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Kitty’s litter
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COAL TOWNSHIP — A Coal Township couple have found themselves up to their ankles in kittens after the stray cat they adopted gave birth six weeks ago.
In June, Diane Mushinski, of 1401 Valley St., was working in her garden when the stray got her attention.
“I was trimming a rose bush and I heard a cry,” she said.
She looked around, thinking it was a child or even her own cat, Katie, in trouble, but the sound was made by a very thin grey-and-white stray cat.
Mushinski, not interested in having another pet, shooed her from the yard. The cat was persistent, showing up again the next morning. Mushinski took pity on the animal.
“You could feel her ribs, so we fed her,” she said. “Of course at the time I didn’t realize she was going to be a mama.”
The Mushinskis gave the cat, who quickly became known as Kitty, milk and kitten food to help her gain weight. She ate well, but didn’t gain an ounce. Mushinski now knows that every calorie went to the unborn kittens.
On July 8, Mushinski’s husband, Joe, put out Kitty’s food before he left for work. Kitty was nowhere to be found and didn’t show up to eat until late afternoon. Mushinski said Kitty made a terrible yowling sound.
“I petted her and she fell over,” she said. Mushinski thought the heat had affected Kitty, but a visit to Care for Animal Clinic, Route 61, Weigh Scales, confirmed the 8-month old cat would soon be Mama Kitty.
“I took her to the vet and the vet said, ‘She’s in labor,’” Mushinski said, laughing at the memory.
Preping for labor
Mushinski took Kitty home, made her a comfortable bed in an old laundry basket, and waited for nature to take its course. The vet had given her some advice, but Mushinski wasn’t sure how she could help.
“I’ve had two kids, but I’m not a nurse!” she exclaimed. After a full day of labor, Kitty brought eight healthy kittens — four girls and four boys — into the world.
Mushinski didn’t expect all of them to live after what their mother had been through. Six weeks later, all eight are healthy and happy.
“None of them had health problems, no eye infections, no upper respiratory infections, nothing,” Mushinski said. “They’re all alive and thriving.”
And bouncing. The kittens spend their days mock fighting, chasing cat toys, and climbing anything, and anyone, that will stand still long enough. Two minutes in Mushinski’s kitchen, where Mama Kitty and her brood live, will cure the most cantankerous of moods.
“They’ll always do something funny that knocks it right out,” Mushinski said.
Mushinski isn’t sure who owned Mama Kitty, but she’s sure the cat was an indoor pet. Mushinski said Mama Kitty will sit with her at the computer, is litter-trained, and enjoys people. She’s skittish around other animals, she added, but is very friendly.
The only one who doesn’t appreciate the new cats is Katie, Mushinski’s 5-year old cat. “She lives upstairs right now,” Mushinski said.
Although the Mushinskis have grown quite fond of Mama Kitty and her offspring, they are unable to keep them. The cats will be available to good homes when they turn eight-weeks old on Sept. 3. The kittens are learning to use a litter box and are mostly weaned from their mother. The kittens will receive their shots Monday.
Mushinski also plans to have Mama Kitty spayed before placing her in a new home to avoid the same situation in the future.
Kitty-makers
Female cats can become pregnant as young as 4-months old, and are able to reproduce up to three times a year, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
According to feralcat.com, two breeding cats can produce as many as 420,000 offspring in seven years. The number of feral cats roaming the United States is estimated at 60 million, according to the Web site.
By definition, Mama Kitty is a stray cat; however, without the help of the Mushinski family, her kittens would have become feral. According to The Humane Society of the United States, stray cats are pets that were lost or abandoned and are comfortable around people. Feral cats are not used to human contact and are rarely able to adapt to a home environment.
Feral cats create colonies in neighborhoods, such as the group that roams Elysburg. Feral cats often add unwanted noise, disease and territory-marking urine odors to communities.
Several programs exist to control the feral cat population, including the Humane Society of the United States’ Trap-Neuter-Return.
According to the organization’s Web site, “At a minimum, feral cats are spayed or neutered so they can no longer reproduce, vaccinated against rabies, and surgically ear-tipped on one ear (ear-tipping is the universally-recognized sign of a cat who has been TNRed).”
Mushinski said sterilizing pets is important.
“Unless you’re in the breeding business, they need to be spayed (or neutered),” she said.
Joyful bunch
Despite her inability to keep the group, Mushinski knows she’ll miss them.
“When I walk in the kitchen in the morning, they’re all sitting right there,” she said, pointing to a spot near the refrigerator.
Her husband, Joe, seems to like them as well.
“They bring him such joy,” Mushinski said.
After all the commotion, Mushinski is glad she’s able to help Mama Kitty and the kittens.
“I’m not sorry that I didn’t take her to the shelter,” she said, scratching Mama Kitty’s head.
Anyone interested in adopting Mama Kitty or a kitten can call Joe and Diane Mushinski at 648-2940. For more information about Trap-Neuter-Return, visit hsus.org.
In June, Diane Mushinski, of 1401 Valley St., was working in her garden when the stray got her attention.
“I was trimming a rose bush and I heard a cry,” she said.
She looked around, thinking it was a child or even her own cat, Katie, in trouble, but the sound was made by a very thin grey-and-white stray cat.
Mushinski, not interested in having another pet, shooed her from the yard. The cat was persistent, showing up again the next morning. Mushinski took pity on the animal.
“You could feel her ribs, so we fed her,” she said. “Of course at the time I didn’t realize she was going to be a mama.”
The Mushinskis gave the cat, who quickly became known as Kitty, milk and kitten food to help her gain weight. She ate well, but didn’t gain an ounce. Mushinski now knows that every calorie went to the unborn kittens.
On July 8, Mushinski’s husband, Joe, put out Kitty’s food before he left for work. Kitty was nowhere to be found and didn’t show up to eat until late afternoon. Mushinski said Kitty made a terrible yowling sound.
“I petted her and she fell over,” she said. Mushinski thought the heat had affected Kitty, but a visit to Care for Animal Clinic, Route 61, Weigh Scales, confirmed the 8-month old cat would soon be Mama Kitty.
“I took her to the vet and the vet said, ‘She’s in labor,’” Mushinski said, laughing at the memory.
Preping for labor
Mushinski took Kitty home, made her a comfortable bed in an old laundry basket, and waited for nature to take its course. The vet had given her some advice, but Mushinski wasn’t sure how she could help.
“I’ve had two kids, but I’m not a nurse!” she exclaimed. After a full day of labor, Kitty brought eight healthy kittens — four girls and four boys — into the world.
Mushinski didn’t expect all of them to live after what their mother had been through. Six weeks later, all eight are healthy and happy.
“None of them had health problems, no eye infections, no upper respiratory infections, nothing,” Mushinski said. “They’re all alive and thriving.”
And bouncing. The kittens spend their days mock fighting, chasing cat toys, and climbing anything, and anyone, that will stand still long enough. Two minutes in Mushinski’s kitchen, where Mama Kitty and her brood live, will cure the most cantankerous of moods.
“They’ll always do something funny that knocks it right out,” Mushinski said.
Mushinski isn’t sure who owned Mama Kitty, but she’s sure the cat was an indoor pet. Mushinski said Mama Kitty will sit with her at the computer, is litter-trained, and enjoys people. She’s skittish around other animals, she added, but is very friendly.
The only one who doesn’t appreciate the new cats is Katie, Mushinski’s 5-year old cat. “She lives upstairs right now,” Mushinski said.
Although the Mushinskis have grown quite fond of Mama Kitty and her offspring, they are unable to keep them. The cats will be available to good homes when they turn eight-weeks old on Sept. 3. The kittens are learning to use a litter box and are mostly weaned from their mother. The kittens will receive their shots Monday.
Mushinski also plans to have Mama Kitty spayed before placing her in a new home to avoid the same situation in the future.
Kitty-makers
Female cats can become pregnant as young as 4-months old, and are able to reproduce up to three times a year, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
According to feralcat.com, two breeding cats can produce as many as 420,000 offspring in seven years. The number of feral cats roaming the United States is estimated at 60 million, according to the Web site.
By definition, Mama Kitty is a stray cat; however, without the help of the Mushinski family, her kittens would have become feral. According to The Humane Society of the United States, stray cats are pets that were lost or abandoned and are comfortable around people. Feral cats are not used to human contact and are rarely able to adapt to a home environment.
Feral cats create colonies in neighborhoods, such as the group that roams Elysburg. Feral cats often add unwanted noise, disease and territory-marking urine odors to communities.
Several programs exist to control the feral cat population, including the Humane Society of the United States’ Trap-Neuter-Return.
According to the organization’s Web site, “At a minimum, feral cats are spayed or neutered so they can no longer reproduce, vaccinated against rabies, and surgically ear-tipped on one ear (ear-tipping is the universally-recognized sign of a cat who has been TNRed).”
Mushinski said sterilizing pets is important.
“Unless you’re in the breeding business, they need to be spayed (or neutered),” she said.
Joyful bunch
Despite her inability to keep the group, Mushinski knows she’ll miss them.
“When I walk in the kitchen in the morning, they’re all sitting right there,” she said, pointing to a spot near the refrigerator.
Her husband, Joe, seems to like them as well.
“They bring him such joy,” Mushinski said.
After all the commotion, Mushinski is glad she’s able to help Mama Kitty and the kittens.
“I’m not sorry that I didn’t take her to the shelter,” she said, scratching Mama Kitty’s head.
Anyone interested in adopting Mama Kitty or a kitten can call Joe and Diane Mushinski at 648-2940. For more information about Trap-Neuter-Return, visit hsus.org.
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