And Stompers going to his forever home! Is he going to be called Stompers, or Cicero, or something brand new?
They’re keeping his name – he’ll be Cicero and Stompers, and I’m sure in time they’ll come up with other nicknames as well. In the last week he’s gone from Stompers to Dompers to Domples. Every cat in this house has 374 nicknames. It’s the law!
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Have any of you caught this little kitty born without his back legs, Anakin the Two Legged Miracle Cat. He has a facebook page and is adorable.
He is so freakin’ CUTE – and amazing!
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Btw, can you share this link with Gail?
Gail had seen it, but I wanted to make sure everyone else did, too!
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You know who I thought Pepsi was? Hydrox from the Cookies. You can see the resemblance, yeah? Particularly when little Hydrox was a wee boy.
Oh, I definitely see the resemblance! I was just thinking about Hydrox (nickname: Brick, because he was so much heavier than his siblings) the other day. He was such a little character!
PS: One of my favorite Cookies pictures:
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My cats love all the toys that are being mentioned, but they also love dog toys! In particular, the “long dogs” that you can find at Petsmart — they use ’em just like the Kong Kickers and I’ve even found one of my cats with one in her mouth, running around the house with it. She likes to kick them so hard they squeak.
I always look at those in the store, but haven’t bought any. I’m going to have to buy one, so I can see if our cats/ fosters like them!
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Blowing in their face to stop the biting? I might have to try that… Leo is becoming more of a nipper and I need to nip his nipping in the bud!
Their reaction at first is priceless, because they don’t know WHAT is going on. But they get the idea pretty quickly! This is me teaching Declan (one of Maggie’s babies) not to bite when he was 7 weeks old:
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Please please please try this! I can’t have chickens (my property is too marshy only good for ducks/geese) so please?
I’ll see what I can do. I know that chickens love cabbage, it just never occurred to me to hang it up like a tetherball!
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I LOVE Agata’s eyes. They are gorgeous. What color are they? They look copper-colored.
Copper-colored is a good description of the color, as well as topaz (which was Noelegy’s suggestion).
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My older cats aren’t much for playing with toys anymore, other than kicking around a catnip sack every once in a while. But the one-year-old actually plays fetch. His favorite things to chase and bring back to me are toy mice, straws, popsicle sticks, twistie ties, bottle caps, and a feather assembly off a broken feather teaser. Every time I let him outside, he immediately comes back in with a stick. I have woken up many times to find a popsicle stick or straw in my bed. He is such a weirdo.
Mister Boogers (who has, amazingly, been gone for three years now) was a fetcher, too. When we lived in Madison, I woke up several times as he brought a bird into the bedroom while I was sleeping. And invariably, the bird was alive and annoyed and would fly across the room as I sat up sleepily. Having a bird fly across the room directly at your head is guaranteed to wake you up quickly!
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You just know they’re pressing that printer button on purpose.. “Quick, do it now, she’s not looking!” “Ok… no, you do it!” *press* “RUN!! Bwhahahahaha!” I hate to point out the obvious.. but is there perhaps an off button? 🙂 That would freak them out, no? “I’m pressing and pressing the magic button and nothing’s happening!”
There is an on/off button, but they have to climb over it to sit on the printer/scanner. And as they’re climbing over the on/off button, they invariably turn it on. I am CERTAIN that the little monsters know what they’re doing!
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Do you ever find yourself saying “Later, Taters” when you leave the room? I’m imaging them rolling their little kitty eyes, but I’d do it anyways.
Oh, I have a few times, but not with any regularity.
I do, however, refer to kittens who are shrieking for their snacks as “Marvins” because they’re Starvin’ Marvins. And I can actually see the kittens roll their little eyes. 🙂
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I’m currently a train engineer for a trackless steam train that goes around an outdoor mall – we play music and sing songs and tell stories as we take kids and families around the mall on the train. Well, right now I’m on Bouncy’s Brown Bear Line and made up a story about Bouncy the Bear and Her Best Friend named Stompers the Tiny Orange Kitten *heh*
Bouncy and Stompers go frolicking in a forest, climbing trees and looking for snackins. They come upon a set of train tracks right along a river and they are soooo cute that the train engineer lets them climb in and ring the bell and blow the whistle and take the tickets of people getting on the train at the next stop. Train Conductor Stompers and Train Engineer Bouncy Bear. 🙂
I love this so very, very much! And Stompers would be an excellent Train Conductor. 🙂
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For some reason, I keep seeing Brandywine as a permanent resident….any chance on that?
I always hate saying this, because I feel like it’s an insult to the cat, but no – I’d say there’s no chance that Brandywine will become a permanent resident. Not because we don’t like her – we like her a lot – but because we are stuffed to the gills with permanent residents.
Whoever ends up with her is going to get an amazing cat, though – she’s such a sweet, playful, friendly girl.
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You mentioned before that you grew Ghost Chili peppers. I have been trying to grow them from seeds, to little result. Do you get them pre-started or do the whole grow ’em from seeds thing?
We grew ours from seeds. We started them inside, in pots, which we put on a heating pad on very low. And we didn’t get a very good germination rate, as I recall, only about half of the seeds we planted grew, and I think that the ones that did grow took forever to get going. We waited ’til they were really well established before we transplanted them to the garden. We ended up getting a fairly decent harvest, in the end.
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Do you have recipes somewhere? Would you be willing to share yours for the jalapeno jelly? Not for me, but I know my parents would love it. 🙂
The recipe I use for jalapeno jelly is here. My only advice: when the recipe says that it boils over easily, it is NOT kidding. Keep an eye on that stuff!
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What kind of fountain is that? It looks like something my two kittehs would like.
That’s a Hagen CatIt Fresh & Clear.
Of all the cat fountains I’ve tried, that’s the one they seem to like the most. Or at least, I should say, the one they’ve continued to use. Other fountains I’ve tried, they lose interest, but this one still gets lots of use every day.
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Wellington in a rare moment of stillness.
“Hey, you! I said there’s only room for one up here!”
Brandywine has got such an expressive face, doesn’t she?
“ONE day I’m going to get that feather teaser. Apparently it won’t be today. But maybe tomorrow!”
(In the background, Mr. Stripey and Sungold are all “Girrrrrrl, he is NEVER going to get that feather teaser. Bless his heart!”)
The way they follow her around with their tails straight up in the air cracks me up.
Poor Mr. Stripey and his leaky eye. (It doesn’t slow him down or bother him, though!)
Bath time for Brandywine.
She is, I’m telling you, the MOST playful adult cat I’ve ever seen. I need to get some video.
Note that the orange kittens have sent Caspian forth as an emissary to see if Snack Bar Mama might be inclined to let them nurse.
I’m guessing that a lick to Caspian’s head is considered a green light to the rest of the babies.
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Kennebec, up close. You can still see the faintest bits of blue in his eyes.
Brandywine, supervising Kennebec and Agata playing. (She did not much approve of their shenanigans.)
They so love to watch the birds out there – and the birds put on quite a show for them.
There goes Stompers, stressing again!
“I’m going to my forever home? Why, let me stress about that for a bit, shall I?”
“SO stressed.”
“What I have here is a rough life.”
(Yes, I did in fact snatch him up and snarfle his ears right off his head.)
Agata staring out the window as she does math trying to figure out how much MORE snackin’ there will be without that little whippersnapper around.
So, handing Stompers off to his new family went just fine. I got to spend a few quality hours with him yesterday morning, and he obliged my need for snuggling by being particularly sweet and snuggly. He was perfectly relaxed in his carrier on the way to the shelter. There are two dogs at the shelter, and I was curious to see what his reaction would be to them. He wasn’t all that thrilled with them, but he’s such a laid-back boy that he wasn’t freaked out, either. One of the dogs got a little too close for comfort, and Stompers growled, hissed, and smacked, then went back to snuggling and purring.
Kristyn and her boys showed up soon after, and as I handed Stompers over to Kristyn so she could say hi to him, Stompers didn’t stop purring for one single moment. The boys (10 year old twins) got to hold him too, and Stompers just kept purring. While Kristyn signed the paperwork, I took the boys into the cat room, and let me tell y’all – those boys were sweet and respectful, and when it came to approaching the cats, they knew what they were doing. I knew without a doubt that Stompers was going to a great home.
Stompers was clearly sleepy, and we got him settled in his carrier, and I said goodbye to him and to them. Kristyn promised to let me know when they made it home safely – and a few hours later, they were home safe and sound.
Stompers did this most of the way home:
Doesn’t he look terrified?
At last report, Stompers was alternating between sitting in Kristyn’s lap purring, and exploring her desk.
So Stompers is home! He’s got a sister cat who he’ll meet in a few days (I think she’s 4 years old) and two 10 year-old human brothers. Also, a Mom and a Dad.
Congratulations Stompers – you charmed your way right into the perfect home. 🙂
“Dat was my plan. Stompers no dummy!”
PS: I am not even kidding when I say I have a ton more Stompers pics. I haven’t even gone through them all – I’m expecting to put up Stompers-pics-only posts this weekend.
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Bath time for the Corbs.
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Previously
2011: Cilantro would like to know whatchoo talkin’ ’bout, Willis?
2010: “PARDON ME THIS IS JAKE’S CAVE THIS IS NOT MEANT FOR KITTENS TO COME TROMP ALL OVER THIS IS MY PRIVATE PLACE FOR PRIVACY.”
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: He has no time for the little kid.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Congrats, Stompers! Your new home sounds purr-fect!
BTW: You forgot to mention just how gorgeous sweet Corbie is! Thus, I will: “Look how magnificiant and gorgeous Corbie is!!!!!”
🙂
I assumed that everyone knows by now. 🙂
Oh my heart. Stompers just stomped all over it.
Aw, I got a little teary-eyed at the end. SO happy for the Stompers, and bless you again, Robyn, for raising those babies right! Have a great weekend!
Brandywine looks like my kind of cat..damn you atlantic ocean…
Your story of Mister Boogers and the bird reminds me of the time my tortie Zoe, who loves to gift me things but thankfully doesn’t go outside, brought me a live mouse….at 1:30 am. She very generously put it in my hair! I’m not generally wimpy around mice, alive or dead, but in the middle of the night, in my hair, I admit to a bit of a scream. Zoe was most disgusted with me for dissing her gift.
So glad Stompers found his way to the perfect home. And yes, Brandywine has a beautiful, expressive face.
And while I’m here, thanks for all the daily doses of cute from Crooked Acres!
And thank you for reading! 🙂
I rarely comment although I’ve been a regular reader for years. I know how you like it when your readers dream about you, so here goes…… While I didn’t dream about you or Fred specifically, I did spend my slumber hours chasing four little orange stripey kittens all over the place. My friend and I were trying to get the four kittens somewhere (the details are fuzzy) and they were all over the place. As soon as we would get one corralled, another one would be off in another direction. There’s no doubt where the inspiration for that dream came from 🙂 Keep up the good work with the kitties – if they are half as much fun in real life as they were in my dream, that’s a good way to spend your days!
That sounds like a day in my life! 🙂
Careful Krysten, sounds like he’s plotting to wrap you and your family around his little paws from the offset.
I always say this but I don’t know who’s luckier, Stompers or your family!
Do we know how old Brandywine is? She may not be too far out of kittenhood herself!
Oh, my pretty Agata. Love your topaz eyes.
The guesstimation (from the vet) is that she’s about 2 years old. She acts like she’s still a kitten, though!
Yay Stompers! He reminds me so much of my laid back orange kitty, Henry.
Where did you get those tiny collars? I can never find collars small enough for my foster kittens before they reach the two pound mark. And there have definitely been times I needed something to help me tell the difference between the little guys!
I got them on Etsy. They’re pricey ($16 each), but much more comfortable for the kittens (well, and prettier than the paper collars) than anything else I could find. I got them here.
Oh how freakin’ sweet! 🙂
Thanks for the link! I will definitely take advantage of the summer sale and get collars for my black fosters!
Yeah for Stompers. Love the pic of Brandywine with the kittens behind her – looks like her own little gang of enforcers. MOL And those cookies are adorable…. Thanks for the recipe – will let you know how it works out.
OK, I’m not sure this would work for you guys, because you have 8,000 kittens to feed, but my little kitten gets goopy eyes like that if she’s fed wet food with grain in it. Not sure WHICH grain is the culprit, but grain free canned food clears it up in one day. Again, not something you may be able to try, given that you are feeding the masses there, but if nothing else clears up his eye, you might want to try it.
They do actually get grain-free food. It’s hard to tell – because I kind of avoided taking pictures of his eye when we first got them – but his eye is looking a lot better than it did. I was actually afraid that the eye would end up needing to be removed, but diligent applications of ointment and lysine supplements twice a day are making it look much better.
That picture of Brandywine playing with the box lid/ball, and her kittens watching – love it!
She’s showing them the RIGHT way to do it. 🙂
Does Mr. Stripey have some sort of infection or something? Does he need a lysine supplement to help? Just curious what is up with that little guy.
A bad case of conjunctivitis – it was horrible when we first brought him home. He gets ointment in his eye and lysine in his mouth (heh) twice a day, and it’s looking much better.
Our cat (JR) had a goopy eye for his whole life. We put ointment in it for AGES after we adopted him. We finally gave up – he hated it and we hated it. A vet casually mentioned that it was herpes (?!) in his eye. JR lived to be 15 (we lost him a month ago) and had no vision problems that we could tell. Maybe sweet Mr. Stripey has something like that?
Have you considered making the next litter an Apple one? You can name them after brands of apples like Macintosh, Gala, Pink Lady, Cortland, Fuji, etc.
Yay for Stompers new home! Poor stressed little thing..
Love the milk patrol following patient Brandywine! “You ask.” “No, you ask!” “Alright, I’ll ask, I’m hungry.” “As usual.. hee hee”
So the little buggers turn on the printer before hitting the scan button? Oh yeah, that’s on purpose!
Hello Corbie Cutie!
Dingwall Scotty (the closeup picture from yesterday) is my current desktop wallpaper. Blown up to monitor size, I do believe I can see reflections of the photographer in his eyes! Anyway, I get to look at his sweet little face at work.
Yes, Stompers did stomp all over my heart too! Congratulations on your perfect home, sweetie!
And I remain in love with Brandywine. She still looks so thin- has she gained any weight?
I don’t dispute your vet’s guestimation that she is around 2, but I think she loves playing so much maybe because she never was able to do much of that before…Even if she was a pet in kittenhood, if she ‘left’ before she was spayed, this may not be her first litter. We’ll never know. I just pray that her forever family will give her all the love, toys, treats and playtime she deserves for the rest of her life! (And I swear that if she languishes in PetsMart, I am going to drive down there from DC and adopt her myself!)
This seems to be the appropriate time to mention that my 7-year-old is going through a, uh, challenging phase right now, and has earned herself the nickname Stompers, inspired by a certain wee orange kitten. I’ve cajoled her out of more than one sulky fit with the phrase “Stompers is STOMPING!” which always makes her giggle too much to keep on being mad.