WW: the girls

weekend adventures

We don't blame Spud for spending his weekend like this (or at least Saturday morning). We had the hots here again causing mom to close the windows and turn on the cool air thingy. Spud is a smart boy - the ladder is right near one of the floor blowers.

Normally mom isn't supposed to take kittens to adoption events that aren't ready for adoption. However, it was a BUSY weekend for the rescue with several other events so mom said the heck with it and took Salsa and the girls. They were a big hit and did very well for their first time in public. Played quite a bit, took a nap (or two) and charmed the public.

These girls are available for adoption at the Petco store through another rescue. They are both about 8 months old and had a great time watching the kittens play.

Otherwise, nothing too exciting.

fiesta kittens: 6 weeks old

They are getting bigger and more active. Fortunately no one has made it over the gate yet, but certainly not for lack of trying. Margarita is a bit mouthy with everyone here, so the gate is up and the door is open only when mom is at home to supervise.

However, with more activity, comes the time when kittens are less likely to hold still for pictures.... thus insuring that most pictures now are of them sleeping. MOL

But, on to the weekly weigh-ins:

 

Taquito

1 pound 3 3/4 ounces

still our littlest kitten

 

Tostada

1 pound 4 3/8 ounces

 

Queso

1 pound 8 3/4 ounces

 

Salsa

1 pound 11 5/8 ounces

our current front runner for heavyweight

 

Blanco

1 pound 7 1/2 ounces

he refused to look at the camera - take what you can get

Taquito is down a little bit from last week. There is a reason mom doesn't weigh them every day - it would make her nuts. As the kittens are getting more active, it becomes a battle of calories in and calories out. There isn't much of a difference from last week so mom isn't too concerned. She has now caught everyone eating on their own, so that will help.

random Friday

Tostada: no, no, you're doing it wrong

Salsa: you are just mean

handsome isn't he??

dang - mom loves Salsa, 

but he sure spends a lot of time looking baffled

The gate is up in front of the bathroom. Margarita can get over - though unlike most of us, she actually climbs it (much to mom's amusement). Mom will leave the bathroom door open now when she is home. Margarita will come out into the living room - though she is kind of hissy with us and tends to sit in places that blocks traffic. This lasts until mom gets annoyed and then she goes back in the bathroom with the door closed.

Mom has taken to sitting on the floor behind the gate and playing with the kittens. In BREAKING NEWS - she actually caught everyone (except Queso) eating the other night. Taquito seems to be the only one interested in the canned food, but mom caught everyone snacking on the dry. YAY!!!

Mom has a short adoption event on Saturday afternoon. She isn't supposed to take the kittens since they aren't available for adoption yet, but there are several other events that day and it may end up just being easier. Who knows????

wordless Wednesday

 

big adoption event

For the first time locally, a huge adoption event was scheduled for this past Saturday. Cities all over have been doing this and it seems to help adoptions. Plus it can give great exposure to some groups that may not get it.

Friday night mom and the rescue got access to the center and started setting up. They were taking adoptable cats and dogs and things to sell.

See that white condo/tower? Someone had donated it.....but it wasn't put together. Mom said that she got it together, but that LOTS of HBO werds were put to use.

Kittens galore.....

This is Shamrock. He is a cute medium size boy - and a bobtail. He found his forever home on Saturday.

Our group adopted out 3 kittens and 1 adult. And the family that adopted Shamrock said they may come back to the rescue looking for another cat. Plus there were 2 very good applications for a couple of our dogs.

We aren't sure the total number of adoptions....as of about 4pm on Saturday they announced 70 completed adoptions. However, some groups do home checks, so they will complete that and then submit their final numbers in the next couple of weeks.

Mom said it was a long couple of days. Two hours of set up Friday night after loading the truck, all day Saturday and then unloading the truck on Sunday. But with several adoptions and lots of great exposure, it was worth it. We hope that with this success the groups will be able to do it again. There were about 40 rescues and many vendors there.

fiesta kittens - 5 weeks old

Hard to believe that 5 weeks ago mom picked up these guys:

And now five weeks later, they are looking more and more like tiny cats. They got their first shots on Sunday. Blanco and Queso sang their own tiny whiny version of the song of our people. Mom laughed cause she looked in at one point and Salsa had fallen asleep.

The problem now is getting pictures of them....they just don't hold still.  MOL

 

Salsa - now weighing in at 1 pound 8 1/2 ounces

(the current heavyweight)

 

Queso - 1 pound 5 3/4 ounces

 

Tostada - 1 pound 3 ounces

(our tiny girl)

 

Taquito - 1 pound 4 1/4 ounces

 

Blanco - 1 pound 4 3/4 ounces

Taquito runs over to the plate when the canned food comes out. Salsa is eating dry food. And mom has yet to catch anyone else eating. We certainly think they are, but there is no evidence.

Mom left the gate up Sunday morning but opened the bathroom door. She turned around about a minute later and Margarita wandered down the hall. There was some minor name calling, but that was about it. Not bad for her first time out. The kittens aren't allowed out yet....maybe next weekend. Margarita will get a little more free time while mom is home to supervise.

HAPPY Birthday Junior

Hard to believe our orange boy is 5 years old.....

~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Mother's Day to our mom and from our mom to our grandma!!!

random Fridays

good looking brat, isn't she?

Tostada and Taquito

she looks concerned right? don't worry....she's fine

Hard to believe they will be 5 weeks old tomorrow. Time flies....

~~~~~~~~~~~
If you or anyone you know lives in central Ohio, mom will be out at a HUGE adoption event on Saturday. 40 rescues plus vendors and sponsors. Adoptions galore (we hope).

The Fetch A Friend Event was put together in the hopes to get attention and get people adopting. Mom overhears people say all the time "shelters are depressing, I can't go there". Well, this is at the local expo center.....it will be a long day for mom but we are hoping for lots of good things.

getting around

Queso gives you the tongue

Taquito has a skeptical

hey - toys!!!

snarky boy

best...toy...ever

The kittens are certainly getting more and more mobile. Mom has seen Taquito try some canned food and Salsa try some dry, but nothing really consistent yet. They do seem to be using the box more. Though mom had to put another box out for them in the corner they seemed to prefer. MOL

Margarita is a great mom. Though she is fascinated by what is on the other side of the bathroom door. It doesn't help that Daiquiri likes to sit on the other side and stick her paws under the door. Margarita doesn't seem too freaked out by the toes....so we will see in a couple of weeks of so how she does with the door open when they can actually see each other (and the kittens).

~~~~~~~~~
Mom learned a little more about this family last weekend. She was talking to some colony caretakers with the rescue. This retired couple does TNR and cares for 7 (!!) colonies. Beginning of April they got a call about a mom and kittens. They went out - and mom jumped from a balcony on the THIRD FLOOR!! They got the kittens and left a trap for mom. They had her by that evening. Mom showed them pictures of everyone and assured them that Margarita is doing very well with us and is a people lover.

wordy Wednesday

Can you believe it was June 2012 that mom first saw Allie (our feral girl) and caught the alcohol kittens??  (for their first post, click here)

At the time Allie was spayed, the vet aged her about 2 years old, which would make her about 5 years old now. For a feral, that is pretty good. We do what we can for her...keep an eye out, leave the garage door up a crack for her to get to food, water and shelter. There are even some toys in the garage (we know someone is playing - those toys move around). And while we wish we could wrap her up and find her a home and everything, she truly is feral. Mom can get within about 4 feet of Allie before she takes off. Even when she was crated with her kittens, Allie made it VERY clear to mom that she wasn't happy about the situation.

But Allie is spayed and she has safety and food. One of our neighbors has a shelter set up for her too and puts food out as well. And the neighbor said that she has seen Allie lounging under another neighbor's dryer vent in the winter. Resourceful our girl.....

We aren't sure how far Allie roams. And especially when the weather gets nice, mom doesn't see her as often. A couple of weeks ago, mom had seen her on a Monday morning. On Tuesday evening, mom drove to the shelter to volunteer and there was a cat on the side of the road that had been hit by a car and obviously died from it. Mom was almost sure it was Allie. But she couldn't bring herself to go check more closely. Mom said that just wasn't the image she wanted in her head of our girl. We were heartbroken....but we also knew that locking Allie in a house was never an option.

Well, that Saturday evening, mom ran an errand, and there was Allie - sitting just like she is above...across from our garage, waiting for mom to get out of the way. Mom was stunned. And while we hope the black cat mom saw along the road didn't suffer, we are glad it wasn't Allie.

We know she won't live forever.....none of us do. And life for a feral cat is even harder. Though with her being 5 years old now, she certainly has to be street smarter than most. We will continue to provide her with what we can.  Mom has sat in the garage before and talked to Allie, but Allie makes no indication that she is going to give mom a chance to get too close.

For anyone who loves a feral, you understand. And we certainly don't ever want to discourage anyone from getting involved in TNR and caring for colony cats. It can be incredibly rewarding.....and getting them spayed and neutered cuts down on fights and disease and overpopulation.

transport Tuesday

Mom drove another dog this weekend....from a high kill shelter (saved at the last minute) to a foster with a rescue.

Wait a minute mom.....that's NOT a bloodhound.

In fact, are you sure that's a DOG???

OK - so she claims it's a dog....a Great Dane. (though mom says that she would bet some money that one of this girl's relatives wasn't a Great Dane).  This girl and her boyfriend were overbred by some person idiot and then left at a shelter. Luckily a rescue found out and pulled both of them.

Obviously both of them won't fit in mom's car....and they are so bonded that they acted like they hadn't seen each other in years when they got to the next stop (rather than just an hour in the car).

She certainly fit in the car....but she took up the whole back seat.  :)  Good luck to her and Diesel finding their forever home. We would love to hear that they are adopted together.....but that would be a LOT of dog in one home.

Four weeks old

Wow....time flies. This time 4 weeks ago mom was finding out about a kitty family in need and picked them up the next day.

 

4 days old

 

4 weeks old

And now for the weekly weigh ins:

 

Taquito - 1 pound 3/4 ounces

 

Queso - 1 pound 2 3/4 ounces

 

Blanco - 1 pound 2 3/8 ounces

 

Tostada - 1 pound 3/8 ounces

 

Salsa - our big boy at 1 pound 3 3/8 ounces

They are sorta using the litter box and mom has seen Taquito eat some canned food but no one else. Granted, they could be eating when mom isn't in there. But watching their development too, we wonder if maybe they were a bit premie. They are right on target for weights at this age, but a little behind the curve on eating and walking and everything. Not that it reduces the cute by any means, and they are growing and getting along....just at their own pace. And that is ok.

random Fridays

mom is waiting for Daiquiri to fall off

Daiquiri gets up there and dances around,

chases her tail and leans over too far 

All from the second to the top shelf...sigh

Mom found a nippy heart that we won from The Swiss Cats a while ago

She let us have it and it was a huge hit

Junior snuggled up with it 

Then Spud gave it a god

The rest of us have been enjoying it as well. Mom also ordered some new toys from Hauspanther to give Daiquiri something different to chase and fetch. In the box were something called skitters that are just the right size for Daiquiri to be able to fetch. So far she loves them. Unfortunately, Mo smacked one into the kitchen and Tim decided to drown it in the water dish....not sure cardboard toys are going to survive that tactic. Anyhow, here she is with her new toy:

Nothing too exciting going on here this weekend....probably not quite warm enough for window wiffies. But mom said stay tuned for a transport story next week.

And there is another special auction going on for a blogging friend. If you can help out, go check it out - there is lots of great stuff (including a couple of ham-micks and those plastic ducks). CLICK HERE