#kitten lady

neonatal kittens in the US who do not have somewhere to go by closing time will likely have to be euthanized because they simply do not have anywhere to go.

if you have an extra room, an extra corner, you CAN help save these lives and make a difference - and man oh man is it rewarding!! just google "kitten fostering near me" and find the best rescue option for you

and, above all else:

please spay and neuter your pets!!!

your pet accidentally getting out even just one time is enough to get pregnant or impregnate another animal, and will lead to situations like this where the already overworked and under-funded animal rescue infrastructure cannot support those babies and they end up euthanized.

“Chouchou is thriving right now! 

Can I tell you something? A big fear I have is that people will fall in love with Chouchou online… and then want to buy Persian cat. So please know that if you love kittens like Chouchou, the last thing on earth you should do is support the breeding of Persian cats! Persian cats are bred to have unnaturally flat faces for no reason other than the aesthetic preference of humans. But this brachycephaly leads to many problems for them, including respiratory issues, eye issues, and often congenital abnormalities including cleft palates, like Chouchou has. Unfortunately most of the kittens born with these medical problems will not be lucky like Chouchou—they will suffer and die as newborns, because it is very difficult and not cost efficient to save a kitten like Chou. Kitten deformities & death are just part of the cost of doing business for a Persian breeder! In fact, Persian cats have the highest infant mortality rate of any breed, according to research. So while I’m happy that we all love Chouchou, I just want to continually emphasize that Chouchou’s story isn’t one about how Persian cats are desirable animals. His story is about why no one should ever, ever support the breeding of Persian cats. The truth is that most people have no idea what they are supporting, or getting themselves into, when buying a Persian kitten. But babies like him don’t deserve to suffer or die just so someone can make a quick buck off of the ignorance of others.

P.S. Don’t believe me that these cats are often born with cleft palates? Check out @purritoplace who is raising another little Persian kitten named Cabbage with the same exact problem (I’ll pop Cabbage’s photos in the comments.) Cabbage and Chouchou are two of the lucky few who live to have someone tell their story, and to advocate on behalf of those who are less lucky than them. If you love them, please — never breed or buy these flat-faced cats.”

Some screenshots from Kitten Lady's 2019 video titled "I Went KITTEN SHOPPING!" in which they discuss the Herb Garden kittens who had to be kept separate because they were sucking on each other. These kittens were without a mama cat for so long they tried to nurse on each other, by sucking each other's genitals (usually those of the male kittens). This is a behaviour that may stick even after they start being bottle-fed again. It is very dangerous both for the kitten sucking (because it will make the other kitten pee, and the sucking kitten will ingest urine); and for the kitten being sucked on, as it can lead to deformation of their genitals.

The solution to this behaviour is to keep the kittens separate when not supervised. They can have play time together with supervision after feedings, but need to be separated again once they go back to sleep.

The behaviour usually disappears once they're no longer bottle fed, though I've had couple of cases where it persisted after, when a kitten is looking for comfort (similarly to how kittens can continue to suckle their mama for comfort after they've been weaned off of her milk). As a foster parent, my only solution to persistent sucking is not to adopt that particular kitten out with her brothers.

I've had a couple of litters that engaged in sucking (once two litters of a similar age at the same time) and it can be very stressful. If you're dealing with this and you're struggling, make sure to reach out to your shelter for advice and additional material. I had a lot of trouble making sure all the kittens had a heat source (which they need in the first few weeks) and keep them from each other once they were older and needed more space (but were still bottle fed). Luckily these particular kittens stopped once bottle time was over and they were able to be together 24/7 again.

[ID: 6 screenshots with subtitles on from Kitten Lady's Youtube video "I went kitten shopping!".

In the first screenshot, three women, with Kitten Lady on the right, are talking to each other. In the next five screenshots, Kitten lady is holding a black baby kitten, while another person approaches with a cat carrier, opens it and Kitten Lady puts the black baby kitten inside.

The first screenshot has white overlay text that says: "The herb garden kittens were separated due to sucking (nursing on each other) which can be harmful for the babies."

The 2nd to 6th screenshot shows the following subtitles for the dialogue:

"How long have they been separated from each other?"

"V: We- They came into us nursing on each other, so they cam [sic] iiinn..."

"KL: So they don't know each other?"

"V: They… They know each other- They see each other because they get to be together while they're being monitored,"

"and then when they go back to bed, we separate them out."

look at this fucking cat

it’s perfectly safe by the way, he couldnt wash his long fur because of his cleft palate so they got a specialist in to trim his fur

Edit:

(the question was "How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?")