I’m wondering if there’s a chance Louganis and Phelps will keep their beautiful blue eyes! It looks like everyone else’s has changed … Hey, I can hope!
Hey, I’m hoping right along with you! But unfortunately, it doesn’t look like they’ll keep those gorgeous blue eyes. Doesn’t seem fair, does it?
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I bet Zuke has the softest fur. Do you have trouble telling him apart from the Swimmers?
I actually don’t, and here’s why: he’s a bit bigger than they are, he looks more cat-like (they still have a little of the unformed-blob look to them)(which I LOVE), and his eyes have turned green. But mostly, it’s because the Swimmers are pure black with sprinklings of white, but Zuke has a smokey undercoat and stripes and spots that you can see even when he’s not in bright light or sunlight, like so:
Yes, he does have very soft fur, and he LOVES being snuggled and kissed!
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So-o-o-o-o. I have a question for the Maine-native, lobster-roll-enjoyin’ Robyn. As you may recall, I live in SoCal, which is a wee distance from Maine. I also work in a typical office cubicle farm, which means the only real excitement is watching cat videos and figuring out what’s for lunch. To that end, a coworker just sent me a menu to what is apparently a food truck that does lobster rolls.
They are going to be a mile or two down the road from us this week, and I’d like your take on the whole lobster-rolls-from-a-truck idea. Is lobster ice cream really a thing? and…I love me some quesadillas, but lobster quesadillas? (I mean, I like cheese, just not on a lobster.)
Connie said: Cousins has a very good reputation.. and as a Maine native – who doesn’t eat lobster – the fact I know that is pretty impressive.
Unlike Connie, I do love lobster, and I would absolutely buy food from the Cousins food truck. I would even buy a lobster quesadilla, but I think lobster ice cream might just be a step too far. I don’t think of lobster as a sweet dish – though maybe someone out there should try it and report back to me!
Now I am CRAVING lobster, even though I ate a ton of it when I was in Maine last month!
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Stinkerbelle looks so soft and fluffy…. Sometimes I imagine picking her up and squeezing her, like hugging a poofy little cloud. Of course in real life, I know my hands would have burned and turned to ash if she even sensed that little fantasy. Does she ever allow any physical contact from your or Fred?
Except for a quick little brush of the fingertips here or there, I haven’t really touched Stinkerbelle in about five years. She will occasionally allow Fred to pet her, but it’s just one or two pettings, and then she’ll turn and swipe at him, claws out. She really is our house feral. Which is too bad, because that girl has the softest, silkiest fur and I would pet her forever if she’d let me!
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Is that an Archie-loaf that Cletus is walking by in the 3rd picture from the top?
It certainly is – Archie and Stefan were both around when Cletus showed up, and they just watched him walk around and belly up to the food bowl at the feeding station.
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You forget how small the babies are until you see a picture of Pattypan next to the mug. I’m guessing their marshmallow fluff head are also directing them to walk through the food plates as well?
Most of them sit nicely around the plate and eat but, well, Calabash (left) and Phelps (right) have other ideas…
No wonder Calabash’s face is always food-stained!
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So I have a question regarding bottle feeding babies. Is there a reason to hold the bottle so high? I ask because it seems a little unnatural compared to how they’d suckle off their mama and I wonder if there’s any risk of them choking or if it just helps the milk glide right on down their throat without them needing to do much work to swallow.
We always start out with the babies laying flat on our laps or table, and try to get them to drink from the bottle that way. Without fail they always get under the bottle and push it upward. I’m not sure why that position is the one they prefer, but it’s the position 99% of our bottle babies seem to want, so we go with it. Milk won’t come out unless they’re actually sucking on the bottle, so I’m not too worried about them choking on it.
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So, I have FINALLY figured out how to tell Louganis, Phelps and Torres apart if I can’t see their collar! Want to see? You know you do!
Louganis has a smattering of white hairs between his eyes. Also (though you can’t really tell from this picture), the end of his right ear is tipped forward ever so slightly. And the fur around his mouth is thin, so you can see his pink leeps. And he always wears a look of complete amazement on his little face.
Phelps has one single white hair over each of his eyes. Also, he’s the biggest of the three.
And Torres has one single white hair over her right eye. She’s about the same size as Louganis, but she doesn’t have his tipped ear. She and Phelps both have a scattering of white hairs along the edges of their ears, but she’s got more white than he does.
Being able to tell them apart without being able to see their collars is something I’m more concerned with in regards to labeling pictures than anything, but it’s good to know that there IS a way to tell.
I put Pattypan in the wall basket in hopes of getting a good picture of her face (to use for the sidebar picture), but she refused to look at me. Hmph.
Ambercup needs a belly rub.
Pretty, pretty Spitz.
Looks like Pattypan would like a kiss from Phelps, who is ignoring her.
Spitz scheming, while Louganis is just kind of along for the ride.
If you identified this as Louganis (who needs a kiss), you were right!
“Ambercup, move over. I’m coming up!”
“You not coming up here, Louganis. Boys not allowed!”
“NO. BOYS. ::slap::”
Louganis is one determined monkey. (I love Calabash in the background, staring off into space.)
Victorious!
Moving the litter boxes into the closet worked just fine. There’s only one box in the room now, and I’ll move that into the closet later in the day. Then maybe I won’t have to brush litter out of the way before I can sit down!
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A video from the foster room: kittens running, playing, and just generally being the wild thangs they are.
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Oh my Jakey. You are just loontastic, is what you are!
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Previously
2014: Maxi is so so SO tired of your shenanigans.
2013: This shelf gets the Inspector Brandon Whiskers Up award.
2012: Sweet Petey Pickle in the sun.
2011: No entry.
2010: No entry.
2009: Did I mention they’re busy racing around like wild things?
2008: “Is this such a good idea, hanging out here under the bird feeders, with that cat RIGHT THERE?” he wonders.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Lubs me some Pattypan…..
She’s very lubbable.
So reposting since I posted this so late the other day and no one saw it. I need some advice about my cat. We went on vacation in early August for about 10 days. We had someone (known to the cat) come in and check on her and feed/water and clean her litter. As far as I am aware there were no issues. When we came home she seemed a little off and I just figured she was getting re-used to us after being gone. Our schedules have modified recently with the kids going back to school also. So here’s the question-she seems to be sleeping a lot more and not eating as much. Otherwise she seems okay, she’s still friendly to us, using the litter seems to be normal. She hasn’t thrown up or used any other “potty area”. She will be scheduled for a normal checkup soon anyway, but I thought I would ask you all what you thought. TIA.
I would schedule a checkup sooner rather than later. She is lethargic and her appetite is off, both of which are red flags. You didn’t mention her age but I would think an exam and bloodwork are in order. Cats are masters at hiding illness and better to catch things sooner rather than too late!
Our cats go though phases where they’ll eat more, then later eat less. We have 7, so it’s hard to tell who’s eating, but sometimes they’ll be lots of food left when it comes time to feed them again, and sometimes, they’ve even eaten the ’emergency crunchies’ (the ones that get pushed out of the bowl). We attribute it to the weather, or household changes. Last time they started eating less was when we got our 7th cat, so…
I love “emergency crunchies”, lol.
My cat sometimes has appetite /food preference changes right when the seasons change.
The lobster menu looks delicious! I would try the lobster ice cream (I think).
Holly, I’m sorry I missed this the other day!
I’m with Laurie, I’d probably get her in for a checkup as soon as you can.
Thanks all. No worries Robyn, I posted really late the other night. You’ve had a lot on your mind.
That picture of Archie and Cletus: I can just imagine Archie & Stephan saying to Cletus, “Bro, you came to the right place. They treat cats right here.” LOL Loved the video of kittehs having fun.
That sounds about right!
“Archie and Stefan were both around when Cletus showed up, and they just watched him walk around and belly up to the food bowl at the feeding station.” total guard cat fail
Ambercup sure took a beating in the video didn’t she?? (I think that is who that was anyhow)
I always ask them what we’re paying ’em for!
Ambercup is a total instigator. She had it comin’.
The kittens are too adorable for words but Jake. Oh he’s a love. Love, love love his sweet smile.
That pic of Jake needs to be the cover of High Times magazine, lol. *cue rasta music*
Cletus looks just like a little cat I sort of shared with my neighbors in college. She was a stray, but she starting hanging out by my apartment because my neighbor liked to feed the birds, so there was always something for her to chase. (This was in Florida where the apartment complexes have outdoor entrances and nothing is higher than 2 stories.) She started coming into my apartment and hanging out, and I named her Rabbit because she would come racing in when I opened the door, and then as she turned to look back at me, she would end up sideways and jumping so she didn’t fall down. She was a little nut
But so snuggly!
Eventually we fell into roles: I fed her and let her stay inside on “cold” nights (as I said, this was Florida
) and my neighbor would let her chase birds and take her to the vet for checkups once in a while. The downstairs neighbor helped out a little too, but I can’t remember what she did. Maybe put out litter or toys because she already had cats of her own. I wanted to take Rabbit after I graduated and moved back up north, but things were up in the air for several months and I finally landed in a place with a roommate who was allergic to cats. 
So it’s so nice to see Rabbit again. In Cletus form, that is
Who is that we hear purring in the video? Is it an off-camera kitty that was closer to the camera, or was it just a big collective purr coming from all of them? I might have to watch that video another 52 times to get to the bottom of they mystery
I’m sure someone was sitting on my lap, though I don’t remember who. There’s always someone (usually Spitz and/or Louganis) staying out of the fray until everyone else gets tired, then they jump in and kick butt.
goodness.. they are six weeks already? are you sure?? it seems like you just got them yesterday
Time flies, doesn’t it?
Ambercup’s lips in the “belly rub” photo are hilarious.
Also, I guess I didn’t realize how much of a “house feral” Stinkerbelle really is. We have one who’s semi-feral (she lived on the street until 6-7 months of age), and tolerates petting only if she’s in certain spots in the house or if she’s sleepy. That said, she is also the gentlest little soul. Never bitten or scratched us intentionally. She has never even hissed or growled at us (our other cats are another story). Getting her to the vet last week was interesting, but once she was there she froze–hoping, I guess that if she just stayed veeeeery, veeeery still the vet wouldn’t see her. It was helpful, though–she allowed all the temperature-taking and vaccination-giving. She just didn’t move the whole time! It was hilarious.
I’ve told Fred that he had BETTER outlive Stinkerbelle (which he is planning to do, of course), because if I had to get her into a carrier for some reason, there’s just no way on earth I could. Fred can very very occasionally sweet-talk her down, but she just gives me the Eyes of Eff You when I try it.
Ha! My husband is allowed to touch Widget very occasionally when he is lying down and she approaches him. I had to lure her into a bathroom and corner her to get her in the carrier–fortunately she’s young and the healthiest of our cats (knock wood), so our vet told us we could wait two years to bring her back. Phew.
There’s this feral that comes to my house for food and naps. He’s such a cutie but he doesn’t like to be pet at all. I was hoping once he got used to us, he would allow us more contact but reading about Stinkerbelle has made me lost all hope. I’d like to get him to the vet but he’s sneaky and really runs for his life whenever we get too close. The only time I get to brush his whiskers is when I serve him canned food: I leave his portion in the can so I can hold it for him and he has to eat while I brush my index against his cheek. I’m sure he doesn’t like it but he has to have his canned food!
Love the kitten hijinks! And looney Jake of course.
Yeah, you don’t need to be a kitten to stand all over your food plate. My 17-year old Atticus still does it. Although at 17 it may be due to senior moments on his part (“Dafuq am I doin’ here…Oh hey! Gooshey food!”).
The way Calabash is looking off into space reminds me of marshmallow-fluff-head extraordinaire Hodor for some reason. Just hummin’ a tune and staring at air…
Regarding Pattypan in the wall basket: she’s looking at a couple of things that aren’t you! Love that walleyed little face. <3
That may be Jake’s looniest photo yet.