NEWSFLASH! The Black and White Kitten is Trying to Escape From The Box!

Well, last night we noticed all the kittens are attempting to walk around in their box. They're a little wobbly, but can manage to get from point A to point B.

Then tonight, while Mojo was eating, I went in to check on the kittens, and the Black and White one was able to get her paws up on the top of the box, and look over the edge. She was meowing and trying to pull her self over the top. Yes, she was literally "thinking out of the box"! It won't be long now!

I'll try and get some good pictures of them this coming weekend.

Cat Scratch Fever and a Black Cat Who is "Feisty and Full of the Devil"

The Times Plus, Monroe Times, Monroe, Wisconsin, USA

I occasionally will search news stories to see what I can find on Black Cats, and today I came across the story that links above about a black cat name Dameon who caused the writer, June Augsburg, to contract "Cat Scratch Fever".

Come to find out, it can be pretty serious, so I thought it was worthy of posting here. I also thought it made for an interesting read, as Augsburg's use of words describing the incident made me giggle, although the story really wasn't funny.

The "Mojo Muse" Realized - But Where Was My Camera!

It was one of those moments that you will always remember, but you have no proof, no documentation, no witnesses, just a memory. Gee!

I started sewing my "Cat Scratch Curtains" while my cat, Mojo, was still pregnant. She was my muse, my inspiration for the name of the curtains, but had yet, to scratch the "Cat Scratch Curtains", although I caught her scratching my expensive silk ones in the Bedroom, once. No damage, thank goodness.

Since I have many windows in the Living Room / Dining Room / Office area, and had only one window done, I decided to get back to working on them this past weekend. I have a half length window in the Dining Room above my computer, and after sewing all the yarn on one of the panels, I decided to cut it in half, as I have a shelf under the window, and I didn't want it to go down to the floor like I want for the other windows.

Well, as I was cutting it, she came out of the box from her kittens, and started attacking the scissors, as she did with her pink blanket as I was cutting it in half, to make two of them as whaleshaman had so thoughtfully suggested, (see previous post down there somewhere).

Then it happened, and me, with no camera handy!

I had the panel folded in half, laying on the carpet in the Living Room, and cutting it. After she attacked the scissors, she walked onto the curtains, and scratched them, EXACTLY where the yarn was sewed onto, which represents the cat scratches! It would have been a perfect shot, if I only had my camera handy!

Of course, I ran and got the camera, but by then she didn't feel like scratching the curtains anymore. That's a cat for you.

After I got them all sewn up and finished, she did have to come investigate the hanging of them.

I can tell by the look on her face she is getting sick and tired of all the pictures I have been taking of her lately. I saw the same look on my daughter's face when I was taking photography classes.

2 Week Old Kittens and It's Still Calm Here

In the past week not much has happened new with the kittens, except you can occasionally catch a glimpse of them sitting up. They do seem to get around a little quicker, by crawling about.

I am amazed at Mojo's dedication to her kittens. She is in with them, I would say 85% of the time, and you very seldom hear a whimper out of the kittens. I feel she deserves a Mother Of The Year Award!

The Kitten's Eyes Have Opened!

Oh how cute they are!

My husband noticed the striped kitten's eyes were open first, and called me in to look at them. I picked each one of them up, and held them right up to my face and looked into their squinty little eyes, and when they made eye contact with me, they all stopped meowing long enough to try and figure out who or what I was! Oh gawd! I'm in love!

I didn't take a picture of them yet as The Kitten Rescue Site says to avoid bright lights at this time. That's the wonderful website that Whaleshaman had provided me with when we were trying to figure out what sex they were.

The Kitten Rescue site also has different pages for the different stages of kittenhood, and I've just added a link to my sidebar to their page for Kitten's "Birth to Two Weeks". It's a must read for people who have kittens! Thanks again whaleshaman!

Mojo and her 1 Week Old Kittens - The Calm Before The Storm!

Ah, these kittens are such sweet little angels! They just cuddle up on Mojo, and her favorite blanket, and you never even hear a whimper out of them! Well, that is unless you pick them up, as they want to go back to what they were doing, which is either sleeping or nursing.

I am really enjoying these days, as I can imagine what it will be like when they open their eyes, and can crawl out of the box! Mojo, herself, can be pretty rambunctious and playful. I can only guess what it will be like with three more, and those three being kittens!

By the way, Mojo is an excellent mother. She very seldom comes out of the box where they are, and you can tell that she is really enjoying her new role as "Mother".

Another Black Cat Found Under The Hood of A Car!

News & Star

The above links to another story of a Black Cat who was found under the hood of a car in the UK.

This is not the same story I posted earlier, this is a different Black Cat. Sounds like this is becoming a trend over there.

The above photo is of Twinkle with owner Barbara Walton.

Cat Butt Photos to Determine Sex of Kittens

Okay, this was a little weird for my friend Heather and me, as we felt like we were entering the domain of Cat P@rn! LOL! So, in addition to posting photos of the Cat Butts, I am also
posting a photo of Heather in the act of holding up a tail, to prove I had an accomplice , so I won't have to take the wrap all by myself!

Okay, based on the photos of the Cat Butts, this is what we think, see if you agree:

The Black Cat is a Male

The Black and white Cat is a Female

The Stripped Cat is a Male

We had a hard time deciding on the stripped cat, but since it did not look like a female, it had to be a male. What do you think?

I've added the webpages to determine the sexes of cats on my sidebar that whaleshaman had sent to me. Thanks! These were very helpful and quite clear on how to tell the difference.

What Sex Are Mojo's New Kittens?

I've tried to get pictures of the, humm, important areas for those of you who may be more knowledgeable than me in determing the sex of the new kittens.

As soon as I brought them out, and gently rolled them in my hand to see the important areas, they started whinning for their mother, and Mojo seemed to get a bit worried by their cries, and although she never stopped purring, she did seem concern. Being a mother myself, when I hear a baby cry for its mother, my first instinct is to get them to their mother ASAP!

So, I guess we'll try again another day.

Curiosity Almost Killed This Lucky Black Cat

News - Sheffield Today: News, Sport, Jobs, Property, Cars, Entertainments & More

The above links to a story about a black cat named Salem in the UK, who decided to go on "Holiday" with his family by climbing underneath the hood, (or "Bonnet"), of the car, and getting stuck in the engine!

Salem survived the trip, proving once and for all that black cats are lucky, as they seem to believe in that part of the world, (see my earlier posts in April on whether black cats are lucky or unlucky). Well, maybe not absolutely, since it was suppose to be a free trip that the family had won, and after paying for the mechanic to get the cat out, and the Vet's bill, they were 660 pounds in the hole! But, Salem was lucky he didn't die, and the family is lucky they didn't lose their beloved cat. Right? Yeah. Right.

I find it interesting though, that the cat was named Salem, which I feel must refer the belief that black cats are witches, (or at least owned by witches). See my previous post on the Edgar Allan Poe Story entitled "The Black Cat". So, I guess in that part of the world they embrace, or at least know of that perception.

Day 2 of Mojo and her Kittens

We still have only three kittens, and now that Mojo has been coming in and out of her Kitty Cube, I have had more of an opportunity to examine her better. Her belly is quite lumpy, but I believe it is her milk, as she spent most of the first day in with her kittens breast feeding and purring. (See previous post).

Yesterday, while at the grocery store, we passed by the flowers, and my husband asked if I wanted to get Mojo some flowers, and I laughed and said "No!" But, as we were walking away, I recalled how she loved attacking and chewing on the Carnations in a bouquet of flowers my he had bought me, so I thought, since Carnations are edible, and she loves them, she deserves her own bouquet. Yes, we bought Mojo a bouquet of pink Carnations!

As the days go by, I will attempt to get better pictures of the kittens. As they are so little right now, I am hesitant to mess with them too much.

My Purrfectly Black Cat "Mojo" has had Her Kittens!

I had to go out of town on Friday, as my brother who lives out of the country was down south of me about 250 miles visiting his daughter, who just had a baby. So, we booked a room down there for one night, and left early Friday.

I was really torn, because I knew Mojo was due soon, yet I wanted to see my brother, and my new nephew, and other family members, too!

I even called the Vet to see if I could board her there, as I knew she wouldn't want to go with us at a time like this, especially since she hates cars. The Vet's office actually recommended that I leave her home, as they felt she would feel safer there, and it would be easier on her. So, I hung curtains on the bath rod, put her blanket in there too, left plenty of food and water, and with a tear in my eye, bid my farewell to her.

When we arrived home at 5pm on Saturday, she didn't greet us at the door, so I went straight to the bathtub, swung open the curtains, expecting to see her with a litter of kittens, and no Mojo. So I went to the closet next, and much to my surprise, she was there , in the center of the closet, delivering a black little baby kitty. It was all the way out, but was still attached by its umbilical cord. She was torn between greeting me, and cleaning up the new kitty. So, I quickly pet her, and placed her back with her kitty. She finished up cleaning her and got her cord loose, and tried to pick her up to put her in the Kitty Cube, but failed short of it. I asked my husband for a towel, and after wiping the new kitten down, I went to place it in the cube for Mojo, and low and behold, there were two more kittens in there! One being Black and White, and the other an unusual Brown and Black Tabby stripped kitten.

After getting a little bit of loving from me she went into the cube with her newborn kittens, and have been mothering and purring ever since! It's now shortly after 10pm.

I'm thinking maybe she actually had the kittens in the cube, as the carpet in the closet is clean, and the cube isn't. I think when she heard me come in, she climbed out to greet me, and couldn't go any farther. So, those of you who thought she'd have them in the cube were correct. Here's the breakdown of the poll on "Where Will Mojo Have Her Kittens?":

37% KITTY CUBE
21% BOX UNDER BATHROOM SINK
21% BATHTUB
11% OTHER
5% UNDER THE BED
5% IN A DRAWER

So, a majority of you bloggers were correct! Way to go!

I'm not sure if she will have anymore, or if this is all. She's been in there with her babies, so it's hard to tell, if she still has more in her. I did notice she looked much smaller before she went back in, but I didn't get a chance to feel her belly. Time will tell. I've read that they can go 24 and even 48 hours in between kittens. So, we'll see.

Thanks for all your support and coaxing Mojo on! She did a wonderful job, and she is in mommy mode now and really enjoying herself!

The picture I am posting here is of her and her newborns. The stripped one is in the center of the other two. I know they are hard to see and I'll try to get better pictures later, as I don't want to disturb Mojo too much right now.

I'll also keep you posted if any more kittens arrive.

Still No Kittens, Yet

It's after 2am on Thursday morning and still no kittens! This is driving me crazy! When I left for work she was in the bathtub, and when I came home 10 hours later, she was in the bathtub. She always greets me at the door, but the last two nights she has been in the bathtub! She's in here with me now, and just ate some of her favorite can Cat Food.

Okay, I'm really thinking she is going to have them in the bathtub now, the only question is when!

Mojo Is Close to Having Her Kittens, I'm Sure!

I keep thinking it's going to be today, then the next day, I think then it'll be today, but now I know it's coming soon, real soon! Here's how:

Well, this is a crappy story, but thought I tell it in case someone out there has a pregnant cat, or dog, and wants to know when the time is coming close.

So, here goes....

We changed the kitty litter box on Friday, and then on Saturday, it was full of crap! Geeze, I freaked out! She never goes that much! There was so much in there, I thought some of it might be her kittens, but she was still fat, and gee, on closer inspection, it was definitely poop! I told you this was going to be a crappy story.

So then last night I was watching a show about wolves on the Animal Planet Channel, and one of the wolves was about to give birth and they showed her pooping, (it was a long shot, so it wasn't too gross), and the expert said that she had been doing a lot of that, and that's a sure sign the babies are coming soon.

So, when I went to work today I was talking to a girl I work with who's dog just had puppies, and I told her the story I just told you, and her eyes got a little wide, and said that her dog did that, too! In fact, even where she wasn't suppose to! I asked if she had them right away, and she said no, that it was about three days later. I think she felt a little relieved that her momma dog was just doing what she had to do, because of her situation.

So, if you count three days from Saturday, that puts us at Tuesday when the kittens will come!
Hello!

Anyways, the photograph here is Mojo on my dining room table! Geeze! I never thought I'd let a cat on my table! The curtains in the background are the "Cat Scratch Curtains" we were sewing in an earlier post. She's just been laying around everywhere, and taking it easy.

I will keep you posted when they come.

The Poe Decoder - "The Black Cat"

The Poe Decoder - "The Black Cat"

The above links to a website about Edgar Allan Poe, and to the page regarding his short story entitled, "The Black Cat".

Not only can you read the story here, but it also links to a summary, and discusses its theme, style and interpretation, point of view, and more.

Maybe this 1843 story aided in the superstitious perception of the black cat, although he does comment on the belief that black cats are considered witches, by some people, so it goes back earlier than the 1840's.

I read elsewhere that Poe actually owned a black cat himself named Catarina.

By the way, my black cat, Mojo, hasn't had her kittens yet.