So, Lafayette, Bill, Hoyt, and Sam were not adopted this weekend, not any of them. ::SIGH:: At least the four of them are sharing one (big) cage, so they can entertain each other.
I absolutely hated leaving them there Friday morning, but I spent almost an hour letting them sniff around the cat room and play with toys before I picked up and snuggled each of them, one by one, kissed them and hugged them and told them I loved them and to be good, and then put them in their cages.
(They started out with Bill and Lafayette in one cage, and Sam and Hoyt in another. But another cat got adopted that evening, freeing up one of the big cages, and so they all four ended up in one cage, which I like.)
I stood at the end of the aisle, where they couldn’t see me, and I watched them for a few minutes (you KNOW I was all teary-eyed like a great big baby), and they were curious and sniffing around and checking out toys, so I left and went over to Target to buy some groceries. By the time I was done at Target, it was past 9:00 (which is the time Petsmart opens), so I went back to buy cat food, and then stood at the end of the aisle and watched them. All four cats were flopped down in their cages, sound asleep.
When I got home, Sookie and Terry greeted me at the door, and they seemed a little confused like something was missing, but they weren’t quite sure. I didn’t put them in the kitten room that night, because we’d decided that we’d leave the two of them with full access to the house until it’s time for them to go to the adoption center. Besides, we were going to move the Wonkas to the kitten room Saturday morning.
I woke up at some point very early Saturday morning with seven cats on the bed with me – Terry and Sookie, Jake and Elwood, Miz Poo, Tommy, and Spanky. Most of them were pressed up against me, and I was as warm as I could be. I accidentally brushed Terry with one hand and woke him up, and he blatted at me until I started petting him, and then he purred and blatted some more.
He certainly does crack me up.
They seem to have adjusted seamlessly to the way things are, now. Their routine is that at bedtime, they run around with Jake and Elwood and race up and down the stairs, jump on each other and play-fight, and then when I turn the light off, they (eventually) settle down. Things are going well – but I sure wish the boys would get themselves adopted so I can stop worrying about them!
I don’t know if Jake has a crush on Sookie or Sookie has a crush on Jake, but they certainly like to snuggle up together.
Awww, last pic I took of Hoyt before we headed off to the adoption center!
Bill and Hoyt, right before we left for the adoption center.
Clean pile of cat beds on the table + 10 seconds = two kittens claiming the tower o’ beds for themselves.
If you didn’t check Love & Hisses over the weekend, you missed an awesome picture of Gus.
I moved the Wonkas up to the kitten room Saturday morning, and it went quite well. I scrubbed the room down and vacuumed it, then got it set up for them, carried their litter boxes and food upstairs, then put them in the carrier and took them up to the room. It’s actually smaller than the room they were in, but it’s also a lot more kitten-friendly. There are more cat trees to climb, more toys to play with, and there’s a water fountain! They slunk around the room, sniffing at everything and occasionally coming over to me for a reassuring pat. I finally left them alone to get acquainted with their new home, and when I went back to check on them an hour later, they were all curled up in a cat bed, and were happy as could be.
Since I moved them to their new home (for the next seven weeks, at least), I decided to do away with their morning and evening bowls of watered-down formula. They’d been off the bottle for three days (I think), and I’d been watering down the formula I’d been giving them a little more every day.
Now, I give them a can of kitten food in the morning, and another can at night. For the rest of the day, they have bowls of Babycat available at all times. I’ve noticed that Gus has zero interest in the canned food, but the other three belly right up to the plate when I bring it into the room. I guess Gus marches to the beat of his own drum.
I’ve seen Gus, Veruca, and Violet drink out of the water fountain, and the pee clumps in the litter box are as plentiful as ever, so I think we’re successfully off the bottle and formula and onto the real food!
My next step with be transitioning them to Science Diet Kitten – but I’ll give them a few more days to adjust before I add that to the mix.
This will be the cover of Gus’s upcoming album of soulful love songs. The first single will be the heartbreaking ballad Why She Always Gotta Bite My Toes?
I don’t know what’s got Gus alarmed, but it must really be something!
Can someone tell me how to stop these babies from growing up so fast? Mike’s getting long and lanky!
The halo proves he’s an angel baby brought to earth to torture us all with the cute.
OH. A comment the other day reminded me that I haven’t mentioned this – the lady who was going to take Gus? It appears that she’s rethought that. Gus is still available, if anyone’s interested.
(They all are!)
Stinkerbelle shoots me a look o’ hate from atop the canning cabinet.
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Previously
2008: No entry.
2007: Peyton puts his paws in the air like he just don’t care.
2006: Where else is there to sleep in this horrid, uncomfortable house where there are three warm and cozy cat beds to every single cat?
2005: Also, there are little cinnamon footprints around the food bowl, because little Sugarbutt gets SO HAPPY when he’s eating that he has to dance around in the cinnamon and then drag it all over the room.
Oh I can’t believe that none of the 4 were adopted. I swear I cried just reading about you having to leave them. I hope that someone will adopt them in pairs at least – so they have a brother to play with.
I love that Sookie and Jake are snuggly – it is super cute. I can’t believe how big she is now!
And the Wonkas are just adorable. I hope that their FIV status isn’t what changed the ladies mind about Gus – we don’t even have the official final results yet. They are all such cuties!
i’m so sad that no one got adopted! the strangers at petsmart haven’t been able to fall in love with them like we have. do you have any interested readers?
good golly those wonkas are growing into fine looking kittens!
every time you post stinkerbelle, it makes me miss phoebe. i need to get a house so i can have her back!! *pout*
No, I’m pretty sure the lady changed her mind about as soon as the words got out of her mouth – she was caught up in the heat of the moment and realized later that she might oughta check with her husband. 🙂
Angie – no, unfortunately I don’t have any readers interested in adopting any of the True Bloods. At least, not anyone within driving distance! 🙂
We’re keeping fingers and paws crossed for the little Trueblood boys to get adopted as soon as possible…hopefully in pairs 🙂 Glad that at least they’re in the same cage so they have their siblings to keep them company while they wait for their new forever-homes!
As for the Wonkas, oh goodness, they are just the cutest bunch of fluffballs every! Of course you know Veruca just kills me with her adorable face and Gus, oh sweet Gus, is just too cute for words! *melting*
What happens if no one wants them?
Oh Gosh I don’t know how you do it ~ leaving those babies behind. But I guess if you didn’t, you couldn’t help the next set of kitties! You are a brave and wonderful person! Sending good thoughts that they find wonderful new homes soon!
Oh, that makes me feel better.
Catfancy: If they stay at Petsmart for a while and aren’t adopted, they’ll go to the shelter (it’s a free-roaming shelter, they aren’t kept in cages) and live there.
Oh, I so hope they get adopted! I can’t bear the thought of those brave, sweet babies not having a family. Crossing my fingers and sending good thoughts!!
Whoever adopts the Truebloods better have a digital camera so they can send photo updates. It’s amazing how great their eyes look now!
We’re sending purrs for good homes for all of the kitties! We can’t believe that they haven’t all been scooped up already.
Thank you for such great pictures and stories,
Charlemagne and Tamar