stress, cats (~) [spoiler: nothing actually happened; the cats are fine]
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh
that is all
the cats are fine
nonetheless
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh
i have to learn how litterboxes work and how kittens poop
i have to figure out how to run the heater safely 'cause it's right in sugarfoot's room
we have to figure out how to keep stuff clean even though the laundromat's a ten minute walk away
someday i have to figure out how to get at LEAST three cats back and forth from a respectable vet and deal with their recovery
it's going to be okay, i just... this is a real weird time to have to up my adulthood game
re: stress, cats (~) [spoiler: nothing actually happened; the cats are fine]
oh incidentally the peepers seem to be doing just fine, haven't caught either of them breathing rough or making any odd noises or anything since earlier
they're both squirmy in what i presume is a good way, feeding and relatively quiet except for a very occasional squeak
re: stress, cats (~) [spoiler: nothing actually happened; the cats are fine]
@zebratron2084 Litterboxen: have more than one. Rough math is 1 litterbox per 1.5 cats, round up.
If possible, get one with high walls (though you'll need a low wall one for the kittens until their legs work better), and avoid the ones with a separate lid... cats will pee on the inner walls of the boxes, and the pee will run through the seam leading to pooling at the base of the outer box. Liners will help, but if the box has high walls, you don't need to worry.
Kittens will pee on piles of clothes until they figure out litterboxen... and possibly afterwards. Keep clothes and towels off the floors and have hampers... and putting the bath mat over the side of the tub when not in use is a good plan. Indoor floor rugs are also fair game.
re: stress, cats (~) [spoiler: nothing actually happened; the cats are fine]
@JulieSqveakaroo Thank you, this is all great advice! cc:ing @anthracite on this...
re: stress, cats (~) [spoiler: nothing actually happened; the cats are fine]
Food: Once you give them sqvishy food, then there's no going back to dry food... they know sqvish exists, and they will be adamant about demanding it.
Soft treats are perfectly fine, and there's nothing wrong with sqvishy food beyond that it can get more expensive... just know once they know it's a choice, it will no longer be a choice.
re: stress, cats (~) [spoiler: nothing actually happened; the cats are fine]
@zebratron2084 @anthracite None of our boxes are covered ones because my sense of smell is bad so I need to visually notice the amount of box use to keep the cleaning consistent.
If the smell is going to be an issue (or one or more of the cats turns out to have privacy wants), then a lid with charcoal filter will help.
They will kick some litter out on the floor when exiting the boxes (or possibly from aggressive burying habits)... high wall boxes help, but a rubber floor mat in front of the boxes will keep debris off the floors... or just some cardboard, on the cheap.