Things I’ve been doing lately.
Trying my very best to take a decent picture of this tree in the yard across the street. This picture doesn’t do it justice – it is absolutely gorgeous, like something you’d see in a movie, and every time I go by the window I stop and look at it. Of course, with the NEVERENDING RAIN, I can’t get a decent picture. Ah well, maybe next year.
For years – FOR YEARS, and I do not exaggerate – I’ve been trying to figure out a way to organize all the feather teasers we have on hand. At some point in the past I asked Fred if he thought a piece of PVC cut to two different lengths would work, and I don’t remember what his reasoning was, but he pooh-poohed the idea and came up with some other way to organize them that DID NOT WORK – I think a couple of hooks on the wall? And then a few months ago I was hanging out in the kitten room and began thinking yet again about how annoying I find it to leave feather teasers lying all over the room because they get knocked onto the floor and dragged around and then I can’t find one when I desperately need a kitten to look at me. And I happened to glance up on the shelf and saw a shipping tube, and a light went on over my head. I had Fred cut the tube in two pieces, I affixed the tubes to the wall with Command picture hanging strips, and voila. I could not be more pleased with this solution that I came up with, though it’s a little plain and those tubes could probably use some cat stickers on them. (Note: there are caps at the bottom of each tube that stop the teasers from sliding through to the floor.)
Note: This next section has mention of cats we’ve had who have passed on. If reading about them might make you sad, you 100% have my permission to skip down to the next section (not that you need my permission, of course, but don’t feel bad if you want to skip this next bit!)
I dislike the urns the pet crematorium provides us with (there’s nothing wrong with them, I just don’t personally care for them; I find them a little boring and impersonal), and so one day while I was in Michael’s, I spotted these photo cubes (which were unpainted.) I grabbed a couple and found some paint I liked, and then I painted them. Okay, yes, I did put two cats in each cube, but they’re cats who pretty much got along with each other (Maxi and Kara had no beef with each other, and Frankie and Stefan would hang out with no ensuing kerfuffles). I printed out two pictures of each cat and alternated them so that no matter which way the cubes are turned (oh yeah, there’s a spinny thing on the bottom of the cubes) you can see a picture of both cats who are in each container. (Yes, I did take the ashes out of the urns they were in; they’re in plastic bags marked with each cats’ name and date of cremation.) This makes me wish that we’d had all the cats who are buried at Crooked Acres cremated instead… but at that point we never thought we’d want to move. And those cats were all very happy at Crooked Acres, so I’m not too sad to think of their remains still there.
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Oh that pretty, pretty girl.
Alejandro in the GoPets wedge, waiting for an unsuspecting victim to come along that he can GRAB and BITE.
Pablo doing the same – but looking much less schemey about it.
Oh, that Javier!
Both Alejandro (in the background) and Pablo eating, each in his own way.
It’s a Diego pie, is what it is.
All 5 kittens on the doll bed! That’s Alejandro belly-up, Pablo on the right, Carmelita looking up, and Diego and Javier snoozing in the back.
I’ll tell you what, I think Pablo’s got a touch of the loon about him.
Isabella keeping an eye on those sleeping kittens. “You don’t wake them, lady. I just got ’em to sleep.”
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Khal wonders why I keep making it rain. Where’s the sun? WHERE IS THE SUN? I wish I knew, Khal.
Those of you who want to see Khal’s squeak, here you go. Usually if I stop petting him he squeaks and squeaks at me, but will he perform on video? Of course not. I just got one little squeak from him this time.
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Previously
2019: Trying to figure out exactly how those legs work.
2018: No entry.
2017: She looks tiny until she stands up, and then it’s all “WELL HELLO THERE” with the belly.
2016: “But we are so wittle and the world is so big!”
2015: Peter does a little Kravitzing. “ABNER! Come see what those wacky neighbors are doing NOW!”
2014: Angelo, toe-suckin’.
2013: Oh, girl tabby, you make me want to pop you right in my mouth.
2012: No entry.
2011: Despite challenges from Corbie and Jake, Elwood would like to assure you that he remains king of the scratcher. He knows you were worried.
2010: “Shall I run across the room like a little lunatic, or shall I take a nap? Decisions, decisions.”
2009: The Seven, named.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
I’m in the UK, where we have been told to stop all non-essential travel. I was just wondering if you had similar restrictions in place and, if so, how that would affect homing the kittens?
The governor of Alabama said yesterday that she has no plans to issue a shelter-in-place order, but we are under an order that prohibits gatherings of 25 or more. Petsmart has suspended rescue adoption events for the time being, but if someone is interested in a Forgotten Felines cat or kitten, they’re able to set up an appointment to meet them. What this means for adoptions for Isabella and the kittens I’m not sure yet. Luckily, the kittens are just 6 weeks old and won’t be available for adoption until they’re 3 months old, so we’ve got a little time yet.
I have to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE those picture cubes with kitties on and in them. What a fantastic idea! And that you put cats together who got along when they were here, so thoughtful!!! If I were crafty at ALL, I would do the same with my Max and Pixel, who are currently sitting side by side on my mantel.
Awww, thank you! I really like the way they turned out, and I’m really NOT all that crafty, it was just a matter of painting the cubes.
Robyn, with everything going on does that mean that this litter will be with you for the next for seeable two or three months?
I don’t know if your Petsmart has closed or how they’re handling things but I’m assuming that these guys are going to be there for a while.
They’re just 6 weeks old now, so they’ll be here ’til they’re 3 months old anyway. Petsmart is still open and there are cats and kittens still housed there (thank god for the volunteers who go in twice a day to play with them and clean cages), but rescue adoption events (including the regular adoption hours) are suspended for the time being. People who are interested in meeting/adopting Forgotten Felines kitties are able to set up appointments to meet them. There was a lot of interest in the kittens when they were first born, and in the weeks since, so hopefully adoptions will be able to happen straight from here.
Javier is just so deliciously fluffy and fuzzy, I don’t know how you can stand it. Isabella is looking a bit thin, which I know is because of the kittens nursing. Is she starting to gain a bit of her weight back? She’s such a beautiful girl…
I had my Atticus, Mae and Gandalf all cremated, and my vet’s office paid for a basic box and cremation, so I was able to “upgrade” and purchase wooden boxes with their names engraved on them. But I like the idea of the photo boxes.
She’s not really gaining weight back – she’s at the “dear lord this cat is thin” stage, and the kittens are still nursing whenever they can, BUT they’re finally starting to eat on their own so hopefully she’ll put on some much-needed weight soon.
Brilliant idea for the cubes!
Thanks! 🙂
Robyn, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you again, for both fostering and maintaining this blog. Now, more than ever, the kitten pictures and videos, the captioning, and wonderful community you’ve created make a little bit of heaven that I can escape to at any time. I just came home from work after yelling at both our public health nurse and then our Board of Health for flagrantly disregarding the 6 feet of separation edict (at a board of health meeting, no less!) and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate being able to blot that out with a healthy dose of Love and Hisses. Blessings to you and yours, and all of your readers. Stay safe, everyone. Now I think I may go visit http://www.dinosaurscanteatpizza.com for less cute, more profanity.
It is so hard for people to make the leap from KNOWING the 6 feet of separation rule to actually DOING it, isn’t it? (I say as I TOUCH MY FACE YET AGAIN) I’m so glad Love & Hisses is a bright spot for people, and I hope you stay safe (and don’t have to yell at medical personnel again. I hope they learned their lesson!)