Come for the politics, stay for the snark.
My brother is ready to part with two of the kittens, and has enlisted the help of a rescue org. Should you wish to adopt one, please note in the comments and I will email you the info. The black one and the one in the foreground are taken, but the two in the back are up for adoption:
From former lurker Edith:
We are looking for a home for this cute little fella. We already have four, and a toddler, so we’re at our limit. Here’s what we know about him.
We think he’s a feral rather than a dumped pet. He’s been coming around for a couple of years to visit the food dish and heated water dish. He was very skittish at first, but started to warm up to us in the last year. Last winter he started following my son and I to the park, and otherwise hanging out with us when we were outside.
By this spring and summer he was clearly thinking that maybe being warm and having a person of his very own might be worth the loss of independence. I’ve caught him peeking in the screen door more than once, clearly hoping he might be invited inside. Later this summer and fall he started jumping up into our laps to be petted. He mostly avoids our toddler’s attempts to pet him, but hasn’t been aggressive. If our other cats are out in the yard he lurks around the edges, but stays out of their reach. I think he’d be ok with other cats. No idea about dogs.
We took him to the vet this summer for an infected foot. He was pretty passive with the vet. He was FIV/FeLV negative at that time, although he’s been in a few fights since then, so I can’t promise that he still is. I was unsure if we’d be able to get him in on a schedule, so we didn’t start the vaccinations. I have no idea what he knows about a litter box.
I don’t know his age but he probably 2-3 given how long he’s been coming around. We’d pay to have him neutered and start all his vaccinations. We could drive a reasonable distance, but not more than an hour or two each way. We just want a good home for this special, sweet little guy before winter.
You know the drill — if you’re interested, or know somebody who might be, leave a comment below. Or send me an email at annelaurie (dot) bj (at) gmail, and I’ll forward your message to Edith. Fingers crossed we can help this charmer out!
From former lurker Edith:
We are looking for a home for this cute little fella. We already have four, and a toddler, so we’re at our limit. Here’s what we know about him.
We think he’s a feral rather than a dumped pet. He’s been coming around for a couple of years to visit the food dish and heated water dish. He was very skittish at first, but started to warm up to us in the last year. Last winter he started following my son and I to the park, and otherwise hanging out with us when we were outside.
By this spring and summer he was clearly thinking that maybe being warm and having a person of his very own might be worth the loss of independence. I’ve caught him peeking in the screen door more than once, clearly hoping he might be invited inside. Later this summer and fall he started jumping up into our laps to be petted. He mostly avoids our toddler’s attempts to pet him, but hasn’t been aggressive. If our other cats are out in the yard he lurks around the edges, but stays out of their reach. I think he’d be ok with other cats. No idea about dogs.
We took him to the vet this summer for an infected foot. He was pretty passive with the vet. He was FIV/FeLV negative at that time, although he’s been in a few fights since then, so I can’t promise that he still is. I was unsure if we’d be able to get him in on a schedule, so we didn’t start the vaccinations. I have no idea what he knows about a litter box.
I don’t know his age but he probably 2-3 given how long he’s been coming around. We’d pay to have him neutered and start all his vaccinations. We could drive a reasonable distance, but not more than an hour or two each way. We just want a good home for this special, sweet little guy before winter.
You know the drill — if you’re interested, or know somebody who might be, leave a comment below. Or send me an email at annelaurie (dot) bj (at) gmail, and I’ll forward your message to Edith. Fingers crossed we can help this charmer out!
Once again we are lucky enough to have WereBear to share her cat experience with us. Plus some cute kittie photos.
Cats are communists
Despite the myth of the aloof, solitary, cat, the original cat has a social structure. The African wildcat raises their kittens communally, and form alliances for hunting and patrolling duties. These same nurturing abilities are available to their humans.
Right now, we aren’t raising our new kittens alone. We have the services of Reverend Jim, our 12 year old Maine Coon Cat mix and resident Kitten Wrangler. Within days, he had moved into Kitten Country. He is rewarded with hero worship from Bud and Lou, and reliable second breakfasts from the humans. (We think RJ has a Hobbit heritage. Hairy toes.)
He’s like the famous Grandpa Mason, a stray who stole hearts with his devoted nurturing of the foster kittens in his care. RJ teaches manners, reassures them about new things, and appears when something falls over with a bit too much emphasis. His influence limits the amount of trouble they get into.
Now the kittens have a new plaything in Tristan, who comes for visits until his nerve fails and he asks to leave. But it is progress when he became able to take a nap with them. He find sleeping kittens are much more predictable.
Which brings up a request from last time: how do we get kittens to sleep through the night?
We create a ritual and a backup plan.
All of our cats will learn a bedtime routine when we include them in it. As part of our own preparations, we should build in a “wearing out the kitten” play session. This will encourage them to snuggle, too. They are more likely to want petting, once they’ve had their play. All cats cycle faster than their humans, running through many 3-4 hour cycles in the course of a day.
This is why a high-energy kitten will wake us up in the middle of the night. They are bored and lonely. At such times I suggest that if our kitten cannot amuse themselves, we get up long enough to turn on the battery operated toys we left in the living room for such an emergency. This will let us go back to bed.
Invitations from the kitten to get up and play should be met with a ploy I call Hug Monster. Oh, they are waking us up for hugs! No? Well, hugs are what they are getting. All other responses will mere encourage the kitten.
Yes, I leave the bedroom door open so they can come and go. Otherwise, the cat will annoy us, like walking on our heads, until we can’t stand it anymore and get up and open the door. Congratulations. You just trained the cat to walk on your head to get the door open.
Don’t do that.
The Way of Cats is available in paperback and on Kindle HERE
Visit the Way of Cats blog HERE
If you have questions for WereBear, she should be stopping by…
Meanwhile, share your pet stories.
From rescuer Barbara:
I am asking for help for some cats that have gotten stranded in Colorado Springs, in particular, anyone who could foster or transport in the area. The very small rescue I work with in the Springs is short on fosters but can provide supplies and I would cover gas if transport is needed…
Details: Rescuers in Oklahoma often transport cats to Colorado where they have a better chance of being adopted. Karen sent 6 cats via rescue flight to a rescue in Pueblo. Unfortunately the rescuer there tried to take too many and got busted. Karen’s cats ended up at the HSPPR. She has no way of getting them back. No other rescues have room at this time. HSPPR is also charging Karen the regular adoption fee to get the cats out. She is not a 501(©3) and does rescue on her own dime.
Penelope and Rose are wobblies – they have cerebral hypoplasia. I have offered to take them – problem is I now live in Tallahassee FL. Second problem – the kittens are being treated for ringworm. Once we get them out of the shelter, they will need a foster until they are cleared to be transported and we can arrange transport. The alternative is to try boarding them, which is expensive.
The other four who also need fosters (or adopters): Sage (male) and Jill (both grey tabbies) are adults; Sterling (brown tabby) and Judah (grey) are about 9-10 months old. If anyone can foster them – supplies provided – please let me know.
I have Barbara’s email and phone number; if you can help (or know someone who can), leave a comment, or contact me at annelaurie (dot) bj (at) gmail (dot) com.
Cat Fosters / Transport Needed – Colorado SpringsPost + Comments
..and some kitty advice. Since it seemed like everyone liked the idea of WereBear guest posting, I asked her for another installment. Because we could really use some cute kitties. Amirite?
Welcome, Juicer Cat Appreciators, and all the lurkers at sea.
I am WereBear, but my secret identity is the cat advice enterprise which is Way of Cats. Last time I revealed we were struggling with intermittent internet. The culprits were multi-modal: a bad modem combined with kittens.
Yes, Mr WayofCats and I recently adopted two kittens. Though we already had cats, these two were a package deal: they were pair-bonded. Many shared their own stories of the joys of adopting two cats who were already buddies.
Lou Costello chillin’
This reluctance to adopt in Cat Social Units is baffling when one of the reasons to get a cat is the affection. Here are two cats demonstrating this very skill! What holds people back is often the stigma of multiple cats.
Which keeps them from experiencing the depth that comes with two, and then three, cats who cooperate, communicate, and enjoy their people. It is the joys of Cat Civilization, where we have a motley crew of cats who help us both fill and lighten our hearts.
Bud Abbott getting some scritches
My last three rescue cats came from a feral colony. This is good news in my literal neck of the woods. Colonies are being humanely shrunk, and the kittens relocated. My two little nutbars came from a project that has been operating for at least a decade that I can remember. They are taming up as sweetly and swiftly as anyone could wish.
I recently had a consultation with an accomplished cat foster parent who needed to take a break just as they fell in love with one of the kittens. We both agreed society has a mental block in people’s heads about Third Cat.
This is when we cross the threshold of “grudgingly allowed.” Three cats sounds like one of them might be deliberate. We all know where that slides us: into deranged hoarder territory, even if our cats are happy and cared for and so are we.
As we discussed this block between my advice about ways to integrate the new arrival, this realization helped them realize what they wanted. Which, not surprisingly, turned out to be Third Cat. Because isn’t this a Love & Companionship model working as it should?
People become Cat Appreciators because the better we know cats, the more we love them. So we want more. In addition to keeping us on the couch so we can’t get up, they also have creative utility. I discovered cat writer’s block can be cured by… more cats! It is my favorite saying, after all:
The solution to your cat problem is more cats.
Because so often, it’s true.
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Way of Cats site and blog click over for more cat adventures and advice
My book on Amazon: The Way of Cats: How to use their instincts to train, understand, and love them
I am working on a second book about a favorite topic, Cat Civilization.
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What’s that I hear? How is famous foster Tristan and now-grown Mutant Sheep Mithrandir taking this turn of events? Has Reverend Jim done Master Po with two Grasshoppers? Does Olwyn disapprove? (Of course.)
Stay tuned. And ask questions.
You heard the lady, ask some cat questions! Or share your pet escapades, I can’t be the only one with crazy critters. LOL
From commentor Dangerman:
There is an ~8 year old Orange Tabby cat that just lost its owner where I live (call it San Luis Obispo, which explains the SLO in my email nym). My location is a bit of an advantage as I’m almost exactly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
That said, a place “more country than city” would be better for him. His owner passed at 85 and loved this cat in a very big way (I’m a friend); in other words, this cat is spoiled in the extreme, but also very, VERY smart.
There is already kind of an option in place to house this cat but I believe that is much more of a trial/boarding thing than a permanent home thing, so I need to look for options in case of a further emergency.
So, about the cat in a few lines:
(1) VERY friendly, but not really a lap cat; he’ll do laps for a few minutes here and there, but it really isn’t his thing. Sleeping in a sunny spot someplace is his thing. He’s presently being boarded for a few nights and all the Vet Techs are gushing about him as to how chill he is (“so, you want to take my temperature, huh? *yawn*, OK, just make it kinda quick, OK, I got a nap to get to here”)
(2) He’s fixed but still has his claws; he doesn’t believe in cat scratching posts (walks by them, looks, and appears to laugh), so if people have antique furniture or similar, this is not the cat for them
(3) I stated it previously – this cat is SMART; I’ve never seen a cat so well trained. Now, he is a little older and I have no idea about old cats and new tricks. He either has an amazing biological clock or he has learned how to tell time as I could set a watch by his arrivals to be fed morning, evening, and noontime snacks each day (“lessee, big hand there, little hand there, I get food, WOOHOO”)
(4) He just had his shots and annual checkup; there was a minor anomaly in his urine results, but the Vet said no concern at all, just maybe something to watch for in the future
(5) Oh, important, this cat does his business outside; he is litter box trained but from all available evidence (you seriously don’t want to know) he only uses the litter box if his bladder or bowels are about to explode. He might use the box once a week or so
(6) Oh, also very important, this thing is an amazing hunter; he has a bell around his neck but still finds a way to bring in birds, rodents, and bats (yes, bats). He doesn’t kill; he just wants to play. Well, that presents a problem since the animals involved aren’t into the whole play thing. (ESPECIALLY the bats, who are otherwise highly skilled at playing dead, which places the human, generally me, at some risk when I go to dispose of the presumed dead bat.)
If you are interested, know someone who might be interested, or have other helpful suggestions: Leave a comment below, or contact me at annelaurie (dot) bj (at) gmail, and I’ll forward your message to the Dangerman.
I came out of my office the other day to find this going on.
Either they are:
I’m completely done in. News is off, music is on. How about you?
Respite open thread
Respite Open Thread: My Quarterly Review Is Not Looking GoodPost + Comments
Since it has been another slow, uneventful news day, I thought I would share some pictures of one of the kittens that Seth (Boghan sort of made the call, really) is going to keep. He needs a name, and despite my offering up the choice “Gary,” Seth told me no and that I am an idiot and I should ask my readers.
Throw your suggestions in the comments. Although I think Gary would be a great name.
How are you spending your last day of summer?
Gabe’s favorite hangout
Zander guarding the garden
And bonus puppies
Respite open thread
Apparently, what my brother’s dog really needed and wanted all his life was kittens:
According to Seth, the black kittie with the white spot on her/his chest and the one with white feet have already secured their forever homes. I will have a video up in a little bit but apparently it is processing forever.
We report, you decide!
THERE IS A SIAMESE LOOKING CAT CLIMBING UP MY SCREEN CAGE AND WALKING ON MY LABIA pic.twitter.com/LALB0K6Q9e
— Best of Nextdoor (@bestofnextdoor) September 11, 2019
Obligatory:
Open Thread!
Floriduh! Woman Or Cat Blogging? You Make the CallPost + Comments
My tolerance for stupidity has reached empty, so once again I’m tuning out. Except probably to hang out here for the debates. For those of you who need a break, Sister Rail Gun provides us with the perfect antidote:
They weren’t able to get handoff photos, because as you can imagine, it was hectic. But here they are settling in. More from Sister Rail Gun:
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We got them both into their room. They checked it out and said, “Yep, that’s a litter box, now where’s the food?”
We have Maysie in her favorite spot, by the window overlooking the bird feeders.
Tux behind the ironing board.
Tux and Maysie in the scraps pile behind the ironing board.
Maysie after Tux gave up on the game of tug. They were each pulling on the dangler when Tux said, “Oooh, right, there’s food here!”, let go, and turned away.
Maysie in her new favorite sleeping spot.
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Sister Rail Gun has promised more videos when available – you can click on the video and actually subscribe to be notified.
This is a true respite thread. I don’t care if it only has 2 comments two hours in, if anyone is feeling like I am, they need a break. So as best as I can do, here is your cuteness break for the morning.
So while we are all ooooo-ing and aaah-ing about the latest Balloon-Juice adoption, our very own WereBear had a spell cast over her by these two little sweeties. When I read her blog post I asked her if she’d share it as a guest post here. I thought with all our cat adoptions recently, it would be nice to remind people we have a ready resource for those pesky cat and kitten questions. I was also wondering if you guys would be interested in her doing guest posts a couple times a month, maybe answering your burning cat questions?
Meanwhile, here are the latest members of the extended Balloon-Juice pet family. From WereBear
Yes, two Beta Cat Type boys. The smallest Cat Social Unit.Which is how, and why, they came to live with us yesterday evening. Because it was a rescue.
These kittens were part of the shelter system. They were in no immediate danger.
I was so not in the market. Mr WayofCats had been very sick, which dragged me down from exhaustion. Finances were even tighter as a result.
When Tristan kept scratching his head and making Owie! sounds, I got him into the vet’s as soon as they opened. Then this happened.
These two kittens, working as a team, moved in the big cage to get on the shelf nearby. Then, still consulting each other, they stuck their paws out or made facial expressions of concern. The sides of this carrier are made of mesh. They and Tristan could see each other.
I said, “See, Tristan, they are worried about you.” But I’d already seen enough to know I was in trouble.
They were a bonded pair.
Tristan’s problem was cleared up with an exam and two shots. But my problem continued. These two kittens needed to be adopted together.
But it would also mean they would have to wait, growing up in cages and playrooms, getting longer and leggier and (to the unenlightened) less-cute every day. Which was better than the alternative, which was to break their little hearts by separating them.
“They are so attuned to each other,” I remarked to the person in reception.
“The shelter wants them to stay together.”
Then we both made those quick sad faces. We knew that was a barrier to adoption.
Fresh Prince and MC Hammer, their shelter names, had an extraordinary connection for kittens so young. They were 3-4 months old, and had been rescued from a feral colony.
At the beginning of fall local shelters were often jammed by these successful strategies. Which was good. But so many competing choices set this pair’s odds of adoption back even further.
Watching them play and communicate like an Impossible Mission Force, I saw what the shelter had seen. These two weren’t twins, but there was a very strong brother bond.
Both Betas, but I figured Fresh Prince, with his abundant white from chin to tail, had more Gamma. While MC Hammer showed signs he leaned towards the Alpha side of the range.
I could not catch a break. They would be exactly suited to joining my Cat Civilization. Just when I was halfway through my upcoming book on that very subject, with proper choosing and introductions being featured prominently in it.
So I was looking at a future where I kept my mouth shut, and the entire time I’ll be writing a book about cat partnerships. I won’t know what happened to these little fellows. Or I can go by the shelter and see how they are still waiting for a home.
Writer’s block is hard enough. I caved and asked for an application. click below to see the entire post
Guest Post: WereBear And The Advantages Of Adopting TwoPost + Comments
Just got some good news from AmyBlueKat:
UPDATE: MAYSIE AND BIG TUX HAVE FOUND A HOME!
We are now en route to Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism’s house where lots of love and attention await.
I am beyond grateful for the outpouring of support I have received here in just 28 hours since I first posted. Bill Proctor – this would not have happened without you. May your heart finally rest in peace.
More on how Bill Proctor led to this happy pairing before he left us, here. May he rest in peace.
I told her we would need lots of pictures of the exchange. I will post them when I get them. I just thought we could use some good news today.
Open thread.
