Here's a new Tinykittens post. I hope you all can see it. & I've added a Chloe & Ramona video

[ralps]

https://www.facebook.com/tinykittens/videos/1963231713751683/

with an update on Rula- I know it's a long post but I thought you all should know where Rula is.

As if that wasn't enough, Rula is also showing signs of kidney disease. She has had two days to let us know if she wants to continue raising her kitten Nakia, or participate in the co-parenting of the other kittens, and she has made it clear she is ready to move on.

Even though it is difficult for humans to imagine, cats in the wild who aren't spayed need to be able to grieve and move on quickly in order to survive. They are driven by a biological need to further their bloodlines and ensure the continuation of the species, so they are designed to go right back into getting-pregnant mode very soon after losing kittens. The sad reality is that Rula has certainly been through this before, and if we hadn't brought her in, she would likely be pregnant again within a week or two.

Happily, that is no longer how her story ends. Rula will be moved into our kidney disease ward with Pansy and Sable, where we will see how her kidneys respond to proper diet, an end to perpetual pregnancy and a spay. We are hopeful she will recover enough to return to the forest for a bit, since she is not receptive to socialization at this time. Like Sloaney, Sable and many others, it is very likely she could become socialized over time back at her colony through daily feeding and care from our awesome TNR volunteers, and she could come in again when that happens.

If her kidneys do not recover, we will need to figure out a long term plan for her where she will be happy and will get the medical care and monitoring she needs to enjoy the rest of her life.

Either way, the hard part of Rula's life is now over, and a life she never knew was possible is about to begin. <3

Nakia has joined Chloe and Ramona's rowdy crew, which is ideal for her so she can be surrounded by "siblings" who will teach her important skills about how to be a kitten.

Rula's two other kittens, Okoye and T'Challa, likely had the same dad (a different dad than Nakia had, based on color genetics). We trapped one of their three possible babydaddies this week (along with two handsome gingers) and all three were neutered and swabbed for DNA yesterday. We will continue to prioritize the trapping of their possible babydaddies to reduce the likelihood of future kittens with the same congenital defects from being conceived.

[tblue37]

1. Ramona and Chloe cuddle up so much that the kittens have trouble

sometimes squeezing into the milkbar.

[ralps]

2. For sure tblue37!