OMGKITTIES!!!

What I haven't mentioned on the blog before is that my cat, Mushu, is pregnant. Or, WAS pregnant until just a few days ago. At midnight on Wednesday night/Thursday morning she started meowing really loudly. I found her in Zusha's bed and took her to the basement so she doesn't wake him. She continued meowing and returned to Zusha's bed, sitting on his pillow and meowing right into his ear.
Of course, that woke him up. At first I tried to move Mushu somewhere else- the basket we prepared for her birth. But she just wanted to be in Zusha's bed. I told him to climb up to the top bunk to sleep next to Gedalya, but she followed him there as well!

I explained that she might be having babies, but it's not a reason to stay up, and he should try to fall back asleep.

Throughout the commotion, Gedalya woke up as well, and I allowed them both to come down from the top bunk because it became obvious that Mushu will go wherever Zusha goes. So both boys were lying quietly on the bottom bunk bed, when I noticed Mushu licking something... something that wasn't part of her. I turned on the light, and...

The first baby has been born!

We watched as more and more babies were born. Two, then three, then four...
The first one to be born was solid gray. The second one we thought was a tuxedo cat like Mel, but when his fur dried, we saw he was gray and white, not black and white. The rest of the babies were calico/tortoiseshell like Mushu.

We set up a playpen for her and put inside a laundry basket draped in cloth.

At this point it was 3 or 3:30 AM. I shooed the boys to the top bunk (Mushu gave birth on the bottom one and I didn't have the energy or the time to change sheets) and went to bed myself.

I was sleeping for no more than 15 minutes when the boys came barging into my room with more news. Mushu had her FIFTH baby next to them on the top bed. :0 I picked the baby up gently with a washcloth and placed her in the basket with her siblings.

Here are two of the calicoes:

One of the kitties rolled away and snuggled into the folds of a blanket when I took this photo:

The adorable little brood. The greys are boys and the calicoes are all girls. Aren't they so sweet! We're looking for good homes for them all when they are old enough to leave their Mama. If anyone wants one or knows someone who'd want one, let me know!