From Susan at Challenger’s House:
Thanks to all of the Fred and Robyn, Love and Hisses, and Crooked Acres fans who donated to Challenger’s House in memory of Corbie (Jan 2015), Miz Poo (June 2015) Sugarbutt (July 2015), Tom Cullen (August 2015), and Gracie the dog (August 2015), and in honor of the Squash Bugs and the Swimmers. You made contributions totaling $4330 to help us with our cats, kittens, and shelter expenses. We appreciate each and every one of you. Sincerely, Susan Burlingame, Cofounder & Shelter Manager.
And from me: thank you all so very much, not only for your contributions, but also for your kind words, your messages and emails, and for keeping us in your thoughts during this time.
This year has been unequivocally awful not only because we lost so many cats and Gracie, but because except for Miz Poo, every single loss was a complete surprise to us. I truly hope that the losses are done and over with for a good long time. I could use some total boredom, if you don’t mind!
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So, the week before last, Fred and I talked about how the Swimmers needed more room to roam. We talked about putting them in my bedroom and shutting the door, but they weren’t quite as good with the litterbox use as I would have liked, so I didn’t want to do that. We talked about getting a playpen, and looked around on Amazon, and finally decided to buy this one. It arrived, we set it up in the front room, and it worked out pretty well. For the better part of last week, we put them in that during the day, and in the tub at night. They were starting to get the hang of eating canned cat food, but they made such a mess of it, that I’d put them back in the tub at mealtimes, because cleaning the tracked food out of the tub was relatively easy.
It was my plan to slowly introduce the Swimmers and the Squash Bugs over the weekend with a short visit, a slightly longer visit, a sliiiiiightly longer visit, and so on. That didn’t happen, because – have you noticed? – my careful plans never go quite the way I expect them to.
Saturday, after I’d cleaned the foster room, and after both sets of kittens had gotten their bottles, Fred brought the Swimmers upstairs.
I sat with my camera at the ready, waiting for the drama – the hissing, the Stranger Danger floof suits, the general hysteria.
And… nothing.
Zuke (sniffing Fred’s slippers), and the Swimmers.
Phelps checks out the ceiling fan.
Calabash gives Spitz the once-over.
Spitz monkey-walks across the room.
Phelps (I love the curled tail!) checks out the litter box situation.
Phelps checks out the food situation.
Louganis. “Lady, you have ALL THIS ROOM for kittens, and you was keeping us in a bathtub?!”
Phelps gives the chenille rug a try. Comfy!
Louganis tsks about the smudged mirrors. “Ya can’t get good help!”
Girlies. Ambercup over there to the side, and Torres, Calabash and Pattypan tussling in my lap.
Spitz, Pattypan, Ambercup, and Torres.
Telling Torres, Phelps and Louganis apart should be a bit easier in the future. We put collars on them, not only to make identifying them easier in person, but also in pictures!
So after their first visit – which lasted about an hour – I brought the Swimmers back downstairs and we went about our day. After their dinner at 5:00, I took the Swimmers back upstairs for another visit. That went so well that Fred convinced me just to leave them in there for the evening.
When we went in at bedtime to give them their last bottles of the day, all 8 of them came out of the carrier we’d left in the room. They’d been piled up together. ALL EIGHT OF THEM.
It wasn’t hard for Fred to convince me to leave them together for the night. I walked in this morning, and all 8 of them came out of the carrier again. It was like a little clown car – check out the video (not the greatest, but you get the idea!) in the next section. I guess it would be fair to say that they’re already best friends – especially Pattypan and Spitz, I’ve spotted them curled up together several times, off by themselves.
So far so good!
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Videos! In the first, we have a carrier doubling as a kitten clown car.
And in the second, Zuke does a little sideways skitter, a little tippytoe, and jumps at (and misses) the scratcher. Just a day in the life o’ Zuke.
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Maxi in the garden, looking gorgeous.
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Previously
2014: ::fume:: “I HATE THAT GUY.”
2013: And it seems that Tommy had had JUST ABOUT ENOUGH.
2012: To Polly, Tony Rocky Horror Pickle said “Poke.”
2011: Molly reacts to Jake’s intrusion into her territory.
2010: He’s kind of like Godzilla, all flailing around growling while tiny Martin and Dodger and Melodie and Moxie go running for their lives.
2009: “Dear lord, please let me catch the laser light, it’s all I want in this world, thank you. Amen.”
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.