KittyFest

Good News Everybody!

2011-06-21T21:44:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, all four kittens of my last litter were adopted, and Churchill has been adopted as well!

New Toys

2011-06-12T09:50:00.005-04:00

This litter was supposed to go back to the shelter last week, but an illness has kept them from putting on weight as fast as we had expected. They will probably go back this Thursday.

Meanwhile, we got some new toys for the kitties. There's four toys that attach to a kitty wand. This morning, I attached a clump of feathers with a bell and dangled it for the kitties. They all swarmed me and followed the toy, until Fukushima caught it. She latched onto the toy, tail poofed up, and started growling and trying to take the toy away from me. I was cooking, so I let her have it. Now she's still hogging the toy, playing by herself and growling at the other kittens whenever they come too close.

Update: now Jasmin is growling over a single feather that came off of the toy. My kittens don't share or play nice.

Update: Jasmin has taken the whole toy away from Fukushima, and J growls at F whenever F comes too close.

Update: Now they've all had their turns at growling over the toy. And my kittens don't play nice.

New Kittens

2011-05-24T17:44:00.001-04:00

Hey, I got some new kittens on Friday. They were "found in a garage" and brought to the shelter pretty young. They spent their first weeks with another volunteer, but she had to give them up because she was moving last weekend. They need a few more weeks to put on the bulk before they're spayed (all girls). My hubby K got pics of the girls the other day.

Fukushima is very sweet, cuddly, outgoing and playful.

Jasmin Revolution is a bit more reserved, but she still likes to play with her sisters, and she climbs onto my lap to get her cuddles.

Seal Team Six is boisterous and feisty.

Rapture likes to perch on my knee. She's the most independent.

'Hill Chillin'

2011-03-23T16:56:00.001-04:00

Churchill will be available for adoption at the ARL starting tomorrow. He's spent most of his last full day with me on the futon, finally sleeping comfortably in the open!

And here he is chillin' with his catnip mouse.

Futon King

2011-03-22T11:49:00.000-04:00

Churchill's favorite spot, outside of the closet, is our futon. Even while he was in hiding, we'd find his hair all over it in the morning. Now he spends much of his time lounging under it and playing all over it. (His future family might want to invest in a cat tree.) My current camera can't do action shots, so all I have are lounging shots.

Churchill Update

2011-03-21T22:46:00.001-04:00

Most shy cats start to come around within their first three weeks of foster. At the end of Churchill's fourth week, he was still hiding, still hissing. We began to fear that he would never acclimate to people, and we started to look into barn placement.

I had started feeding Churchill in his closet. I gave him a quarter can of wet food in the afternoons, and then his regular helping of dry in the evenings. I'd also been feeding him kitty treats out of my hand. At the end of his fourth week, Churchill started yowling whenever I'd come take the old food dish away because he knew he was getting fed. Then on Friday, he started yowling for no apparent reason at all.

I came over and gave him a treat, and he started rubbing his head on my hand. Later, he actually came out of his closet to receive the pettings, but it wasn't all whiskers and purrs. Several times, he tried to grab my knuckle in his teeth, and I said, "Hey!" and withdrew my hand, and that made him hiss and run away. Eventually, I realized he was trying grab my hand and run off with it - you know, 'cuz my hand is magic and made out of treats. His attempts to do so broke the skin once or twice, but he's mostly done with that now.

Churchill has continued to make progress. He plays, grooms himself, eats and uses the litterbox whether or not we're around, only retreating to the closet to sleep. He's started to let my husband pet him now, too. He's also put on weight and cleaned himself up quite a bit since his arrival.

Churchill will be going back to the shelter, available for adoption, later this week. Whoever takes him will need to work through some of these steps again. I don't know if they will be starting all over, or if he'll just be skittish and shy, but at least now we know that he will eventually come around. He is very affectionate when he wants to be, but you have to let him come to you. I haven't picked him up or held him in my lap yet. He may get to that point, or he may not. He loves to play, but he still scares easily, so you can't play too aggressively with him yet. He's very vocal, by the way. You'll know when he wants something, even if you don't know exactly what it is that he wants. He does get bored and seek attention, so if he can be placed with another cat, that might be best. A home with a fenced in yard where he can watch birds and hunt bugs might help stimulate him as well.

I'll be tossing some pictures up here, but Churchill hasn't been too photogenic yet. Hopefully I'll be able to snap some tomorrow during the daytime.

Return of the Kitties

2011-02-28T13:21:00.000-05:00

Hey, I'm fostering kitties again. I'm finally in an apartment that allows cats, so I've started fostering for the Animal Rescue League of Boston. It turns out that "Animal Rescue League" is an extremely common name for animal shelters; the ARLs in Boston and Pittsburgh are completely separate organizations. I was very impressed with what I learned at the orientation. The ARLB is actively researching to find the best methods for correcting behavioral challenges in their dogs. The shelter takes care of most of the sick animals in-house, so most of my litters will only need routine medical treatment like de-worming. I encourage my readers to check them out, especially if they live in the Boston area.

I am currently providing care for a "shy" cat called Churchill. "Shy" cats are cats that have not responded well to human contact at the shelter environment. This could be caused by a number of things, from the cat being semi-feral, to an abused animal, to the cat not coping well with suddenly finding itself being in a strange place surrounded by lots of strange animals, sounds and smells. Often, it only takes a few days inside a quiet, low key environment for the cat to return to its natural self, and so these cats are observed in a foster home so that the shelter staff will know how the cat will behave in the home and can help to place the cat with a compatible family.

I've had Churchill for two and a half weeks, and progress has been very slow. The good news is that he eats, drinks, and uses his litter box regularly.

That is the extent of the good news. Churchill hides in the coat closet all day, only coming out when we're both gone or gone to bed. In order to try to build an association in his mind between humans and food (happiness!), I've stopped putting food out for him, instead opting to serve him in his closet. He greets me with a hiss, but usually sniffs my fingers, and he's never lashed out. He prefers me to set the food and slowly back away with my hands in plain view, but he will sometimes eat in my presence. I would be more worried about his sedentary lifestyle if he weren't so thin when we got him. I wiped him down a bit with pet wipes, and I didn't like how easy it was to feel his vertebrae poking up under his fur.

Because he's never so much as swatted a paw at us, I speculate that Churchill was not feral. The semi-feral barn cats I've seen have been far more aggressive when faced with human contact and confined spaces. I'm wondering if he was abused, or if his extreme shyness is simply from being under-socialized. Perhaps he had a little human contact early on in his life, but has been alone on the streets (he was surrendered as a stray) ever since. Churchill is only a year old, so I have a lot of hope for him learning to tolerate and eventually enjoy human company. It's good that he came in during the winter, before the onset of kitten season. I'm content to take care of him for as long as it takes for him to adjust to domestic life - he's extremely easy to care for - and it's good to know that there aren't a lot of other animals right now waiting for his spot in foster care.

Absence of Kitties and Posts

2009-05-01T22:27:00.002-04:00

My spouse got a job in Boston, so we moved in September 2008. Unfortunately, our current appartment is not foster kitten friendly. We will be moving in August. I haven't found the apartment yet, but if conditions are favorable, Kitty Fest will resume.

Letters from Margo and Silvia

2008-06-09T18:34:00.004-04:00

Dear Future Family,

I'm just dying to see you. I'm so bored and tired of being cooped up at the ARL. My needs are simple: fresh water, dry food, clean litter, and a warm petting once in a while. I don't force myself on people. I'm a little reserved at first, but I warm up quickly. I enjoy the company of other cats. My friend Silvia and I got on just fine. Come see me today.

Snuggles,

Margo

Dear Future Family,

I hope to meet you soon. I'm a shy girl, but I warm up quickly. I will soak up all your extra pettings. I'm lonely now that Margo left - I enjoy feline company. I'm not a picky eater, I don't eat much at all in this warm weather - just some dry kibble and fresh, cool water for me. I'm still in foster care until I stop sneezing, but I'm healthy enough to be adopted now. Please come see me soon.

Purrs,

Silvia

Coming and Goings

2008-06-09T18:29:00.002-04:00

Margo is all better now. I took her to the ARL yesterday, and picked up a case of kittens. I have 6 now - the two brown tabbies from earlier, and 4 of various colors. Silvia is still here due to her persistent sneezing. She's well enough to go to a home, but I couldn't risk her getting the other ARL cats sick.

Getting Better

2008-06-02T19:42:00.006-04:00

They're getting better - both pairs. The cats upstairs are sneezing and sniffling less. They're also hiding less. The torti - I'm calling her Margo - is pretty friendly. She comes right up to me to get her lovings when I enter the room. The grey and white kitty, Silvia, wasn't even hiding this morning. She was sitting on the chair in plain view, and she came over to compete with Margo for the petting.

The kittens are also showing progress, especially the smaller one (on the right in the picture). It started out just letting me pet it while it ate. Then it stopped hissing while I pet it and started purring. Now it even pushes into my hand when I scratch behind its ears. The other kitten still hisses and spits if I get too close. I'm going to have use its sibling to lure it to me. I'll be patient. I'll have them for 3 more weeks before they'll be old enough for surgery.

Lucky Number 7

2008-05-31T16:54:00.009-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to my latest house guests - Litter 7. These two 5-week-old cuties are semi-feral. It's a strange relationship. They hid when we first got them; now they watch us out in the open, and they meow to let us know when they're out of food - they're eating like crazy, a full 5.5oz can per day. But they're afraid of physical contact. At least they're healthy and playful.

I also have two sick adults in the cat room, both female. One is a white, brown and black torti. She's a little shy at first, but warms up quickly and appreciates a nice petting. The other girl is grey and white. She's very shy and spends most of her time hiding behind the cushion. However, she also enjoys a good pet, and her mood may improve once she's feeling better. I'm not taking any pictures of them until their noses heal up - they're licked raw from the URI.

Ray Ray to some, Aslan to Others, Adorable to All

2008-05-28T15:23:00.008-04:00

Ray Ray/Aslan has gone to the ARL and is eager to go to his new home. To Ray Ray's future family:

Ray Ray isn't the kind of cat you get and forget. He'll be in your face, purring and snuggling, chasing anything that moves, so be ready to give him some affection. If you don't have the time to play and cuddle with him, please consider adopting two cats. They will entertain each other, and they'll be great fun to watch. Ray Ray doesn't need fancy treats or expensive toys. He prefers dry kibble, fresh water, and plastic pom poms that sell for less than a dollar.
Please leave me a comment if you want to know anything more about Ray Ray/Aslan.

Liger Pics

2008-05-22T19:05:00.013-04:00

Aslan's cold is mild but persistent. We'll have him for a few more days.

He couldn't decide whether to attack my slipper or itch his ear.

Those stairs never saw what hit them.

Now in possession of the Metaloid Pom, Aslan zaps me with his eye lasers.

Fetch

2008-05-14T11:26:00.005-04:00

Aslan's a riot. He's gotten over his eye infection, but his cold is still hanging on, so we've got him for a few more days. Like most cats, he loves those plastic pom pom things. Unlike most cats, he plays fetch with them. He and I have worked it out so that I toss a pom pom down the stairs, and he runs after it. He plays with it a little bit, then tears back up the the stairs carrying the pom pom in his mouth. He brings it over to me, or more accurately, the spot on the landing near his room where he's figured out the game restarts, and I toss or kick the pom pom back down the stairs. It's great because he gets a lot of exercise with minimal effort on my part. And it's so cute! He thinks he's a retriever! Tee hee hee!

Introducing Aslan the 6th (Litter)

2008-05-07T16:41:00.007-04:00

For reasons too messy to get into now (ever) I had to exchange Litter 5 for something that used the litterbox. I ended up with a miniature liger - that's right, half lion, half tiger, all 4 month old kitten that just loves to be petted and played with. He had URI, but he's mostly over that now and just dealing with a minor eye infection. He should be back at the shelter and ready for adoption within 7 days. He's called "Ray Ray" there, but we call him Aslan due to certain physical resemblances. He's rather hard to photograph because he tends to be on me or whipping around the room whenever I'm in there. Anyway, I managed a few close ups.

Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah! Litter 5! Litter 5!

2008-04-29T15:09:00.004-04:00

The ARL has been absolutely swamped with kittens, so I took home four of them on Saturday. They're supposed to all be from the same litter, but one of them looks a week older than the rest. They're three weeks old. They weren't eating the soft food the shelter sent home with me, so we went out and bought a can of milk replacer. Expensive stuff!

Since they're so young, I'm not sure what their genders are. There's a calico one,
a grey tabby, and two white and grey kittens. The tabby is the older one. It's less social; it hisses sometimes when we try to pick it up. Maybe its genetic family was more feral then its adoptive litter.

Since they're so young, I wasn't confident in their litter habits, so I've been penning them up on when I'm not in the room. They seem to be doing pretty well so far, but I'll be happier to let them run about the room unsupervised in another week.

They sleep, eat, and beat the heck out of each other. That's their routine. They also love to climb the cushions and bite... well... just about everything. Including my hand! I'm hoping they grow out of that soon. They're clumsy little things, too falling off the cushions, accidentally stepping in their food or in the water dish. "Lil' Wet Foot," I should call the calico. At least she's making a habit of licking her feet.

Immortalized in Pixels

2008-04-23T20:02:00.005-04:00

It was with great shock and dismay that I learned today that Cara Mel did not survive her spaying procedure. Having grown up with spayed cats and known many people with spayed cats, I had never known of a single case in which there were complications, let alone a spaying operation that turned fatal. One of the reasons I chose not to adopt my foster cats was because I didn't want to watch them grow old and die. Now this.

Cara Mel is actually the second of my fosters to die. The first was in my first litter. There were originally six kittens, and one died shortly after I took them home. The kitten was apparently very sick when I got her. The shelter clinic was closed, so I could either take her to an emergency vet who would have little chance of saving her, or try to make her comfortable until the clinic opened or she died. Watching that kitten die was the saddest thing that I had ever done. Yes, I have been more depressed before, more miserable, but never from a single act.

Cara Mel and her kittens were my longest fosters. I took great pleasure from watching her interact with her kittens and the rest of the house. She was very inquisitive, she seemed to want to know everything that was going on, but she never stopped watching out for her kittens. She was a good mother and a good cat. Cara Mel will be missed.

A Letter from Cara Mel

2008-04-21T09:51:00.010-04:00

To my future family,

Please adopt me soon. I'm such a sweety I know we'll get along just fine. I enjoy company. I'll follow you around the house and watch everything you do, but I don't jump up on things (much) and I don't beg at the table, (just watch). I'm a little confused about where my kittens have gone. (Adopt one with me! I'll take care of him/her and we'll keep each other company.) To get over my loss, I might pretend that your dirty socks are my kittens. I'll talk to them and carry them around with me so that I know they're safe.

I loved to use this scratcher in my foster home. Please get me one like it. I'm a bit of a litter flinger, but I'm better with litter pellets like these. Also, I love these salmon treats, but I'm not too picky!

Adopt me and I will love you forever... and sort your socks!

Purrs and Snuggles,

Cara Mel

A note to my regular readers: Cara Mel has been listed on PetFinder, and her profile links to Kitty Fest. We don't list the kittens because they'll be adopted from the shelter quickly and without the need of internet publicity.

As with All Good Things...

2008-04-17T12:51:00.002-04:00

I've given Cara free range of the house while keeping the kittens in the laundry room. I tried putting them in the kitchen, but I got tired of moving all their stuff, and the kittens seem more comfortable in the room in which they spent most of their lives. Cara's been kind of funny about the change. She'll walk around the house calling to them, as if she's forgotten that they can't get out of the laundry room. She has also taken to carrying around my dirty socks while making what sounds like the I have a prize for you sound. For the last time: my socks neither smell nor taste like dead rats.

Cara's been uber curious about everything, looking in the garbage even when there's no food in it, looking out the window, just looking around. I made vegetable fried rice last night, and I tried soy bean pods for the first time. The pods were too tough to eat, so we were throwing them away, and Cara kept snatching the pods out of the trash to eat them. Weirdo.

Cara Mel and her kitties are going back to the shelter Monday to be fixed and put up for adoption. I'm going to miss them. Cara's been extremely fun to take care of. If it weren't for K's allergies, I think I'd keep Cara Mel and Absinth (the kitten formerly known as Pernod).

Trying out the New Camera

2008-04-02T13:39:00.007-04:00

We decided to rename "Godiva" as "Caroline," but this is not meant to imply that she is in any way inferior to Bailey. Bailey likes my camera. ~~Pernod~~ Absinth thinks it's pretty cool. Caroline is a little more interested in other things... ... like wrestling her brother. Bailey watches Caroline beat up a towel... ... and then decides to take on a shirt. The shirt wins. Here's ~~Pernod~~ Absinth taking on a somewhat livelier opponent. Cara loves her babies, but they can be exhausting.

Grainy Footage

2008-03-25T15:45:00.009-04:00

K was nice enough to hold the laptop while I snapped some pictures with the webcam. Unlike my Fab Five photos, these images look on par with the photographic evidence of Bigfoot. Kudos to anyone who spots a flying saucer. The webcam is good for still life, and these kittens are only still when they're sleeping.Here's ~~Pernod~~ Absinth scratching his ear. I promise he doesn't have fleas. I've never seen a cat with quite that coloring, like a charcoal tabby. My dad was quite taken with ~~Pernod~~ Absinth (who's name he supplied).This is Bailey at the heel of K's slipper. What a cutie! When compared to ~~Godiva~~ Caroline, he's got a little more brown on his face and a little less white on his forehead. In Exhibit A, you can clearly see the plaintiff, Ms. Cara Mel, having her tail assaulted by one of the defendants - Lord Bailey and Lady ~~Godiva~~ Caroline. This is the only photographic evidence that we have of the attack, so it will be up to their testimony to determine the guilty party. Unfortunately, all three parties are refusing to talk.I think that's ~~Godiva~~ Caroline under ~~Pernod~~ Absinth.~~Pernod~~ Absinth and Bailey are in the foreground, Cara and ~~Godiva~~ Caroline against the wall.

In a final note, I did break down and buy a camera from Amazon.com. I expect its arrival by the end of the week.

Mmm... Intoxicating

2008-03-21T12:22:00.005-04:00

I wish I had more pictures. I would, but I broke my camera/phone shortly after I took that last batch. Also, I've been working obsessively over the last two weeks to create a presentable tutoring website. (I taught myself enough html and css to make a website that was none too shabby, and then I found out that google pages hates outside formatting. I had to micromanage every single tag to get it to come out the way I wanted, and I still can't change the website's background color.)

Anyway, Cara Mel and her kittens are all healthy. When the kittens opened their eyes two weeks ago, their eyes were solid black. A few days ago I noticed some color in there - their eyes are turning blue, and yesterday I had the vet tech sex the kittens for me when I had them in for their shots.

Bailey - brown-grey tabby and white, male: Bailey likes sleeping, nursing, and chewing on his sister.

"Lady" ~~Godiva~~ Caroline - brown-grey tabby and white, female: ~~Godiva~~ Caroline likes sleeping, nursing, and chewing on Bailey.

~~Pernod~~ Absinth - charcoal, male(?): ~~Pernod~~ Absinth is either the adventurous one or the mama's boy. He was the first to go out of the sleeping den and walk around on his wobbly legs, and comes over to check me out when Cara Mel is soaking up the luvin'.

Maybe I'll steel Kyle's phone to get some pictures this weekend... or maybe I'll break down and buy a camera.

Fuzzy Butts

2008-03-01T14:00:00.004-05:00

Cara loves being pet and scratched on the head. She's all purrs whenever I come in. She's still eating and drinking well, though she hasn't used the litter box in over 24 hours, so I'm a little worried there. I didn't smell anything in the closet, so I don't think she snuck in there. In fact, I had to move her food and water dish in order to compensate for the zeal with which she buries her refuse. She was throwing litter all over the place.

While Cara was eating her breakfast, I moved the carrier into the light so I could get a few pictures of her babies. Here they are at one week old. So far, my involvement with the kittens has been little more than making sure that all three are alive each time I feed Cara. I haven't thought much about names yet. I'll probably wait until they've had their two-week check-up so the vet tech can tell me their sexes.

Pretty Mama

2008-02-27T12:26:00.008-05:00

Cara Mel is growing accustomed to her new home. She hasn't hissed at me since that night I stole the roll of toilet paper from her.
I re-arranged the layout of Cara's suite to give her more privacy and to give me easier access to the litter box.

Kyle's new phone takes better pictures than our old Samsungs, but I still may break down and buy a camera. Cara isn't like those celebrities who flaunt their babies around for the press, so if I want some good pictures before they're old enough to walk, I'm going to need a flash. On the other hand, Cara doesn't mind flaunting herself for the camera, not even while she's nursing.

Congradulate me: I'm a Grandmother.

2008-02-25T13:22:00.002-05:00

I went to the ARL cat fosters meeting on Saturday, and I came home with a mother and three new-born babies that had just been dropped off. I'm calling the mom "Cara Mel." She and the kittens are set up in our spare bedroom, which we have mostly been using as a linen closet. It's well heated and private, and there's no furniture for Cara to get into, just a pile of cushions with our towels on top.

Cara's family had Saturday night to themselves to get used to their new surroundings. Then, Sunday morning, I went in to feed Cara, and she came right over, purring and butting her head into my hands. She has a good appetite; she's drinking lots of water, and she's using the litter box. Then, last night, I had to get a roll of toilet paper out of her room, and she had a hissy fit. Thing were back to normal this morning when I went in to feed her, so I'm not too worried. I just chalked it up to the mysterious feline psyche and maternal zeal.

I'll be posting pictures as soon, possibly daily updates. It's been a long time since I had the pleasure of fostering, and I was all grins yesterday just thinking about our new family.

Naming Names

2007-11-19T10:03:00.000-05:00

I don't know if these names are going to stick, but here's what I'm calling them.

Cain - Brown Tabby, Male: Pictured on the bottom right of the previous post, Cain was the first to make it to the top of the naked baby gate. We'll see how long before he can climb up the ropes or force himself between the box and the gate. He's friendly and playful.

Lilith - Brown Tabby, Female: Lilith is friendly and playful, too. When I sit down on the kitchen floor, she runs over for some cuddling and hand wrestling. She's also got sharp little teeth and claws, which means the hand wrestling season is going to be very short. Lilith's got slightly darker ears and a narrower face when compared to Cain, which shows that she's pictured on the bottom left of the previous post.

Set - Black, Male: He's my little unholy terror. He's as friendly as the tabbys but he's very playful and fun to watch. He's fluffier than the rest - definitely a medium or long haired kitty. phil said he thought the grey ones looked evil. He's lucky he's never found himself hand-to-face with the fluffy, black fury of claws and teeth called Set.

These kittens are enthusiastic eaters. The Furry Five took about a day to eat one can of kitten food between them. These three scarf it down in just a few hours. They also have a healthy appetite for the dry kitten food; they're not afraid to get right in the bowl with it or to eat it off the floor.

Little Bundles of Fur

2007-11-17T21:11:00.000-05:00

I brought home the new kittens this afternoon. They're just four weeks old - big heads with little blue eyes, and fuzzy, fuzzy bodies (I think they're long haired). They weren't sexed, and after last time... I think I'll just respect their privacy for now. I haven't named them yet, either. I'm trying to get an idea of what they're like first. One thing I've noticed is that they're way more playful than my other kittens were when I first got them. I think the difference is that the Fab Five had URI at the time, and these ones have just gotten over. (I don't have to give them any medicines. Yea!) I'm keeping the kittens in the kitchen (we'll see how long that lasts), but I brought them out to get a few pictures. Enjoy.

Graceful Exits

2007-11-17T19:05:00.001-05:00

I had to send Binks, Bootz and Ophelia back to the shelter a little earlier than expected. K (my husband) broke out in red blotches on his chest and side, and we were afraid it was allergy related. As you'll recall, Binks had destroyed his box on the way here from the shelter, so I had to carry him in my arms to the car, and he tried to make a break for it as soon as I stepped outside. Then, Ophelia and Bootz managed to rip their carriers apart within the first five minutes of the drive. They were climbing all over the place, and I had to scramble to keep them off of the dash board and away from K's feet while he was driving. I brought Ophelia into the shelter by hand, but I got boxes for Binks and Bootz.

K has since seen a doctor, and the red blotches turned out to be shingles brought on by stress. We had a few days of cat-free relaxation, and now we're ready to take in three new kittens. I don't know anything about them, but they're probably sick and too little for surgery. K was very fond of Little Miss Mae, so we're hoping one is friendly and outgoing.

Binks et. al.

2007-11-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

What a spoiled little boy! Binks only wants about 90% of my time. He follows me around. He wants to be in my lap. When he's not in my lap he's rolling around on his back to have his tummy rubbed. He's on the bathroom sink when I try to wash my hands or brush my teeth. In fact, he curled up in the sink for a nap once or twice, but not since my husband turned the water on on him. And in the 10% of my time that he's not crying for attention, he's sneaking onto the counter, the stove, the table, or in the kitchen sink! "That is not the place for kitties," I say, and squirt him with the spray bottle.

Ophelia is opening up. She doesn't run away every time we approach. She comes around for the occasional petting and lap sitting. She took a nap on my napping husband once, and she has started to chase Binks back when he takes a swipe at her.

They all sound much better than they did when they got here. No longer choking up phlem, there is only the occasional coughing fit. They're also spending less time sleeping. This morning I entertained Binks and Ophelia with a bit of string. It doesn't matter how old a cat is. They all love string... and those little shiny plastic pom-pom things. Ophelia was carrying one around yesterday. So cute!

And where is Bootz in all this? Bootz has developed an affinity for squashing himself underneath the futon couch. He also enjoys sleeping on the back of the couch, on my husband's chair, and in Ophelia's old hiding spot behind the bathroom door on the landing.

Three New Cats

2007-11-02T21:57:00.000-04:00

I took in three new fosters yesterday - sick adult cats that were named at the shelter two weeks ago when they were brought in.

Binks - Brown Tabby, Male: On the way home from the shelter, Binks single-mouthedly gouged a whole in his carrier and forced his way out. That won my respect. He was surrendered to the shelter by his previous owner due to a rental conflict. Binks is friendly to humans, but so much to other cats. Last night he tried to claim the litter box, food and water as his own, and fairly effectively, I might add. However, I've been spraying him every time I catch him hissing or yowling at the other cats, and they're not paying him much heed anymore.

Bootz - Black and White, Male: "Puss in" Bootz hid most of last night and today, though he took my chair when I went out for dinner and didn't mind sharing it when I got back. Bootz was trapped by Animal Control and remains unclaimed. Contact me or the ARL immediately if you lost a cat of his description in the Pittsburgh area.

Ophelia - Brown Tabby and White, Female: Ophelia was brought in as a stray. She spent most of her time here hiding on the landing behind the bathroom door, but she'll let me pet her and hold her a bit.

We just gave them their medicine, so I don't think anyone's in the mood for posing. I'll upload some pictures later.

One Last Kitty Pile

2007-11-02T13:46:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I parted company with the furry horde. They were big enough for surgery, and there was room on the ARL adoption floor, so I took them in. Those were the friendliest animals I have ever had the pleasure of living with. In our time together I watched them develop their individual personalities and double in size: Bengal - the feisty little girl with a passion for licking (and biting), Fabio - the tiny little boy who wouldn't eat until we put out the dry food, "Fat" Tony - with his pretty blue-rimmed eyes and his eat-anything lifestyle, Mae West - who's lust for affection and play goes unsurpassed, and Ziggy Stardust - from reserved outsider to insistent snuggler and kitty wrestling king. As it started, so it ends, in a kitty pile.

Gender Identity Crises

2007-10-22T23:05:00.000-04:00

All I can say is, "Oops," "They were young and underdeveloped," and "Girls aren't usually orange." I knew from the animal shelter paperwork that I had two girls and three boys. I had assumed that the orange cats were both male because orange cats are more likely to be male than female. Well, this evening I had Mae and Bengal in my lap. Someone hadn't cleaned themselves sufficiently after visiting the litter box. I checked Mae. My husband checked Bengal and said he thought I had been mistaken on my prior appraisal. A quick comparison with Mae and I saw they were the same. Then I checked Ziggy: not the same. Bengal's a girl, Ziggy's a boy.

I'm not too surprised that this happened. I don't have much experience looking at kitty genitalia, and when I was trying to assign gender they were only five-six weeks old. There wasn't much to look at.

My husband and I agreed that "Bengal" is a unisex name, and "Ziggy Stardust" is actually a boy in the song, so that worked out. Now I just have to retrain Ziggy and Bengal to use the boys and girls litter boxes respectively.

Pics to Appease John

2007-10-21T12:10:00.001-04:00

This is Bengal licking my finger. There's nothing on my finger, she just likes to lick it, and if I let him, she'll start chewing on it, too.

You can see here that "Grey" Mae West is not strictly grey tabby
since she has a few patches of beige on her. Just look at those eyes. Hollywood, here she comes.

Here's Ziggy Stardust resting on "Fat" Tony. They were the first two to nap on my lap that night. I grabbed the web cam and got a few close ups. Ziggy thought the camera was interesting, but Tony couldn't care less.

Fabio wasn't available for a solo portrait last night, but you can see him front and center in the fur pile below.
Gotta go. Tony and Ziggy are wrestling on my lap.

Kitty Pile Pic, Vocals

2007-10-20T19:55:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I was going to take pictures of the furry little monsters today, but my husband was dragging his feet in the morning and we ended up being out most of the day running errands. All I have is the kitty pile picture. Last night, all five of them either jumped up there themselves or meowed at me until I picked them up, so I took a photo of the writhing mass of purrs. The picture is a little blurry because the kittens don't like to pose. Anyway, I'll put up individual pictures soon.

Fabio, Mae and Ziggy prefer to mouth their meows rather than make the noise. Bengal and Tony do it too, but to a lesser extent. What, is it that hard to meow? And here's Mae, who makes more noises through her nose than her mouth. Mae makes little chirping noises all the time - jumping onto or down from a chair, pouncing on her brothers and sister, even in the litter box. It sounds like she's saying, "Hmm!" in a very juvenile, feminine voice. It's very cute. People don't tend to like the grey kittens as much as some of the brighter colored ones, but fortunately, Mae's got the personality to win them over.

I've got to go. The kitties beckon.
_____________________________________________________

By the way, Mae was trying to suck the snaps off my shirt there. Weirdo!

Escape and Entrapment

2007-10-18T21:05:00.000-04:00

I can't keep them in the nursery any more... and by "nursery" I mean kitchen. That's where they spent the first few weeks of their stay, and that's where I left them when I left for my brother's wedding on Friday. However, when I opened my front door onto my living room on Sunday I found five kittens waiting anxiously for me on the wrong side of the baby gate. Baby's yes. Kitten's no.

I didn't start out with a baby gate. I tried various improvised gates, cardboard boxes and the like, but nothing withstood the Will of the Kitties. I broke down and bought a baby gate - just to find out that they could climb right up the holes. I stood the gate box up in front of the gate and secured it there with a trash can and an unopened bottle of juice. They couldn't climb up the smooth cardboard. That lasted a few days. Then, Grey Mae managed to launch herself onto the cardboard box and pull it crashing down. Fine. I flattened the box and tied it to the front of the baby gate. Take that, Mae! You already know how it turned out. When I got back from the wedding, the baby gate was still standing, but the box had been pulled out of the ropes. I made one last attempt at containing the furry flood. I re-secured the box so that it couldn't slide downwards out of the ropes. But the kittens, in a great show of strength and determination, forced the box away from the gate on one side and climbed up the holes. Kittens: 1, Jackie: 0.

Fortunately, the kittens are done with their digestive problems, (they just finished their second de-worming medication,) and they're pretty much over their colds, so I don't have to worry about them getting poo or snot all over my living room. However, every time I sit down, it's like someone yells, "Kitty pile on Jackie!" It's kind of hard to do anything when you have two to five kittens on your lap purring, squirming, licking, biting, and crawling up your chest to suck on your face, or whatever it is they're trying to do. And don't even think of trying to get up while they're sleeping on you... but that's why I started this blog. I couldn't keep the kitty piles all to myself. Now Fabio is dozing off next to Mae and Bengal is licking my arm. Kitty luvin' is where it's at.

Meet the Kitties

2007-10-18T21:03:00.003-04:00

These are my first batch from the ARL. They came in together, presumably all from the same litter.

Bengal - Orange Tabby, ~~Male~~ Female
Bengal is the friskiest of the litter. She will attack anything that moves, and many things that don't. She is also friendly and affectionate, and she just jumped onto my shoulder to proofread her profile.
Fabio - Blond Tabby, Male
Fabio is a little smaller, more reserved than the rest of the litter. We were worried about him when we first got him because he wasn't eating. It turns out that he's very picky and will only eat dry food. Shy though he is, Fabio still loves to be petted on the back, and sometimes to be held. He also enjoys playing with his litter mates.
"Fat" Tony - Orange Tabby, Male
"Fat" Tony is so called because he is the most enthusiastic eater. His "eat everything and anything" approach to life made him the biggest of the litter at first, though the rest of the litter has caught up to him. He is affectionate and outgoing, and he loves to play with his litter mates.
"Grey" Mae West - Grey Tabby, Female
"Grey" Mae got her name from her movie-star personality. She is very out-going, affectionate and playful. She is the most aggressive in the kitty piles when competing for attention.
Ziggy Stardust - Blond Tabby, ~~Female~~ Male
Ziggy doesn't play guitar, but his majestic beauty is out of this world. Somewhat aloof in his earlier days here, he has overtaken his litter mates in size and is now almost as affection-hungry and playful as Mae.

I promise to upload pictures soon, but I'm waiting for them to get over their URI (the feline version of the common cold) so that nobody has to see them with watery eyes and runny noses.

Welcome to Kittsburgh, USA

2007-10-18T20:59:00.001-04:00

All of the animals featured on this page are adoptable through the Animal Rescue League of Western PA. ARL is an open door shelter - they don't turn any animals away. When they fill up they rely on foster families to take in extra cats and dogs, usually animals that are sick or too young for adoption. I got my first foster litter two weeks ago - five kittens born in early September. I will only have these kittens until early November when they're big enough to get "fixed." KittyFest is a window into the lives of my foster kitties.