Friday afternoon I got to see my beloved Tony and Melfi and Livia again, picked them up at Petsmart and took them to be on the 4:00 news with Bev from the North Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic. I opted not to be on, because I get SO NERVOUS, but Bev did great as she always does. Livia was a little more freaked out than I’d expected, so I ended up keeping her in her carrier and let Tony and Melfi do the segment with Bev. Tony was especially relaxed, and at one point he almost fell asleep in Bev’s lap. I did end up being in the “teaser” (the short bit they show before they go to commercial), looking like a slack-jawed bumpkin AS IS MY WAY, but then skedaddled and stood just off camera in case Tony or Melfi decided to go bounding off the couch. But they didn’t, they were great. OH, how I love those Sopranos!
Edited, 2023: video is no longer available, sorry you missed it!
There are some pictures, which I shared on the Love & Hisses Facebook page. Also, the guest who was waiting for his turn (from the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra; he’s highly allergic to cats, doesn’t it figure?) snapped a picture of Bev and the kittens looking adorable, while I stared off in slack-jawed fascination at (I think) the weather man.
It all went well, although none of them were adopted over the weekend. I really hope that they go home this week, because it was hard not to bring them home with me instead of leaving them at Petsmart!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flirty Tricki.
::thlurrrrp::
Tricki was hanging out under the scratcher, and Bunnie slid under there and chomped on her neck.
Slinky girl.
Going after the red dot.
LEAPing over John Smith.
With Toto standing behind her like that, she looks like a humpbacked elephant (his tail being her trunk, of course).
I’m not sure what Bunnie was looking at, but it appears to be pretty interesting!
Toto would like you to know that he could lift that 25 pound weight if he want to, for he is a strong, manly mancat.
John Smith in the sun.
So Tuesday will mark 4 weeks that these kittens have been with us, and I can tell you that they’ve all gone from the scared, skittish kittens they were when they first got here, to sweet, super-friendly cats.
Tricki will still skitter into the closet if something startles her, but she comes right back out. She hasn’t climbed into my lap (she’s the only one who hasn’t), but she comes immediately over to me to be petted, she allows kisses on her head, and I’ve even gotten a hug or two in. She doesn’t care to be picked up, but she doesn’t freak out about it. Also, I can now walk over to her and bend down to pet her, and she doesn’t run off, which is BIG for a kitten who spent her first few days here trying to hide behind the litter boxes (every time I went into the room I’d have to go pull her out from behind the litter boxes in the closet and make her go into the foster room).
Toto will occasionally climb into my lap, when he’s not off chasing a toy or picking a (play)fight with John Smith or Tricki. Both Tricki and Toto ADORE the laser light. They like the feather teaser, but the laser is what they love the most, they get all crazy-eyed when they spot it. Toto will let me pick him up, and will tolerate being flipped onto his back like a baby. He likes being kissed, too (which is lucky for him, because if there’s one thing kittens get in this house, it’s kissin’!)
John Smith is just a big, lovable mushball. He always comes over immediately to be petted, and if he’s across the room and I speak to him, he comes strolling over for more petting or kissing. He’ll roll around on his back while I rub his belly, he often play-fights with Toto, and he LOVES the feather teaser. He is such a sweet, laid-back boy. If I lean over to kiss him, he’ll headbutt me as I do it. SO sweet.
I don’t know how she did it, but Bunnie has convinced the other three that she is the Queen of the Foster Room and as such, must be treated as such. Someone’s always licking her head or cleaning her ears. She’s also a sweet lovebug and is the first to run over to me for petting, the first to stand with her front paws on my knee if I don’t pet her fast enough, and will climb into my lap if I continue to be a slacker on the petting front. She adores playing with those puffballs – like these – and really likes Mylar balls. Like her brother, she’s a big BIG fan of the feather teaser, and gets all excited if she sees you picking it up.
It’s been a lot of fun watching these guys come out of their shell these past few weeks – it’s definitely been a change from having the little ones in there. They’re a lot calmer (usually) than the smaller kittens, but when playtime comes they’re so much fun to watch. They’re fun to listen to, too – they sound like a herd of elephants racing around up there when we’re watching TV in the room below them.
They’re not going back to Petsmart just yet – the cages are full at the moment – but when they do, I hope that they’re snapped up quickly, because they are just the SWEETEST.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPEAKING of the cages at Petsmart, do you remember the kittens I babysat for a couple of days while their foster mom was out of town? Here’s a refresher – I KNOW you remember those fabulous Ears of Annoyance.
Well, I completely messed up their names – they were actually named Budder (the orange tabby), Leeta and Lillah. They went to Petsmart last Tuesday, and Budder was adopted on Saturday! You can see updated pictures of them (and read their story) on the Challenger’s House – Official Facebook page. (Okay, maybe I just wanted an excuse to show off that great picture of Budder again. Love it!)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You might be surprised to find that we don’t actually give the cats catnip all that often, because we just don’t think to do it. Recently, though, Fred was sprinkling catnip for them, and made sure that Stinkerbelle got a little of her own.
She was quite fond of it.
“Can’t a girl get her ‘nip on without the paparazzi snapping PICTURES of it? I’m sure this’ll be all over the tabloids tomorrow!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Previously
2013: No entry.
2012: Hopefully Jake will remember them and give them the full Loony treatment.
2011: Sights from around a snowy Crooked Acres.
2010: “There’s a WHOLE ‘NOTHER bed here all of a sudden! And not only is it purty…. it’s SOFT!”
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.