Vacation

 A day late...mom was on vacation. A friend had plans to travel to Las Vegas for an event and mom went along as company. 

They had a good time but came back pretty tired. And of course they found a cat cafe. They visited Hearts Alive Cat Cafe and met some lovely cats and great rescue ladies. 

There was a Goldfish look alike named Winnie - much more social than Goldfish though. Ignore the ears - she got startled as the picture was being taken.

Mom also fell in love with Sputnik. He's about 18 months old and FIV+. He's a sweet boy but hasn't been there long so he is in a tower when he can't be supervised since he's fine with some cats but not every cat. Mom decided to sponsor his adoption fee.

They saw some great sights, walked a lot and ate a lot. Mom says she is glad to be home though. 

Wolf went back to the shelter to be available for adoption yesterday. He will be the youngest kitten currently available so hopefully he gets adopted quickly. 

Traffic Cone and Roundabout did ok with mom being gone. They apparently didn't want to make friends with the pet sitter but were chirping at mom when she got up on Monday. Roundabout was her normal self and is probably ready for the partner store and and adoption. TC however needs more time. Mom tried to pick him up on Monday and he scrambled to escape so she needs to reset that with him. But overall they did well. 

Mom hopes to do a round up post but those require a little more time to put together. In the meantime we wish you a safe and happy new year and purrs for a good 2026.

Merry Nipmas

 We got some nippy toys for the holidays.

The traffic kittens were given their freedom this weekend. They've been acting like thry want out of the room but mom worries what happens if they freak out. Well only one way to find out. 

They were uncertain at first and even after 2 days haven't left their space or the living room. But mom has been able to approach them both and make them sit with her. Traffic Cone predictably didn't last much past a few minutes, but he didn't struggle and was purring. Roundabout will snuggle in and stays for a while - about an hour on Sunday. 

Just need to work on them coming to mom for attention and not being so jumpy when she's up and walking around.

We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season. We know it isn't joyful for everyone and know we are sending you love and peace. 

Love progress

 Amchoor went back to the partner store. Cross your paws that he gets adopted soon.

Roundabout is making really good progress. She's been out a few times now. She generally sits by mom. She's gotten down a couple of times and seems a little overwhelmed but let's mom catch her. She's probably 90% ready to go.

Traffic Cone still needs more work but is still making progress. He will now eat right next to mom, doesn't run when she reaches for him and leans into pets. He's not sure about bring picked up but doesn't struggle when he's being held.

We also picked up another teenage kitten, this one from the shelter. He's on meds but sure doesn't seem sick. He's also wound up and whiny so mom released him from the crate. Meet Wolf - he's about 4 months old and currently driving the girls a little nuts. 

Progess

 Amchoor is still here but likely will go yo a partner store this week.

Traffic Cone is cautious but doing better. No more hissing and able to be approached about half the time. Mom can hold him though he doesn't relax quite yet.

Roundabout is doing even better. She will walk up asking for attention. She's even been out in the living room sitting with mom. She's not sure about the different space and being loose, but she did get down at one point.

They still need work but at least there is some progress with them. With a little more time and work they should be ready to go. 

Tuxedo cats

 Apparently National Tuxedo Cat Day was last week. At the moment we have three here:

The primary tuxedo

(Chanel)

The secondary tuxedo 

(Goldfish)

The bad tuxedo

(Amchoor the foster kitten)

*ok he's not bad just full of shenanigans 

The traffic kittens are doing well. Detour is making progress in boot camp. Roundabout is asking for attention and loves pets so that's great. Traffic Cone now let's mom approach him and pet him without hissing most of the time. 

Being flirty

Almost turkey day

 OK - at least in the US. We realize for the rest of you it's just Thursday. 

Amchoor (one of the Indian spices kittens) is doing better and will likely go a partner store after next weekend. He was released from the crate last week and has mostly been behaving. He's just by himself so he tends to harass anyone he can find.

A change with the traffic kittens. Detour has gone to ornery kitten boot camp with Aunt Heather. While mom is ok with hissy kittens, Heather is better at it. Detour is in a smaller space with less options and will hopefully make better progress. 

Also Traffic Cone and Roundabout seem to be a little calmer without her in there. Roundabout sits and accepts pets and purrs almost immediately. Next step is to get her to come ask for attention. TC is still a littke leery but once you start petting him, he relaxes. 

(that face)

Otherwise we are just hanging around. 

Progress maybe

 Going back to titles. My hit rate went down by a lot. Haha

Anyhow, the traffic kittens are relaxing some. Roundabout (the tortie) can be approached and petted. She has even purred. Her brother Traffic Cone is unsure. He hisses and mom has to catch him but will let her pick him up and has purred a couple of times. Detour would still like mom to drop off the planet. 

Mom tried putting their caned food bear her and just sitting there but finally had to push it a couple of feet away to get Roundabout to eat. TC came up after her to clean up. Detour was a hard no. 

Mom is doing some research and talking to some friends about the next steps.

The crate in the living room is currently occupied by one of the spice boys (Amchoor) who had to come back from the store due to a cold. 

Buttons discovered that is she walks across the sofa and climbs on the arm she can maneuver into the Sleepypod. She was very proud of herself (and determined to give mom a heart attack).

November 10, 2025

 Jira and Rai moved to a partner store on Saturday. They are 100% but need to be exposed to more people and new things. Plus while they are on the rescue website, adoptions are always faster when people can see them for themselves. 

In the meantime, there was a family of cats living near a rehab center. Mom and dad will be TNR'd but the kittens aren't totally wild so we are going to give them a shot. Mom picked them up on Thursday. One boy and two girls about 3 months old. The tortie seems less freaked out, the orange is hissy and the calico would like us all to drop dead. Haha. Our friend Miss Heather does more with hissy kittens and came over on Saturday to give her opinion. Shes thinks they will be ok with some time and work. 

After some thought, mom moved the tortie out to the crate in the living room to see if that little girl will socialize a little faster.

Now for names. As you know, we love a them and mom thinks she's funny. So please meet the traffic kittens: 

Roundabout 

Detour

Traffic cone

Have a great week everyone!

Nov 3 2025

 Since we are generally posting once a week on Mondays, mom is trying a new title strategy and just using the date. Not exciting or anything but easier.

Jira and Rai are doing SO much better. Jira now will come up and ask for pets and then snuggles in for attention. Rai still takes some encouragement but doesn't mind being held. They weirdly still run if mom gets up to walk around but that may just be them. 

Also Mocha is back taking a break from the store. NO idea how she isn't adopted yet. She is absolutely adorable and very sweet. Great with the other cats too. Plus she was tested on stairs and immediately figured them out. 

Also on break is another kitten named Swayze. He's very good with the cats but a little unsure of mom. They both got here Saturday afternoon so he no doubt just needs a couple of days. 

Otherwise we seemed to skip the nice open windows part of fall and skipped right to the dang it's chilly part. Of course that means the heat is on so yay floor vents. 

We hope all is well with all of you. Send sone good adoption vibes this way!

Kitten report

 Be sure to always carefully store your tabby cats. 

Sparrow will go back to the shelter on Friday ready for adoption. She's been a very good girl and would be a great addition to any home. She has had a great time playing with Boba and Buttons as well. 

The tuxedo boys are making progress. Jira (lighter face) has started to purr when held and relax more. Rai is still more uncertain. They do both run around in circles when mom goes into the room so it will be a little bit before they get any freedom. Fortunately they do like food and especially churu.

Peaceful

 The coffee kittens are back at the partner store and with another foster. Teenage kitten energy is a thing and it feels a little more chill here. Cortada was adopted on Friday. A family was interested in Gelato but changed their minds when they got there. No worries- we are glad they decided to adopt. 

The spice boys are now in the foster room. They are still a little skittish but getting better. 

We also have a visitor from the shelter for a couple of weeks. Sparrow is a little older and recovering from a cold. She is loose in the house. Which is ok though mom kicked her out of bed the other night cause she snores.

Otherwise we are enjoying some cooler weather and open windows. 

Slowing down

 Kitten season is mostly coming to a close here in the mid-west. With the rescue it will likely be shifting kittens in and out of partner stores. Most Petsmart store have time restrictions and this rescue does 2 weeks in with one week out. 

Mom picked up a couple of boys on Sunday who will both be here about a week.

The rescue also took in a group of 4 tuxedo kittens about a week ago (you've seen them on our social media if you follow us).

Since they are a bit spicy, they are named after Indian spices. We took 2 and our friend Miss Heather took 2. We have Jira (cumin) and Rai (mustard seed).

They were a little hissy when they first got here (their mom is truly feral so was spayed and released back to her colony). They are slowly getting more adjusted. It is interesting as they are very interested in the resident cats. 

At least with this time of year, spay/neuter appointments are easier to get. So these boys will be neutered on Tuesday. Then it is just working on more socialization. 

Also Buttons gets on the sofa and sits like this. It makes mom laugh