Here’s the story on Nola, an all-too-familiar one: she showed up as a stray at someone’s house, and when they realized she was pregnant they contacted Forgotten Felines. Brittany posted on the FF Facebook page looking for someone to foster. I didn’t see it, but Teresa pointed it out to me, and though I really really wanted this gorgeously floofy girl, I knew I was going to be gone for 5 days.
Luckily, a temporary space was found for her while I was gone.
I just KNEW she was going to have her babies over the weekend, just KNEW it, but luckily she did NOT (worrying that pregnant cats will have their babies before I get them is kind of my thing) and Wednesday afternoon I got my hands on her.
She was NOT loving being in her carrier on the way home, and she let me know it. But then, when I got her into the foster room and opened the carrier, she suddenly decided she’d just stay where she was, thank you very much.
I let her stay there for a couple of hours, then I thought I’d just remove the top of the carrier, and she could hang out in the bottom of the carrier and get the lay of the land. Except that once I started taking the carrier apart, she shot out and ran across the room to hide behind the big crate I’d set up.
I pulled the crate out and sweet-talked her, but she wasn’t having it. I took the big crate out of the room and left her alone for a bit longer. She stayed in that corner, but when I went back in, she got a little flirty.
She stretched out so I could get a look at her belly.
She gave me a look to let me know she wasn’t planning on putting up with much of my nonsense.
She looks tiny until she stands up, and then it’s all “WELL HELLO THERE” with the belly.
She’s not entirely sure what she thinks of me, and she’s not entirely sure what she thinks of this whole situation, but I can tell you that the instant I touch her, she purrs like crazy.
She has the sweetest little smug face.
I know y’all are wondering if she’s REALLY pregnant. What I can tell you is that this girl has got herself quite the belly – from above, she’s shaped like a football (I haven’t gotten a picture of it yet, but I’m trying!) I saw belly movement yesterday, but it’s subtle. Fred’s also seen belly movement. Here, I made a video – you decide for yourself.
I haven’t been too handsy with the belly yet, simply because she’s still nervous and I don’t want to freak her out. I have spent a LOT of time staring at her belly, and while of COURSE you never know if there are babies until you see ’em, I’m fairly confident there are.
As far as names go, since Nola is named after New Orleans, I’d like the babies’ names to be Louisiana/New Orleans-based. I’d like to go with Nola and the Cajuns as a litter name, and I kind of like JeweledSkye’s suggestions of Beignet, Jambalaya, étouffée, and Gumbo. I thought of naming them after streets in the French Quarter (Decatur, Bourbon, etc). But I’m open to suggestions. I always like seeing what you guys suggest!
Should she go into labor over the weekend, I will post on the L&H Facebook page (I’ll be posting there via Instagram anyway, of course), and will try my best to post here for those of you who don’t do Facebook.
I’m going to put it out there – just off the top of my head, I predict Monday, March 27th. Fred predicts “after Monday.” For number of kittens I’ll go with… oh, four. Fred also says four. I’m sure we’re both completely off base. We usually are!
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Late Wednesday night, I kept hearing Frankie’s big mouth. Sometimes the boy’s just got something to say and he says it repeatedly. So I went upstairs to see what was going on, and found that he was sitting in the hall. I’ve got the barrier across the foster room doorway (it’s basically a two-foot door that provides a little privacy for the foster room resident) and a towel in front of the foster room door, blocking the space at the bottom. Frankie was sitting about three feet from the barrier talking, and Nola was talking back. Neither of them sounded at all aggressive or unfriendly, they were just having a chat.
Frankie: “Heyyy. What up? Whatcha doin’ in there?”
Nola: “Oh, you know. Just brewing babies. Is this an okay place?”
Frankie: “Yeah, the daddy is awesome. The lady is kind of pushy and kisses a lot, but she means well. They like to give me food.”
Nola: “Cool, cool. Any idea how to get Animal Planet on this TV?”
Frankie: “They don’t have cable. You’ve gotta watch Netflix.”
Nola: “Ugh.”
“I had important things to say, lady. Nothing that involves YOU.”
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Previously
2016: “But we are so wittle and the world is so big!”
2015: Peter does a little Kravitzing. “ABNER! Come see what those wacky neighbors are doing NOW!”
2014: Angelo, toe-suckin’.
2013: Oh, girl tabby, you make me want to pop you right in my mouth.
2012: No entry.
2011: Despite challenges from Corbie and Jake, Elwood would like to assure you that he remains king of the scratcher. He knows you were worried.
2010: “Shall I run across the room like a little lunatic, or shall I take a nap? Decisions, decisions.”
2009: The Seven, named.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.