9-13-19 Friday

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Is this the cutest kitten age of all?!

With every litter, I think that we’ve reached the apex of cuteness, and then they just keep. getting. CUTER. I don’t know how it’s possible, but I swear it’s true!

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Is it just me, or are these kitties staying adorably small for a longer time than usual?

I think it just seems that way – remember, we got the last batch of kittens (Esmee, Amelie, Jacques, Francois, Madeline & Antoine) when they were 4-5 weeks old, so it seemed like they came and went a lot faster than this bunch. These guys have been with us 9 weeks, which is about how long the others were with us total – and we have another month with them at least, since they’re scheduled for their spay/neuter surgeries on October 16th.

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I’ve recently noticed you using those miracle litter mats that supposedly are the bee’s knees for keeping litter from getting tracked out of the box. How well are they “really” working?

Those litter mats – the ones I have are the iPrimio litter trapper mats, but there are different companies that make and sell them – are working out really well. They’re not perfect and I’d sell my kidney for a litter mat that would stop ALL litter tracking, but they’re probably the best litter mats I’ve tried. My only gripe is that they’re light, so if there’s not a litter box sitting on the edge of the mat, it’ll move. Well, my other gripe is that if a cat or kitten is going to barf, they barf on the mat, and then it’s a pain to clean. But they’re waterproof, so a spray-down with the hose does a pretty good job of taking care of the problem.

I like the litter mats so much that I use them in front of the litter boxes for the permanent residents, too.

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Question for you, Robyn, did you have cats when you were a child, were you the one always bringing strays home, or did you magically turn into the wonderful feline-loving person you are today?

I got my first cat – Suzy – as a 6th birthday present. This was when we lived on Guam (my father was in the Air Force). This was 40+ years ago, and so Suzy – who was an indoor/outdoor cat – became pregnant and had a litter of kittens. I don’t remember a whole lot about that – I’m not even sure I knew she was pregnant – but she gave birth on my parents’ comforter, and I remember staying home sick from school one day, and Suzy brought her kittens to my bed, one by one.

Suzy was rehomed, most of her kittens were given away, and we kept Charlie, a little orange tabby. Charlie (an indoor/outdoor cat) disappeared and I was heartbroken. We didn’t get another cat until after my father had retired from the Air Force. I was in middle school when we brought Tabitha home.

Before we adopted her, Tabitha was kept in a cage with a rabbit, and so I’m pretty sure she thought she was a rabbit her entire life. She was a sweetheart, and she lived to be 23 (she lived with my parents.)

After that, when my sister and I were living together with our kids, we adopted a black cat who had many different names – Katie, PFE, Mazzy – and when my daughter and I moved from Maine to Rhode Island and then to Alabama, we took her with us. (I’d provide a picture, but I don’t know that I have any scanned, and I’m not inclined to dig out my pictures and scan one for y’all. Imagine a pretty black cat with green eyes.)

When I was a kid, I would have loved to have a ton of cats, but we were a 1-dog and 1-cat at a time family (since Tabitha passed away, my parents have only had dogs). I’ve always loved cats, but it wasn’t ’til I met and married Fred that I ever had multiple cats at a time.

I was not the one always bringing strays home, my sister and one of my brothers did plenty of that, though we were never allowed to keep them.

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There’s Fleur, floofed up and skitterbugging across the couch, leaving Beauregard in her wake.

Beauregard’s all “What happened?”

Getting some attitude from Henri (left) and Josephine. SORRY.

Henri is such a cutie.

Katriane, showing off her kittenish side.

“Lady, I know I’m the cutest thing you’ve ever seen, you DON’T gotta keep telling me!” says Josephine.

Another thing about those aforementioned litter mats: they’re apparently comfy, because the kittens like hanging out on them, as illustrated by Luc.

Gabrielle has claimed herself a feather.

Luc, hanging out under the scratcher.

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How many permanent residents do you see? (Bonus points if you can name them too.)

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Previously
2018: Like all kittens, Otis adores the loop on the back of my phone and he chews on it whenever I’m dumb enough to leave it unprotected.
2017: In this litter, Hubble appears to be in possession of a happy tail.
2016: Meet the Outsiders.
2015: No entry.
2014: Cats. Like. Boxes. Like, a lot. A LOT.
2013: Pardon me, Norbs. You appear to have a kitten in your armpit.
2012: Meredith Grey (in the front), disapproves of such shenanigans, as do her judgey cohorts.
2011: They were all just like ::shrug:: “yeah, it’s Buster. So?”
2010: God, Corby. I wish you’d learn to relax a little. You’re stressing me out!
2009: I told Fred the other night that if we were going to keep Sam (which we’re not), I’d have to rename him Tigger, because he bounces! all! over! the! place!
2008: No entry.
2007: Later, when I relayed the experience to Fred, he said “You realize that during your entire story, the Benny Hill music was playing in the back of my head, right?”
2006: Meeting Maddy.
2005: What is it with kitties loving to chew on wet hair?

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