The four kittens are lined up asleep right now. I am going to squee myself to death.
posted by Joey Michaels at 5:19 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Jesus fuck, thank you.
posted by corb at 5:19 PM on April 28, 2015 [19 favorites]

There are five kittens! One is being squished.
posted by desjardins at 5:21 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

The mom keeps looking at the camera and I want to be like "No don't worry mama cat! We love your kittens! Go to sleep!"
posted by corb at 5:23 PM on April 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

Go ginger kitten go.
posted by The Whelk at 5:31 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

SCREAM
posted by poffin boffin at 5:37 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

SO TINY
posted by poffin boffin at 5:37 PM on April 28, 2015

help
posted by poffin boffin at 5:37 PM on April 28, 2015 [9 favorites]

Teeny tiny cute faces.

One kitten has yet to pose for his closeup.
posted by pemberkins at 5:40 PM on April 28, 2015

There are five kittens! One is being squished.

The three gingers are male, and the tuxedo and the... tortie? Tabby? are female.
Kitten #1 (dark orange tabby) is named Otto
Kitten #5 (light buff) is named Siris

All of the names will be palindromes.
posted by Going To Maine at 5:40 PM on April 28, 2015

That ginger kitten wants ALL THE MILK. When one nipple runs low they move on to a new one.
posted by tavella at 5:41 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

so many leetle peenk toesies
posted by poffin boffin at 5:41 PM on April 28, 2015 [5 favorites]

I am reminded when Cat the Cat decided to move her kittens to my open dresser drawer and not the carefully laid out behind the couch box we set up with her favorite blanket and we got weeks of looking at little fuzzy potato slowly amble and mew about .

Nursing cats always look EXHAUSTED.
posted by The Whelk at 5:43 PM on April 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

I'm watching the birth video and it's mesmerizing. Very dramatic! Mom is snarling (not snarling, but that kind of whiny warning sound they make) at her first kitten!
posted by Sweetie Darling at 5:45 PM on April 28, 2015

When I win a lottery and have an actual house I am buying a place with at least one room reserved for fostering kittens.
posted by jeather at 5:45 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

I may have spent a portion of the work day yesterday watching the birth live in a corner of my screen. I was very anxious about Eve's growliness at Kitten #1 (now Otto). Then I went to take a conference call, and when I returned all was well and I did not have to be anxious any more.

This has been the only positive result of a conference call I have ever experienced.
posted by pemberkins at 5:48 PM on April 28, 2015 [31 favorites]

Twitter's new killer app: Purriscope
posted by shortfuse at 5:52 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

Mom is snarling (not snarling, but that kind of whiny warning sound they make) at her first kitten!

She's telling him to hurry up and finish so she can get up and pee.
posted by longdaysjourney at 5:54 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Well, as we all know, there certainly are not enough cat-related things on the interwebs, that's for sure...
posted by Seekerofsplendor at 5:54 PM on April 28, 2015

Eve is a sweetie, and is recovering (so panting is normal, her organs are rearranging now that she's no longer a watermelon in a cat skin). All five kittens are large for their age, a good sign of health.

Tinykittens is the cam site for Shelly Roche, a Canadian fosterer for the Langley Animal Protection Society animal shelter. One way in which TK differs from many other popular kittencams (such as Foster Dad John, the godfather of fostercams, currently nursing a 13-year-old with hyperthyroidism back to health) is that Shelly broadcasts births live on the Internet -- this has the potential for heartbreak, of course, as when the first of the Dancer Kittens litter was stillborn, but is a sight to behold when all goes well. A vet is also on call during births in case of complications.

The last batch (the Sesame Street kittens) were not born at Shelly's but rather found abandoned and momless in a rubber trash can. Fear not, all were rescued and adopted out and are loving their new homes. Most adopters maintain Facebook pages for TK kittens after adoption so that their fans can watch them adjust and grow.

Hail Chickenfish, Shepherd Moose and the Birthing Chicken.
posted by delfin at 6:05 PM on April 28, 2015 [10 favorites]

Also, chat moves fast when there are thousands of people on (like right now) and lots of newcomers ask the same questions over and over, so bear with us regulars as we help direct traffic and fend off the occasional troll.

Just watch out for Amos Unicorn. He bites.
posted by delfin at 6:11 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

When I clicked in just now, the kittens were nursing, and one poor little grey tabby was stuck in the middle without a nipple, and after much scrambling and struggling it started beating on the head of the black kitten next to it, until tabby-kitty knocked black-kitty off its nipple, and seized it. Much anguished squeaking and flailing ensued.

Came for the cute kittens, stayed for Nature Red in Tooth and Claw.
posted by Kat Allison at 6:12 PM on April 28, 2015 [9 favorites]

Oh man, there was some fisticuffs going on over that nipple.
posted by OnTheLastCastle at 6:12 PM on April 28, 2015

Also also: for those not used to Livestream, it is a cranky app and the Comment Monster sometimes eats your input, but it is a DVR system; if the kittens are asleep, you can jump around to previous times up to the last cam reset. The locals will usually mention timestamps of particular bits of scampiness.
posted by delfin at 6:15 PM on April 28, 2015

When you're a cat, sometimes you're STAMPING OUT ALL CHAOS, and sometimes you're chilling utterly and completely.
posted by bleep at 6:17 PM on April 28, 2015

Most adopters maintain Facebook pages for TK kittens after adoption so that their fans can watch them adjust and grow.

As a result of which I follow more cats on Facebook than I do people.
posted by pemberkins at 6:26 PM on April 28, 2015 [5 favorites]

some fisticuffs going on over that nipple.

A classic work of Victorian pornography.
posted by Going To Maine at 6:28 PM on April 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

the best part is the debate about possible kitten names in the chat. it has been pointed out that "tacocat" is also a palindrome and now there is a MAJOR CONTROVERSY.
posted by Hypatia at 6:32 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

I kind of like the vote for "Dr. Awkward."
posted by pemberkins at 6:36 PM on April 28, 2015 [6 favorites]

As a result of which I follow more cats on Facebook than I do people.

The ideal use case for facebook.
posted by jeather at 6:41 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

Boop! Boop boop boop boop! Boop!
posted by rtha at 6:41 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

I LOVE these kittehs. Have been watching them since about November or so...since the last full litter. Shelly (Roche) is amazing, and the work she does for Langley Animal Protection Society (LAPS) is out of control. They have a TNR outfit, and the town of Langley (BC, Canada) just passed a budget for LAPS to have an isolation ward for their sick cats. (Mandatory pic of my cat, Tiny)
posted by Stewriffic at 6:41 PM on April 28, 2015 [4 favorites]

Tiny kittens...make me feel happy...
posted by orrnyereg at 6:42 PM on April 28, 2015

The tuxie (female, born #3) is named Izzi, and Shelly is looking for suggestions on FB for number TWO.
posted by Stewriffic at 6:44 PM on April 28, 2015

I want to put up a sign by their box:

DEPRESSED? PUT YOUR FACE IN HERE--$50

I'd be a millionaire by Friday.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 6:46 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Why does the one fellow have a collar?
posted by Going To Maine at 6:47 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Mom left the room so they're stumbling around like tiny drunks.
posted by desjardins at 6:47 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

#2 (still to be named) is in the blue collar to distinguish him from #5, Siris (Pronounced Cyrus).
posted by Stewriffic at 6:48 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

One of the two cream/buff kittens has a collar just so it's easy to tell the two apart. I think in this case it is mostly for the benefit of the camera, but in previous litters with Shelly or other fosterers it has been done to tell apart near-identical kittens to keep track of which is which for daily weigh-ins and such.
posted by pemberkins at 6:48 PM on April 28, 2015

Yeah, the last litter had 4 white* kittens and one orange. They were hard to tell apart. So collars.

* Technically flamepoints
posted by Stewriffic at 6:51 PM on April 28, 2015

I will now recite the ¡°Baby Cat Song¡±, written by yours truly when I lived alone with my parents¡¯ very ferocious kitten for five weeks while they were overseas (getting a cat was not planned when tickets were bought; it was abandoned in their neighborhood).

Bay-bee bay-bee cats,
bay-bee bay-bee cats.

Bay-bee bay-bee cats,
bay-bee bay-bee cats.

Babycats!

Even though he¡¯s now grown up, I sing it to him as a greeting every time I go to visit (in another state, so only a few times a year).
posted by D.C. at 6:54 PM on April 28, 2015 [7 favorites]

I LURVE Eve's growls. (Eve is the mumma-cat)
posted by Stewriffic at 6:56 PM on April 28, 2015

Hey, can we have one of these for puppies as well? (I have two monitors, I can fullscreen one in each).

If you like this, you might like the tv show "Too Cute".

if you don't like this, you're a monster.
posted by el io at 6:59 PM on April 28, 2015

I love Too Cute but the narration can be a bit much at times.
posted by desjardins at 7:02 PM on April 28, 2015

Mammals are weird.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 7:09 PM on April 28, 2015

I love the noises Eve makes when she eats. She talks to her food!
posted by shiny blue object at 7:14 PM on April 28, 2015

When Eve was eating the placentas, she had the best NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM noises to go along with it.
posted by Stewriffic at 7:16 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

la la la la i cant hear you
posted by poffin boffin at 7:18 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

If you want to follow along with their developmental progress, Shelly keeps a spreadsheet.
posted by Stewriffic at 7:22 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

I'm gonna watch some cats
Only got five small kittens in those boxes
I-I-I'm streaming, squeeing "am I dreaming?"
Kittens are so awesome
posted by ilana at 7:42 PM on April 28, 2015 [6 favorites]

I haz a happy.

Also, I want a blue blanky with white polka dots just like that one.
posted by MexicanYenta at 7:43 PM on April 28, 2015

Just looked at the spreadsheet - those little guys are only one day old??
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:44 PM on April 28, 2015

Oh, and one of the paler kittens should so be named Abba.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:48 PM on April 28, 2015

One day! The first was born at about 2 p.m. EDT on the 27th.
posted by Stewriffic at 7:49 PM on April 28, 2015

Tinykittens is the cam site for Shelly Roche, a Canadian fosterer for the Langley Animal Protection Society animal shelter

So... you're telling me that these kittehs are within driving distance?

Want
posted by jokeefe at 9:33 PM on April 28, 2015

One is named Pip.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:41 PM on April 28, 2015 [2 favorites]

Why does the one fellow have a collar?

Telling the kittens apart can be important; when they're little, you sometimes track their weight gain, to make sure they're growing like they should. Also, if one never gets to eat, or one is always dirty, that's important info.

We once fostered a litter of _five_ _orange_ _tabbies_. All were boys. After a few days, we could kind of tell them apart - one had a tiny black spot next to an ear, and three turned out to be more buff than orange. However, even close inspection didn't help us with Miles and Geordi (they were the Star Trek kittens), so Miles got a tiny blue collar with little fishes on it. He was so cute!
posted by amtho at 9:58 PM on April 28, 2015 [3 favorites]

Momcat is cleaning them right now. This is fucking Internet valium!
posted by old_growler at 10:14 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Telling the kittens apart can be important

it is important that there be equal distribution of nose boopings and tummy smooches and toe nibbles
posted by poffin boffin at 11:16 PM on April 28, 2015 [7 favorites]

Determined ginger kitten is proving my belief that orange cats rest right in the middle of "just smart enough to be trouble" and "Completely stubborn."
posted by The Whelk at 11:58 PM on April 28, 2015 [1 favorite]

Eek! ???
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 1:29 AM on April 29, 2015

I've followed a couple of the previous TinyKittens litters at various stages (the "Kittens of Oz" and the "Sesame St. Kittens") and enjoy watching the little fuzzballs as a momentary stress reliever whenever I feel like I'm about to plotz. Foster mom Shellie and the folks who support her are doing some good work there.

I do feel a little sorry for the Mom cats when they're in the most active stages of nursing, though - at that point, they are basically ambulatory milk bars, and seem to look very tired most of the time. Motherhood ain't easy.
posted by Nat "King" Cole Porter Wagoner at 2:42 AM on April 29, 2015

Damn allergies..... I wants ALL da kittehs!
posted by easily confused at 3:53 AM on April 29, 2015

Currently they are one giant interlocked heap of sleeping kittens. Very soothing.
posted by tavella at 7:59 AM on April 29, 2015

Now I want the kittens to go MWAHAHA INTERWEBS WE SNEAKY and swap collars when the lights go out.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 8:02 AM on April 29, 2015

Now I want the kittens to go MWAHAHA INTERWEBS WE SNEAKY and swap collars when the lights go out.

It's happened, sort of.
posted by pemberkins at 8:56 AM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

The kittens are the best! The humans in the chat panel who are fighting over the names are not-so-best.

*reduces window size to crop out chat*

Better!
posted by kimberussell at 12:51 PM on April 29, 2015 [2 favorites]

If you select the middle button of the three in the lower right corner the kitten window will expand over the chatbox. Have you noticed how tuxedo kitten and nonblue buff kitten fight fight fight? And tiny grey tabby nurses upside down then falls dead asleep unbothered by whatever chaos is going on all around. So cute.
posted by maggieb at 3:20 PM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I kinda want in on the nursing action, but while Kate the (no longer) kitten is an insatiable nurser at 6AM (go figure - not much milk to be found in a man's armpit) she's just NOT interested right now.
posted by wotsac at 3:51 PM on April 29, 2015

I can't believe how much they've grown from day to day.

Everyone I've shown this to has said "I want a kitten!" in between squeeing.
posted by mogget at 3:57 PM on April 29, 2015

Everyone I've shown this to has said "I want a kitten!" in between squeeing.

I am currently getting all the awwws back on IM.
posted by immlass at 5:44 PM on April 29, 2015

They are in kittenpile, dreaming in tandem. Squeeeeee!
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 6:58 PM on April 29, 2015

They look like tiny little fuzzy socks! Ahhhh!
posted by tickingclock at 7:15 PM on April 29, 2015

So in the end, they went with Arora for the fifth kitten.
posted by tickingclock at 7:59 PM on April 29, 2015

Haha I keep forgetting that I have the kitten cam open in a separate tab, and getting delighted when I hear an unexpected mew.
posted by tickingclock at 8:01 PM on April 29, 2015 [1 favorite]

I will now recite the ¡°Baby Cat Song¡±, written by yours truly when I lived alone with my parents¡¯ very ferocious kitten for five weeks while they were overseas ...

After we got our little Ianto fixed, I cuddles him and sang to him "You aint got no balls no more, balls no more, balls no more / You aint got no balls no more -- The vet cut off your balls!"

It's probably just as well cats don't understand English.
posted by Karmakaze at 1:51 PM on April 30, 2015 [1 favorite]

The same woman is running a cam on a feral cat and her 4 kittens.
posted by jeather at 4:58 AM on May 14, 2015 [2 favorites]