up and sat at the end of the couch watching me.

We have the 3 Maine Coons and Baby who are all used to being picked up, combed, and spoiled! LOL!!! Grady (an indoor/outdoor cat that is from the same mom born last year) is also very tame, he comes in the house every night and sleeps with me when he gets a chance. So these two are watching and taking this all in.....they are learning. Hemi is shyer but Elgie is more hesitant.

Socks, even our Maine Coons are skittish at times. Any loud noise causes a cat-alanche! Cowards! But the funny thing is that the three big cats scatter and Baby sits looks around saying WTH?

They look so sweet. My cat Whisper died in the summer of 2010. Hubby says I can get a kitten for Christmas. We have several animal shelters around. My daughters boyfriend raises "Scottish Fold" and "American Curl" kittens. They have unusual ears. And can be expensive. I'm thinking more of a free kitten from the Town Shelter.

Oh Jannie, a friend of ours has 2 folds, they are great kitties. But you are right they are expensive, she paid more than I paid for my younger MCs. If I ever find myself catless again I will go to the shelter, there are so many lives in need of saving.