I can see your need for blocking that opening [at the top of the stairs], but what do you do when you want to use the stairwell? I think a screen should work well, and, because there is no good way for a conventional door, I think a retractable screen door could work great in that opening. That way the door could pretty much disappear when you have no foster kittens.
We have a second stairwell at the other end of the house (through Fred’s office) that we use. Actually, we use that stairwell most of the time anyway. When the kittens aren’t out running around, I stick the cardboard behind the guest bedroom door.
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Have both Katia and Kristi had their ears tipped after their surgeries?
Yes, both mamas have had their ears tipped, since we don’t know where they’ll eventually end up.
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If Katia and Kristi don’t get adopted out of your foster room, will they have to go to cages at Petsmart? That doesn’t seem like something they’d like… I hope they find a good home together without going to Petsmart!
Teresa said: Speaking as a volunteer from Petsmart, oh HECK no!! But I also know that is not feasible especially for Katia, and not part of the plan.
There is no way on earth that Katia could go to Petsmart and I think that Kristi (who doesn’t like being contained, so lifting her to put her into a cage, for example, would be iffy) wouldn’t do very well. I don’t know what the eventual plan is (and I honestly haven’t asked), but to be honest I’d rather see them both returned to their colony than split up. I keep hoping someone will see them and want to adopt them, but I know that that’s a tall order, especially in the thick of kitten season.
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Has Debi lost the “fever-coat” sheen she had when she was a baby?
She has! She no longer looks frosted. Here’s a picture of her from when she was just under a month old (left) and now that she’s nearly 10 weeks old. Her little white goatee has gone, she doesn’t have that super-frosted look, though she still has a sprinkling of white fur. She’s got some pretty neat stripes, too.
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Okay, I finally got pictures of Brian Boitano’s thousands of toes. I had to distract him with a toy.
This is his front right paw:
And this is where we get philosophical. How exactly DO we count the number of toes on that paw? Because there are 6 digits on the foot – the four at the top, then the thumb over on the right, and the toe between the thumb and the other four. But then there’s that pad below his thumb that doesn’t appear to belong to any toes, it’s just kind of sitting there. I can tell you that there are 6 distinct toes that I can feel, and 6 claws, one with each toe, and then that random pad. The Pad of Randomness, which appears to be fairly useless but adorable.
A bad picture of his front left paw. There are again 6 distinct digits with claws, but the digit between his thumb and the other four toes doesn’t appear to have its own pad, unless that little one below his thumb goes with the extra toe?
Another bad picture, this one of his back right paw. That extra toe is very thumb-y looking, isn’t it?
And his back left paw. Another thumb-y looking extra toe, another random extra pad.
“Holy cow, where’d all those toes come from?!”
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If you look at my reflection in the window, you can see that I’m wildly waving a packing strap around, trying to get Torvill to look at me. A little glimpse behind the magic here at Love & Hisses.
“He’s behind me, isn’t he? He’s going to start talking about his toes, isn’t he?”
“ISN’T. HE.”
A Brian Boitano-topped donut for breakfast? Don’t mind if I do!
Picabo from above. She is just the sweetest little nutball.
Torvill from above, waiting his turn on the donut.
I have to say, that Fancy Sofa is a particular hit with these kittens. Here’s Debi, snoozing.
“Hey! You takin’ another picture of me?”
Wahhh!
The kittens got a new tree (here’s an Amazon link). And they love it! (Tessa)
They climb up into it and bat at the toys. (Ohno)
And they crack me UP. (Oksana)
I made a video of them climbing up into it when I first brought it into the room. Some toys take a little while for the kittens to warm up to, but not this one!
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Newt, sound asleep in his favorite spot.
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Previously
2017: Someone’s been checking out the litter box, and he’s not sure what he thinks.
2016: “I can be on two levels at once!”
2015: Carlin’s story & what Lucy thinks about it all.
2014: No entry.
2013: Aslan’s all “You see what I put up with, here?”
2012: Rupert says hi.
2011: That look on her face epitomizes ::SIGH::, doesn’t it?
2010: Reacher and Bolitar: Brudderly Love.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: We have officially named the kittens.
LOVE the close up of the extra toes!! So cute! That random pad is a spare footie pad, like the big one under the regular toes. There are several ‘types’ of poly feets, one of them is where there’s like a second hand/paw or part of a hand/paw to the side, which Brian has on the front. Another type is where the extras are right up with the regular toes, just more of them, but I digress. Anything with a claw is counted as a toe, pad or not, retractable or not. So he has two extra toes on the fronts and an extra footie pad dot, and on the backs he has just the one extra, yes? No matter what, they are adorable!!
My Leo, just fyi, has three extra on one front foot and two extra on the other. The third on the one foot is hidden because his thumby toes fold over and he kinda walks on them. One retracts and the other paw one does not and it’s claw is flat and wide and has very little quick. The vet, in fact, trims it off so it looks like a little square! His big extra? no bone, that’s why they flop over and he walks on them. If they have anything like a bone in them (and it’s not just stiff from the pad or maybe cartilage?) then it’s not attached to his regular bones. Weird toes on my boy! I wish I could get such clear pictures as you did!
Love the new cat tree toy! Looks like a larger one of the one they tip over! Maybe they love it because they thought the other one suddenly grew up, lol
found the picture of poly feet that I was thinking of! Here: http://messybeast.com/poly-cats2.html
Actually, if you look at the last back-foot picture, you’ll see a tiny bit of an extra pad. Cat paws are weird, aren’t they? 🙂
Oksana sitting in that tree is a hoot! Loved the video!
HUGE prayers that someone has room for both those mamas!
I would love to read that Katia and Kristi ended up at a home together, but I’m sure they would be just as happy to be back in their colony, so long as they’re together.
All three kittens in the new cat tree (no no, not spoiled at all) look as though they’re posing for their school pictures!
They do look like school pictures, don’t they? Now I need to get pictures of the other 5 in that tree posed like that! 🙂
I am one that would definitely take Katia and Kristi if I lived in the US. I have no problem sharing space with cats that aren’t really interested in interacting with me. I’m just happy to be able to care for and admire the beauty that is CAT. I hope someone comes for them.
I am curious, though… will the colony still accept them after having been gone for so long? My cats didn’t recognize each other after a day away at the vet, so after weeks of not being there, would the colony have taken in other cats in their place or closed ranks?
Honestly, I don’t know – I assume that they’ll accept them back eventually. There’s a much smaller colony there now (several of the cats were friendly enough to be adopted out), so maybe that will make it a friendlier bunch.
There’s a useful description of how to describe polydactyl paws 1/4 of the way down the page at: http://messybeast.com/poly-cats.html
IIRC, my polydactyl is something like: 4+(1)+1+(1)
Do you think that Brian is the first example of Cats turning into Pre-Human? When you spoke of thumbs, a cold chill went up my spine. No more do they plead for us to open a cabinet and feed them. They can do that themselves and we will definitely be their slaves (for real) !!!!
Love that picture of Newt – that is calendar worthy