Ryan and I adopted a pair of kitties from Challenger's House, a local rescue organization. They're four months old, and brothers. They were found by the rescue group at four weeks old, abandoned in a ditch. Cotton, the smaller of the two, was badly flea infested and almost died. The staff at Challenger's House took great care of the boys and now they are healthy, sweet and playful kitties.

We adopted them today, and we're thrilled! They're already settling in nicely, and we took some pictures of their initial explorations, which you can see by going to:

http://dreamfoil.com/images/furkids

Cotton is deaf, and about half the size of his brother, Spike. They love to run and play, and they like to "dive bomb" each other from high spots. Spike loves to perch on your lap and nuzzle your face. :smitten:

I'm crazy about these kitties!

:smitten: Awww they're beautiful kitties! I'm sure they'll get all the love and attention they deserve in their new home. Congrats on becoming furparents! :D

I also want to add that I remember reading in a magazine (probably Cat Fancy) some time ago about people who have deaf cats, and one person stated that one should never awaken a sleeping deaf cat. I'm not sure what would happen if you did, but I did want to post what I read.

Thanks for sharing that with us, Amy. :)

They are just the preciousest kitties ever! *gushes* Half of me is surprised that they aren't hiding under a piece of furniture in anxiety about the new place, but overall I'm just thrilled that they are settling in so well. Spike is napping by my feet and Cotton is lounging underneath Ryan's desk while we play Warcraft together.

Kitties! XD

Aww, how cute! Congrats on adopting two new kitties, and kudos on getting a special needs cat too. They look like a lot of fun.

Aww! Very cute!!! :D

Very sweet!

Cute!

I was curious about what AmySF said about not waking up a deaf cat, so I googled it.

The article I found bascially says that if you wake up a deaf cat it startles them really bad and they wake up hissing and scratching.

Here's the article, if you're interested:
http://demented-pixie.com/pearlie_the_psychic_kitty/deaf_cat.html

congratulations! Are they really only 4 months old? They look pretty big!!

I catsat for people who had four cats, and the two white ones were deaf. When you went in to feed them, you had to go find the white ones somewhere in the house so they'd come and eat otherwise the other cats would eat their food. They never seemed to mind and never went after anyone. I think it probably depends on the temperment of the cat!

congratulations! Are they really only 4 months old? They look pretty big!!

I catsat for people who had four cats, and the two white ones were deaf. When you went in to feed them, you had to go find the white ones somewhere in the house so they'd come and eat otherwise the other cats would eat their food. They never seemed to mind and never went after anyone. I think it probably depends on the temperment of the cat!


The adoption counselor's paperwork estimated their date of birth to be early May, so they're about four months old according to that. They are big for that age, I agree. Cotton seems to like to sleep on the kitchen chairs, and we are letting them self-feed for now. He seems to be eating and drinking regularly. :)

Awwwwww.....:smitten:

Spike looks like my Arlo kitty did when he was little. :D

Eeee! Kitties!!!! :smitten: They are two beautiful boys! Spike has the most beautiful coloring. And Cotton's little pink nose and pads! Aww.

i knew someone with a deaf kitty once (who also was white. i think it's fairly common in all-white kitties). waking them up i think is just scarier than a hearing cat. it's hard to wake up a hearing cat by touching really cause they hear you comin and wake up on their own, deaf cats don't so it's more of a shock i guess, especially as they get older and their hearts aren't as strong might not be a good idea.

but anyway whenever our friends wanted to get their kittie's attention since they couldn't call her, they would tap on the floor. she got used to it and would come running looking for treats or lovies :D

white kitties i think also tend to be prone to skin problems, so might take a few tries to find a food that agrees with them. Nutrience has one called Derma in a pink bag, it's got fish and oils for keeping their skin and fur healthy, and isn't too expensive but much higher quality than say cat chow or friskies :brood: there are probably lots of higher end ones too but nutrience is what i get until i can afford to splurge on one like nutro or something


....they are so friggin cute! i love the rings on Spikes tail, that's awesome :smitten:

I've been tapping the surface next to Cotton gently to let the vibrations wake him before handling him and he seems to be fine. :)

Any tips on keeping the litter in the litter box? The room where the box is set up has hardwood floors and grains of litter seem to end up scattered all over it thanks to it being kicked out while they are covering the deposit, and also being tracked out. We have a garbage bag down under the litterbox to protect the floor, but we were thinking of getting some carpet remnants or something to put down instead. Any ideas?

If the box is not covered, I suggest covering it. You can get those huge covered boxes if the cats are a bit claustrophobic. And this (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=10903&N=2002+113307) catches a lot, but not all, of the tracked litter.

awww...very cute!!

congrats!!!

I have a JUMBO covered litter box (so there's plenty of room, even for my 16 lbs oaf, to spin about) and use litter that tracks less. My favourite is feline pine, but the room that my litter box is in now has red carpeting (I have the box on a plastic thingie you put an office chair on so the carpet is protected!) and when it gets down to about when the pine needs to be changed, and is mostly sawdust, they leave little tan footprints out of the room. I tried Yesterdays News instead because its grey and doesn't dissolve like that, and it stank so bad after 3 days!! I went back to Feline Pine when I was done with that bag, cause that I only need to change once a week!

So Feline Pine is my favourite for non tracking. Its not sandy, it looks like little hamster food pellets until they pee on it, and it dissolves to sawdust. Its environmentally friendly, is flushable, and can even be used as mulch once you've scooped all the poop out of it!

Currently we have an open box because I have heard that some cats do not like hooded ones. We are using a standard scoopable litter and some baking soda for odor control. We also have a plug-in air freshener nearby.

The air freshener and the baking soda plus scooping at least once a day, sometimes twice, keeps the odor at bay, but I am concerned that the smell of the air freshener or the litter might be too strong for them and promote accidents. With the exception of one small puddle on the floor, they have both used the litter box very well, both before and after the odor control measures were implemented.

I just want them to be healthy and happy and keep the odor to a minimum. I'm fine with the responsibility of taking care of a litter box, that's part of being a cat's human slave, but no one wants their whole house to smell like a litter box. =)

We are considering one of the Booda Domes.

clumping clay litters can be deadly to kittens. if it gets into their fur and on their paws and they lick it off while grooming it can expand in their intestinal tracts and cause a blockage: makes it so they can't poo. they can get horrible infections and die because of it.
i don't think it's super common but enough to warrant getting a natural litter.

i use yesterday's news and i don't think it smells any worse than any other litter. after a week it gets a bit funky yes but with 2 cats you'll likely want to clean it before then anyway. and if you keep it in/near a bathroom it's handy cause it's flushable. anyway it's in little pellets, it doesn't get tracked around as easily. unless they're a 20lber that leaps out of the litter box at full speed and commences racing around the house every time he poops, in which case they're bound to kick a few pieces out :lol:

swheat scoop isn't bad for tracking but it's not so good for absorbing liquid, it sinks to the bottom and makes a big gooey sticky nastiness on the bottom of the tray.

swheat scoop isn't bad for tracking but it's not so good for absorbing liquid, it sinks to the bottom and makes a big gooey sticky nastiness on the bottom of the tray.

yes! i'm glad that isn't just me. i was like: am i doing something wrong with this litter?

i've only been doing this a few weeks so...

anyway, congrats on the kitties! lovely.

Scratch that, we are definitely getting a Booda Dome. The largest I can buy. You wouldn't believe the mess I had to clean up this morning. :cry:

I plan to switch them to a natural litter and a different food. I saw that feline pine has a scoopable form now, so we may give that a try. Suggestions for best food? (Please, no debates about whether cats can be veg*n.)

Thanks! :)

for dry: innova evo dry food for cats and kittens.

www.naturapet.com

chaucer loves it, and it is grain free, which i believe is best for cats digestive system.

chaucer won't eat wet food, so i don't really have suggestions there.

myself i'm a fan of Nutro but i haven't given it to my boy yet. he's been on Nutrience for years. it's a decent quality and fair price. it's sort of a middleground as far as catfoods go. better than supermarket junk but not quite as good as Nutro or Wellness that cost a bundle. costs about $15 for the medium sized bag which lasts a good 2 months or so

Aww they are both so cute!! Congrats on your new furbabies!! :)