6-22-12

56 thoughts on “6-22-12”

1. Maybe he should be called DingBAT Scotty instead! 🙂

   Love me some Stompers and some Corbie!!!

   1. Not just Dingwall being a dingbat, but Wellington’s ear is folded back!

      Silly kittens!

   2. Click on the 2010 entry for today and see bonus baby Corbie! ♥

2. You don’t have to cry when Baby Stompers leaves Crooked Acres, Robyn. Come and visit him at my house whenever you want 😉

   1. Uh-huh. And that’s from your dear hubby, is it?

      😉

      1. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. See… the plan is to bring Cicero in as a “foster”. When he’s not “adopted” after a year or two (which he won’t be since he will never be available to being with), I’ll just tell dear husband that since no one wants him we’ll just have to keep him 😉

         1. HA – you have to practice your confused face, Kelly, while you’re saying “I just don’t understand why no one wants to adopt him!!!” to your husband. 🙂

   2. LOL!

   3. I think you both will have to fight for Baby Stompers. 🙂 I would LOVE to bring Baby Stompers to my house too. 😀

      1. As I said on Monday, I wish I could have Stompers, too! Pretty sure that my SUPER opinionated tortie girl would not like me very much for it, but I just love him so. 🙂

3. I just can’t get over Momma Brandywine. What an awesome girl. She’s raising some handsome, goofy boys, too!

   1. Me too! She’s definitely my favorite!

4. Seeing as you have so many ginger kittens I think I’ll post myself over to you, I could sleep on the porch with Rupert……..

   1. I’ll make up a bed for you! 😉

      1. if only!

5. Sweet, goofy babies. Another sweet Mama who’s landed in a loving, safe place to raise her babies. This blog always gives me a happy. ♥

6. Cicero was an answer on Jeopardy either last night or the night before. Of course I screamed out “That’s Robyn’s kitten.” Luckily only hubby was in the room an knew what the heck I was hollering about. I think the picture of Ding(bat)wall Scotty’s foot is a caption away from internet glory.

   1. Just wait ’til the answer is “Stompers”! 😀

7. There is a big headed boy at the local shelter that reminds me of the Corbs. Love those big headed boys!!!

   Poor Brandywine. I had a momma cat a year ago that sat on a kitten as she was trying to nurse – you could tell that Chiclet had had enough of that nursing kittens thing. 🙂

   I agree – Stompers may be hard to let go, but hopefully his new family will keep you updated with his antics.

8. I have two questions! One, have you ever fostered any polydactyl cats? I have a poly, but I got him when he was 4 so I never got to see him as a kitten. I have to think polydactyl kittens are just hilarious. And, two – when you’re fostering, does Challenger’s pay for vet bills, spay/neuter surgeries and food, or are all of those things provided by you and Fred?

   1. I’ve actually never had a polydactyl kitten – at least, not yet! Terry, one of the True Blood Six, appeared to be polydactyl at first, but he didn’t have an extra toe, they were just arranged differently.

      And yes, Challenger’s House pays for the vet bills and surgeries and food. The only thing they don’t pay for is the litter, and that’s not a problem for us, because we always have plenty of litter on hand. 🙂

   2. I get poly kittens all the time.

9. Corbie’s sweet face…love the tail on the paws…

10. I’m happy to see that Brandywine’s face is looking less pinched. Thanks for pushing the calories into that skinny, skinny mama, Robyn!

    1. I actually went to Walmart this morning because Queen Brandywine has decreed that she does not care for the pate-type canned food, she much prefers the shredded-type stuff. And all I had on hand was the pate type. It was an emergency! 🙂

       1. When Penny first got here, she wouldn’t eat canned food. Now she prefers ONLY canned. She gets an all-you-can-eat kibble buffet in the foster room, but apparently it’s “just for emergencies”

       2. You are the BEST, Robyn!

11. I may show up at your door when it’s time for BABY STOMPERS to find a furrrever home. 🙂 He’s SO CUTE and I need a little ginger to add to my “set”.

    1. It’s very important to have a complete set, you know. 😀

       1. Beware the gingervitis!

          http://lolcats.icanhascheezburger.com/2012/06/21/funny-cat-pictures-its-one-theory-anyway/

12. I love the wee white toe! I foresee us saying about other kittens soon: “he/she has a bit of the Ding”. Jake may have found his Mini Me!

    1. LOL, a bit of the Ding!!!

13. Well, we have ended up (so far) with five hissy/spitty/feral little kittens and one slightly older cat who we thought was Mom to three but now seems to be an older sister (if so, trip to vet next week). There is another sibling and Mom cat that may be coming if they can catch her; the rescue charity is paying the vet stuff but I haven’t had kittens this wild in years. After company leaves, we expect to kitten proof the drawing room and open the cages; already we spend a lot of time sitting in the room but that won’t tame them totally. I want them to come to us as much as possible, since one already won the name (through gardening gloves) of “Vlad the Impaler” with his tiny teeth!

    The two litters seem about 7 to 8 weeks old and have never been handled…fun, fun, fun! On the other hand, they seem to know all about threats like dogs and have some serious hunting skills..good barn cats if we can tame them enough to catch them for vet trips and needed attention.

    1. Oh I just love spitty kitties

    2. I had two fosters last year that were hissy/spitty/feral and about that age. Actually, one was hissy and spitty, the other was deer-in-the-headlights paralyzed with fear. After a few weeks of assuring them that my husband and I would not murder them (including the heavy use of chicken baby food on the fingers), Mr. Hissy-Fit was climbing into my lap of his own accord and purring, and not long after, climbing onto my back and shoulders every time I walked into the foster room (his sister, the freaked-out one, was a little slower to come around). The folks who adopted them sent me pictures a week or so after the adoption, and both kittens were totally at ease, sitting in laps and lounging on the couch, allowing themselves to be brushed, etc. Little brats. I adored them. Good luck!

       1. Oh, what a happy story! 🙂

          1. Oh I love the baby food idea, must try this!

             1. Ooh, yes, turkey or chicken baby food (we used Beechnut level one) works very well. Mr. Hissy (whose name was — and still is — actually Oscar) would get VERY excited by it. Sometimes a little too excited. Those kitten teeth can hurt.

14. I’ve heard of growth spurts but Kennebec is kind of ridiculous. He looks like a full grown cat in recent days, not a minor. He’s going to be LeBron-sized!

    1. I thought that too: in the picture where he’s sucking Robyn’s finger, he’s definitely getting his “cat” face, and losing his “kitten” face.

15. DS kills me.. first the white toe, then this..

    I swear ONE of the people promising to come down and kittennap Stompers better do it.. HE NEEDS HIS OWN BLOG!!

    Henry would like to say hi…

    v to h ,f,,],v”””””””””””””””””’

    See what happens when you take your kittens to work??

16. As for Sharon and her daughter, oh how my heart breaks at this. Loosing a beloved pet is never easy. I hope she can treat herself as well as she would treat a friend who either did this or had it happen to them. Since it wasn’t intentional and was just a horrid accident hopefully she can come to a place where she can accept that this was how it was fated to be. All of our pets will leave us at some point. How and when is not to be known when we take them in. Each life is here for a reason. Kodi helped me learn and understand FIP. Em taught me about feline diabetes and nasal cancer. Ollie, vaccine associated sarcoma. Share your story, help others learn from what you have gone through.

    as for biting kitties. whomever is getting bitten needs to tell the biter that it is not acceptable. in the case of two kitties you need to let them work it out. If the one being bitten is the omega of the house and can’t stand up for itself, then boosting the omega’s courage is in order. tell him to stand up for himself, root for him when there is a scuffle, etc. I can’t recommend the book “Cat vs Cat” highly enough, there are a lot of great suggestions on how to help cats deal with other cats in the house.

    As for the kitty who wants to get out.. there are three ways to handle this. A) let the kitty out. Not my idea of the best suggestion, but everyone’s life and situation is different. B) let the kitty out with supervision. Either on a harness and lead or in a cat proof enclosure. Again, not really ideal as you do still put the kitty at greater risk of heart worm, fleas, ticks and predators. the risk is much smaller, but it is greater then indoor only. or C) dissuade and distract the kitty. When the kitty goes to scratch randomly either distract with play or with punishment. A can of compressed air is usually startling enough to make the kitty consider what it is doing (they also make compressed air with a motion sensor for just such things) If you always treat you’ll teach the kitty to get food or play to go scratch at the door. If you always punish then the kitty will just find away around getting punished.

    1. I wanted to comment on Sharon’s note.

       I had the exact same experience as her daughter when i was in high school. I didn’t realize that my rescued, deaf cat was laying underneath the car when i pulled out of the driveway. It still hurts to this day, 14 years later. I don’t have any words of wisdom except that I am so very, very sorry to hear that she’s going through this.

17. Agata’s eyes are simply amazing, and amazed. Beautiful little girl.

18. I’m sorry, you must stop. I can’t handle Norland. Can’t. Handle. Norland. He is my favorite of all your current orange tabbies. And he would look so pretty with my little gray cat, and she would try to play with him and he would make that adorable grumpy old man face, and it’s probably a good thing I live so far away…

19. Dear Sharon’s daughter: I cannot imagine how devastated you are feeling right now. We love these creatures so much that we forget that there is always a little bit of the wild still in them, and that they go where they will. I hope that time will bring you to a happier place, where you can remember your good times with your beloved cat.

20. Maggie’s check-up and booster shots are scheduled for tomorrow morning. I will let you all know what the vet says about her new “curves.” 🙂

    Little stinker. She has gotten SO sweet and lovable since her spay surgery. Every day when we get home, she is on top of the chest of drawers that we use for a TV stand (it’s about 4 1/2 feet tall), and as soon as I open the bedroom door, she starts kneading her little cat-sized crocheted blanket that I made for her and that somehow got up there on top of the dresser. Kneading, standing up. Purring. And if those tactics don’t work, flopping to one shoulder and air-kneading.

    1. The vet agreed that Maggie’s fat accumulation was unusual, but said he didn’t think there was anything to worry about, because it was symmetrical, non-tender, and she wasn’t red or having any discharge. He said that the hormone imbalance after spaying can cause weight gain, and because she’s a small cat, it’s immediately obvious. They suggested that I watch her food intake. Apparently she just plumped up a little. 🙂

       1. Hi Noelogy! So glad to hear everything is okay with Maggie. She sounds like a lovely girl.

21. Thanks for the pictures of Rupert, Robyn — there’s just something about that boy. Come to think of it, there’s something about every single kitty on this blog. And all the kitties that appear in the comments section, too!

22. Since it’s been a veggie naming trend with the Taters and ‘Maters, I think you should do a Squash litter. I think you’d end up nicknaming someone “Pattypan” anyway lolol

23. Re the cat who’s suddenly desperate to go out – this might not apply, since Cat used to be an outdoor cat and knew what was out there. But there was a period of time where all of a sudden he wanted OUT. RIGHT NAO. even more intently than usual. One day he snuck out and instead of running off, he went straight to the grass and started chowing down and purring. It turns out he really loves grass. Maybe try getting some of that oat grass stuff and see if that’s what he wants? You can get a kit with seeds at pet supply places, and some grocery stores sell it in the produce section. (Cat strongly prefers crabgrass, though. I bring it from outside — the neighbors probably think I’m nuts.)

    1. I also wondered if perhaps there’s a new cat roaming the neighborhood that the housecat can smell or hear – I’ve sometimes noticed my own cats clustering around my (closed, solid wood) front door late at night. I always wonder, “Have they got a bug?” but I never manage to remember that there’s a cat in the neighborhood that likes to spray my front door – until the next morning when I step out into the stinky, nasty mess. I’m always irritated about that because if I’d remember at the right time (when I SEE the cats focusing on the door), maybe I could break the stray cat of that habit. Anyway, maybe there’s a nocturnal visitor of some sort that’s piquing the housecat’s interest. Not sure what to DO if that’s the case but at least it’d be an answer.

24. We had the most loved, sweet natured mal ecat named Cheddar..a few years back we had to put him down, this was just an awful situation and a very hard decision for all our family..jump forward our daughter says all she wants for her 12th bday is another cat..we are going to the shelter in mid-July..so do you have any advice for picking a cat?…My daughter wants a ‘snuggly cat’ We have 2 dogs, both have no problem with my parent’s cats…any advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

    1. Let the cat pick your daughter. If it’s a shelter like Challenger’s House where you can sit in a room with the cats free to roam, they will come to you and you’ll know when it’s the right one. Some cats don’t like to be picked up or held while you are standing, but they’ll curl up in your lap or snuggle next to you.

25. Hi Robyn – I have a suggestion for your reader who posted this:

    “Robyn my husband asked me to write you and see if you have any suggestions for how to deal with our cat who suddenly after almost 4 years with us cries and scratches at the door half the night wanting to get outside. He has been a total house cat since we took him in and this just started a month or two ago. We have put cardboard up to keep him from doing more damage to the door frame and have had to baracade that at night he is so determined. Thanks for any help from you and your wonderful readers.

    I have no helpful suggestions here, but I suspect someone out there does – if you have a suggestion, please share!”

    First off I would stop with the cardboard, Cardboard shreds easily and “feels” good when it does, so putting it there to block him may just encourage more of this behavior.

    In place of this, try double sided tape or aluminum foil in area he is scratching at. Cats do not like the feel of either of these materials and this may discourage further scratching.

    You can also try “redirecting” once the foil is up by placing a favorite scratching post next to the area he is wrecking.

    Lastly, your kitty may be wanting something that is outside, another cat, a mouse, or something else. If you can observe the outside around the doorway, try to see if there is something visiting in the middle of the night. This can be accomplished by personal observation, motion activated outdoor lighting or even cheap night vision cameras taped to the outside of the door. It might be a feral hanging out on your doorstep and marking territory.

    We have this problem with neighborhood kitties, They like to hang out on the porch and watch my kitties. We call it he kitty reality show.

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