Cutey shows off her yoga skills.
And Clyde wears his foot as a hat. Very fashionable!
This was going well, Uncle Newt was perfectly happy to sniff noses…
Then Clyde hissed and said “SIR. Please distance properly. This is NOT six feet!”
Newt shrugged and asked to go out, and Clyde said “Wait! Where ya going?!”
Then Clyde admired Jake from afar.
And Jake ignored him.
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Once Bunny and Lola and Bugs were out of the house Monday, I closed off the foster room (Cutey and Clyde are in the guest bedroom at night now) and started to clean. I cleaned and cleaned and then I cleaned some more. All day Tuesday I cleaned and did laundry.
Yesterday, I filled the foster room again.
Say hello to our new fosters! First their faces and then their stories.
Calico mama Alexandra.
Alexandra was at animal control. Not only did she have an old (healed) head wound, a sizable dent in her head – caused, they think, by a fan belt, she was also pregnant. She went to Michelle’s house, and on June 3rd she gave birth to three boy kittens – mostly-black d’Artagnan, orange tabby Athos, and black and white Porthos.
Yes, I see that there are more than three kittens in that picture.
Aramis – I’m going to call him a silver and white tabby, because he looks more silvery than brown to me, though it doesn’t show well in that picture above – came from the same location where Ryder and her kittens were rescued. He joined Alexandra and her kittens in mid-June. Alexandra, who is the sweetest girl ever, had no problem with that.
Winter – floofy gray and white girl – joined them a bit later, then Constance (brown tabby and white girl) and Rochefort (classic brown tabby) joined them somewhat recently – last week, maybe? Possibly the week before? And Alexandra welcomed them all. (Winter, Constance and Rochefort all came from Athens Animal Control, same place Charles and Caroline and Margeaux and Katriane came from – and most of the Mainers.)
So we have another cobbled-together litter from various places. Alexandra’s kittens (d’Artagnan, Athos and Porthos) are 6 weeks old as of yesterday. Winter is at least a week older (possibly more than that, but we’ll call her 7 weeks old) and I think Aramis is about the same age she is. Constance and Rochefort are younger – I’m going to say 5 weeks old, though they might be younger.
Despite their age and size differences, they all play together well and snuggle up, too. I’m sure that as far as they’re concerned, they’re siblings. Who’s going to tell them otherwise?
I’ll call this litter The Musketeers (names came from The Three Musketeers, obviously – Alexandra is named after author Alexandre Dumas) unless someone suggests an alternate name I like better.
Alexandra, despite her head injury (as mentioned, it’s old and healed) gets around with NO problem at all. We’re not sure how well she sees or hears, but she definitely sees SOMETHING and she responds when the kittens cry.
“What’s up HERE?”
Winter’s all “What is going ON?!”
Athos takes a swing at the side of the crate.
Checking things out.
Rochefort has some delightful markings.
I might’ve startled d’Artagnan.
D’Artagnan and Winter get floofy at each other.
Porthos checks out the toys.
Rochefort wonders if the milk bar might be open (it was.)
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On her trip through the back yard, Sheriff Alice Mo (Sheriff Mo?) stops to see what Archie is doing. That boy is always up to no good.
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Previously
2019: Margeaux would like you to know that kittens make excellent pillows.
2018: Syringe feeding is messy business, especially when the kitten in question isn’t as into it as you’d like them to be.
2017: Here we have Gaston explaining to Lumiere that he is also da BAYbee and Lumiere is all “Y’don’t say. Tell me more!”
2016: No entry.
2015: Roundup: Carlin
2014: “DUDE I FEEL SO WEIRD I CAN’T FIND MY FEET THEY WERE HERE AND NOW THEY’RE GONE AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M GONNA DO.”
2013: “Who IS that mysterious older woman who’s ignoring me? I am intrigued!”
2012: Caspian’s a chatty fellow.
2011: No entry.
2010: “And then we was tutored, and it was EXHAUSTING!”
2009: That is one happy little cat!
2008: Sisterly love.
2007: And then the guy sat down to talk to us, and I turned into a pouty teenage brat.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
OMC Alexandra is a wonderful mama to take on 4 more kittens! What’s makes y’all think she may have vision or hearing issues, other than location of her injury?
That’s just what I was told – sometimes when she’s walking across the floor she tilts her head in such a way that it makes me wonder, but she’s very surefooted. As far as hearing, she doesn’t really respond to any noises other than the kittens crying, which is unusual to me (after Isabella and Bunny, who would growl at noises outside the door.)
Since Dumas is French, for your mamma, why not a fancy French name? I see Milady de Winter has been used but how about Milady or Kitty? According to wikipedia, Kitty is the servant of Milady de Winter and adores D’Artagnan (so do I!).
Your new fosters are adorable! Can’t wait for all the pics with this bunch. Love the Halloween kitty with D’Artagnan.
Oh everyone’s named, I was more looking for suggestions on what to call the litter as a whole – and BetaLoop nailed it. Can’t believe I didn’t think of that! 🙂
The Mewsketeers! How adorable they are!
PERFECT.
I’m looking at Constance’s photo and thinking that she has the perfect big eyes to determined, pouty (no, not potty) mouth ratio that Stompers did.
Love how d’Artagnan is already eyeing a career on Broadway.
hehehehehe…. “ONE… singular sensation…” Razzle Dazzle that boy needs a top hat and cane! This looks to be a very fun group!!! Yay! (and just before the ‘missin’ kittens’ sets in from the last litter! Robyn, you’re too good to us!!!!!
Oh, I absolutely see the Stompers resemblance – I also think she (and Rochefort) look like Amelie.
What a beautiful new group! I was immediately impressed (in the first “picture” of all of them) by how well they’ve got the “ears of annoyance” down – must be fast learners. D’Artagnan seems to have a bit of the rockyhorrorpickle about him.
Sweet beebees, and so glad they all escaped the animal shelters. Shelters do the best they can with their limited funds, but it is heartbreaking at times. My dog, Rambo, came from the local animal shelter, and I adopted a cat there years ago. Rambo was the best dog ever (I know people say that about every dog they have!) and lived to be 14. Lost him last year, still miss that boy.
Will enjoy seeing the new kitties grow and blossom under your care! Thanks for all you do!!
I have a question. Why are tabbies more common than tuxedos? My former biology teacher says that tabbies are better camouflaged in the wild than tuxedos. This is also the reason why they are so common. But tuxies can also camouflage themselves in dark places. What do you say?
Alexandra and her kittens are so cute. I cannot wait to see them grow and play. Winter is already my favorite from this litter.
TL;DNR – tabby is the basic, dominant color and pattern, and will always be the most common in random bred litters.
I’ve always been fascinated by feline color genetics, but am completely an interested amateur. But I’ve read a lot. Though I don’t recall every seeing/reading what I think is the answer (I might have), which is tabby (actually, the agouti gene) is the default, the basic pattern & color, if you will.
Everything else in “color variety” is a modification of the basic color. Add into that the variations in how the agouti gene is expressed, i.e. whether as a mackerel/stripey tabby, a classic/bulls-eye tabby, or a ticked tabby, or not expressed at all, in which case, you get a solid colored cat. A “brown tabby” actually has the base color of black (dominant color), but with the expression of the dominant agouti gene, the cat looks brown and has tabby markings. On a brown tabby with no white on the feet, look at the bottoms of their feet. Black.
Then there is the dilution factor. Using Jake as an example, his appearance is due to having black color expressed as gray because he has the dilution gene. And no tabby stripes because he lacks the expression of the agouti gene. Khal is non-agouti, but no dilution, so he’s black. Red (orange) cats have a modification of the color gene (and orange very often has sex linked properties, a whole ball of wax I’m going to ignore!). They too show varying expression of the agouti gene. Look at Newt, he doesn’t look much patterned at all. I’m not sure if he’s ticked or solid colored. He also has the dilution factor going on, so he’s a buff or cream color. If you remember Frankie, he was more of a “standard” orange tabby, and is little man Athos and Mr. Clyde.
Speaking of Mr. Clyde, he also has a lot of white. Well, that’s due to yet another gene, the white spotting gene. Which varies a lot in expression, from a few white hairs or a locket, to all-over white (I had one of those), and everything in between. Clyde has heavy expression of the white spotting gene. So the white amount and positioning to produce a “tuxedo” cat is very specific (think of other black & white kitties, like the ones termed “cow kitties”). That right there explains why tuxedos are fewer than brown tabbies (with or without white), more gene combinations have to line up just right.
With random bred cats, you never know what genetic colors and patterns lurk, waiting for expression on the off-spring. I could natter on a lot longer, but I will shut up now.
Thank you for the color gene explanation, animal gene expression is always fascinating. 🙂
Thank you, Joy! Cat genetics are really interesting and exiting.
Wow, when you do a new litter, you do it up right! Adorable new babies!
PC Mo, the calico, will write yer arse a ticket, yo!
(Police Constable – I ❤️ BritBox)
LOVE this!
Adorable!
First, yay for adopted kitties, Bunny running around and being happy, and Cutey and Clyde doing the same! I hope Bunny’s forever home comes along soonest, and that her fabulous looooooong fur grows in just as quickly so her people can enjoy her marvelous longhair self forever.
Eeeee newbies! I’m loving both the names, and the named! And if two of the tabbies look like Amélie, squee! My initial gigantic soft spot is for calico sweetheart momcat Alexandra, though. Poor baby has clearly been through lord only knows what. I want to cuddle her! Is she as wonderful to humans as she is to kittens? I’m going to guess yes.
I need to re-read The Three Musketeers! It did take me a few minutes to recall where the name “Winter” was coming from. I am already completely in love with her! The floofiness! And little boy Rochefort is unbelievably striking, he will be something when he’s bigger, I bet! Good for mama Alexandra to care for so many babies not her own! Lucky babies. Lucky us to see them now.
What a precious clowder you’ve got there. <3 Porthos made me squee, and M'Lady Winter oh my the gorgeous floof, and d'Artagnan does indeed have the Tony Pickle going on, and will you check out those tabby babies? And isn't Mama a beauty, and so sweet.
Just AWWWWW!! Love that so many are together, even ‘cobbled’! Saw on FB one more addition and mama just welcomed her!