Polly and Percy made their debut on the news Friday afternoon and did just fine. I was pleased with how relaxed and curious they were, because of course you never know how they’re going to react – I was worried they’d be scared. You can see us all (and Kathie, from the spay/neuter clinic; Kathie’s also a Challenger’s House foster mom and adoption counselor – in fact, she and Winnie are the ones who brought me the Weeds!) here:
(Sorry, the video is no longer available.)
Yes, I am aware that I wore the EXACT same shirt this time as I did last time – the shirt I’d intended to wear had a big ol’ spot on it, so I just grabbed the nearest shirt. I need to get my butt in gear and get a Challenger’s House t-shirt before next time, I think.
It was fun, and I was a little less nervous this time, though I still had to take a moment to find my words at the beginning.
Meredith, the reporter, was immediately enamored by Polly, and said that if she hadn’t just adopted a black lab puppy, she’d have wanted to take Polly home with her. She’s a charmer, that Polly.
A couple of people have asked why on EARTH there are still four ‘Maters at Petsmart, waiting to be adopted (Caspian’s the only ‘Mater kitten who’s been adopted – and of course Brandywine was adopted IMMEDIATELY). Adoptions are just pretty slow right now, and on top of that, the ‘Maters are some WILDLY energetic kittens. Not everyone wants a crazypants, and the ‘Maters haven’t figured out how to slow it down and turn on the charm. I’m sure the right people will come along eventually – it’ll just take time, but I’m sure they’ll get themselves adopted, hopefully SOON.
Nap time for Polly.
Joe, getting ready to yawn, and Percy yawning in the background.
Joe thinks something’s not right, but he’s not quite sure what it is…
Magoo biting Polly right on the face. So RUDE.
Such a pretty Joe.
Laying on his back with his mouth wide open is quintessential Magoo.
Like I said.
Could she BE any prettier? I think NOT.
“You need me to chomp on your face, Polly?”
“No, I’m good. But thanks!”
Thistle on the stairs, trying to determine whether she wants to come downstairs.
“Is it SAFE?”
Purslane, rolling around on the floor of the foster room. They love hanging out in there in the afternoon – it’s always the warmest spot in the house. Except in the Winter, when it’s the coldest.
“What you WANT, lady? Can’t a girl have a little rolling-around-on-the-floor time?”
At this point, I’d say it’s a pretty safe bet that the blue eyes are going to stay blue!
At weigh-in yesterday, I found that the only kitten in the house who weighs less than two pounds is Thistle. She’s at 1 pound, 15 ounces, up three ounces from a week ago, so doing well.
The Pickles are all well over two pounds – Tony Rocky Magoo is just over two and a half pounds now! In fact, he’s the only Pickle under three pounds right now. They’re going next Tuesday for their spaying and neutering and getting their last vaccinations later this week – so after next Tuesday they’re going to be ready to go, and we’ll just be waiting for room at Petsmart!
(The Weeds, on the other hand, will be around for a bit. They’ll go in mid-October for their retest, and will hopefully test FIV negative at that point.)
I’ve probably mentioned before that Maxi, who used to be willing to come into the house, has absolutely refused to come inside for about the last year. It’s partly that she just prefers to be outside – she’s not social with the other cats, although she and Rupert were buddies while he was with us – and partly that there are a lot of cats in this house, and she doesn’t like it when other cats get all up in her space. She can tolerate Newt, but Newt has turned himself into a total house potato since the Spring and rarely goes outside and hangs out with her any more.
Every now and then, especially when it’s rainy out and she sits on the side stoop and looks sad and pathetic, Fred makes her come inside for a little while. She’ll sit on his desk, as long as he’s there to “protect” her from the terrifying kittens.
Jake is absolutely obsessed with her. If she’s in the house, he sits and stares at her. He inches closer and closer, and Fred has to warn him to back off.
This is how it went one day last week when it was raining and Fred made Maxi come inside for a while.
“I believe I’d like to go back outside now, please.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Previously
2011: No entry.
2010: No entry.
2009: We have named the new guys! (Meet the Wonkas)
2008: No entry.
2007:”How about now? Is it time for the snuggle now?”
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Oh Loony Jake! I laughed so hard at this post!
Jake has a new nickname – Stalker.
So did you tell Meredith that Polly is a lot less work than a lab puppy? And that the couple extra minutes work in scooping the box is TOTALLY worth it for all of the cute kitten-puppy interactions?
There are still Maters at Petsmart for the same reason there are still Washingtons at Petco. People are clueless. I almost don’t want to take the Adams kittens when they’re cleared… they’re so much teenier and “cuter” that my older babes might not stand a chance. Breaks my heart. 🙁
Loony Jake is killing me!
Robyn – you looked like a rock star! love the TV segment.
Awwww, thanks. 😉
Aww-Robyn give my apologies to Polly and remind her about distance, money for gas, and other reasons why I could not scoop her up. Kelly-give the same speech to the Washingtons (esp Eloise). Thanks! And now the kitty I did pick because she was born right next door…Oreo. See pics here on my flickr page: http://flickr.com/gp/87536188@N06/94f042/
If anyone is on Google+ there are pics there too under my same screen name.
Hi Oreo! What a cute baby!!!
She is such a cutie pie!!!!
TY! I appreciate you looking 🙂
So pretty!
She is such a cutey! And she can levitate balls, amazing! No wonder you took her home.
Dear old Blanco, my lap cat an ex shelter now aged 12 plus ,loves his daily roll and stretch on the carpet! He claws at it as if he was claiming and enjoys tummy rubs as a mid roll refresher.
Magoo is such a little hellion. I would love to adopt him along with Thistle along with Wellington and Dingwall Scotty so I can has a Basemint Cat army and take over Teh Wurld.
That would be SO awesome! 😀
Heck, just send all of them, I’ll just bathe the non-black ones in black dye.
By the way, I’m on my 5th visit today just to look at the Maxi-Jake post again. It looks like you have quite a few stalker-stalkee duos in your flock! Jake-Maxi, Stinkerbelle-Tommy… Who else?
Oh, Loony Jake, your unrequited love is killing me!
I almost fell off my chair at work when I scrolled past the first picture of Maxi to see Jake staring up at her. And Fred helping her show how fierce she is illicited another burst of laughter. The folks at work officially think I’m nuts!!!
great video – we hope that the spay/neuter clinics get to stay open (how dumb to close them….)
Poor Jake – it is so hard to be a sucessful stalker these days
Jake is just adorbs! Now off to go get my manliness back for the rest of the day.
Heheh – real men love cats and talk baby talk to kitten pictures!
Man, Jake doesn’t even try to be cool, does he?
He is 100% nutball. 🙂
Great job with the interview! And Princess Polly and Lord Percy of Pickledon were just perfect!
Oh poor Jakie and his crush…Maxi is a beautiful girl though, so it’s easy to understand.
Hey Robyn – this web comic today made me think of you. 😉 http://www.littledee.net/?p=3022
LOL, I love it!
That comic is cute! Thanks for sharing.
Little Dee is a *wonderful* strip, about a bear & a vulture & a dog who adopt a wandering child, Dee. It’s very sweet without being too sugary. Start at the beginning and have a wonderful read! 🙂
Oh dear heavens. That pic of Polly in the basket is pure Glamour Shot.
Shoot, I can’t seem to be able to see the video, even on their website. I’ll try again later today or tomorrow. And I’m sure absolutely no one would have remarked on the shirt if you hadn’t mentioned it.
Jake is hilarious! And so beautiful.
Did I miss something about Rupert no longer being with you???
He was hit by a car and killed in mid-August.
Oh noooooo. I am so sorry. He was lucky to have his last months with such wonderful company.
A friend of mine on FB, who also fosters, wrote: “…there’s a little something I do when raising kittens. I clip their
claws from a very young age. As most of the people who have adopted from me have seen, I often will clip their claws on adoption day, in front of their new families, to show how chill they usually are about it. Even when they’re in play mode (not the preferred time to clip, but still doable) they’ll acquiesce. This can be HUGE for making sure they’re good
companion animals who will never tempt someone to declaw!” Obviously you don’t meet the adopters but do you do clip your kittens’ claws too?
Oh, absolutely! I tend to slack on it sometimes, but I try to do it – or at least check to see if it needs to be done – once a week or so. It only takes one kitten clawing her way up my back to remind me it’s time to check and clip if I’ve been slacking. 🙂
I clip claws as soon as they are no longer nursing – since claws help to stimulate milk flow. Sometimes I just handle paws to help them get used to it. I hold paws, play with ears, grab tails, open mouths, rub bellies.. all things that I hear of older cats being antsy about. the more you can do to them when they are young, the better equipped they will be to handle change as an adult.
Yay! Hubby brought me my computer to keep me company in the hospital, now I can stock up on the good stuff! 😀 By the way, I am lodging a complaint with the medical board…did you know that Cat scans do NOT INVOLVE KITTEHS AT ALL?????? The outrage!!!
Can you imagine how much less stressful that procedures like CAT scans and MRIs would be if there were kittehs available to keep you company?
I would have rather had a purring kitteh on my head than the ear phones they gave me during mine!! 🙂
Oh Jake Jake Jakey Jake… You really need to learn the sideways glance or something less… overt, then the object of your desire wont run from you all the time. And maybe, just maybe she’ll stay inside long enough to fall asleep in some cat bed (I’m sure she can find one SOMEwhere…) and then you can sneak over on quiet paws and snugge down next to her! But not if you keep up the overt stalky stuff! Loony boy!
He wears his heart on his sleeve! 🙂
The “Is it SAFE?” photo of Thistle on the stairs is my screensaver at work now. I just want to scoop her up and give her a million kisses!
She loooooooves kisses!
What is going on with this threat to the affordable spay n neuter clinics?!?!?! What?!?! 🙁 Oh dear!
Awwww well that bit of horrid news spoilt this wonderful report! So great to see you Robyn and Polly and Percy! Take care
x
The Alabama State Veterinary Board is attempting to close down the state’s four low-cost spay and neuter clinics in the misguided belief that it’s affecting their bottom line – which is silly, because for the most part, the people who are taking their animals to the clinics wouldn’t be taking their pets to the vet! The clinic only does spaying and neutering, and any vetting beyond that, they refer people to other vets. It’s irritating, to say the least!
OMC, that Jake 🙂
Tony Rocky Horror Pickle Magoo (hope I have that right!) has a white belly? He really is a unique cat!
I loved Thistle on the stairs too!
Loony Jake can stalk me anytime!
I have no sound driver since the great computer crash of last year-can’t bring myself to ask my brother-in-law to look at it again. Anyway, I could SEE your video and you looked great. You were smiling and making eye contact and you looked very self confidant and relaxed. I can imagine your voice which is very soft and sweet and I’m sure you kicked butt!
Oh, Joe, your bracelets are beautiful — and please try to keep that ear folded down forever. Robyn, you were fantastic; ditto the Pickles. Don’t give up hope, Jake: I’d only you knew the size of your (human) female fan club!
Oh, Jake – maybe if you’re sweet enough, Maxi will be your friend, too!
Somehow, Maxi’s ROWWWWRRR lost it’s ferociousness, when you see Fred’s thumbs. Creeper Jake – take the wooing down a few notches! She doesn’t like you that way! Polly is so dear – what a sweet picture.
LOL Jake LOL LOL LOL – i love his loony faces!