I realized that today marks seven years since I introduced the litter known as The Seven to y’all. Elijah (who was recently returned) is now at Petsmart, and you can see pictures of him on the Challenger’s House Facebook page. He grew up to be gorgeous!
It always blows me away when I remember that the tiny little runt Beulah weighed EIGHT OUNCES (you read that right!) at 6 1/2 weeks old. All of the Fakers – who are 3 weeks old today – are several ounces more than that. Beulah was one tiny little thing.
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Susie, giving her mama the Eyes of Love.
Bert Macklin would like to know what’s going on out HERE.
“Hallo, lady!” says Art Vandelay.
“Well, I don’t see anything interesting out THERE!” declares Princess Consuela.
Princess Consuela and Ken Adams, snuggling up.
Oh, the nose and toeses.
Lineup. Left to right: Susie, Art Vandelay, Chanandler Bong, and Bert Macklin.
Another pileup. Chanandler Bong will have you know that a bed made of kittens is COMFY.
Art Vandelay, keeping an eye on me while everyone sleeps. He’s so bright-eyed and curious. If he and Ken Adams team up, we’re in trouble!
Chanandler, with something to say. If you look closely, you can see the little row of teef on the bottom. These babies are growing up way too fast!
I moved the crate – Regina, kittens and all – into the bathroom yesterday so I could clean the foster room. After I brought the crate back into the room, I put the kittens in a basket so I could change out the bedding. The basket was right next to the crate, and just as I put the clean blanket down into the crate, Ken Adams climbed over the side of the basket and into the crate. I’m really surprised that no one has escaped the crate yet. I keep expecting it to happen, but maybe they figure that there’s nothing worth exploring outside their crate yet. I imagine that they’ll start escaping any time now.
I weighed them yesterday. The lightest is Susie, at 13.1 ounces, and the heaviest is Ken Adams at 14.5 ounces. They’re fat and healthy, and Regina is doing a wonderful job keeping them fed. I’ve been giving her Fancy Feast canned kitten food (and she has kitten kibble – Babycat – available at all times) and jars and jars of Gerber chicken baby food. I think she’s getting bored with the canned kitten food, and none of the adult canned food I’ve offered has interested her. I’m pretty sure she’d like a chicken baby food IV, but that stuff is expensive (around $1 a jar here), and she can demolish a plate of it in about 30 seconds. I’m going to keep trying, I’m sure that sooner or later I’ll find a food that meets her approval.
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“What?” Maxi came over for snack time, rested for a few minutes, and then headed back to the garage where she snoozed the day away in her “apartment” upstairs. It’s a rough life, is what it is.
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Previously
2015: No entry.
2014: No entry.
2013: The little pink paws – seriously. Do they kill you dead, or what?
2012: “Good lord, I hope I don’t look half as dorky as you when I’m waiting to get my treat.”
2011: Do you see this face?
2010: “What babies?”
2009: Meet The Seven.
2008: No entry.
2007: How cute are these guys?
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Eeee! They’re starting to look less like meatballs and more like kitten heads! They really do grow up so fast.
I got laid off at the end of February (second time in six months, but that’s another story), and I decided that I’m going to clean out my guest bedroom, currently a junk repository, and get in touch with a local cat rescue and volunteer to foster kittens.
I have experience with bottle babies and just feel that I need to be doing something positive right now (I’ve also had two deaths in the family in the same time period and am pretty much stressed to the eyeballs), and am prescribing myself some kitten therapy.
My Maisie weighed all of four ounces when I adopted her. She was an orphaned baby, about ten days old by my estimate. My little quarter pounder. I put her in the kitchen scale and weighed her every day. She’s now a sleek, sassy 18-month-old.
Oh Noelegy, I am so sorry for your job situation. How stressful. I am, also, sorry for the losses in your family. Kitten therapy is the best medicine in the world. I hope that the 10 million hugs I am sending you eases some of your stress/pain, too! {{squeeze}}
Thank you!
Art Vandelay looks like he’s going to have a goofily cute long face.
we hope things turn around for you….we know any rescue would love the help – and kitten therapy is the best
I’m so sorry you’re having a rough time, Noelegy, and my condolences on your recent losses. But I love that one of your local rescues with benefit. There is really nothing like kitten therapy!
I, too, am sorry to hear about all the negative going on in your life right now, but good for you for taking on this challenge.
Most shelters start new foster people off with easy cases, gives them a nice positive start and if they can handle easy things, then they try you out with more challenging cases… basically few people walk into a fostering situation and walk out with bottle babies – well that is unless you want them.
I look forward to hearing about your first litter! 🙂
My condolences too. I lost a family member last week too and I’ve been feeling it since then.
Enjoy the kitten therapy and your right, find time for meaning ful things, but give yourself time for the grief too.
Oh my! The ears on Art!
yes, adorable peenk ears, sproinged!
Now, see, I had Ken Adams pegged to escape the crate first, and here he goes and climbs back into it first! Guess I’m way off!
Those are some seriously cute kittens, I cannot wait to see them running around!!
By the way, if you have a Krogers near you, check there for Gerbers. Apparently they are going to plastic jars and what they have in glass is half price.
Thank you so much for this tip! I’m planning to run errands tomorrow, and was going to pretty much hit up every store in the area to stock up on baby food. I’ll pass two Krogers on the way home, and you better believe I’ll be stopping! 🙂
Can we send you some too?
Plastic? for baby food? really?? *headdesk* but hey, if it means cheaper ones for Robyn now..
Art Vandelay’s little face has killed me dead!!!
Baby teeth !!!!!! Look out Regina !!!!!
Have you tried mixing the baby chicken food with the canned food to make it go further ?? You could also try some boiled chicken breast and puree or shred it !!! She would probably love that !!!
Luckily for her, they are milk teeth at this point! 🙂
Yeah, I tried mixing. Regina licked the baby food off, and then asked why I hated her. She was also not interested in chicken – raw OR cooked – and I just ran out of the shredded turkey I had in the freezer, so I need to pick some up tomorrow.
I did offer her a can of something that was hiding in the back of the cabinet, and she kind of liked it. I need to figure out what it was and buy a few more cans (obviously once I do that, she’ll decide she hates it!)
She is one spoiled girl! 🙂
don’t you hate it when you have a picky eater.. I’m all like “you were homeless, and now you are going to scoff at the provisions here? really??”
I told Fred I ought to toss a couple of birds and some mice in there and let her hunt her own food. She’d probably prefer it!
oh goodness, they are turning into kittens.. stop them.. keep them as blobs a little longer would you??
I’m trying, but they aren’t cooperating!!!
Madame has her own apartment?! Then again, I don’t live in “my” apartment, I live with my boys’ in THEIR apartment, so yeah. I get it now.
In the picture of Art Vandelay giving you the “look” – are those 2 little burgers in the back sleeping, or tusslin’?!
I think they’re sleeping.
Yes, Madame has her own apartment – she has the ENTIRE garage to herself, whereas I share the house with another human and 7,000 cats. I think she’s smarter than I am!
It’s crazy how fast those ears move up their heads. Too soon! Stay babies, babies!