so close and yet.....

Bourbon and Moonshine were laying on the floor the other night - close to the same position a couple of feet apart. It was pretty cute and mom got up quietly to get the flashy box.

She got back out and was setting up to take the picture....

when....

there was a thundering down the hall and this happened:

Gives photobomb new meaning.....

And we love that Shine sat there, in the same position he started in, and watched Bourb get run over.  MOL  Uncle Bill is feeling MUCH better and has become quite the firecracker around the house.

Mom did get a couple of cute pictures of the alcohol boys though.....

Da Bourb loves that scratcher, but we don't think he is using it quite right.

wordless Wednesday.....

(a little explanation - Mom brought Uncle Bill home and she put his carrier on the floor to give him a chance to come out on his own....he came out and everyone else felt the need to check out the carrier)

 Mo (he likes it in there - it is quiet)

 Ivy - also enjoying the quiet 

we wonder if the kittens were considering shipping Tim somewhere

 Tommy - with lasers on full!!

Tabby Tuesday....

Sarah from three cats and a girl asked yesterday how we all get along so well with the fosters.

Short answer - it took lots of time. Mom wasn't sure the first time she took in kittens, but they have their own room to start and we were curious and Tommy did some hissing, but it actually went pretty well.

We have let mom know that adult males are not an option. There was one guy that overnighted here for a couple of days and Tommy spent the entire time sitting outside the bathroom door growling. Mom never gave him the chance to get face to face, but we suspect it may not have ended well for anyone.

The first family we took in with a momma cat, mom got worried again. But, Butterfly was in the bathroom with her kitts until the girl were about 6 weeks old, so by that time everyone here had the chance to sniff her under the door and she wasn't that interesting by the time she got out.

Tommy and Spud do spend the first few days hissing at the door when we have a new group.  Normally new kittens start out in the bathroom and gradually get access to the rest of the house. We know some people like to keep their fosters in their own space, but our condo is pretty small and mom likes that the kittens can get used to household noises and also gain some social skills living with other cats. Little ones slowly get access to the house but sleep in the bathroom at night - to keep them out of trouble and give them access to kitten food.

However, we do sometimes have older kittens. Again, if space allows they start out in the bathroom and get introduced to us over a few days.

And then there is the current chaos. We tell people - when taking home your new kitten, set up a separate space and let everyone meet slowly.  So, do as we say, not as we do. Mom figured Uncle Bill was pretty safe though - he lived with Miss Beckie, so he is used to other cats and she was sure we were all "what's one more" by this time.

Reactions are different. Tim LOVES kittens and mom uses him to socialize (he loves kitten food too, so that is easy). Spud isn't interested other than to make sure the kittens leave him alone - Maestro is pretty much the same way. Mozart and Ivy are indifferent. Tommy is ok with them.....mom calls him the enforcer since he will only allow so much goofing off before laying down the paw. And Junior LOVES kittens too cause once they are old enough, it gives him someone to play with.  :)

Witless protection program

We think you have seen Uncle Bill around here for the last week or so. He is about 6 months old and SUPER sweet. Mom thinks he is part persian cause he is short and round and fluffy and his face is a little shorter than the rest of ours. (mom asked Miss Beckie and he came in with a brother who was long legged and short haired - cat genetics, gotta love 'em)

Anyhow, Uncle Bill had been at the other Petco store. And a lady put in an application for him. But it wasn't a good application. She was told that but continued to harass the store employees and Miss Beckie. So we decided to move him to the store up here. The joke was that he was in the "witness" protection program. After hearing more, mom decided the "witless" protection program was more appropriate. MOL

Of course, after three days Bill got sick and so now he is here with his runny eyes and sneezes. Once he gets better, he will head back up to the store. We suspect with his disposition and overwhelming cute, he won't be there long.  :)

Auction - last day!!!

Be sure to stop by the auction for the Gemstone kittens. 

Today is the last day to place your bids!!

Random Fridays.....

Continue to check out the auction for the kitts. Last day to bid is tomorrow....

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Cupcake and Lula went for their lady-gardenectomies on Thursday and stayed at the shelter. There is space on the adoption floor and we hope that they find their forever homes.

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Bourbon was at it again. Mom got up early Thursday morning and found this:

 He must have carried everything out of the living and down the hall to the bathroom door (was he missing the girls??). He was sleeping in the bed when mom saw him, but got up before mom could get back with the camera.

Yep - that is the size difference - Emma vs Bourb

(and no Miss Priscilla, mom says he is NOT staying)

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Emma does not approve of your tv viewing choices

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Our friend Brian is having a commentathon (click HERE). For each comment, a bowl of food will be donated to a shelter....can't beat that.
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Allie update: Allie is the mom to the alcohol kittens. She is feral and really doesn't like people. As you may remember, mom had been feeding her outside the condo but worried about her when it started getting colder. So, after some experimenting, we discovered that she will come in the garage. We have a ptu set up for her to sleep in with blankets and a cover over the top. It was about 35F this morning outside and about 43F in the garage this am, so not really warm, but out of the elements. We know she is in there cause mom keeps seeing paw prints on the car. :)  Mom did have to switch Allie's food to a plastic container as she had been leaving it in a zip top bag and Allie chewed through it.

Anyhow, this morning when mom opened the garage door she saw this:

Mom put out more food and got in the car to head to work. Allie actually started back across the driveway and mom waited to start the car until she saw her again. Then mom pulled out and closed the door, leaving it up about 6 inches. Mom saw Allie head back into the garage before mom made it out of the condo driveway. While we can't make her a house cat, we at least know she has food and shelter and is safe. Mom got this pic from the car as she pulled out. Allie is next to our garage, and as you can see it appears she has her winter pjs on now.

Very Thankful Thursday....

  We are lighting a candle for Traci, Lauryn and Korinna as we learned that judibug passed away this evening. She will be very very missed......  
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The auction to help us with the gemstone kittens is running through December 1st. THANK YOU to Marg and Jan and Ann for the hard work setting it up and the graphics. Mom is a techno-dork and couldn't have done it without them.

THANK YOU for all those that have donated to the auction!!

THANK YOU for those who have made donations!!

THANK YOU for those making bids at the auction!!

THANK YOU to those who have commented, blogged, tweeted and facebooked about the auction and the kittens. And the comments supporting us now and over the years are so appreciated. :)

We may moan and groan about some of the kitts running around the house sometimes but we know we are helping and giving these babies a chance they might not otherwise have - from showing up on a porch with their momma to being picked up by Miss Chrystal to coming here. And we couldn't do it without you.

There are still some things that don't have bids:
MaryAnne from Cats Inc. just made some recent donations that are adorable.
Ginger Jasper donated some adorable Scotty pjs  and dog cards
Au, Guido and Target's mom donated 2 copies of her e-books
Pugs and Purrs donated a Thundershirt (medium for dogs) and three sets of jewelry (#27, 28 and 30)
Miss Peaches donated a lovely shell necklace
Faraday and his siblings from a Tonk's tail donated a love letter pillow

The kittens continue to do very well - though they only get out under supervision. Miss Emma is now being called "ouch dammit" cause when she gets hungry she comes up and BITES mom's toes. Opal is (mostly) fearless. And the boys are.....boys. They were practicing their ninja moves the other night.

Bourb almost killed mom

PLEASE keep checking out the CB Auction for the kitts.  There are great things and ONLY 3 days left!!!
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The condos mom made for us now reside in the former dining room. Near, in and around the condos are a couple of round cat beds and some fleece blankets.

Last night when mom got home, one of the beds and one of the blankets was in the middle of the family room. Weird..... So she put everything back.

And then mom saw this:

Bourbon dragging the blanket BACK into the living room. This was after dragging the bed back. Mom almost choked on her dinner she was laughing so hard. Be glad she got a couple of pictures. Really - she almost snorted potato up her NOSE!!!

 Lula and Moonshine decided to come over and see what he was up to.

You can get a good look at him walking. In the meantime, mom was laughing like mad watching him drag everything back and forth and back and forth.......

Here is something else to consider - he could walk around mom's chair into the living room - it isn't a straight shot, but it avoids furniture. Nope, instead he walks UNDER an end table behind mom's chair, then between the chair and the wall and then out into the living room. A straight line, but a little more complicated when dragging things around. Gotta love that boy. :)

um mom....

We know these new kitts are temporary, but some of us are NOT happy.....

Our local shelter needed a place to keep a couple of kittens since there was no surgery last week and they want kittens to stay healthy. Of course, the lady that called said she had a mom and kittens. Apparently she "forgot" to mention the kittens are about 5 months old. The boy cat came with his sisters, but he started a pee war here with Tommy, so he had to go back to the shelter (who knew that was mom's line in the sand - so to speak). The kittens are named after characters from The Big Bang Theory, but mom didn't get any names, so the tortie is being called Lula and the torbie Cupcake. They have been out with us for a couple of days. Both girls aren't sure what to think about Moonshine, but they have both developed an apparent crush on da Bourb..... who can blame them??? Mom caught Cupcake laying about 6 inches away from Bourb last night giving him the googlie eyes. Mom didn't get a picture, but it made her laugh.

Then Uncle Bill from Petco got a little sick so mom brought him here too. sheesh.... Mom thinks he may be part Persian....he has a flatter face, a round body and short tail with a LOT of fuzz. :)  He is spending all of his time out with us (the girls above spend the nights in the bathroom with the gemstone kitts). He even climbed into bed with mom on Sunday night and slept right next to her - when Tommy growled at Bill, Bill just rolled over and yawned. That is one cool kitten.

And no, we don't suggest you try to do the math about how many of us there are right now, it will make your head hurt. :)

The auction for the gemstone kitts is in full swing and running through December 1. Click on the sidebar and go see what is available.

Mom is letting the kitts out with supervision. They have what she calls "baby brains" - they get so involved in playing that they forget important things. So yesterday morning mom let them out (mom was taking a baycation day) and after an hour or so walked back and called them....yes, they do follow her. They got into the bathroom - and 3 out of 4 kitts decided they had to pee - at the same time. MOL

A moment with da Bourb

This has been a moment with da Bourb 

(co-starring Moonshine, Gin and Junior)

Please be sure to check out the CB Auction to help with the expenses we have with the gemstone kitts. It will be up and running through December 1 and there are some really great things available.

no easy Caturday.....

Please be sure to check out the auction using the sidebar button. It will be up through December 1!!
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Mom says that Gin is staying at Petco until she gets adopted so help her cod!!!  As of yesterday morning, Gin wasn't being very nice to Uncle Bill, but it wasn't attempted murder.....yet. :)

Moonshine is still here. Mom says she isn't sure what to do with the boy. He is a lovey guy when he is here but a serious crab at the store.

In the meantime, he and Bourbon are playing. Be sure to check your volume before hitting play - Moonshine is a screamer. MOL

Random Fridays....

Well, we were destined to be disappointed. Mom didn't bring any turkey home. Something about grandpa making a small one. sigh.....
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Oh, and mom was going to try to get a picture of Bourbon's double fangs while he was snoozing.... only he lost his baby teeth as well. So much for that. But at least is is one less thing we have to worry about. :)
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 Miss Gin is heading out for an adventure today. There was another adoption at Petco, so mom is taking Gin back up there. There is a very nice and adorable male kitten up there named Uncle Bill. Mom is hoping having her separate from Moonshine and with an outgoing kitten will help her find her forever home. Paws crossed.
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 It was kitten-palooza here on Thursday morning. Those kittens DO NOT want to stay in the bathroom and the gate created by baby jail is just useless at this point. So mom has been letting the kitts out for a while when she is home. As you can see, they have discovered the cat tree. Emma tends to climb up and then yell for help:

 

Happy Fangsgiving.....

Moonshine and Bourbon were growing in extra front fangs for the occasion. Mom can't get a picture but then she discovered that Moonshine's baby teeth fell out. Does that mean he gets less turkey????

                  ham or turkey   (aka Gin and Bourbon)

Mom: ummm, guys? It is Happy THANKSgiving.....we are supposed to spend time with family and friends and give thanks for the wonderful things in our lives.

What? You mean Bourbon still has those extra fangs for nothing????

Mom: no, Bourbon has extra fangs cause his baby teeth haven't fallen out. They will, it just takes some time.

Moonshine and Gin taking a snooze

We are thankful for all of you, for your support of the auction and all the hard work Marg and Jan are putting into it!!  We are thankful everyone here is healthy and that grandma is doing better every day.

Enjoy your turkey and time off (for our US friends) and stay safe!!

And.....  We are very thankful that 18 years ago mom decided that Angel Butterscotch needed a friend (Butterscotch wasn't convinced right away). Grandpa wasn't thrilled either. MOL!!!

Happy Gotcha Day Maestro!!!

Wordless Wednesday......

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The auction is doing great - but some things don't even have a bid yet. Go check it out....and just think - shopping without the crowds. :)

Mom is in trouble.....

See a certain mom type person had accused us of stealing the flashy box.

Only Saturday morning, we got her up for breakfast. She did a load of laundry and took a shower to get ready to meet some friends for breakfast. She grabbed a hooded sweatshirt and heard something thump on the floor. She grabbed jeans and shoes and....

There on the floor was the camera. She must have put it in the front pocket of her sweatshirt and didn't notice it when she put the sweatshirt back in the closet.

Bad mom....accusing the innocent cats.

Mo does not approve of your false accusations

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 The furriends of the cb auction is going on now to help us with those Gemstone kittens. There are so many wonderful things donated by so many wonderful people and animals out there.....

Oh and mom is all full of herself cause she got the chipin to update....

Jail break

  the auction is on. There are so many great things over there....be sure to stop by.

Mom is still having difficulties getting the chip-in to do math, but we are getting any donations that are made - THANKS. Plus she MAY have figured it out...something about verification, so it may take a couple of days to show the updated numbers. Once again, the adventures of living with a techno-dork. MOL

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We just read that Huffle Mawson ran for the Bridge. There isn't anything on their blog yet, but we are VERY sad and sending them purrs.....

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And, now onto the main event: the reason for the auction

Don't believe for a second that these faces are innocent. Nope, not a chance.

Cory: in the back with the white stripe on his head. He is the second biggest (just behind Opal) and is very sure that mom is out to get him. He will come over but mom is still working on him. But he and Kyan are up for any game....real or invented.

Emma: next to Cory, more color on her face. She is the tiniest of the crew and the most cuddly so far. She is willing to play and run around....but mom suspects there is a girl out there that will be more than happy to buy Emma a shiny collar and carry her around like she is sure she deserves. She is a princess in training.

Kyan: the other boy, left side of the picture. Master of trouble and the second smallest kitten. He is always up to SOMETHING. That being said, mom picked him up the other day and he touched her nose and started to purr very loudly. aww.....

Opal: our other girl and also up for any and all adventures. She is also the kitten most likely to pounce on someone else. Like Cory, we are still working on her cuddling. But she will sit there with this look and it melts mom's heart.

But, we have other issues......they have discovered how to get over the baby gate!!!

Mom was hoping to have a little more time. Mom was working on the laptop Saturday evening when she noticed Emma coming down the hall, closely followed by Kyan. We have no idea how the littlest ones got out first.....but there it is. They don't like having the door closed now but that is the only way to keep them in there now. They are pretty little yet and can get into too much. So over the weekend they have been out for short periods of time.

Miss Emma the cute in the corner tent

The alcohol kittens are still here as well and Gin and Moonshine DO NOT like the little ones. And the little ones don't seem to care...... MOL

Marg requested video: we aim to please!!!

Independence and Gratitude.....

The auction is up and running. furriends of the cb

THANK YOU to those who have contributed something to auction off. THANK YOU to those of you who are going to shop. THANK YOU to those who have contributed through the chip-in.

On that note, mom wanted to talk to all of you:

I have been thinking a lot about independence and gratitude. I hope you will bear with me.

I think woman of a certain age and background are raised to think for themselves and be independent. And I am a big supporter of that ideal. But I think part of raising independent women is that we learn, consciously or unconsciously, to think that we need to be able to do everything by ourselves. And that asking for help shouldn't be done. I am not talking about the flat-tire-on-the-side-of-the-road-and-I-need-a-towtruck help. I am talking about the crap-up-to-my-eyeballs-trying-to-survive help. Somehow asking for help became the same as being weak. And we can't somehow be independent and weak at the same time. So we learn to suck it up and get by no matter what. Until we break or someone forces us to accept help.

And then there is gratitude. As kids we are taught to be polite and say please and thank you. I think it becomes routine. Not insincere, but used to the point where you can say it for everything. But I think there are levels of gratitude. There is the "thank you" to the person who holds the door while you are juggling your morning coffee. Then there is the "thank you" for unexpected help.

And then there is this auction. I keep saying THANK YOU. Yet it seems inadequate for all the help you are giving....and for how I feel in response. I wish I had better words to express it. But I don't have those words, but I don't.....so

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

And the door revolves again.....

We wouldn't be surprised if Moonshine and Gin are dizzy by now. MOL

Mom got thinking about Cleo. She needed to be away from the kitts and get some quiet after surgery. Yeah, that ain't gonna happen here. :)  So, mom got to thinking (a dangerous proposition, we admit). What if Gin and Shine came back here (again) and Cleo took their spot at Petco? Seemed like a good idea. So Cleo took their spot and they ended up in Cleo's carrier to come back to the house.

And Shine nearly got himself in BIG trouble....he threw a fit about getting in the carrier. And then growled and hissed and whacked at Gin until they got home. Mom knows it is cause the carrier smelled like Cleo, but sheesh.  About an hour after getting home, everyone was back to normal. Or as normal as it gets around here. 

We can't say thanks enough for the support for the auction. Miss Marg says she is getting lots of donations. We put up the chip in (though it appears to not be updating - mom will have to get on that and we wish her good luck with her general lack of technical skills MOL). If you are baffled by that but want to help, let us know.

Random Fridays.....

THANK YOU

For all the comments, support and everything else yesterday. Mom gets choked up reading the comments. We are so very grateful to be a part of this community!!!  Purrs and kisses to all of you.....  Marg said the auction should be up Monday and she has already gotten a lot of donations.  We know we keep saying it, but thank you......  The chip-in for the auction in on our sidebar as well.

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Who is that cutie in the carrier you ask???  That would be Cleo. :)  Mom took her yesterday for her lady-gardenectomy. And then she will move to Petco. The kittens aren't nursing anymore (darned teenage mom lost interest) and she is adorable and needs a home. Plus we is hoping that some "alone time" for Cleo will mellow her out a little. (sure - good luck with THAT)  MOL
   Mom: hey - she isn't that bad. OK, so she lays in the middle of the hall and uses some grouchy werds on you guys, but at least she isn't chasing you down the hall like some other momma cat we had here.
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If you are on that facebook thingy, we would like to introduce you to a "new" kitty. Her name is Lahela and she was a Guardian Angel cat from Best Friends. She is blind and was VERY VERY shy when she was first rescued. She has now been adopted and posts about her adventures adjusting to her new home.
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A local rescue Black and Orange Foundation blogged an article about adoptions from rescues. It seems that some people get frustrated by certain requirements and questions that rescues ask. The article was great (and so is Black and Orange). Should be required reading for all potential adopters. :)
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As most of you know by now, mom loves driving for Ontario Bloodhounds. If you click on the link you can read about 3 of their adoptable dogs in the news!!!  Hoss was in a music video and Pete and Lily are going to be ON BROADWAY!!! That is right, these sweet hounds were selected by a reknowed trainer to be the Bumpus Hounds in "A Christmas Story". And once the show is done, these well trained kids will be available for adoption!! And if you live in or around New York City, get tickets and let us know how the hounds did in the show.

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Mom is thankful - Tim not so much....

Mom has asked and the CB is going to try to set up an auction to diffuse some of the cost for the medical care the gemstone kittens incurred along with their spay/neuters. Mom knew when the kittens came from Miss Chrystal in Illinois that she was responsible for them. She feels that way about all her fosters. But she never anticipated that they would get so sick - no one can....it happens more often than not - especially in rescue. No animal is allowed to suffer here.....so she got them to the vet.

(THANK YOU Ann for the graphic.....mom is all choked up from the offers to help)

Now, Bourbon and Moonshine are most likely going to need dentals as well as their adult top canines grew in - but their baby teeth didn't fall out. So they have 4 top canine fangs....and inflamed gums....and dragon breath (stand back - it really is lethal). The rescue, like many others, is struggling. They took in a kitten that had to have her tail amputated due to abuse. And then October 31st they took in 2 black kittens that had been set on fire (yes, you did read that right). And they took the alcohol kittens and the gemstones kittens (that Miss Chrystal originally saved) as a favor to us.

So, if you have something you would like to donate, please see above for information. Mom says she hates asking for help, but she is going to have to bend her pride a little. It was hard for her to admit she needs help. But last night she was laying in bed.....Cory seems to be sliding backwards, Maestro has developed a strange limp, and Junior and Spud got into it - twice around 12:30am. We hate to tell people this, but mom was laying in bed and almost cried. It is hard to care so much and feel overwhelmed. So, THANKS
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Tuesday was interesting.  We didn't get breakfast in a timely manner. The kitts and Cleo did, but not the rest of us. Then it happened.......

Tim was uncerimoniously grabbed and shoved in the PTU. He put up a good fight, but mom overpowered him. He started singing the warrior song and Tommy came over to check on him.

And then we got distracted by breakfast. (sorry Tim)

Mom hauled him off in the car and he was gone ALL DAY!!!

He came back moaning and groaning about a weird v-e-t and a hospital and dogs and funny smells. And he wasn't walking too straight either.

Mom said he needed his teeths cleaned. He did very well but did have to have a couple of molars in the back removed. He was ALL ABOUT the canned food when he got home - mom had to stand guard as the rest of us wanted it too!!! By morning he was pretty much back to normal. He is on an aunty-biotic for a few days....and put up a fight with mom that first night (mom has the wound to prove it....and his toenails were just trimmed too!).