Frances asked in the comments the other day if the permanent residents have reacted to there being babies in the foster room. They haven’t reacted at all so far as I can tell. Outside the door to the room is a three foot-tall gate (that Fred made), which we can both step over but which rests on hooks so that we could also open it like a door. When the gate first went up, the cats would climb over it, but they came to learn pretty quickly that there was nothing between the gate and the door that was of any interest at all. They spend their days downstairs with me – or outside – and in the evenings some of them stay downstairs and some (Miz Poo, Spanky, Jake and Elwood, occasionally Alice, sometimes Tommy) come upstairs with us. Most of the time, as far as the permanent residents are concerned, there’s nothing in that room they want.
Someone else asked how Emmy is doing, and if she’s any more relaxed with us in the room. Emmy is doing fine, and while she’s 100% okay with us petting and handling her babies, until yesterday I hadn’t seen her leave the box at all. I knew that she was – she was using the litter box and eating out of the bowls of food and water nearby – but every time I stepped into the room, she was in the box with those babies. Finally, yesterday morning, I went up and laid down on the floor near the box. I was laying there (playing Words with Friends on my iPod!) for probably about 15 minutes when I heard a noise and looked up. She came out of the box and went to the floor behind the box, where she stretched out on her side. I kept playing games for another 10 minutes or so, and then sat up to look at the babies. As soon as she saw me sit up, she went right into the box.
When she’s in the box, she lets us pet her and like I said, she lets us pet and pick up her babies as much as we want (well, I assume she’d let us pick them up as much as we want – we don’t do it that often, because the babies scream and we’re not jerks, we don’t want to make the babies scream). Hopefully as they get older and leave the box on their own, she’ll be a little more relaxed about being right there when we’re handling the babies – all we can do is wait and see.
First, the video. It’s a short one – Emmy’s sleeping, some of the babies are sleeping, one’s in a “hands against the wall” nursing position that cracks me up. Keep an eye out for the yawn around 20 seconds, it’ll knock you over with the cute.
There’ll be another video tomorrow ALONG with a video that I discovered of Everett, Lucy, and Sally Peppers jumping up after da bird!
Although the pictures in the sidebar don’t reflect it (I’ll get to it one day!), Everett and Lucy have been adopted – Sally Peppers is still waiting for her forever home (I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it happens for her soon!)
I love it when she lays her head on the babies.
“MOMMA! I HAZ A COMPLAINT!”
The only reason I don’t stick my face in there and kiss that baby is because I think Emmy might mess me up if she feels threatened. But believe me, I was TEMPTED!
Streeeeeeeetch.
::dead from the cute::
“What?”
You better believe this baby got a kiss before he went back in the box.
LOONYFACE!
Loony Jake is the most laid-back cat in the house. He’ll pretty much let you do anything to him.
Hold him on his back like a baby…
Make him open his mouth and show his pretty white teeth… (That’s Fred holding him, by the way. I was standing behind him.)
Rub his belly…
He could have stayed like this forever. (This particular move wouldn’t work with Elwood because first of all, Elwood wouldn’t put up with it, and secondly your arms would probably snap like twigs under the bulk of the Ellie Bellz.)
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Previously
2011: No entry.
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: They feel cartilage-y, like human ears.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.