Berry Kittens

My largest load-o-kitties came next....the 'Berry' kittens.  This was a mom, Elderberry (of course!) and her eight, yes, EIGHT kittens.  This poor mom, she had her work cut out for her. The kittens were only a couple of weeks when I got them, but they grew quickly, thanks to mom's great care.




This was not only the largest, but the youngest bunch to date.  This is the litter when they first came home, eyes just opening, and ears still pointing forward.  They were a kitty potpourri of colors!





About a week later, getting fuzzier and fuzzier.

Poor mom couldn't make a move without the whole bunch crashing in for a feeding frenzy; I swear they could gang up and plot to tip her so she would nurse.

She always gave me these looks of exasperation...

But, eventually gave in to their demands.  She was a GREAT mother, and a real trooper.







She was so good she would often plop down on me if I was laying on the sofa, belly up, and let all eight kittens pile on and nurse. Here she is:


The only problem with Mom Elderberry was a diminishing appetite, not good for a nursing mom with eight hungry kittens.  I tried everything recommended; rotisserie chicken, canned tuna and other fish, baby food, etc. - she just kept getting skinnier and skinnier.  She really started to look emaciated:



you can see how thin she is in this photo...



Eventually, out of sheer desperation, I started giving her raw boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small cubes.  I really didn't know any thing about raw food diets for cats, but it was the only thing she would eat for awhile.  It seemed to do the trick, and soon she was back to her fighting weight (and kitten weaning helped a lot!!)  She began to eat her regular food again soon after.  I always wonder how raw food plays into the diets of these cats, since most of them are feral, and sometimes not part of any regularly fed feral colony.  Depending on their location and circumstances, much of their regular diet consists of what prey they can capture - ultimately, a raw diet...



















Here are some of the individual 'berry' kittens; they were a most photogenic group!

This is how I was greeted every morning: