6-18-12

89 thoughts on “6-18-12”

1. OH MAH GAH, MORE KITTEHS!!! More tabbies! More black kittehs!

2. My mom lives in San Antonio and is actually looking for a kitten! I emailed her and will call after work 🙂 If not, my sister is looking for one, but is having surgery Tuesday, so hopefully something will work out. And Grace is her middle name! I say it is destiny!

   1. YAY

   2. That is AWESOME – let us know what happens, Gail!!!

      1. My sister emailed Catherine and plans to get her if she hasn’t found someone 🙂

   3. So wonderful! When I first saw the picture, I thought, “What’s Maggie doing on here?” Because that so much looked like a kitten picture of Maggie that I did a double-take.

3. And new mommy is BEAUTIFUL! I love orange tabbies. I want one! Please send Captain McFluffy postage due to NJ!

   1. Errrrr…..make that Florida!

      1. LOL!

         1. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

4. All boys! Oh that poor momma, she’s gonna have her paws full! 🙂

   1. She already has her paws full. They look like they’re eating her alive!

5. Oh my gosh – more babies!

6. Re older cats being rehomed..Go for it, ive added to my cat family like that and no problems you can even see snuggling! just be patient.
   Aww cicero is just too adorable..but wait..!!! squueeee more bebe gingers!!

7. Katie,

   From past experience getting an older cat can be so much easier than a younger one on the remaining cat. Unless your friend wants to adopt two younger cats together who could play with each other, older is the way to go.

   If you mix an older cat with a younger one, the older one generally wants to sleep and the younger one wants to run/play/harass etc…

   I would look for a older/senior cat that has a personality close to the existing cat or previous cat (i.e. what the existing cat is used to dealing with). I would definitely look for one who has been with other cats before and probably a male to limit the chances of aggression.

   The adjustment period may take a bit, but in the end it should all work out. I think older cats are the best and usually overlooked, so kudos for for friend for looking that way.

   1. I agree. I did do the kitten theme with my older (9 yr old). The kitten tortures my older cat. I ended up getting him a kitten when he was 1 yrs old as the error of my ways was too obvious and lasting. He loves the kitten (they are now 2 and 1 yrs old) and are bonded at the hip and my eldest has much more peace. I would get a kitty that is as mellow or active as the kitty he has now. Introduce them VERY slowly and whenever they see each other…treats are involved (good association).

      1. We had a similar experience when we combined a ~1-year-old boy with a ~7-year-old lady. Our poor older girl got no peace until two years later when we adopted another kitten, a 4-monther. The two younger cats (now 5+ and 7+) were and still are wonderfully friendly with each other, and in her later years (as she sadly suffered from diabetes and cancer) our lovely old lady was able to relax a lot more.

         So yes, an older male cat who has lived with other cats sounds like a great bet!

         1. Yep, if you have a female, get a male and if you have a male, get a female. That way there is one king and one queen and no competition for that position! 🙂

            1. When i brought my Bello home he was the senior cat, he was 8. I had a 3.5yr old and a 1.5yr old as well. i gave him two weeks of isolation, then visits in a crate in the lounge-room so the other boys could see him, oh, they are all boys, and finally i let him wander around for brief periods; 10 mins, 20 mins, 1/2 hr etc. when they were all allowed to meet face to face (at about 3 weeks) they hissed a little but there have been no major smack-downs. and i used to put him back in his room for a bout a week after that when i went to work. there is till some paw smacking and hissing but for the most part they all get along ok. Bello (the oldest cat) even licked Sam’s head yesterday! He has been with us a year now.

8. Miz Poo needs to stand next to Elwood more often; he makes her look positively svelte!

   1. LOL

      1. I love Miz Poo’s dainty en pointe stance in that picture.

   2. LOL, SO true!!!

9. Oh, wow, look at that beautiful momma cat! I do love me the torties (our first cat, Snack, was a tortie-and-white, complete with attitude), so I like seeing Miz Poo in the mix today too. And momma’s adorable little guys! You really have your hands full now! Looking forward to hearing the names tomorrow.

   Good luck to the little gray kitten and Katie’s friend. Snack was an older cat (about 5-7 years) when we adopted her and was the most loving — and (I’d like to think) grateful — girl you could imagine. We miss her a lot. Anyway, I’m a huge advocate of adopting the older kitties, and I agree with every bit of advice given here.

10. First of all, for Katie… Absolutely adopting a middle-aged or older cat will work. In fact, I find it preferable in this situation to adopting a kitten (unless your friend wants to adopt two that will attack and play with each other rather than pounce on his senior). My best advice is that your friend will want to take his time and do his homework. Talk to the rescues and shelters in the area and make sure they know what he’s looking for. The rescues know their cats’ personalities and have probably already tested them with all sorts of animals (and age ranges) in their foster homes. Just introduce them slowly. I put Norman (11 years old) in the master bedroom for a week before letting him meet Simba (almost 9 years old). Every day, I would let Norm into a different room of the house (still closed behind a door) while I cleaned and Simba got to come in and smell the new guy. Easiest transition we’ve ever had around here.

    Secondly…. NO FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You get ALL the kittens!!!!!!!!!! Good gracious, it’s shaping up to be an interesting summer at Crooked Acres.

    Finally, thanks for the link to Fred’s blog. It answers the question many (although not me) have been asking. Rupert’s not going anywhere. Did you know Fred lets him drive? 😉

    1. PS— Blog will be up and running later this week. Actually, it’s already up but not running yet. My perfectionist self will run my first post and release the address when I’m happy with it. Although there are no teeny tiny tabbies in Teeny Tiny Tabby Town at the moment. I’d bet money Penny’s not giving me any, either. Oh well, kittens will come. That, or I’m making a night raid at Crooked Acres.

       1. I’m s looking forward to meeting the charismatic Norman!

          1. Me too!

       2. I can’t wait! 🙂

          1. (For the blog, I mean! 🙂 )

11. Katie’s friend might also consider that, in adopting a middle-aged cat, there is a greater chance she’ll be adopting ANOTHER lonely widow or widower who might adapt to having a new cat buddy almost as well as a young kitten. Or perhaps there is an older cat surrendered by the owner (too sadly this happens too often) who came from a house that had “too many” cats, or whose owner died or moved away, etc., and misses the feline company. At least in my experience, the rescue organizations I have worked for have had plenty of older cats who get along very well with the general population and would do just great with a mellow older new buddy.

    1. P.S. For a moment there, I did a double-take and thought it was new mama standing at the window with Elwood. But then I realized new mama is probably a leeeettle bit skinnier than our voluptuous Miz Poo. Either way, they are both stunning ladies.

       P.P.S. It’s so awesome how it looks like each of new mama’s kittens got exactly half of her coloring. Does that happen a lot with torties?

       1. It happens all the time with Torties and Male kittens. Males can’t be both black and orange, one or the other.

          1. They *can* be, but it’s not very frequent. I had previously heard a 1:400 rate for male calicos (orange, black, and white) and a 1:4,000,000 rate for fertile male calicos; Wikipedia lists a 1:3000 rate for male tortoiseshells and a 1:3000 for fertile male calicos. Whatever the official numbers, they’re rare but possible.

             My cat Bill (full name: He’s Bill Pardy) started off life in the shelter as “Annie,” since his three patches of orange, mixed in with his white, black, and brown/tabby splotches, convinced the shelter people that he was a female. It wasn’t until he was under anesthesia for his “spay” that the vet said, “Um, guys?” and he got neutered instead of spayed. (The only reason I know that story is that they forgot to change the name on his file folder, so when I adopted him it took them forever to find his paperwork. They had even asked me if there was another kitten I was interested in because without his paperwork they couldn’t sign him out. Finally someone called the manager at home, and she remembered, “That’s the boy calico we thought was a girl,” and all was well. I considered naming him Holly, after the “shaved his legs, then he was a she” character in Lou Reed’s song “Walk on the Wild Side,” but that was backwards. He got his name – He’s Bill Pardy – “on account of what he did in the litterbox on Sunday,” and I will squeal like a piglet if anyone gets that reference.)

             1. Heh, I know where you got it, but that’s because I’ve read the archives. 🙂 Great name!

             2. Since the case of a fetrile male calico is usually the fact that the cat is genetically two embryos that merged together in the womb, calling it ‘male’ is not quite right as well.

12. WHAT A TEASE! Can’t wait until tomorrow when we get introductions to the newbies. 🙂

    Also, I often wish that I could adopt some of these kittens, but never as much as I have with Cicero. He is the most adorable freaking thing EVER! I want to kiss his little nose in every picture! I really hope that he goes to a great home eventually.

    1. It is going to kill me dead to give him up. He is the sweetest thing EVER!

13. Katie,
    I adopted a 4 yr old tomcat (well, he had been neutered, but to look at him with his biscuit head, you wouldn’t know it) to go with my two 10 yr old lady cats. They’re now 7 and 13 respectively, and I am definitely glad I didn’t adopt a kitten. Percy and Zowie play together (and run around like a herd of elephants), but he’s old enough that he doesn’t get in the face (much) of Pandora, who is one of those uber-snuggly orange tabby types. Your friend should ask the shelter about laid-back toms, as I’ve found that they make very good companions. 🙂

    And… OMG! New kittens! *is ded*

    1. Biscuit head! LOL!

       1. He’s at http://percycat.blogspot.com if you want to take a look 😉

          1. Oh, fur heaven’s sake! That IS a biscuit head! And a very handsome boy!

             1. Biscuit? That’s an entire loaf — what a cutie!

14. I’m already in love with the lovely tortie momma…she’s so skinny. Look forward to seeing her put on some weight. More orange and black babies! Cicero looks like a half pint next to the other kittens, but no fear in that little fellow.

15. Yep – you are the land of orange tabbies (we seem to be the land of brown tabbies here this summer). That Cicero cracks me up!!

    Katie: I think it is all about personality. Ask around at shelters and someone should be able to tell you some background. The shelter where I volunteer tries to get info from owner surrenders plus we will allow cats out to socialize and that helps us determine friendly with other cats. Adopting a middle age cat will help with introductions since there should (hopefully) be less need or desire to work up to being annoyed. 🙂

16. I guess I’m the exception here. When Baal died at 16, it left the Boo by herself for the first time since I got her (she was a year younger than Baal). But since Baal was very much the alpha cat, the Boo had always been timid and quiet (her real name was Bast, but she quickly became The Boo, as in, if you said “boo” to her, she’d run!). Though she did miss Baal (but he had been sick with cancer for two years and I think she knew what was coming…), she blossomed being the only cat! I saw a whole new personality come out and she became a big lap cat/lovebug/lady about the house. I really never thought about getting another cat since she just seemed to enjoy finally being the ruler of the roost! And she lived to a grand 21 years old, so I don’t think she was pining for company. So Katie’s friend may want to give his cat a little more time being a singleton, just to see if she’s really content or actually lonely.

    And more kittehs!! And little black kittehs to boot! Love love love the little black babies (as Baal and Boo were once upon a time!).

17. more kittens?? geeze Robyn, you going for the world record of most foster kittens in one year?? 😉

    1. Trying to hit that 200-total, ya know! 😉

18. YOU MAKE THOSE DAMN CATS QUIT BEATING UP ON THAT TINY WITTLE ORANGE KITTEN.

    1. He started it!!!

19. KITTENSPLOSION! KITTENPALOOOZA!
    *gets out the orange glowsticks* *dance dance dance*

20. Thanks for your advice and suggestions, all! I’ll pass them on to my friend, and if and when he decides to adopt, I’ll send Robyn an update.

    Also, MORE NEW KITTENS! One batch of adorable kittens wasn’t enough? I’m such a sucker for torties and can’t wait to see more of these guys. 🙂

21. For Katie, one way to tell if your friend’s cat is enjoying being an only cat or not is if he finds her sacked out in places where she didn’t normally sleep before — like the middle of the floor when she always stayed on the edges before… or on the tippy top tier of a cat tree she never used before. It means she’s expanded her territory and may actually be enjoying the elbow room. If her territoriality is about the same as before her brother died, it’s more likely she misses the companionship.

    If your friend does introduce a new cat, he may find the Humane Society’s guide to introducing cats to be very helpful! If he follows their advice, it will make both cats make an easier adjustment.

22. Cicero is the most adorable little baby I’ve seen in a long while, and reminds my wife of her 20 year-long companion who passed away two summers ago. She’d had him since he was 4 weeks old (or thereabouts) and she’d rescued him after a man in a moving truck dumped a box of kittens on the highway. She only managed to save this one baby, and he was bonded to her until he died in a his sleep, of old age. And seeing Cicero just reminds her of him so much.

    1. Oh Sophie, that is so sweet. I hope it makes her smile to see Cicero!

23. Although I have no experience with cat introductions, it would make sense to me that a senior kitty would rather meet another older kitty who is calm and quiet like herself rather than a wild kitten who runs around crazy all day.

    Speaking of kittens, those new ones look like cuties! I’m sure you already have names picked out but the colors of orange and black remind me of Halloween which makes me think of the theme of candy so I suggest you name them like this:
    Black-Licorice (the one who is confused about his name); Warlock and Spiderman (although not candy they are costumes) take your pic of which is which since we can’t see their faces
    Orange- Snickers; Twizzler (from left to right in the picture)
    Cute huh?!

    1. I love that – I’m going to have to save it for a future bunch – maybe this Fall! 🙂

24. A new tortie momma! Looks like my beloved Tori who died two years ago and I still miss her so much!

25. My story for Katie: I had two 13-year-old female cats who were not littermates but had been adopted as kittens within a couple weeks of and grew up with each other. When Jesse died at 13, Amy became “velcro kitty” and would NOT leave me alone. She was so needy and clung to my ankles, which made it difficult to walk, or had to be on me if I sat down. There is a point where too much togetherness becomes annoying. So I went to the shelter and picked out a four-month-old male kitten-cat. Amy HATED him and hid behind the couch for three days. After the third day she came out, glared at me, and resigned herself to her fate. She did establish herself as the Queen, however, and firmly put Merlin in his place at every opportunity. Once she knew he was there to stay she returned to being affectionate towards me, but she wasn’t desperate, needy, and clingy anymore because she had an upstart to manage. And I didn’t do any of the slow introduction, shut-the-new-resident-in-another-room stuff, I just turned Merlin loose and let the chips fall where they would. The two of them never became snuggle buddies, but they were friends, and I was satisfied that Amy was pining away from loneliness when I wasn’t home.

    The idea of speaking with shelter staff and finding a kitty that likes other kitties is a good one. There certainly are cats that need to be solo cats, but if your kitty is used to a roommate I would definitely bring in a new one. And heaven knows there are enough adult kitties in shelters that would love to share a home with another cat.

26. The cat rescue people just called and asked if we still wanted a Momma cat and kittens for our outbuildings. It seems we have a choice of 2 Momma’s (semi feral) with tiny babies that are friends (maybe sisters?) and a tame Momma cat who will probably have 2 babies left (two have homes). They are so desperate at the rescue center they will pay all costs of altering for Moms and kittens, so husband and I are dithering. The Mom’s would probably stand up best to the “bully boy” former tom we have outside (we have two, the alpha loves new cats, but his second drives them off)they hunt and they know about dogs. The only question is “how feral are they?” which is what we have to find out. All of them can live in kennel cages in the house for a few weeks (babies are just 5 weeks old) so kittens should be fine, but the Mom’s are the question mark. Women who has them is “desperate” to rehome them, so I will report back later. If we take them, I’ll update the Barn Cat Lady Blog so folks can follow progress.

    I love the new kittens! Wish I could take that lot but too far away..and they have a good and loving safe place for now anyway..

27. Oh on the kitty introductions, if you really want a middle aged kitty, asking shelter staff for a “social” cat is a good idea. Then put new kitty in their own room, but part of the day put in them in a kennel cage where your kitty and new kitty can see and smell each other. Make sure kennel has a “hidy box” for retreats; over a few days/weeks cats will at least get used to each other. You usually only need to use the kennel cage for a week at most; after that the cats will decide they like each other or to ignore each other and divide up the house. Even if they do the latter, they will be aware of each other and be worried if one goes away; once in a great while true hate occurs, but this is rare with slow introductions. In general, a submissive, social, neutered tom makes a good companion for an older queen; but a female companion is better than a dominant tom.

    The other solution is to get two kittens (or younger cats that are below age two and no longer look “cute” enough for quick adoption but are still playful). They will love and entertain each other and let the older cat decide if she wishes to enter in to their world, or would prefer the role of pampered elder sitting in her window looking down upon the younger generation. Either way, she is no longer alone and is once again part of a “pride,” which is something most (but not all) cats seem to prefer (even house cats).

28. I am having major déjà vu! Your new mama cat is the spitting image of my beloved Simba! She was a little feral kitten that wandered into my backyard one day when I was just out of college and just loved to watch college football on the tv! The new babies are going to be beautiful – I can just tell from the looks of the mama.

29. MAMA TORTIE! MAMA TORTIE! MAMA TORTIE!!!!! (I love mama torties.)

    1. Are you sure? 😛

30. MOre orange and black goodness!!!!!!! Sweet Cicero goodness!!!!!!! Purrfect way to start my day!

31. I am Katie’s friend, and I wanted to personally thank you all for your considered input and suggestions on whether to get the reigning queen of the apartment, Ms. Morticia, my 15 year old and quite dominant tabby a new companion. When I say “dominant,” I mean that in the most literal sense of the word, especially when it comes to dealing with dogs. Morticia emits a deep, menacing, guttural growl when in the presence of a strange animal, and has actually intimidated animals much larger than herself, including–I swear this is true–chasing a yelping, full-grown German Shepherd up a spiral staircase until the poor dog climbed underneath a bed.

    Roger was my buddy who recently died of cancer. He was a neutered, affectionate tuxedo cat who obliterated every stereotype of cats being aloof, distant, and emotionally frigid. He was a love bunny, who would stretch himself up while tapping your face softly and gazing at you with an “are you doing OK?” expression. He was playful, incredibly funny, and sorely missed. Your collective advice will be very helpful for me in deciding whether Morticia will be happier going it alone, or if she would prefer another submissive and gregarious male to be disgusted with (::grin::).

    Thanks so much!

    Jim G.

    1. I can tell Roger was a wonderful and loved cat! If you were in South Carolina, I could introduce you to a very similar tuxie boy looking for a home. My sympathies for your and Madame Morticia’s loss…

    2. Let us know what you end up doing, Jim! I’m so sorry for your loss – and Morticia sounds like a real character!!!

32. Might I suggest naming them after the Outsiders characters: Ponyboy, Darry, Sodapop, Two-bit and Dally?! You have 5 boys! how often will that work!? So cute!!

    1. Love it!

    2. I love that – but I had already named them, so I’m saving this for the future. 🙂

33. Your blog make me happy, ever!

    1. Thank you, Marilia!! 🙂

34. The mom is so beautiful! and five boys, wow she’s going to need the patience of Maggie!
    We have had a lot of orange tabbies at PetSmart so far this year also, but there were NONE on Saturday which was unexpected, only black.

35. The new momcat looks just like my Rootie! I can’t wait to hear about her and her kittehs! 🙂

    Katie asked about what to do about her friends situation. My cats Kramer and Rootie had been good friends. When he died, she would just lay and stare at the wall. She was not herself and a friend of mine had a stray that was around her house. She had five cats of her own and could not take any more in. She asked if maybe Rootie would like a new friend. I took Taco and at first, there was hissing and hiding (on her part), but she eventually came to sleep with him in the window, groom him, etc. She is an older cat, he was younger. I have another younger cat, Charlie, that I took in as he was abandoned and found his way to my back steps. Rootie acts sometimes as his “Mom” and he adores her. Good luck to Katie’s friend!

36. Did I get this from someone posting it on here?? if not then you’ll love this. if so, sorry for reposting
    http://lolcats.icanhascheezburger.com/2012/03/13/funny-cat-pictures-n-den/

    1. Oh, SO cute!!!

37. So I click on the recipe site link as soon as I saw it and spent nearly an hour laughing my…er…tail off before reading the rest of today’s post – and what a surprise awaited. A BEAUTIFUL TORTI MAMA! She reminds me so much of my little one! And all boys? Will be interesting to see if she imparts the tortitude way of life to them. Can’t wait for more about them (and I do hope the little mama puts on some weight now she is at the spa!)

    How are you ever going to get any work done, Robyn? There are the gorgeous Taters, and Cicero (unbelievably handsome and brave!) and now this little family – plus the permanent residents (I love Elwood and Miz Poo’s picture) I could imagine just sitting back and watching everyone’s hijinks!

    1. I have to squeeze all the other stuff in and around the kitten snuggling. It’s a rough job, but someone’s gotta do it! 🙂

38. Oh man, that Cicero is CUTE! Yeah, when my Malcolm first arrived, it was pretty much “beat it, dweeb” from his older sister. The other boys didn’t mind so much.

    Yeah, I want to know too – how do you manage to get anything done with the Taters and now these new little cupcakes? Really.

    1. One day soon I’ll have to do a “a day in my life” entry! 🙂

39. I can’t think of a more cat-friendly place to talk about this. My adult daughter ran over one of her cats today in the driveway of our house and killed him and she is so heartbroken.
    This is a cat she rescued that had been put in a dumpster and he honestly was one of the most loving cats I’ve ever known. She is devastated that he is gone, but worse, that she did it herself, albeit accidentally.
    Can anyone offer a word of advice for getting over a loss like this, when it’s unfortunately by your own hand (or car in this case)?

    1. Oh wow, so sorry that happened. Luckily, I’ve never been in any kind of situation like that. I did have two pets die though. One cat ran away when she inadvertently got out of the house, and the dog we had rescued on my twelfth birthday hung herself by wrapping her run around a tree in the backyard. All I can say is that accidents happen. Remember the good times the pet wouldn’t have had if it hadn’t been rescued in the first place. I’m sure there is a cat heaven just like with people (whatever you believe is up there). People have accidents and would certainly forgive. I would think animals would too.

    2. Oh Sharon, I am so sorry. I can only imagine how heartbroken she is, and I’m sure it’ll take her some time. She needs to remember how lucky he was to be rescued by her, and how lucky he was to be so loved for the time he was with her. I agree with Holly, accidents happen, and I bet he would absolutely forgive her for this.

    3. Oh, my goodness. I feel so horrible for her! I hit a cat, not my own, thank god, when I was 18, and killed it — I think it was probably being chased, it came out of tall grass on the side of the road at top speed and there was absolutely no time to hit the brakes. I went and knocked on doors in the area but couldn’t find anyone to claim it. I cried for hours, and ten years later it still makes me feel bad to think of it. I don’t really have any advice, only that a horrible accident by NO MEANS negates the wonderful thing she did by rescuing him and giving him a loving home. I hope she’s able to forgive herself soon.

40. Something that helps me with guilt is to ask myself things such as, “Would I have put the car in drive if I knew the cat was under the car?” or “would I have slammed on the brakes faster if I knew she was there?”

    The answer is invariably, “Of course not!!” or “Of course!!”. For me, it helps magnify the fact that sometimes we don’t always have all the information we would like to have and so we accidentally do something awful.

    I also have to constantly remind myself sometimes that I can’t undo or redo what happened, so acceptance and learning from the accident, if possible, is all I can hope for.

    I’ll also echo Robyn’s sentiments that she rescued him and cared for him so well! If she could focus on those things she did instead of the accident, she’ll do better. And he’d totally forgive her.

    1. Such good advice for all things in life. We have to learn to forgive our selves.

41. KITTENS!!!!! and CICERO!!!!!!

42. I am in love with Cicero! I’m usually good about not falling in love with every cute kitty on the internet but he is so freaking adorable. If no one adopts him, I may just have to get on a plane from the pacific northwest!

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