Kittens are growing, growing, growing! Saturday I cleaned their sleeping quarters (scrubbed with scalding water, lots of work) and then last night they wanted OUT of the basket permanently! So, now they are able to come out from their curtained area and walk around on their little unsteady legs...follow momcat and try to eat. The greyish kitten (tentatively named Pistol, he's such a handful) walked right up to momcat's feed dish, where she was eating some can food, and abruptly dived in! He ate a good bit, and the others ate at least a taste of food. I also made them a shallow litterpan with shredded newspaper (cause they might try to eat clay litter) and hope they'll take a hint to use it soon. This morning they are all sleeping well, so maybe they are more content not being confined in the basket.

The black kitten, (Blackie), is having trouble with one of his eyes. It was encrusted a couple days ago, so I put some antibiotic I had here for such a problem from the vet, and it cleared up. I stopped putting it in the eye, and then yesterday morning the eye was stuck together again. So I put some in yesterday morning and last night, and this morning, and will continue twice a day till it seems to all be gone. If it doesn't go away in a few days, I'll take him to the vet. None of the other kittens have an eye problem, and Blackie's is only in one eye. I don't think it's anything serious, but will not risk damage to the eye if it doesn't clear up soon.

Memorial Day...not much going on here. DH and I will cook out on the grill late this afternoon, probably after a ride in the country. I have some pix to post of the scenic areas here in the South...as well as more kitten photos when I have time.

Here's an interesting article that makes me glad I didn't have kids to add to the overpopulated earth!

U.N. group: Fourth of world's mammal species may vanish

A quarter of the world's mammal species -- from tigers to rhinos -- could face extinction within 30 years, and millions of people could suffer severe water shortages unless firm political action is taken to protect the environment, the United Nations said Wednesday.In a state-of-the-world report, the U.N. Environment Program said the Earth faces more rapid, dramatic and devastating environmental change over the next three decades.

"The increasing pace of change and degree of interaction between regions and issues has made it more difficult than ever to look into the future with confidence," the organization said in Global Environment Outlook-3. Information on the report is available at the group's Web site, www.unep.org.

At a London news conference, U.N. Environment Program executive director Klaus Toepfer said human development "across more and more areas of the planet is not sustainable. Unless we alter our course, we will be left with very little."

Released in advance of the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development --to be held Aug. 26-Sept. 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa -- the report is based on contributions from more than 1,000 scientists collaborating with the Nairobi, Kenya-based U.N. agency.

It assesses environmental changes over the past 30 years and looks ahead to the next three decades -- a period the United Nations says will be critical in determining the future of the planet.

The report says the world's biodiversity is under threat, with 1,130 of the more than 4,000 mammal species and 1,183 of the 10,000 birds regarded as globally threatened -- meaning they could become extinct but are not necessarily under immediate threat.

Among the most threatened are the black rhinoceros of Africa, the Siberian tiger and the Amur leopard of Asia, according to the U.N.'s World Conservation Monitoring Center.

Much of the threat is man-made, with loss of habitat from industry, mining and farming, and the introduction of nonnative species among the chief dangers. Fifteen percent of the world's land has been degraded by human activity such as overgrazing, the report says, while half the world's rivers are seriously depleted or polluted.

The report warns that roads, mining and other infrastructure developments could affect over 70 percent of the world's surface in the next 30 years. In addition, almost one-third of the world's fish stocks are depleted, overexploited or recovering as a result of overfishing. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS

Till next time...