Random Fridays

In case you missed the announcement on social media on Tuesday,

this little booger went home with his new mom. Concats Annatto!!!

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places to go, things to do

OK - so it LOOKS like he is coming right toward you

In fact, he was backing away from the camera 

killing it with the cute

So....names. This gets harder all the time as mom keeps trying to be creative. However, she wandered around the internets and decided on beer from around the world. Meet the #worldbeerkittens

Mom will be Carling (England)

Our girl kitten will be Peroni (Italy)

Tuxedo boys will be Harp and Kilkenny (Ireland)

Brown tabby boy will be Marzen (Germany)

Orange tabby boys will be Sapporo and Kiri (Japan)

The kittens are all pretty friendly. Marzen is a little shyer than the rest. And Miss Peroni took herself on a tour of the condo the other night when mom opened the door to go into the foster room. Just marched down the hall right past Daiquiri and Chanel - tail straight up in the air all self confident. Mom is going to try to remember to break out the scale this weekend to get some weights. She is curious how much the little girl weighs and the differences between the boys.
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Have a safe weekend and be sure to get in an extra nap. 

change of plans

Our rescue is up to its eyes in cats, so a flyer went out on Friday about a sale over the weekend. Based on that, mom knew it was time for Annatto to go back. As she was thinking on Friday, she thought about taking Soda back as well. The more mom thought about it, the more she realized that taking him back wasn't freaking her out. So it was a good decision.

Since the foster room was going to be empty (Goldfish is participating in an experiment to test her social skills), the rescue sent mom home with a mom and 6 kittens that had been left late one night in a carrier outside the rescue.

Momma cat is a calico and her tail is about 3/4 length of normal. She is giving off mixed signals and mom isn't sure quite what to do with her. She is very growly and has made some very "pissed off cat" noises and has smacked the kittens. We suspect is is partly hormones and partly lots of change and partly she may be able to smell Soda in the room. By the time we are typing this, the family has been here about 24 hours. The momma cat has settled some, but not much. Though she has calmed down enough to nurse the kittens. Fortunately the kittens are about 5 weeks old so they are eating on their own.

Mom did a quick check and it appears we have 5 boys and 1 girl. Mom is going to have to work on a theme for this group. There is 1 brown and white tabby, 2 tuxedos (because of course....hahaha), and 3 orange and white tabbys. The girl is one of the orange tabbys and the smallest of the group. In fact, the others have eyes that have changed from blue but she still has a ring on the outside of her eyes.

The kittens are pretty jumpy too but even in 24 hours have come around pretty quickly.

Random Fridays

Mom has been using canned/pate food to bribe Goldfish. Mom sits on the floor and puts the dish right near her lap. When Goldfish comes up to eat, mom slowly pets her and talks to her. She is a little jumpy at first and then relaxes and keeps eating. Unfortunately, Goldfish is still pretty scared when mom tries to reach out and grab her while mom is standing. We have an experiment lined up for the weekend and hopefully that will help.

Soda is still here. Mom still isn't sure he is the exact fit she wants for a kitten raiser, but the FIV room had an outbreak of ringworm, so he is here for a while until that clears up and we can switch him out. There is another FIV boy that mom would like to interview, but he has to be cleared from the FIV room before that can happen. It may turn out that the right fit is in fact Soda, but mom would like to interview a couple more candidates just to be sure.

Oh - and that picture? Mom was feeding the kittens the pate above and Daiquiri started banging on the doors while sitting on a shelf outside the room. Soda heard and then SAW her and was fascinated.

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picture thanks to @Emily K

In other news....we have been holding on you all just a little bit. Cardamom went home a couple of weeks ago. YAY!! However, we held off posting just in case it didn't work out. See...she didn't exactly want to go INTO the carrier. And she was going to be at one house for a couple of days before her final home (she was adopted by a retired couple by the husband as a gift for his wife - not something we normally do, but in this case made an exception since they are an older couple and have a great pet history). She was staying with their son until the party. However, since we haven't heard back and she is still with them, we think it is safe to announce she has been ADOPTED!!

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Speaking of Daiquiri, if you missed it on social media, she turned 4 years old on Wednesday. And in an apparent effort to give mom a stroke, was missing when mom got home on Wednesday night.

See, on Wednesdays, mom works all day and then has a 2 hour shift at the rescue. Which means she doesn't get home until usually after 7:30 pm. This week hasn't exactly been quiet around here either - trash pickup was Tuesday morning and mom got home Tuesday afternoon to find guys hired by the condo association power washing the siding. The recycling truck came Wednesday after mom left and the more mom thinks about it, it was probably just too much for poor Daiq to deal with in 2 days.

Anyhow, Daiquiri didn't come out when mom got home. Didn't make a sound when mom called her name. Didn't come out for treats. After 40 minutes and turning the condo upside down, mom is freaking out. Then a paw comes out from under the sofa. Keep in mind, mom didn't think any of us could actually FIT under the sofa. Daiq wasn't coming out either - mom finally had to move the sofa and tip it up. Mom also got a new soccer ball out and they played a little fetch and Daiquiri seemed to be her normal self. Still no idea what exactly freaked her out....and why she didn't pick any of the hundreds of beds or cubes in the house for her hiding spot.

Weekend Report

 

having a good time

 

then napping

There was a local multi group adoption event on Saturday. It was sponsored by Pet Supplies Plus, a series of local pet stores. We have cats in 3 of their stores and set up a table at the event. It was their first try, so they need to work on some things, but it was a good first effort. Our group adopted out one dog and one cat, so it was good for us. Mom took Annatto and returned Myue to her foster mom.

Yeah...about that. Mom took Myue to the clinic on Friday. Turns out that "he" is a "she" and wasn't big enough for surgery. Oh well.....

 

*poke*poke* Mr. Rambo??

Mom then took Annatto to another event on Sunday. The other volunteer brought an older mancat named Rambo who wasn't very interested in the young guy in the next cage.

Goldfish you ask???

Well, mom went to get her for surgery on Friday and Goldfish freaked out. Since she isn't ready to be adopted quite yet anyhow, mom decided to leave her home rather than have Goldfish freak out even more and do it at the clinic.

Mom did take her to the event on Sunday but Goldfish didn't come out of the carrier until they got back home.

vet report

Chanel was due for her annual check up and rabies vaccine. Our vet doesn't like to do both at the same time, so we will stop back in about 3 weeks to get her FVRCP.

She had a few complaints in the car, but that is mom's fault for not doing any outings recently. But Chanel was as good as normal in the car and at the vet. Mom lets her out right away in the exam room as Chanel likes to wander around and check out the place.

She currently weighs 9 pounds 14 ounces (yikes - almost 10 pounds). Mom asked though and the vet says Chanel is in good body condition and her weight is fine. Chanel does have some gingivitis...which didn't surprise mom since Chanel's sister Cupcake just had a dental cleaning due to the same thing. So at some point this fall (hopefully), both Chanel and Daiquiri will need to get a dental cleaning. Otherwise, Chanel was well behaved and got a good report. It is always interesting to see her in a different environment. The vet did give her a treat on the mat on the table and Chanel completely missed it, so the vet took a look "deep into her eyes". MOL Dr F said everything looks good, so it may just be Chanel missed it or could be attributable to her fever as a kitten. Once again - just adds to her charm.

In other news, Goldfish needed to be tested and Annatto needed to be retested. Goldfish had previously given the rescue vet a run for her money, so mom asked if our favorite vet tech A would help out. Mom jokingly calls A the "Queen of the Tiny Vein". A agreed so the kittens went with mom and Chanel and mom took tests from the rescue. Well A and mom are used to the other variety of tests so they had a few minutes trying to figure out how the test worked. Once they got that down, blood was drawn and the tests had to sit for 10 minutes. Annatto was charming and Goldfish squirmed some but didn't put up too much of a fuss.

10 minutes later....both kittens are officially FIV and FeLV negative. If you have been following along, we had been told by the person who surrendered Annatto that he had tested positive for FIV. The nice part about kittens is that they can convert the serotype of the virus - or as we say in rescue, they can throw it. He has and while he would have been adoptable as an FIV+ kitten, he will be that much more adoptable now. Both kittens are scheduled for spay/neuter on Friday.

give us the foods [sponsored]

We met the representative of Weruva at Blog Paws this spring. We have sampled some of their other canned and pouched foods and were interested to find out that they had a new product coming out that was a pate in pouches. We signed up to try some out and recently got a box in the mail. We would show you the whole thing but it was raining like mad when it was delivered and the box did not make it...thankfully the pouches survived!!

The box had pouches along with information and....a couple of toys!! Goldfish and Annatto have been having fun with the toys.

The pouches we have tried before weren't our favorite delivery system. The pouches have an indent (for lack of a better term) on the bottom so they can stand up. The problem is that chunks of food get stuck in those and it can be a pain to get them out.

That said, the pate really does slide right out. Mom says she wishes they would just make a flat pouch with no indent on the bottom, but at least with the pate variety everything comes out for easy serving.

They have enjoyed the food as well. We do know that some cat owners have concerns about fish. That said, all but 2 varieties have fish in them. Annatto and Goldfish loved the food and ate almost all of the 2.8 ounce pouch. There was much banging from the other side of the door hoping for leftovers (sorry guys).

post dinner clean up

clean up crew - Soda was happy to help out

We like the idea of pouches as they certainly take up less space than cans. And this new version with the pate comes right out and is easy to use. Plus...the cats and kittens loved it. We are going to add these to the rotation of food for the fosters.

Thanks Weruva for letting us test out the new Slide N' Serve Pate formulas.

This is what Weruva has to say:

Paté Done Right

What does it mean to make a paté the Weruva way?

• What you see is what you get - Because we purée simple and wholesome ingredients, you literally see the difference in each recipe!
• Puréed foods - Just like using your kitchen mixer at home, we purée real ingredients to purrrfection, making sure those quality proteins taste delicious. 
• No Bad Stuff - Free of BPA, Grain, Gluten, Carrageenan, Artificial Flavors or Colors, and MSG.
• Protein Options - Fish free, chicken free, or mixed protein recipes!
• Paté in a pouch - Slide N' Serve Patés are the first paté in a pouch in the industry. We’re making it easier to feed without the mess.

**disclosure: we got the food for review at no charge. This did not affect our opinions or this review. All opinions expressed here are our own.

Random Fridays

Hey look - it's Sparta - now known as Elliott.

Cute right?? His new family adores him and he constantly makes them laugh.
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Mom rigged the lock on the foster door, but Soda is still managing to pull the door open.

Not enough that HE can get out, but when mom got up Wednesday morning, Chanel was half under a side table. Mom went and looked and saw a pair of eyes looking back. Quick check in the foster room and it had to be Goldfish. No way did mom have time to chase her around the house, so she was out for the day.

Mom worked all day and had a shift at the rescue after work, so it was about 7:30 pm before she got home - dreading having to chase Goldfish around the house. She is already scared and this manuever wouldn't do anything to help her like mom more.

Well....call it a miracle, but mom glanced in the foster room when she got home and both kittens were in there. Soda must have pulled the door open (again) and she decided it was better in there than in the house. Mom is now blocking the door and has bought a new hook and eye lock that she hopes works better.

Annatto continues to do well. He is still little...tiny but mighty. He and Goldfish are getting along well though there seems to be an astounding amount of rude words used in there between them.

 

surprised seems to be his default expression

Everyone else is doing well here. Still hot though....is fall coming soon???

new mom needed

Part of mom's parents' backyard

We post on Friday that we are going to be posting 3 days per week and then mom goes on vacation and COMPLETELY forgets to schedule something for Monday. It may be time to start looking for a replacement....
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Mom did figure out that Soda was opening the foster room himself (he must have some serious biceps in that kitty body). In an attempt to outsmart him, mom went looking for a way to lock the door. The local small hardware store was out of hook and eye locks, but mom saw this lock and though it would work:

Now, keep in mind that mom was at the adoption center for the rescue until 7pm on Friday. Then she stopped to grab something to eat and then came home. All this knowing she was leaving early on Saturday to spend 3 days out of town with her family. Well, she went to install the lock and could NOT get it to screw to the screen door. There just was no leverage with the door standing up. Let it now be said, however, that mom cannot MacGyver a solution with the best of them. She and grandpa agree that very little can't be fixed with WD-40, duct tape or cable ties. In this case, cable ties....

Unfortunately, since mom was leaving early Saturday, the lock didn't get a very good test. From notes from the pet sitters, turns out the door was staying closed enough to keep Soda inside, but open enough that both kittens were getting out. Both Sunday and Monday, Annatto and Goldfish had to be tracked down. At least Goldfish came right back both times, so she is learning people aren't all bad.

Mom has since put another cable tie in the middle of the lock acting as a stop. It may not be a perfect solution, but for under $3 you can't beat it.

kitten raiser

Tim was our kitten raiser from the time we took in a litter of feral kittens - one of whom was VERY sure that she hated mom VERY much. After some research, mom found an article from Alley Cat Allies about using an older neutered male cat to socialize kittens. Despite some doubts, it worked. Tim became christened "Uncle" Tim and helped raise many kittens until he passed away in March 2016.

Since that time, we have been without a kitten raiser. Tommy and Mozart were not interested in kittens at all. None of the girls care much either. Mom had some hopes pinned on Chanel, but she has been in to visit kittens since she joined us, but has never expressed any interest in them.

Well, with Annatto currently on premises and no other kittens currently available to keep him company (there are kittens at the rescue but mom won't take sick ones right now to put in with him), mom decided it was time to start actually looking. She has been thinking about it for a while and had been looking for a good candidate at the rescue, but hadn't made the jump to actually bringing any cat to the house.

Until Saturday.....

Yes ladies - there is a cat in that carrier.

Meet Soda

About 2 years old and FIV+

(and about 15 pounds of lovey mancat)

 

There were a few deciding factors:
1. Annatto HATES being by himself. Due to his size, mom doesn't want him running loose around the house. Due to his FIV+ status, mom didn't want to bring home sick kittens and expose him to anything either.

2. Mom has posted before about advocating for FIV+ cats. She knew it was probably time to put up or shut up, so our new candidate would be out of the FIV room at the rescue.

3. As mom started talking about this, a couple of different volunteers suggested Soda. One even showed mom pictures of him grooming a younger cat in the FIV room.

4. Mom was going to be home all weekend to supervise.

Mom got permission and cat-napped Soda on Saturday morning. He went right in to the carrier and didn't make a sound on the way home or even when the girls were sniffing him in the carrier. He came right out and checked out the foster room. Annatto isn't sure what to think about him, but Soda has been very patient with the kitten currently nicknamed "Catzilla". MOL There was some whapping on Monday night, but Annatto had jumped on Soda's tail for about the 4th time before Soda decided to put Annatto in his place.

Soda hasn't met everyone else here yet and if he stays that probably won't happen for a couple of weeks. Mom suspects it should go pretty smoothly. Though she did get a laugh when late Sunday night Daiquiri was over by the doors to the foster room and hissed....not sure why it took her about 36 hours to realize that mancat was in there.

No definitive decision yet, but he seems to be aceing the interview process so far. 

weekend report

IT WAS HOT!!!

Also this:

 

What the???

 

Who the???

 

Meet Annatto

He was left at a vet's office. They had him for a couple of weeks, but when he tested FIV+, they said he had to go to rescue. So now he is safe with our rescue. Mom saw him on Saturday morning and kitten-napped him. He is maybe 7 weeks old, so he will hang around here for a while and we will have him retested (not that it matters - if the 2nd test comes back positive he will still be available for adoption).