Please note that I have deactivated Spam Free (the spamcatcher I was using) and reactivated Akismet. A couple of people had issues commenting (were blocked by Spam Free), which leads me to suspect that there were probably a lot more people who had issues and didn’t say anything. I liked that Spam Free was, you know, keeping the site free of spam, but not if it’s going to do THAT nonsense. I only switched over to Spam Free because Akismet was having issues, but hopefully those issues were resolved.
This thoroughly boring topic can be summed up thusly: it’s not you OR me – it’s Spam Free and I’ve kicked them to the curb. If you ever attempt to comment and have a problem, please let me know because I won’t know otherwise.
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There are a TON of pictures today (I’m clearing out my pics folder), and I’d apologize except that I think y’all probably don’t mind in the least!
Sweet Miss Buttercup.
She is just the sweetest girl.
Jareth’s waiting impatiently for Aslan to wake up and play with him.
Jareth, staring in awe at the clump of dog hair. Last week, after Fred brushed George and Gracie, I went out and gathered it all up. Then I tossed it in a couple of pillowcases and ran it through the washer to get the dog smell out. Then I ran it through a second time. I expected it to hold together better than it did, but I ended up with two big ratty clumps of dog hair. The kittens didn’t know what to think, at first, but now they have a lot of fun with them. (And the clumps of dog hair shed all over the place; why did I think that bringing MORE fur into the house was a good idea?)
Pretty sisters.
Jake was hanging out on the cat tree in my room, and Charming jumped up to investigate.
Jake saw me with the camera and he was like “Yeah, I’m outta here.” He is NO fan of me and my camera.
When suddenly confronted with the loony one, Charming got all Halloween kitty and hissed.
Then on his way out of the room, Jake got another dose of poofing and hissing from Leia. Poor Jake.
Buttercup, mid head-shake.
Jareth enjoys some sunshine.
Leia, Charming, and Buttercup curl up on the cat tree for a snooze.
At the same time, Jareth was in the hammock.
I can’t seem to get video of her carrying it around and howling, but here’s Kate and her Andrea-made kicker. I am, for sure, sending that in her bag of toys when she goes to Petsmart!
Kate and Aslan, hanging out on the stairs.
He just lubs his mama.
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“Lady, the babies are sleeping. Hush it up with that loud camera.”
“HALLO LADY. YOU GOTS PETTIN’ FOR ME?”
“I just can’t figure out why she’s got a bucket of bird seed in here. Does she think we’re birds?” (It’s actually a bucket that originally held bird seed and now holds litter. I tried to explain it to her, but she’s just not getting it.)
Scorch totally blends into that bed, doesn’t he?
Ember keeps an eye on me.
Ruth isn’t in the slightest bit shy – she bellies up to the plate and eats ’til she’s done while Khaleesi patiently waits.
“TAKE YOUR TIME, kid. It’s not like I need to eat enough to produce enough milk for five growing kittens or anything.”
If you ever wondered what petting Puff feels like, imagine if your favorite stuffed animal came to life. He (and Scorch) totally feel like plush toys.
“You just keep rubbin’ the belly, lady. I’ll let you know when to stop. I’ll use these here claws.”
“You tryin’ to pick a fight with me, slipper? Because I will totally rip you UP.”
“HALLO LADY.”
Ember and Norbert, snuggled up for a nap.
“Okay, you go ‘way. Time for my nap.”
Bed full o’ sleepy babies.
Not one, but TWO Dragons videos for you today! In the first one, they’re just being adorable and squirmy in their bed.
And in the second one, they’re just, you know. Being cute!
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I was looking through my folder of permanent residents pics to decide which one to post, and found this one. I don’t know when I took it, but see on the Room with a View (the wooden two-level house with lattice at the top)? That’s Spanky. Awww, Spanky. Sweet boy. (Joe Bob’s asleep on the filing cabinet, and Newt’s waiting patiently for someone to let him out.)
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Previously
2012: Meet the new guys.
2011: Don’t you just love the little spotted belly?
2010: “Bleh. This mouse tastes funny.”
2009: Look at the little smile on her face!
2008: No entry.
2007: It appears that Sugarbutt got started on that nap without me.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Hi Robyn,
Is Jareth’s eyes brown or is it just the picture? The hammock picture they look a gorgeous brown color but that may be the lighting?
The dragons are growing up so fast. Love this stage.
They’re brown – in fact, they’re dark, gorgeous brown. Sometimes they look more green (due to the light), but they are very definitely brown. 🙂
I was humming the Blue Danube Waltz while watching Norbert skate!
Can we see some side by side photos of the Dragons with the Royals at this age? (Because you know I’m too lazy to scroll back and forth between posts!). :p
I loved watching him skate! I had forgotten about Robyn’s comment about it until I saw his first “glide,” and then I laughed right out loud, “It’s TRUE!” (as if Robyn would ever lie to us about her fosters’ adorableness – what was I thinking!)
I may plan on doing that next Saturday, thanks for the idea! 🙂
Jareth is all, ::snik:: “dog hair? I KEEL YOU!”
Dragons and Royals, you are rocking my world, not least slip-slidin’-away Norbert. I can only imagine how much fun everyone’s having with George and Gracie’s fur. And it’s a joy, though one tempered with melancholy, to see sweet Spanky again. Many thanks, Robyn.
I know it’ll never happen, but I have to wonder how George and Gracie would react to being let into the house and taken upstairs to guard the kittens. I like to think G&G would assume these were some new kind of chickens, and that the eventual reaction (after all the floof settled) would be like this picture: http://cute-n-tiny.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/big-dog-licks-little-kitten.jpg
Tres cute. Love the expression on the kitten’s face in the second photo.
Lurv me some Norbert…..
Of course Jake isn’t a fan of you and your camera, you call him Loony all the time XD Documentary evidence, lady.
Aww, Spanky 🙂 With apologies to George S. Patton: Let us not mourn that such cats died but rejoice that such cats lived.
As for Ruth – wow. I’m not worried, though. I know you better than that. Khaleesi will get all the food she needs.
Norbert has cute white boots.
Awwwww Norbert skating!!! How DO you ever get work done with so much cuteness abounding around you?
I have to be very strict with myself – I use spending time with the kittens as a reward for getting the not-fun stuff done. 🙂
Head-shake pictures crack me up! There was an adorable one of Sheila Rescuee I think… so cute
Yes, Sheila! I love that picture. 🙂
Loving all the cute today, especially Norbert. He’s kinda my favorite.. along with Puff… and Ember… and…
Sorry the G & G Furball toys aren’t working out the greatest. But at least you’re trying to do something about the awful shortage of cat toys you seem to have there.
I too had a problem posting a comment yesterday. I typed out a longer than usual post (re: declawing), but got a weird page asking for a sign-in or something when I tried to post it. Was short on time so I typed another shorter message & this time it went up ok. Glad you got it fixed.
I know it’s asking a lot… but if possible please give Norbert an extra kiss for me. I’m a bit too far away to come & do it myself.
I thought that the length of my comments was the problem for me, too (what, ME type longwinded comments?! the deuce you say!) but after getting the error a few times, and after refreshing, clearing cache, etc, I tried to post “This is a test” – hard to make a much briefer comment than that! – and got it again. I hope Akismet gets their stuff together, so Robyn doesn’t have to deal with spam and we don’t have to deal with weird error messages.
And thank GOODNESS those poor babies finally have SOMETHING to play with!
I’m getting so used to having L&H posts all weekend long that I dread the day when the two litters are gone and we have to go back to M-F posts only….
I also had trouble commenting once last week. I didn’t even think it was a problem with your blog — I thought it was my computer and/or browser, both of which have been acting up lately.
I love Buttercup — her whiskers in those first two photos are AMAZING!
On the litter-less weekends, Charlene, we can use the blue “Random Post” button, and get all the time-me-overs we need. (c:
*tide-me-overs
Jeez, how can I not catch these things within the 15 minute edit window?!
Robyn and these two litters have inspired me to write a book (well, a VERY long blog post at least) about fibromyalgia, kittens, and exercise. It’s here if any other fibromyalgia/chronic pain people are interested.
Before you click: I have somehow gotten on the “hot list” for some internet-content filters as being a – gasp! – pornography site. I find the inaccuracy hilarious, but some people clutch their pearls and worry about job security. (To which I say: Why you surfin when you workin, huh?!)
So if you’re behind a firewall I guess the summary would be: If wee baby kittehs can build up their strength day by wobbly day, so can we!
I loved that post, Elayne. 🙂
Ermahgerd!!! Those amazingly kinky and crazy whiskers and eyebrows Buttercup has just. slay. me. DEAD! Charming and Jake – two of my most favorite boys! I like that Jake looks so nonchalantly ‘strutting’ out of the door… Like, “Meh, if I had a dollar’s worth of catnip for every wee little kitten that ever hissed at me here…Been there, done that!” Ohhhhh Norbert… him melts my heart! Robyn, take care, we (in St. Louis) went through a round of SCARY weather last night (friday) – tornados, heavy rain and wind, trees down, etc… I just got power back… praying it’s not coming your way.
I’m not sure who stole my heart first, Buttercup or Jareth? They’re both so unbelievably charismatic. Aslan though, that pic with kate is just too adorable.
One of these days Norbert’s going to look in the mirror and wonder if he’s adopted. He’s got such a sleek, aerodynamic profile compared to his shaggy chrysamthenum-headed brothers. He looks like something the Ford or Ferrari engineers wish they could design.
I cannot believe that the dragons are four weeks old. Really? I want them to stay babies forever. On the other hand, I love seeing Ember giving what she gets. Go girl!!
OKAY, how did I miss that Lilybet was adopted? When did this happen? Details?
Poor Jake! All that hissing and Halloween cat-ing at him! Come over here, Jake, I’ll spoil you rotten and you wont have to be hissed at by any little fuzzy kittens! And I’ll give you all the smooches you can stand!
I can only see three of the dragon kitten’s feet in the pictures, do they all have interesting toe markings?? Gosh they’re cute!
I’m in love with wee little Norbert. He’s got such big bright blue eyes. And he looks so silly ice-skating on the floor. <3
Hello Robyn,
First time commenter here, I’ve followed your site for a real long time and I’ve always so enjoyed your pictures, I love Crooked Acres! I hope you can offer some wisdom regarding traveling with cats: we are moving from Denver to LA, it’s a real long car drive, after weighing our options, me and my husband will have to drive with both of my cats in the backseat, it will be many hours, we will be driving during the day and stay at a motel at night. I’m curious if you have ever done a long drive with cats, should I keep them in the carriers the whole time? How will they use the litterbox? I thought it might be better for them to be out of the carriers and have some room to stretch out. My cats are pretty big, 12lb and 15lb, the carriers I have fits them pretty snugly, they can turn around but barely. Any insights would be helpful, I just want to make sure to make this as low-stress for them as I can. Should I consider getting a mild sedative from the vet? I am planning on putting a litterbox on the floor of the backseat. I’m hoping after the first 2 hours (ok, maybe 3 or 4 lol), they would settle down and not be too stressed. Any thoughts would be appreciated, thank you!
I took my two cats from Chicago to Los Angeles when I moved out this way. I kept them in the carriers most of the time, except for lunch breaks when I would get drive through and let them stretch their legs, and feed them parts of the burgers and fries. If you let cats out in a car, they at once want to hide under the brake pedal or under a seat, which is a problem for everyone. Both you and them will feel better in the carriers. With an extra person you can at least peek back and pet them once in a while.
I had a litter box that was like a clam shell that locked up tight, but they never wanted to use it except in the hotel when we stopped for the night. Too nervous in the car at rest stops. They were able to hold it for the 8-9 hours I drove per day. My cats were a similar size to yours.
If I didn’t have a special litterbox I would just carry one, and a garbage bag and dump the sand into the bag every morning and into the box every evening.
Sedatives? I used to have some that I gave to these same cats but it didn’t help much. They meowed about the same each way, and always seemed to settle down more or less once on the highway.
One surprise on the first night was one of the cats squeezed into a tight spot under the hotel room bed and was hard to get out. After that I jammed pillows into the spots so they couldn’t hide far under the bed. In general after a little bit of time the cats would relax, eat some, and use the box.
My trip took three and a half days solid. Other years I had 8 or 9 hour trips with these same cats. In my trip I was short of Denver on day 2, and got to Utah just short of Los Vegas in one day and to LA by early afternoon the day after that. Because of the cats I didn’t press the days too hard by driving long hours.
I don’t have any good advice on this, but Oldcat certainly did – and I’m going to post your question in Friday’s post so that others can add to it!
I drove with my two cats from Denver to Boston over the winter holiday break. For a few weeks before the trip, I took them in the car as often as possible, to get them used to riding and to see what they were most comfortable with. While I’m sure the vets and the law enforcement officers would suggest for everyone’s safety, it’s best to keep the cats in their carriers, it wouldn’t have been best for my sanity or theirs. They both settled down by lunchtime on the first day, picked spots that were comfortable for them, and pretty much napped there for the whole trip. I did have sedatives but didn’t use them. I think giving the cats a chance to get used to riding in the car was a better option. I didn’t want the extra worry of trying to monitor for adverse drug reactions, especially with my diabetic cat.
Oh, and be attentive to noise. One of my cats is pretty sensitive to noise, and the noise of the road was about as much as he could handle. The radio had to stay off the entire time.
I think one thing to consider is if the cats are scaredy cats or not. Especially if they’re more timid, I would consider keeping them in a crate, or at least make sure to create some hiding spot for them to snooze in.
My father and I drove with my cat from Madison, WI to Austin, TX a few years ago, but by that point in her life, she had also flown that route multiple times and been driven from Madison to Des Moines and back at least once. So she is both pretty bold and an experienced traveler. She settled down within a couple of hours, IIRC. I let her out in the car, but if she had gotten in the way of the driver, she would have been crated. Since your crates are small, I’d also consider getting a larger cage area (maybe a large dog crate?) to keep them + litter box, food and water in. I don’t know the size of your vehicle to know if this is even an option. Also consider keeping a lightweight blanket/ sheet to put over the crate if they start freaking out. It might help if you force them into a more quiet darkness. And experiment with playing different things on the radio. My cat actually seems to kind of like NPR (and DOESN’T like electronica).
We did the Madison to Austin drive straight — left Madison around lunch time and arrived in Austin around 6 or 7 am. The drive was a little insane, but we wanted to avoid driving in Oklahoma/ Texas during the heat of the day (this was August). By the time we got very far south, it was evening so it was starting to cool down. We just took very short breaks for gas and food.
I drive a small SUV. We folded down the back seat. Most of my stuff was in a moving van, so I just had a couple of suit cases, my father’s suit case, my important papers, an air mattress and a few other small items I would need to tide me over until I was reunited with the rest of my apartment. We put her crate, litter box and food/ water on top of everything. She ended up sleeping either on the console between the driver and passenger seat or in the back, just behind my head rest, with her arm just barely touching my head. It was kind of cute.
If you only had one cat, and could afford it, I would definitely recommend flying instead. When I moved to CA, my cat and I flew out, and my brother and father had a nice road trip bringing me my car. Much easier — no worrying about what to do with the cat when you eat, dealing with hotel rooms, etc.
I have never sedated her. I would double-check with a vet, but a vet friend of mine used 1/2 a Benadryl on her cat. If you go with this option, test it out beforehand to make sure your cats 1) tolerate Benadryl and 2) are sedated by it.
Good luck!
I have to say I prefer these comments because I can link my website on my name.. and so can everyone else, so I can go read blogs of people who comment here..
and btw..
NORBERT!! 🙂 for some reason I think he’s my favorite..
I used to do that, too, but then Life happened and now I hardly ever update, so I don’t bother anymore. Just as easy to drop a hyperlink if there’s something I want to share, rather than “teasing” people with links that are almost never updated. (c:
Robyn! I am infatuated with Puff! I even mulled over the thought of making a Puff tumblr or pinterest.
LOL, that would be hilarious!!!