What does Kara have around her neck?
Kara wears a collar to keep her in the back yard. If she goes too close to the fence, the collar beeps a warning. If she keeps going, she gets a short, unpleasant zap through her collar. We’ve managed to make it so that none of the other cats can get over the fence, but if she isn’t wearing her collar, Kara somehow manages to find a way. We want to keep her safe, whether she likes it or not.
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I love how Khaleesi’s markings look like a big ol’ circle marking her preggy side belly! “Here there be kittens!”
The best part is that the center of her “bullseye” is where she’s the widest!
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For the birds. We have two barn cats that are major hunters and we wanted to do something to help the birds. I did some looking around on the internet and found these cat bibs. The one cat was too good of a hunter even with the large bib, so I got some neoprene and made him an even bigger bib. They have been working great. I have not had any half alive birds or piles of feathers since. I check the bibs and collars whenever I pick them up and make sure all is well. I also ordered the break away collars to go with the bibs and they have been great. We lost one bib early on.. but I found it. I think we have been using the bibs for about 6 months. They will not help much with baby birds who can’t get away, but it has helped with the adults.
How neat is that? Thanks for the link!
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Khalessi is definitely a classic, or blotched tabby patterned cat. Aside from one problematic side near the back, she looks non-dilute. There are a couple of ways to get ‘dilute orange’ colors without being genetically orange. One is the ‘rufousing’ color that makes a brown tabby brown. Cats with high levels of that can look nearly orange in places. Low rufousing gives a ‘grey’ tabby, even though the stripes are still black.
Another reason could be that the region is part of the agouti hairs between stripes, and the bands naturally make the area paler.
When I look at the picture with the yellow toy, the agouti hairs appear paler grey with black stripes, and the bulls eye and back looks flat and less black. On the other side, the agouti hairs look redder, as in a brown tabby. There is a gene that makes silver cats silver, which would make all hairs be white at the base, stripes and agouti hairs. But here this would only have to be present on half the cat.
I’ve noticed that when I trim my black cat’s hairs, he looks duller and grey, as color fades away from the tip. Perhaps the hair on that one side is damaged.
And now that the mild explanations are out, the wild answer could be that she is a chimera – two different genetic cats mixed together.
But my guess is that the big difference is the rufousing being present on one side and mostly absent on the other.
Thank you for that answer, OldCat!
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Welcome Khaleesi. I have to admit, I didn’t hit the button to hear it (I am at work), but I have visions of it sounding like calici…which means in my head she is now named after a virus. sorry – had to throw that out there. 🙂
When Susan dropped Khaleesi off with me and I told her what I’d decided to name her, she said “Like Calicivirus?!” The word sounded familiar, and so I Googled it. Of course I’d heard of it before, but I’d never heard it pronounced (only read about it), and somehow I’d missed that there were two Is in it, so I’d always pronounced it (to myself) as “Calsi.” All of this is to say that you are not alone in thinking “Calicivirus” when you see her name!
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This seems an appropriate place for this link: 12 Cats Plotting to Kill Their Owners!
Love it!
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In response to the question about the kitty who likes to swat with claws out: I have found that my kittes are less likely to use their claws when they have been clipped. It seems as though they are thinking “well since my claws won’t catch even if I do extend them, why bother to try?”
Any one else notice this in their kitties?
I haven’t noticed that with mine, actually – in fact, we had to trim Khaleesi’s claws because when she climbs into my lap she immediately starts kneading on my leg – HARD – and I was afraid she was going to shred me. We trimmed her claws, and she still kneads just as hard. It doesn’t hurt as much, though!
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Aslan, considering whether he wants to skitter sideways at one of his siblings.
Or just stare at the blanket. Hey, it’s a hard decision.
Charming waits breathlessly to see what Aslan will do.
Leia rolls around in the sun.
And smiles.
Silly, floofy girl.
Kate, hugging Buttercup. Awwww.
She’s an alert mama, always keeping her eyes on the babies.
“What going on over HERE, Mama?”
You know? I just can’t even. Kill me dead, why dontcha?
I weighed the kittens last night (you can see their weights at the bottom of their page). Pork Chop Charming is racing for a pound and a half at a month old. Judging by the length of his legs and the size of his paws, not to mention his current weight, I think he is going to be one big boy! Jareth, who was the smallest at birth and stayed that way for a while, is now bigger than both of the girls. They’re growing SO fast – yesterday was the first day I walked into the room and was just blown away by how much they look like little cats now.
Charming, I am pleased to report, has peed in the litter box. He was playing, and then he said “I HAVE TO PEE!” He went over to the closest litter box and said “I’M GOING TO PEE!” He climbed into the litter box and said “I’M PEEING!” Then he said “MAMA! I PEED!” and Kate came over to examine what he’d done, and helped him cover it. Such an awesome little man. I’m sure the others won’t be far behind.
Now, a video. Those kittens are just rude and rotten, and I encourage Kate to kick their butts as often as possible. She might have misheard me when I told her to “kick” Aslan’s butt, though (you can’t really see anything, so it’s not gross, in case you were worried).
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“Hallo, I can haz a snuggle?”
“Yeah, I’m going to flop down over here, all pregnant and stuff.”
“My food bowl appears to be empty, please be filling it.”
“Seriously.”
Khaleesi’s appetite continues to be voracious, so I’m thinking she won’t be having those babies in the next few days, at least. When she does go into labor, I’ll post over on the Facebook page, and then when the labor is done (or if it slows down), I’ll do a post here.
I don’t think it’ll be this weekend, but of course cats love to surprise me, so who knows?
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Corbie’s centerfold pose.
And his close-up.
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Previously
2012: I think George and Gracie are mocking us.
2011: Fergus Simon and the belly rub.
2010: Rhyme and Reacher discover that the best toy on earth is always juuuuust out of reach.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: I think everyone has the occasional Strange Odor issue.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
I saw one of the greatest cat names on Facebook. There was a kind of exotic looking grey cat wearing one of the Oskar & Klaus designer ties and it’s name was Khamir. I want another cat just so I can use that name!
I desperately wish I could get a kitten, and that I lived in your area… Leia has stollen my heart… As has Khalessi… Bwah I think my hubby would kill me if I tried to add a kitty now as we are still training our new dog
Corbie’s belly and reindeer paws are too precious!
Thank you for all your kind and loving messages yesterday about losing my Zoey. My heart is broken but it’s such a tonic to know you all understand. And that poem is beautiful, Noelegy. It’s exactly what I tried to do for her. Love to all of you and your kitties. xxx
Hugs to you, Catherine.
Thank you Kelly. xx
Catherine – I am very sorry about your Zoey (hugs).
Thank you ibby. xx
I am very so very sorry to hear about your Zoey
Me, too, Catherine. You and Zoey will have gone through so much together, and I hope you’ll be thinking about all of the fine times.
Thank you Kerry. I do have so many wonderful, happy, peaceful and funny memories of our time together. xx
Thank you Connie. xx
If I had known how mama cats deal with kittens bodily functions when my kids were babies, I would have never complained about changing diapers.
Aslan? Killed me dead. Corbie? Killed me deader.
CORBIE! Your ginger belly is killing me dead. It looks as though it needs a kiss, if you’d care to oblige Miz Robyn?!
Question – can you see Corbie’s belly button when he’s lying like that? My Maia (who is his female clone!) has the brightest white belly button in the middle of all that fur, and she can’t hide it! My black cat Barney also has the same, plus his nips are bald as well! I just wondered if any of your kitties have an obvious belly dot when they lie all gorgeous on their back?
Can’t pick a favourite kitten today. Will just have to settle for all of them. *sigh*
Wait- cats have BELLY BUTTONS?! Guess it makes sense since they have umbilical cords but I guess I never thought of cat belly buttons! I’ll have to see if one of mine will let me look.
Oh yeah – in fact one of my current fosters is white and you can see it if you look close 🙂
Ah, Friday at Love and Hisses. I learn the darnedest things.
Out of mine, Jack and Fleurp have obvious belly dots.. not ‘buttons’ but just spots where fur does not grow..
In the “Ringworm Drama of 2012”, I was convinced that Norman had it and showed the vet a spot on his belly. She laughed and told me that it was his belly button. Yes, I was (and still am) paranoid about that stupid fungus.
Sometimes I call my DLH black cat, Buzz, an “extremely recessive tuxedo” because he has a white spot in the middle of his belly. Similar to this litter, he was the only ‘all black’ [and the runt- but I see that Jareth is no longer your smallest], but had three tux siblings (a SH boy, a SH girl, and a LH boy) an a LH grey tabby-with-white brother.
That is called a ‘button’ and is probably caused by different genes than the tuxedo white pattern. If the spot is on the chest, it is called a ‘locket’
I was just looking at the sidebar. Is Lilybet still at Petsmart? She had been returned, right?? Any updates on her? She is so beautiful. I can’t believe she has not been adopted 🙁
That Corbs…..I can’t stand it.
I love those momma cats with kittens. Gotta keep ’em in line!!
In the video, I truly laughed out loud when I saw Mama Kate clamp one beautiful paw on Aslan to hold him down while she took care of business! That beautiful boy wasn’t going anywhere while Mama had work to do!
That Corbie centerfold better be in your next calendar! 🙂
I know kittens do not have full use of their claws until they are about 27 days old.. and even then they do not have good use of them, so if they are weaned I will trim claws regularly so that they won’t get stuck on things and they have to ‘work harder’ to use them, which I think gives them better control over when to use them and when not to.
and no, you all weren’t alone in the Calci thought 🙂
“The Viruses” or “The Diseases” might be a good family theme for names. They probably haven’t been used.
dunno, I’d think naming kittens after diseases invites trouble 😛
On the link to 04/19/11, that pic of Tommy and Jake looks like Tommy is holding Jake hostage and saying, “Give me the catnip, and no one gets hurt!!”
You named her after a virus? lol Ok, so how DO you pronounce Khaleesi? See, as an avid trek nut, I see it and cannot help but think “Kahless” the Klingon, (pronounced Kay-Less) but with the I on the end, I think Kahless-ie! (Kay-Less-EE)
Oh those kittens! Tell them to stop growing please! We are not ready for them to grow up and go get adopted!
Corbie has the cutest tummy! I’m always surprised to see how bronze it is! Admit it, he’s getting spray tan just on his tummy, right?
If you don’t want to or can’t get the video, it’s pronounced with a soft “ah” sound (think of the Jungle Book’s Shere Khan, or if you don’t do Disney, the author Khalil Gibran – if neither of those ring bells for you, it’s almost like the first part of the word “cotton”), then emphasis on the second syllable for “LEE,” and then i in the last syllable is a long “ee” sound as in “see.”
That picture of Kate hugging Buttercup just slays me with the cute. Actually, they are all so cute! Oh — and yay for Charming being “potty trained”!
I keep reading, and mentally pronouncing, Charming’s name as “Charmin.” Are there enough brands of toilet paper to make a naming theme? I guess you could always resort to Single-Ply, Two-Ply, Pine-Scented*, and Quilted For Added Softness if you needed to.
*Totally a thing. Or used to be, at least. I had forgotten all about it until I saw it mentioned in “Anansi Boys,” then suddenly remembered that’s what my Aunt Fran always had in her bathrooms when I was tiny.