Kitten Academy’s 24-hour online live stream just welcomed a new batch of students. These 5 neonatal kittens and their mama Lace, were brought to the Northern Illinois organization just this week. Working with the McHenry County Animal Control and On Angel’s Wings, the foster home is exactly what the family needed. And with more than 230K subscribers on their YouTube channel, Kitten Academy has the support to give felines everything they need to thrive!
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
For these kittens to graduate, their “tail” will follow the same path as the many pawprints of their alumni.
Unkempt diluted Calico mom Lace, comes from an unknown background. She’s not a former feral because you can see how sweet she was from the start. The poor beauty is like a stray or dumped cat; perhaps when her former “owners” found out she was pregnant? It’s certainly an odd situation as it is NOT even kitten season yet in the frigid Illinois winter. Hopefully not a portent of the upcoming season!
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
Lace and her week old litter were all showing the signs of a neglected life already. Mom seemed to be very skinny, not eating well and her fur looked and felt greasy. Fortunately, fans and viewers don’t get to smell the actual cats when they arrive from their sad circumstances. Apparently the entire crew was pretty “ripe” in this instance. Sorry Lace!
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
A few minutes after their arrival at KA, they were introduced to the delight of their fans. Even with all 5 of the kittens asleep on mom’s belly after a good feeding, new arrivals are always exciting. They were going to need one very important thing before they could start their training–names.
That evening, everyone was treated to some unique and adorable names given to the clowder.
With the number of felines saved over the years, co-founder and house mom DJ, has gotten quite creative in naming the newcomers. Kitten Academy proudly presented the “SOLEmates Litter”. Each of the sweet little babies was given a name of style of shoe! HAHA
Photo courtesy of Kitten Academy
As one fan put it, “Shoe-tt theyre cute.”
Sneaker is an old man who lost his glasses. pic.twitter.com/RoFjYsyGGl
— Kitten Academy (@kitten_academy) February 25, 2019
Surprise Hushpuppy! pic.twitter.com/LymMdm9XVj
— Kitten Academy (@kitten_academy) February 25, 2019
Wedge is an alien from a low budget sci-fi movie. pic.twitter.com/7O6HgwW0NP
— Kitten Academy (@kitten_academy) February 25, 2019
Oxford doesn’t want to see the world yet. pic.twitter.com/18EYZfVQbU
— Kitten Academy (@kitten_academy) February 25, 2019
Pennyloafer pic.twitter.com/b2A5SAlbJy
— Kitten Academy (@kitten_academy) February 25, 2019
With the lives of newborn kittens being so fragile, it’s a good thing this class had fallen under Kitten Academy’s watchful tutelage.
After a few days, the KA human purrfessors became a bit concerned about the family. Mama Lace was still eating less than they wanted. For neonatal kittens, their weight gain–or loss–is an extremely important factor that MUST be monitored.
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
Our friend and newborn kitten rescuer Kitten Lady, reminds us all JUST HOW important!
Monitoring weight is an absolutely essential part of orphan kitten care. Knowing the kitten’s weight will help you determine their progress and well-being, will help with dosing medication and food, and will alert you when the kitten is unwell. Weighing kittens is not optional–you must make it part of your kitten care routine.
Weigh kittens at least once per day and write down the weight. A healthy kitten should gain a minimum of 10 grams per day. If the kitten is not gaining weight, or is losing weight, this is a sign of illness and should be addressed immediately. ~ Hannah Shaw a.k.a. Kitten Lady / www.kittenlady.org
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
So when the babies weren’t gaining or losing any weight at all, KA made an appointment for the whole family to see the vet. Announcing it on the page, dedicated followers anxiously awaited any update. So that they wouldn’t worry, they were gavin some encouraging words to settle their nerves.
This page will be updated after the vet visit tomorrow. Please don’t panic it’s not an emergency. If it were they would go to the emergency vet tonight.
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
Knowing that without the support from their fans, KA couldn’t do what they do, they were sure to post the long-awaited update ASAP.
The family was actually still at the vet when the results came in. Poor mama Lace had tapeworms that were making her feel sick.
Lace is getting fluids, antibiotics, probiotics, and continued help with feeding and pooping her tinies. Tinies will be getting antibiotics, antiparasitics, and supplemental feeds until Lace feels better. Everyone expected to be back on track over the next few days.
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
She is eating her new food, about half the bowl is gone as of now. The tinies will be supplementary fed by DJ and Mr A as well as helping Lace potty the kittens.
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
AND Pennyloafer was the first out of the box! She climbed right out almost as soon as Mr A put her in when they got back from the vet. She hurtled the lip of the box like a pole vaulter! Obviously, she has places to be, people to see and things to do!
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy ~ Peaking Pennyloafer
Now when your life is broadcast 24 hours a day online, people are forewarned that it comes with the good AND the bad.
For Lace we learned just how bad her tapeworms had gotten. She likely ingested a flea who had itself, ingested tapeworm eggs. The tapeworm grows within the intestines, usually breaking off and being “dispelled” in the cats feces.
Just skip reading this next quote if you don’t want to picture the horror that mama Lace was actually dealing with. Although it fully explains why she was feeling too sick to take care of herself or her family!
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
So news of the day. Last night Lace pooped out the biggest adult tapeworm I have ever seen! Usually they look like little grains of rice. That we’ve seen in kittens and cats with tapeworms. But I’ve never seen a giant adult tapeworm that looks like an egg noodle. It was huge. And it was moving around and DJ was completely freaked out. But it’s good news, because now it’s something we can treat her for.
With mom starting to feel better and the kittens eating regularly, they are now putting on healthy, and much needed, weight.
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
It hasn’t even been a week yet for the SHOE-crew at Kitten Academy, and already they are learning how to cat successfully.
That is after all the motto, “Where a kitten learns to cat”. At less than 2 weeks old, their lesson plans are beginning to fill up.
Open their eyes; Check. Begin waddling around to practice their walking; Check. Explore outside the box; Check. Try to eat slurry, a mix of wet kitten food and milk replacement formula; Check.
Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy ~ First baby to open her eyes
The solo girl of the group, Pennyloafer has decided she’s not going to be overlooked in the sea of boys. Instead of slowly working her way through the lesson plans, she has completed all of her purrsignments already!!!
Penny is anything BUT a loafer!
Happily we can all witness these milestones as they happen–even if that happens to be during the wee morning hours via the live cam!
Tip for this class? The only way so far to tell Sneaker and Oxford apart is a bit of white on Oxford’s foot–literally on his Oxfords!
Screenshots: YouTube Kitten Academy
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Screenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
We’re sure this class has nothing but bright futures ahead of them now! When the babes are old enough to be adopted out, I’ll be curious to see if their new owner(s) keep their names. Regardless of any future aliases the team are given, they will always be Solemates.
We know they’ll be sure to find the “purrfect fit” for each one!
“There are only two kinds of women in the world, those who love shoes and those who had the misfortune to be born without the ability to experience total bliss on finding a pair of perfectly designed pumps in the right size at half price.”
― Heart and Sole: The Shoes of My LifeScreenshot: YouTube Kitten Academy
REMEMBER: ADOPT, DON’T SHOP; FOSTERING SAVES LIVES & SPAY AND NEUTER!
Related Story (A CaM Family Rescue AND Kitten Academy Alumni): Tiny Kitten Saved From Freezing Conditions!
Related Story: VERY Pregnant Cat Rescued From Streets ~ Not Only With New Babies On The Way, But 3 From Previous Litter!
Is Lace going to need a home after the kittens are adopted out?
Likely yes =) <3
Yes, Mr A and DJ have seven cats and one dog of their own, they are not likely to adopt any more of their fosters. So all of their fosters are up for adoption. They also have a pregnant mom cat and her possible sister that seem to be bonded, I hope they get to stay together while they are at KA and are adopted together.
Yes, Mother cats are also up for adoption at Kitten Academy. Applications are accepted at On Angel’s Wings and a form is available on https://kitten.academy/.
I’m sure that Lace is part Abbyssinian. I’m in love with her!
Yes, Mr A and DJ have seven cats and one dog of their own, they are not likely to adopt any more of their fosters. So all of their fosters are up for adoption. They also have a pregnant mom cat and her possible sister that seem to be bonded, I hope they get to stay together while they are at KA and are adopted together.
Jess, FYI: the plural of “alias” is “aliases,” not “alias’s.” You do not need an apostrophe when pluralizing a word. Example: “The cat went to two vets yesterday.” “Vet’s” is possessive, as in “The vet’s office was closed yesterday.”
Updating now!