6-29-12

89 thoughts on “6-29-12”

1. i like stompers chin whiskers!! they sort of sprout down and make it look like he’s been drinkin’ out of a bowl of milk.

2. So much Stompy goodness packed into the day! I seriously don’t know how you get anything done. I would be walking around all day with a kitten in every pocket and one of those black kittens on each shoulder (and what the heck, one can ride on my head too!)

   Hey, Holly Waterfall…. shameless stealing of your ideas at my blog today. Check it out!! OK, the rest of you can too 😉 I am now done talking about my blog here. You know where to find me!

   1. Wonderful Kelly! Left you a comment over there too.

   2. No way, Kelly, you keep on mentioning your blog, I want to make sure everyone remembers to go visit you! 🙂

      1. so can I share too
         http://www.moderncat.com/photocontest/cats/2012/06/07/fleurp

         There is no way I can win since the top two people had 25000 votes (yes, 25 thousand) but I’d love to get into the top 20..

         1. I’m still voting!! (And please remind me occasionally to do so again or else I’ll forget)

3. My advice for picking cats is yes, pick the one that picks you….but also, sit on the FLOOR (legs outstretched and ankles crossed) when you are in the interaction room with the kitten/cat. Take your time. Often they need to sniff around first and determine their surroundings before they settle down and show off their personality. At that time, you can lean over, pick them up and set them down on your lap/upper thighs. I am a “kitty cuddler” volunteer for our Animal Control (where I live) and this is the process I use with each cat/kitten. Please also realize that with kittens…they often go wild in the interaction room because they have all that energy and they cannot expend it properly in their small cages. However, you will be thoroughly entertained! 🙂 Best wishes! Oh…and pick based on personality….not looks.

   1. Amen to personality over looks! That’s how I ended up with a skin and bones elderly black kitty cat who’s a bit rough around the edges, but he loves me and he picked me instead of the other way around. We love him to death and absolutely brought the right one home with us.

4. We are beyond excited! And we’ll happily send updates as he settles in with his sister, Wisp. We’re even keeping his name(s). Cicero is lovely and Stompers is just such a great nickname.

   1. YAY! I’m so glad he’s going to stay Stompers! 🙂 So happy you’re adopting him.

   2. Congrats Kristyn and family!

   3. Congrats to you Kristyn and also to Stompers! Can’t wait for the continuous updates-or do I sense another blog here?

   4. So wonderful for you!

   5. I am so glad Stompers has a home and am really looking forward to seeing him grow up there via the occasional update! 🙂

   6. Love the name Wisp!

   7. Awesome news for Stompers! It actually brought tears to my eyes. I have two of Robyn’s fosters, so we are now in the same club.

      1. Congratulations for Cicero-Stompers and Kristyn. You’re doing a wonderful deed providing Stompers with his forever home. He’s leaving (Crooked Acres), on the midnight train to Georgia. Woo-hoo. I’m happy for everyone!

   8. Wonderful news all around – for Stompers, for Kristyn, for Wisp, and for us all because we will be getting updates about the little guy! Yay!

   9. Congratulations on getting a kitty with such huge personality!!

      sending updates? does that mean he’s not getting his own blog?

   10. You can combine his names and turn him into Stompero!

5. Re: products…maybe you could do a products/review page? I know I constantly try to remember when I saw something so I don’t have to backtrack through every post. For example, I think I read here about folks who use those coverable plastic storage containers as litter boxes. I was thinking of doing the same thing since one of my cats constantly pees along the back side of the box and it leaks through the seam where the cover meets the bottom of the litter box.

   1. I use a large storage container for a litter box, since my girls are full grown. One had refused to squat to pee, so there would be pee all over the wall behind the box. ick. I don’t use the lid, but it, for the most part, has kept the pee in the box.

      1. I use the large plastic dishpans from Wallyworld as litterboxes. They’re a single piece of plastic (no seams), and they have higher walls than “real” litterboxes do, which helps keep some litter (and pee!) in the boxes. Bonus: They’re cheaper, too — $3 at my local store. The link (but you can’t buy them online): http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sterilite-18-Qt-Dishpan-White/17011369

   2. Thanks for the ideas!!!

   3. Good idea, Nichole! I’ll see what I can put together (and thanks, Candace and Meowlady!)

      1. I used to use a cement mixing pan ($7 at Home Depot) when I had cats.
         The plastic for these pans is thicker, there are no corners (the bottom is rounded), there’s a thicker lip around the edge and they seem to be slicker/clean up better than regular cat pans.
         I had a large cat who liked to perch on the lip of the litter pan to do his business – once you’ve come home to a flipped over pan, litter strewn room and ticked off cat . . . you start searching for alternatives.

      2. I use wadding pools as litter boxes.

6. My advice on picking a kitten is to check with the volunteers/employees that work at the shelter. They know which kittens are the cuddlers. I foster for our local shelter, the kittens go back when they are over two pounds for spay/neuter/chip and then I say goodbye. We have a foster report card we fill out that we can note if this kitten likes to cuddle, lap cat, very independent or if they are fostered in pairs and seem inseparable we can note that we would love to see them adopted together. Nothing replaces getting down and playing with them. I have had the cutest kittens but they did not like to cuddle and then I have had some kittens that some may think not so cute and they have been the most loving, love bugs..so, just give them some time and see who comes to you. Good luck 🙂

   1. I completely agree. If the staff can’t answer you or get you information (because sometimes the weekend staff don’t get to spend a lot of time with the kitties) then I would be very cautious. If they don’t know the animals well enough to help I would wonder about the quality of the care (granted, sometimes turn around on adoptions is so quick they don’t really have time to know so keep an open mind)

      Also, don’t expect to adopt the first time you go. Often when you go with out the expectation of THE ONE, THE ONE comes right up to you and says “bout time you showed up, lets go!” you aren’t as stressed and the cats pick up on that. Most shelters are very open to people just going in and patting and grooming the cats.

7. Yeah for Stompers. We knew that cutie would go quick. 🙂

8. “Inspector Stompers disapprove of the “Smitten Kitchen” business. It supposed to be smitten KITTEN, and Stompers not appreciate the play on words. That’s IT. You close this operation down!”

   LOL! The Smitten Kitten is a sex-toy shop in Uptown Minneapolis. 😀

   1. OMG that is hysterical!

      1. And it predates the Smitten Kitchen. 😉

   2. HA – I did not know that!

   3. *covers Stompers ears* he does not need to know such things 😉

9. I just love Norland’s wedgie head and big bat ears!

   1. Agreed! His ears are HUUUGE! And sort of off to the sides of his head, which is, I think, what makes him so adorable to me.

10. Awww, kitten named Pattypan, but also Buttercup (yes, besides Butternut), but Zucchini, not sure! lots of ‘food’ for thought there, ha!

    and so wonderful Stompers has a forever home, and it’s awesome when you get updates, love seeing how the grownup kittehs look, plus knowing they’re loved so much.

    1. Courgette would be nice, though.

       1. Ooh, yes, I like Courgette, too! (As well as Buttercup!)

       2. Love Courgette!

    2. I searched for varieties of squash, and I found these names:

       Acorn
       Blue Hokkaido
       Butternut
       Cheese (!!!)
       Delicata
       Hubbard
       Kabocha
       Red Kuri
       Rouge Vif d’Etampes
       Spaghetti (!!!)
       Sugar Pie
       Sweet Dumpling
       Turban

       And of course, Pattypan!

       (Am I the only one who wants to see kittens named Cheese and Spaghetti?)

       1. Oh, my heart… my brother and sis-in-law had a cat named Hubbard. In fact, he got his name because the color of his fur (he was marmie and white) reminded my SIL of that particular type of squash. He was very fluffy and built like a little feline tank (he obviously had some Persian in his background) with polydactyl front paws, and he had a rather rakish tear in one ear from his days as a stray before they rescued him from a local animal shelter. He looked like he ought to be the toughest cat in the entire world, and yet he was the biggest marshmallow you ever met–grumpy at times, but a sweetie for all of that. My husband and I cat-sat him for a month once, and I came to love him almost as my own. We lost him just last year to diabetes and various other age-related ailments, and he’s very much missed; it still feels strange to go over to my brother’s house for holidays and such and realize that my furry nephew isn’t waiting upstairs for his chin rubs any more. Sigh.

          So Robyn, if you do end up with a litter of “Squashes” this summer, and there happens to be a sweet little orange and white boy with a lot of floof in the lot, I hope you’ll consider calling him Hubbard–he’d be following in some very good pawprints!

          1. Hubbard sounds like a Very Good Cat, Indeed!

11. The readers still demand a video of Stompypants stomping.

    1. I second that motion!

    2. I’m working on it! 🙂

12. Ah, the water fountains…. I bought the Drinkwell plastic fountain, and it was fine for a while, but now I can’t get the damn motor piece out to save my life! You have to use one finger to lift it and then pull it out for cleaning, and I can’t get it out, and you can’t use anything else (screw driver, etc.) for leverage for fear of breaking the plastic. So now it is just a very expensive, unplugged water bowl… 🙁 I will definitely buy ceramic next time, because my cats do like the running water!

    And I’m glad I’m not the only one constantly cleaning cat hair off her kitchen counters! I have Trixie and Jinx “trained” to where they stay on the top of the refrigerator when I’m actually cooking (they can see everything going on but are away from the food, hot stove, knives, etc.), but otherwise they roam the counters at will and love to drink from the running kitchen faucet. I have a hand-thrown bowl that I love, that says “The Cook is not responsible for the cat hair in the food”! 😉

    1. Yeah, I have three cats but one of them is white. God help you if you where black in my house. Everyone leaves with a white butt. It is not that I don’t de-fur daily all the furniture and such, it is just that he is like Pig-pen, but instead of dirt…fur….

    2. I also have the Drinkwell problem with the motor not coming off. I just turn it on its side as best I can and clean it with the motor still in, and keep it as dry as possible. I’m able to take all the other parts off. Mine has done fine like this for a year or so.

       1. Unfortunately, mine’s leaking now, because I don’t think the motor is in properly but I can’t get it back out… So I’m afraid to run it with the leak.

13. I meant to comment on DCEP, but forgot–I *always* think Smitten Kitten for that website. I think she should change it, don’t you?

    1. Oh, I forgot to mention, anyone who says their cat(s) don’t get up on the counters is either lying or totally oblivious (is that the word I want? You know, like people whose kids would never xxx)

       1. 2 of my cats don’t (they just aren’t climbers)…however….1 of them is the nosiest booger on the planet so he has to see everything I am doing. Now when I say, “Get down.” he gets on the bar over the sink very quickly. A while back, we can come to agree that the “bar” is not part of the “counters” (so he says) and that is thus not off limits. I had to conceed else I would never get anything cooked or cleaned cuz the second I got him off the counter, he would jump back up and I would have to put him right back down. So on the bar, he can watch everything and stay off the counters. Will he “troll” behind my back if something nifty is on the counter (like a box)? Uh…yeah…mama’s no fool.

          As for the dining room table…*sigh*… it is oval shaped. When I snap my fingers and tell him to get down, he runs around the table just out of my reach like he is running track. There is always one mischievious child in every family….

          1. Running on a track! That made me snort!

       2. Like GD said, it might just be that they know their cats.

          Out of my five, three of them would get up on the counter if there was, say, some gushy-food or an unrinsed tuna can up there, and I wasn’t around. Only one, however, gets up on the counter regularly. Even then, she prefers to be at the end of the counter, next to the door, so she can look out and chatter at the birds – and that’s only if someone’s left a dishtowel on the counter for her to sit on. Otherwise she prefers the mat by the door. A princess has to have her cushions, you know!

          The other two, one of them would probably die of a heart attack if I ever lifted her up that high (I swear, we’ve had her since she was a kitten, yet she always acts like she is terrified of EVERYTHING; after ~6 years, I still can only pick her up if I’m wearing protective gear – therefore, I am pessimistically certain that this is the cat who’s going to, one day, develop a condition requiring daily medication), and the other one would immediately flatten onto his belly, hold on for dear life, and beg to be rescued. They don’t like heights, and the fraidy-cat doesn’t like jumping in general.

          That knowledge helps when I need to do a cat count, though – I know that three will probably be at waist-level or above, one on something cushioned; the other two will be down at ankle-level so I have to be sure to look under everything.

14. Baby Stompers has a home!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!! Can’t wait to see how he grows up!

15. It’s going to keel me when this group leaves!

16. at least all the animals don’t refer to you as “that crazy beeotch”.

    1. Well, not to my FACE.

       1. LOL!!!

    2. the do over here when I have to medicate..

17. I’m so happy Stompers has a forever home and so sad it’s not my house. I haven’t fallen so in love with a kitten like this in a long while. I can’t wait to see the updates as they come in.

18. Who Sungold, that’s laddie mag quality posing. Beautiful.

    Also wondering how many people Kristen had to fight to take Stompers home.

    1. Kristyn was actually the first (and only) one to contact the shelter about him!

19. I’ve had no luck getting my 3 semi-feral inside at night. Wolfie, at least 7yrs old now, has been outside her whole life (has a neighborhood outdoor cat). Now she lives on my front porch & it’s my greatest wish that she spend her golden yrs sleeping my sofa. She’ll come in for cuddles & food but as soon as I close the front door, she turns into a crazed, cornered, wild thing. It’s sad to watch, she is sooo Unhappy. Needless to say, we open the door & out she runs…about 4 ft away. Nope, she’ll never be an inside kitty. So, we built several sturdy huts, got lots of blankets & heating pads. Luckily, winters are mild here but it’s the predators that I worry about. Every morning, we ask each other “seen Wolfie yet today?”. All that said I know she is happier outside and so we let her be …outside. But it’s hard, really hard.

20. so much kitty goodness…Id never get anything done except fussing and kissing..

21. Corbie is Corbalicious. And that white spot on Scotty’s foot is his dingwall.

    1. LOL Kathy – that sounds like a euphemism for something awfully rude! That’s hilarious.

22. If anybody is able to help out in the following situation it would be great….
    The news reported that a man was hoarding cats in his vehicle and because it was so hot here the last few days the cats are not doing well. They were taken in by the vet and are being transferred to some rescues when they are able. This is near Harrisburg, PA. The article is here: http://www.abc27.com/story/18918152/hoarded-orphaned-cats-need-permanent-home
    Thanks in advance to any who can help.

23. Here’s something I learned the hard way. Our cat kneaded and sucked regularly. I gave him a nice small sheepskin type “blanket” and he adored it, carried it around in his mouth (so cute!) and nursed on it. A lot. After a year or so, he started vomiting so off he went to the vet’s with his blanket in his crate for comfort. They kept him for 2 days and did a set of xrays requiring anesthesia plus blood work only to finally decide it was bits of fluff in his digestive system. Much worry and $900 later (I know!!) we brought him home, threw out his blanket and haven’t had any issues since. That was 3 years ago. Mind you, the sheepskin was very shaggy so tufts came off fairly easily I guess. He still kneads and sucks occasionally, but on a low pile blanket or towel and not very often. I felt very stupid and a lot poorer after that episode!

24. We adopted two kittens last year and I update their foster moms every so often.. I am not sure that my updates are especially welcome – there never seems to be much of a response. Just wondering how you feel about the frequency of updates and should I give it up after we’ve had them for a year.

    1. I can tell you I LOVE them when I get them. Often it is hard to know what to say because you know the kitties have moved on and aren’t “mine” any more. I don’t want to say anything to offend or come off incredibly crazy (I expect people to think I’m a little crazy)

       You could always ask. There are a slew of different reasons to suggest why sending photos might not be appropriate (too big for her mail server, work email, too many emails, too busy, etc)you can pick one, even if it seems silly, and ask. If she takes the excuse then you have your answer. If she says no way I love seeing them, then you know you aren’t bothering her.

       1. Oh, I like Connie’s suggestion.

          I can say that I always LOVE getting updates on my fosters, I love hearing about how they’re doing and I love seeing what they look like all grown up – and I especially love hearing how much people love having my former fosters as part of their family!

    2. I love hearing about kitties who aren’t mine, so I’d be over the moon to hear about my fosters in their new home. Connie’s suggestion rocks, as usual. Doesn’t hurt to ask.

25. So, I’ll have you know, lady, that you’ve cost me some money lately. Yes, YOU! You see, ever since I started reading your blog a couple years ago, I have wished for a cat just like Looney Jake. But of course, being a cat-mom of three, I knew that I did not have room in the house for One. More. Cat.

    Until.

    I saw this beautiful, blue gray cat at Petsmart named Hootie. Who, upon seeing me, started rubbing up against the glass and kneading his paws frantically.

    Nope, didn’t need another cat.

    Until…. I went BACK to Petsmart and discovered this little boy was STILL not adopted.

    NO. NO MORE CATS!

    Until… I went back an hour later and adopted him. I promptly renamed him Albus, because all my pets have a Harry Potter theme going on (I have three other cats: Hermione, Minerva, and Moony, and a dog named Winky). And after the first night, I was convinced my animals wouldn’t accept a new guy into the family because of the amount of hissing and floofing going on. And because Albus himself was TERRIFIED, even when I put him in isolation. But I told myself to just give it a week and see what happened. Albie got over being terrified, the other cats, while *occasionally* still hissy, have now accepted him, and I tell you what, there are times when I swear Albus has a touch of the loon in him. This is Albus, btw:

    So it’s ALL YOUR FAULT that I have 4 cats now! AND you also caused me to spend some more money because, after seeing how much Albus likes to play with toys, I ordered Da Bird on Amazon! (All the cats LOVE it! My tubbiest kitty went flying through the air trying to catch it today!)

    Yep, definitely mad at you! 😉 Hehehehehe….

    1. Oops, I guess HTML tags don’t work on the comments… here’s the link to Albie’s picture: http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/487276_10150910553447219_2024716017_n.jpg

    2. way to go Robyn!

       1. Do you think anyone will figure out that I won’t be happy until EVERYONE has 14 cats? 🙂

          Traci, Albus is absolutely loonytoonalicious and I’m heartily sorry for having forced you to adopt him. 😀

          1. Yeah, the lady at Petsmart who had 10 cats wasn’t terribly sympathetic with my meager “But it means I’ll have FOUR cats!!” protestations lol

26. Keeping an outdoor cat in..

    well it really depends on the cat. You can implement a few things, but sometimes when a cat gets a taste of the wild they are never happy with out it.

    First you need to make the indoors attractive. If your kitty is a climber, then cat trees are going to be important. Getting cat walks around the walls could also provide interest. Jackson Galaxy’s blog recently added a ‘catification’ section of his website (and lots of info on his show “my cat from hell” too) to show how to modify your home to make it more cat friendly while not looking like you live in your cat’s house. Mental stimulation is good. Play time is important. Toys that interact is good. “hunting” toys that have food in them and ‘reward’ the cat for ‘hunting’. Hiding some treats around the house to also encourage ‘hunting’. If the cat is an actual hunter then adding raw meat might be helpful. Raw bones are something they would eat if they catch a mouse, so they can be fed. I had a mom recently that ate an entire cornish game hen (all be it in two sessions, I cut it in half and she ate one half one day and the other the next)

    Then you need to make the outside unattractive. Discourage sitting at the door. A can of compressed air makes a noise that most cats can’t stand and you can do it from across the room. A can with coins in it, etc. I would also randomly discourage with something attractive such as starting play time or giving a treat.

    If it is an option, provide cat safe outdoor time. There are catios and cat safe enclosures

27. For some reason, I keep getting an error when trying to open the link from the TV interview last week. Can you imbed it into your blog, vs just the link? So happy for Mr. Stomps-a-lot finding a home… he is such a cutie pie… remind me how old he is, compared to the Maters n Taters. Or, is he just a small little runt?

    1. How about this, Leslie:

       (I’ll go back and change the link in the entry, hopefully it’ll work.)

       Stompers is about 8 weeks old, Norland and Russet will be three months old tomorrow. The little Taters are about 10 days younger than Norland and Russet. And the ‘Maters are about 8 weeks too – Stompers is actually guesstimated to be a few days older than the ‘Maters.

       1. This is the error I keep getting re: video, even with it embedded… thanks btw…

          Media Error:
          ArgumentError – Invalid parameter passed to method… Huh??? I think it’s written in a language only the person who wrote it understands… grrrrrrrr…

          So what you’re really saying is that Senior Stomper is tiny! Such a cutie pie face… and Corbie… just beautiful!

          1. Hmph. Well, I’ve exhausted my skills with trying to make it work, sorry. 🙁 You’re not missing much, if that helps. 🙂

28. Nnnnnooooo! YOU were supposed to succumb to the vibes I was sending you and adopt Stompers! He is just unbearably cute and is now my favourite kitteh — except for Miz Poo of course. I hope his new mum understands we expect updates!

29. Congrats to Kristyn and Stompers! It will be great to see updates!

30. I think you’re slacking….you’re missing a banner on the right for the Maters bunch!

    1. Oh, shush, you. It’s on my mental to-do list.

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