2021 in Review.
We began 2021 with one foster in residence: Moira Rose, “pregnant” kitty.
On January 8th, I announced that I’d added up the days, realized that Moira Rose had been with us for 3 weeks, and started thinking “I just realllly don’t think she’s pregnant.” Luckily, spay/neuter day was taking place the day I made that declaration, and so I took her for an exam. She turned out not to be pregnant at ALL, just had a thick pad of fat on her abdomen (RUDE), and was tested and spayed that same day.
I am extremely pleased with this image I made.
And then just like that, she was adopted!
She was renamed Roxy, and you can follow her and her two brothers on Facebook, right here.
Then, since there’s no rest for the wicked, we moved a new – this time really pregnant – foster into the foster room. I introduced her on January 11th.
You remember Canasta.
About a year and a half old, Canasta was left behind at an apartment complex. Her rescuers were told she was pregnant, and that’s how she ended up with me. I was skeptical that she was actually pregnant, but as you’ll recall, she was!
On January 18th, I declared that I thought we had 1 – 2 more weeks to go before Canasta had her kittens. LOL.
While waiting for Canasta to have her kittens, she and Charlie became… well, not exactly buddies, but tolerant of each other.
On February 21st, I announced that FINALLY, Bunny – mama to the Fluffles – had been adopted!
Finally, finally, FINALLY, after an insanely long wait – FORTY SEVEN DAYS – Canasta gave birth to 6 kittens. She had her first two in my lap, and the rest of them in the crate. It actually happened on February 26th, but I didn’t actually post her birth story until March 1st.
The kittens got named!
The kittens got bigger.
In the March 17th post, I announced that we’d gotten the results from Khal’s DNA test back, and… he’s about 10% Maine Coon, and a mix of a bunch of other things. But he’ll always be 100% Southeastern Magnificat to us.
The kittens got bigger.
At the beginning of April, they began eating solid food.
The kittens got bigger.
But not so big they couldn’t cram themselves into the Toastycat bed.
Canasta went into heat (LOUD) and I whisked her off to be spayed. While she was gone, the kittens met Uncle Charlie, and Rummy put on her floof suit.
More floof suit pictures here.
I got a family portrait of the Cardshark kittens.
In early May, we kitten-sat sisters Hensley and Julie for a week while their foster mom was out of the country.
And on May 5th, I announced that we were ADOPTION PENDING on Canasta! Since I wanted her milk to dry up before she went home, we had our first experience with the onesie/weansie. It went surprisingly well!
We got a last family portrait of the Cardsharks…
On May 18th, I announced that not only had Canasta gone home, but she’d gone all the way to Seattle – and that y’all can follow her and her sister Oli on Instagram (you can also follow them on Facebook now, too!)
Another lineup of the kittens…
And then Fizzbin went home!
On June 2nd, permanent resident Charlie turned 1 year old!
Pinochle, Uno and Whist were adopted – together! – and went home to West Virginia. This was the very first time we adopted 3 kittens together (but wasn’t the last time this year!) They can be seen on Facebook, here.
And then, just a few days later…
Slapjack and Rummy were adopted!
They went home to Phoenix, Arizona, and they’re on Instagram and Facebook.
With all the fosters adopted out, I announced that we’d be taking a break… because we were moving!
I answered any questions I anticipated y’all might have in this post. And I answered more questions in this post.
I posted a “from hello to goodbye” video for all the Cardsharks.
YouTube link
From beginning to goodbye.
In the post for June 18, I did a tour of a house we looked at when we were looking for a house to buy. We called it “the Nightmare House” because it was truly nighmarish. Fun fact: that house sold for an eye-popping $285,000. I keep telling Fred we need to go drive by it, because I am certain they’re going to have to knock everything down and rebuild. There was nothing livable about that house.
I did posts about all 10 of the foster “fails” we’ve had over the years. The first 5 were on June 24th, the 2nd 5 were on June 25th.
And in the post for June 28th, I wrote about all the current permanent residents.
On July 8th, we moved. And on July 12th, I reassured y’all that the move had gone well (and that 52 hours after we moved out – BEFORE we even had the house professionally cleaned! – we had accepted an offer.)
Then HOLY COW, in the July 23rd post, I introduced y’all to the new fosters, Molly Marinara and the Dippers. Yes, less than 2 weeks after we moved, I had new fosters in the foster room. Pardon me while I pat myself on the back.
I did a long post about the actual move and how it went.
In the post for August 3, I not only announced that Molly Marinara was off for her spay surgery, but that we’d added Hannah Hollandaise to the group.
We thought for sure that Molly would be okay with the addition of this little kitten, but she was NOT, at least at first. So we kept Hannah in the sitting room off of Fred’s room during the day, rotating kittens in to keep her company, and in the cage in the foster room at night, so Molly could get accustomed to her.
In August, I announced that Jennifer and her family had said goodbye to former foster Jack (who was Starsky when we fostered him in 2010.)
The kittens got bigger.
I announced that the kittens were 10 weeks old and we were accepting applications for them, and then in the next post I announced that Theo Pesto and Sofia Soy Sauce were pending adoption (together!) and Tia Teriyaki and Hannah Hollandaise were pending adoption (together!)
And then Molly Marinara decided that Hannah Hollandaise wasn’t so bad.
The kittens continued to nurse whenever Molly would allow it (and yes, Hannah joined in!)
I got a shot of the whole family, including Molly!
In the September 8th post, I announced the shocking news: kittens like boxes.
Sofia Soy Sauce, Tia Teriyaki and Hannah Hollandaise headed off for their spay surgeries on September 9th. And on September 14th I announced that…
Tia Teriyaki and Hannah Hollandaise were adopted – together! – and were now residents of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (You can follow them on Facebook, here!) Tia kept her name, and Hannah became Mia.
I did get a last family portrait (not including Molly) before they went.
The same day Tia and Mia (Hannah) went home, I dropped the boys off at the vet for their neuter surgeries, which went just fine.
The week of September 20th, I took a blog break – which meant that there would be posts every day (I think I need to learn what a “blog break” is), just a recap of the stuff I’d posted on social media. I did get a virtual house tour posted, finally.
Theo Pesto and Sofia Soy Sauce were initially supposed to go home on September 27th, but their mama had to have emergency surgery, so they got to stay with us a bit longer. In that same post, I warned y’all that Alfie Alfredo, Christopher Chutney, Franco Fondue and Molly Marinara would likely be headed off to Petsmart soon since there had been no inquiries about them.
And off they went!
Left to right: Molly Marinara, Christopher Chutney, Alfie Alfredo and Franco Fondue.
Since we were down to just two kittens – Sofia Soy Sauce and Theo Pesto – who were adoption pending (and because I needed the foster room, though I didn’t mention that), we gave those two the run of the house, and they set to exploring immediately.
With Theo and Sofia out in the house (and spending most of their time in my bedroom), I cleaned the foster room and it became occupied again, as announced in the October 6th post.
Maddy Magnesium and the Elements kittens joined us, starting their stay behind the closet door.
Theo and Sofia were curious about what was going on in the foster room, but they spent most of their days exploring the house, and their nights snuggled up with me (in other words, taking up the entire bed.)
And then, just like that, off went Theo and Sofia, to their new home in Sacramento, California!
It is craaaazy to me that they went to Sacramento, and it still wasn’t the longest distance one of my fosters went this year! (Canasta went to Seattle, which is a bit farther.) You can follow Theo Pesto and Sofia Soy Sauce on Facebook, here.
On October 25th, I announced that beautiful mama Maddy Magnesium went to Michelle’s house. She was showing signs of being stressed and needed some space from her kittens, so it was decided that was the best way to go. She proved to be a total sweetheart at Michelle’s, who spends her time sitting next to Michelle and purring and waiting patiently for petting.
The kittens handled her being gone pretty well.
We finally got the good news…
That Franco Fondue was adopted! (He joined a family that included a kitty sister named Miso.) Molly Marinara, Alfie Alfredo and Christopher Chutney remained at Petsmart.
On November 2nd, the Elements kittens had a visit from Uncle Charlie. There was some floofing.
I got my first lined-up shot of the Elements kittens.
On November 15th, I announced that…
Molly Marinara had been adopted!
And we got a few shots of her in her new home, already having made herself comfy. She joined a family with two other kitties and a pomeranian.
On November 16th, I posted pictures of a visit from Teresa. To my shock, the first kitten to stomp over and check her out was the suspicious Carli Calcium. This was huge to me!
We celebrated Thanksgiving.
The day before Thanksgiving, I went to Petsmart and brought Alfie Alfredo and Christopher Chutney home with me. They’d been there for about 6 weeks or so, and it was time for a break. I just basically tossed ’em in the room with the Elements kittens, and they worked it out.
I got the MOST perfect lined-up shot of the Elements kittens.
Left to right: Sammy Samarium, Ozzy Osmium, Carli “Suspish” Calcium, Nikki Nickel, Ruthy Ruthenium, and Smilin’ Barry Beryllium.
The kittens went for their spay and neuter surgeries, and came through just fine.
And I got a shot of the Elements kittens PLUS Alfie and Christopher.
Then – just like that! – Sammy Samarium was adopted and went home.
He joined a family that included big kitty sister Mouse.
Then – bam! – there went Ruthy Ruthenium and Nikki Nickel (together!)
They joined big kitty sister Buttons, who desperately needed friends. Nikki is now Minou (Minnie) and Ruthy is now Sylvie.
THEN – wow! – there went Barry Beryllium, Carli Calcium, and Ozzy Osmium – TOGETHER! (That’s our SECOND three-kitten adoption of the year!) They kept their names, and join a family that includes a human sister who already adores them.
Just like that, we were down to two fosters, Alfie Alfredo and Christopher Chutney.
But the good news: they were adoption pending – together! While they were waiting to go home, they got the run of the house.
Then off they went, to Mobile (Alabama).
They kept their names, and they have a Facebook page here.
Of course in the same post where I announced that Alfie and Christopher had gone home, I introduced y’all to Ivy.
Left behind when her people moved, about a year old… and pregnant. (We’re so gullible.) But no, really, look at that belly! And a vet said she was pregnant!
(Despite my VERY ALL-CAPS INSISTENCE that her name is Ivy, I am not changing her mind STOP SUGGESTING NAMES FOR HER, HER NAME IS IVY, I was floooooded with “You should name her (this, that, and the other.)” One day after I win the lottery, I will fly all over the country – NAY, THE WORLD – and challenge to a duel the people who insist on suggesting names for already-named cats.)
In an attempt to convince us all that Ivy was pregnant, I did a belly comparison picture.
And the very next day I told y’all that I’d taken Ivy to the vet for an exam and an ultrasound and guess what? No babies.
It seems appropriate that we began the year with a faker and are ending it with one, no?
The very next day, I announced that Ivy was adoption pending. I couldn’t get her scheduled for her spay surgery until January 17th, so she’ll go home a few days after that. She’ll be joining former fosters d’Artagnan and Porthos!
And that’s where we stand for now – Ivy is roaming the house while waiting for her spay appointment, then she’ll go home!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We had a total of 24 fosters move through this year (including Ivy, though she hasn’t moved on just yet.) We have three unadopted fosters – Kristi, Katia and Maddy Magnesium – at Michelle’s house, and one – Ivy – here. Considering that we moved in the middle of the year, I think that’s pretty good.
We have fostered a total of 457 or 458 since 2005 (I messed up my spreadsheet last year and still haven’t gotten around to going through it with a fine-tooth comb. Maybe this year? Don’t hold your breath.)
Here are the sweet faces of the fosters we had in 2021.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The state of the permanent residents in 2021.
We started the year with 7 permanent residents, and ended it with the exact same permanent residents. I like it when that happens.
They continue to be an aging population – Charlie will be 2 this year and Dewey will be 6, but everyone else is going to be 8 or older. Fortunately they’re all in good shape – Newt (who is about to turn 16) moves a bit slower and is on thyroid medication, but he is pretty spry for an old guy. Here’s to hoping that we end this year with the same permanent residents we started the year with!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Former Foster Updates we received this year.
(Arranged, roughly, in the order in which we fostered them.)
Drum & Branwen (formerly Juniper) – June 30.
Gladstone (formerly Mr. Stripey) – May 16.
Flynn (formerly Kohle) and Hook (formerly Puff) – March 14, March 28, April 18, May 9, December 28.
Artemis (formerly Lilybet) – June 17.
Amber (Ambercup), Phoenix & Stardust – February 21, March 21, April 18, May 9, June 6, June 13, June 20, August 8, August 30, September 15, October 19, November 1.
Arlo (formerly Ressler) – February 28.
Grizabella (formerly Solenoid) – June 23.
Dexter & Mollie (formerly Millinocket) – July 1.
Rocky & Flint (formerly Pablo & Diego) – May 2.
Sir Fizzgig Dynofluff Sootasauras (formerly Alejandro) and Lord Taco Purito Gerrzalez (formerly Javier) – December 14.
Clyde & Jasmine (formerly Cutey) – January 17, February 28, November 23.
d’Artagnan & Porthos: January 3, May 30.
Jupiter (formerly Planchet) – January 3.
Oleander & Rhus (formerly Constance & Rochefort) – June 16.
Bobby (formerly Funnel Cake) – January 3, January 10.
Pretzel & Peanut (formerly Fritter) – January 3, January 3, January 10.
Freddie Purrcury (formerly Onion Ring) and Piper (formerly Dynamo) – January 3, April 11.
Kiki & Mr. Mustachio (formerly Calamity Jane & Davy Crockett) – May 2, November 29.
Annie Oakley & Holly Eclair (formerly Eclair) – January 10.
Periwinkle (formerly Tater Tot) – June 21.
Fizzbin – June 6, June 6, June 13, June 22.
Alfie Alfredo & Christopher Chutney – December 13.
Sammy Samarium – December 8, December 27.
Barry Beryllium, Carli Calcium, Ozzy Osmium – December 13.
Minou/Minnie (formerly Nikki Nickel) and Sylvie (formerly Ruthy Ruthenium) – December 21.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I’m just going to go ahead and cut and paste what I’ve said for the past several years in a row.
As we begin this new year, I’d like to take a moment to thank you all for reading. I know that a lot of you say that you like to start (or end) your day at Love & Hisses, reading about the kittens and the permanent residents. You give me (and each other) advice, ask and answer questions, fall in love with the kittens we foster and our permanent residents, and grieve with us as we’ve lost permanent residents. I started this site because I can’t shut my face about cats and kittens, and to have y’all enjoy the pictures and stories I post means more than I could ever begin to express. I appreciate each and every one of you, whether you’re here every day or just come by every now and then. We’ve built an amazing community here, and I certainly could never have done it alone.
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all so very very much!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Previously
2020 in review.
2019 in review.
2018 in review.
2017 in review.
2016 in review.
2015 in review.
2014 in review.
2013 in review.
2012 in review.
2012: No entry.
2011: No entry.
2010: No entry.
2009: This is going to be hard – it always is – but I have to trust that they’ll end up in fantastic homes with people who spoil them as rotten as we do.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Robyn, Happy New Year to you and Fred and all the kitties! Thanks for everything you do and for sharing your adventures with us. You’ve made the last couple of years so much more pleasant by giving us happy updates and great pics and videos to keep our spirits up. You and Fred are the best!
What! No updates this year on the Little House on the Prairie family? How sad, as that group really stole my heart.
We love you for what you do and love watching all the residents❤️ We will continue to watch as long as you ll let us ❤️❤️❤️
Happy New Year!! Thank you so much for sharing the kitties with us every day!
I genuinely don’t understand how Canasta & her kittehs were an ENTIRE YEAR AGO. Where the hell did 2021 go??? On the other hand, I’m really not sorry to see it in the rearview mirror, so…
HAPPY NEW YEAR, Robyn & Fred & Cat Crew. Thank you for always being a place of positivity and floof. ❤❤❤
Thank you so much for all the work you do to foster kitties, provide this website, and especially the work to create the Year in Reviews. I particularly appreciated the sound track on the 2021 Fosters!
Happy New Year!
I’m exhausted just reading all of that. Let alone living it.
Thank you again for all you and Fred do for these lovely kitties. I’m so glad that so many were able to find a safe home with you if only for a little while.
Happy holidays and happy new year to you both and to all of the permanent residents!
Thank you for the work you do for cats & kittens, and thank you for sharing it with us!
Thank you for the years of enjoyment. The best way to start the morning is with a dose of Love & Hisses.