a cooler morning

When we got up Wednesday morning, it was a little cooler out (though it went back to 90 during the day) so mom cracked a couple of windows and opened the sliding door to let in some fresh air.

bird watching

monkey see monkey do

why does everyone need to be between the door and the screen??

mom loves this picture

Napa on the right, Savoy on the left

The boys are ready to go, though mom is having a hard time. It seems tougher to let them move on once they have been loose in the house for a while. Luckily one of the partner stores for the rescue has an open cage so the boys will be going there. They are listed on the website as preferred going together. The store where they are going has great employees who will help the boys adjust to their new surroundings and will socialize them as well.

The kittens adore the bear bed. Since mom doesn't want to take that to the store, she threw a blanket on it to get their scent. Seems a certain senior torbie thought that was a great idea and went back to sleeping on it. Oh well. At least the scent will be familiar. The boys have spent the last 2 days sneaking up on Ivy and sleeping next to her. Mom isn't sure if Ivy has mellowed on kittens or she just doesn't care enough to get up and leave.

goobers

weekend report

Kale was adopted and went home on Saturday. Her name is now Ahsoka (they are Star Wars fans). They have a 9 year old male cat who spent most of Saturday and Sunday hissing at the door. We have no doubt she will win him over in time. You can follow them on Instagram @kididiskitties

We don't think the boys have missed her. They are doing well loose in the house though they are into everything. They are having a good time playing with the older cats, though Daiquiri has made it very clear they are not to get near her.

adventures

In order to introduce the kittens to new things and expand their horizons, mom has let them out for a few hours each day this week. They get to meet the permanent residents, learn some manners and explore new places.

Monday they were pretty unsure of everything. Kale got way too close to Daiquiri and learn a quick lesson im personal space. Which she then politely respected. The boys checked out Chanel and Goldfish but weren't pushy about it.

By Tuesday they were relaxed enough to even come back over to mom and ask for attention. They are still going to need patient homes but it's been interesting to see how much progress they've made in two days.

weekend report

Kale got to meet her new family on Saturday. They are a young couple, no kids, 9 year old male cat. Apollo sniffed her in the carrier and was unamused. But mom was surprised at how well Kale did in a new environment. If startled she would find a corner to hide, but came out and checked out their living room, tail up and curious. Then she came around the corner and saw Apollo. He hissed and mom figured Kale would back up. Nope...she ran right up to him and got popped in the head before Apollo ran.

Next steps mom is going to open the door into the house to see news spaces but also get "personal space 101" from us.

they've come SO far

Napa and Kale greet me at the door. Savoy chirps at me when I come in the room. They are going to need families willing to let them bloom at their own pace. But to think they were so hissy and afraid when they first came here. Now we just need surgery dates....

these kittens

Napa, Kale and Savoy

Cute

Cute

Trouble

We think the hissy problem is solved. Haha

Savoy and Kale are still nervous about hands and new things. Napa seems to have lost his mind.

If you think about it, check the web cams around 8:30pm. They tend to get wound up and it's a party.

vet adventures

Ivy and Daiquiri both need dentals. They were scheduled for March but well....that didn't happen. They were then scheduled again for June but that ended up getting cancelled as well. Mom found a local clinic and they are now scheduled in September. (cross your paws)

The clinic asked for their vaccine records so mom called our regular vet (she doesn't do surgeries and there has been scheduling issues which is why mom is using the clinic). Well, it turns out Daquiri's rabies was due in April.

So Saturday the princess was packed up and off to the vet. They have safety protocols in place so they called and then came out to get her. Got her shot but Dr F said her mouth looks worse so she is on antibiotics before surgery.

She sang ALL the way there and ALL the way home.

Her teeth may be bad but her lungs are fine.

they have all cracked

The goal with this crew was to get them friendly.

It took Napa about 10 days. Now he winds himself around mom's ankles and chirps at her all the time. He purrs when she carries him around. He is still a little nervous when she first reaches for him but recovers very quickly.

Kale is still a little jumpy but so much better. Like the others she is a little hand shy but doesn't mind being picked up and is also purring. If you move too fast she will run but isn't hissy or anything else.

Brussel Sprout of course was friendly within a couple of days of landing here. She comes up looking for attention and sits close waiting for someone to pet her. She is constantly purring.

Savoy is still a little shy but has come so far. Like Kale you have to grab him but he has figured it out. Mom thinks watching Napa has made a big difference. And as of last weekend, he started to purr.

The other thing is they will play with mom in the room. When no one is in there, they are constantly on the go. But until the last few days they would pick a spot to watch when mom was in there. Now they are willing to play with her and with each other.

Of course, they are fighting colds so there is that. But once that runs its course, they should be ready to get spayed/neutered and ready to be adopted.

Our weekend

These monkeys. Kale purred for mom on Sunday. Napa has turned in to quite the flirt. Savoy is still reserving judgment about mom. Kohlrabi and Brussel Sprout are still their happy purry selves.

 

Mom spent part of the weekend chasing a cat with the help of one of the teen volunteers from the rescue and one of his neighbors. The fear was she would be pregnant and she is VERY feral. Mom wasn't sure about all of the details so she set up a space for the cat here in case she was friendly and was pregnant. Turns out the cat was trap savvy so mom ended up driving across town Sunday afternoon to borrow a drop trap. Within a couple of hours they had the cat and she was very very pissed off. She was transferred to a live trap and is being spayed today. So one less unspayed cat out there. But dang it was a hot and muggy weekend to be outside.

We hope you all are safe here in the US after the fireworks. The kittens were a little freaked out at first but settled down once they realized they were still safe here in the house. Mom was most surprised by Daiquiri - she is afraid of storms and the trash truck but didn't seem to care about the fireworks. There was a big one that went off fairly close to our condo and Daiq and Goldfish jumped and ran but fortunately came back out fairly quickly.

We had a visitor

A friend of mine had to drop something off here and of course was invited up to meet the kittens.

Sprout is definitely the most outgoing. She also has the worst of the cold and it's hard to listen to her purr and sneeze at the same time.

Rabi is also outgoing. Followed next by Napa and Kale. Those two have to be caught but don't struggle as much to get down. Savoy gave the stranger a big nope.

If you move too quickly, the 3 jumpier ones will run. But it's been pretty good progress for just a week. 

Slowly getting it

We realized we didn't give you any background on these guys. They were found near a clubhouse for an apartment complex. Fortunately they are still young enough that they can be socialized.

Kohlrabi (one spot) and Brussel Sprout are already friendly and purr the minute they get attention.

More than one way to

protect your meal

Suspicious

Giant flirt

Kale was the next nut to crack. Mom spent some time with her on Sunday and got Kale to purr and relax.

Napa and Savoy are still working on warming up. BUT they've stopped hissing and don't run when mom pets them during meals. She wraps them up for some hands-on attention too. They don't relax during that yet but it's not too far off.

Unfortunately they seem to have kitty colds. Most likely from stress. Mom has to medicate them twice a day which is helping them like her more though. 

Meet the kittens

There was some suggestions made on social media for name themes. Our friends Amy and Emily suggested salad or veggies. After checking the Google and the rescue database, mom decided to name the after types of cabbage. They do have lots of layers....haha

Torbie. Short hair. Female.

Kale

Buff and white. Short hair. Female.

Brussel Sprout

Orange and white. Short hair. Male.

Kohlrabi

Orange and white. Short hair. Males.

Napa and Savoy

Sprout and Kohlrabi have started coming around. Still a little hand shy but already purring. Kale is still unsure but not too bad.

Napa and Savoy are still pretty spicy. They are hissy if mom gets too close or reaches for them, but all noise. They are getting the purrito treatment and should be much better soon. 

Mom has been sitting on the floor with their dish right in front of her when they get canned food. They have to come to her to eat and she can reach out touch them as they eat. 

About her ear

**a post by the mom

As most of you know, Goldfish came here as a foster and failed to leave. In her case it was a behavioral thing as she was (and kind of still is) very skittish and it would have been a hard sell to find her a family when most people look for the super social cat to adopt.

She was spayed and ear tipped as a kitten as at that point we weren’t sure about her final destination. I hadn’t made the decision yet to keep her and if she needed to move to a barn she needed the ear tip.

Over the last year or so I have heard several people make negative comments about ear tipping, generally that is changes the way they appear. I try my best to explain why it is done. Many years ago it started as a universal signal that a feral or community cat has been spayed or neutered. The alternative before that was to take the cat back to vet, which would include transport, sedation and potential unnecessary surgery if a spay scar could not be found. With ear tipping, if you see a cat with it, all you have to do is open the trap and release them. It is easier on the cat and easier on the trapper.

One woman got a little snippy and I honestly told her that I view it as a badge of honor. The ear tipped cats living in homes or at our adoption center looking for homes survived the outdoors and proved to be friendly enough to be adoptable.

I also have Allie who is truly feral. I call her my garage panther. She is ear tipped and in fact has been caught and released at least twice since she was originally spayed.

I had one woman tell me that no cat should be tipped and be kept inside. I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking how big her house is if she plans to house all those feral cats.

I believe they deserve the best life they can have without the stress of fighting and breeding. Spay/neuter solves both of those problems. 

Move them out, move them in

First good news: Whisk and Kettle were ADOPTED on Thursday together!! Nice family with 2 young boys.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course it is that time of year when rescues are up to their ears in kittens. After doing laundry and cleaning the foster room, we reloaded. The rescue has a lot of spicy kittens....some more spicy then others. The goal is to get them into foster homes to get them socialized. We took in a new crew.

There 3 boys and 2 girls. The boys are all orange and white, the girls a torbie and a buff and white. Mom says they are only mildly spicy and will probably come around pretty quickly. No names yet. It usually takes a few days to come up with a good theme.

Be sure to click on the link in our header for the foster cameras. They are having a good time running around.

It's that time

Surgery went well on Monday. Everyone came back slightly grumpy and very hungry. Ree was very unhappy with the small portion of food for a snack and proceeded to bang on the food container and howl until mom gave them more to eat.

Since that is done though and they are all healthy, they are headed to the adoption center today to find their forever homes. We know the kittens will go quickly and hope the same for Ree.

Final official surgery weights: Kettle 3 pounds 1 ounce. Spatula 2 pounds 9 ounces. 2hisk 2 pounds 5 ounces.

Ree weighed in at 6 pounds 11 ounces and they estimate her age at about 1 1/2 years old.

Cute

They don't even have to try...

Everyone is scheduled for surgery today. Paws crossed it all goes well. Kittens get adopted quickly and we hope momma cat Ree does too. They will most likely go to the adoption center on Wednesday.