Thus far, none of the Noms have been adopted. Adoptions are really slow right now (I think they tend to slow down right before the 4th of July holiday), but hopefully they’ll pick up soon. I saw them Tuesday morning when I filled in for the usual Tuesday morning cleaner. They weren’t super happy about being in that cage, but I let them out and played with them, and they climbed in my lap and got lots of kisses.
If you’re in the Huntsville area, I’m going to be in a (hopefully very very short) news segment with a couple of the Noms tomorrow afternoon, on channel 31 (WAAY), at 4 in the afternoon. They do a segment promoting the North Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic every Friday, and wanted to feature some adoptable kittens since it’s Adopt a Cat Month.
The tough thing will be deciding which two Noms to bring – I’m thinking Logie and Newbery because they’re pretty fearless. But on the other hand, Razzie is tiny and cute with her crooked little puff of a tail, and Darwin is drop-dead gorgeous, so… Oh, I don’t know. I’ll decide when I get to Petsmart to pick them up!
So anyway, check it out if you’re in the area. I’ll be the one giggling nervously through the entire segment. If you’re not in the viewing area, I’ll link to it on their website, assuming they post it, so you non-locals can appreciate the horror as well.
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I have zero Crooked Acres pictures for you again this week. The good news is that my camera is on the way back here from Sony (it just needed a good cleaning), so next Thursday I’ll have plenty of pics to share!
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ALSO, Kelly got her blog up and running, so go check it out!!
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Close your mouth, Cap’n Floof. (I posted in the comments yesterday that the Cap’n had been promoted to Major, but due to a biting incident on his part, he’s back at Cap’n. Also, I possibly like the sound of Cap’n Floof better than Major Floof, even though he DOES have some major floof going on.)
Fianna loves her basket so.
And it fits her perfectly!
Pretty, pretty Kennebec.
The utterly kissable Fianna.
Norland, also known as General Grumpy. (He may look kind of grumpy, but he’s a total sweetheart, through and through.)
The Cap’n takes a snooze.
“Please, lady. Your belly rubbing is starting to bore me. You need to brush up on your technique.”
“General Grumpy gonna make you go scrub the toilets if you don’t shape up and gimme some snackin’.”
Cap’n Floof has his own loony one-cat security detail.
Apparently it’s a Cap’n Floof-heavy day here at Love & Hisses.
“BABY STOMPERS HAVE FLOOF ALSO, STUPID LADY. ALSO BABY STOMPERS TINY AND CUTE. COME HERE, BABY STOMPERS WANT TO BITE YOUR LIP.”
One thing that gets me about Grumpypants is how long his toes are. I think he’s going to be a long-limbed boy.
Fear the Floof.
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Brandywine and the ‘Maters are doing well. Did I mention that these babies are just wild little things? They totally are. The good thing is that they are just a bit too small to climb up on the “steps” to the wall basket, so Brandywine gets many snacks a day where they can’t stick their little noses in and steal some of the food.
I should have told y’all the other day, when I mentioned the wounds on her back, that they don’t seem to bother her. If Fred or I accidentally brush them with our hands while we’re petting her, she doesn’t react at all. They look nasty, but they’re healing very well, and she doesn’t mess with them very much.
I don’t know who this is – Caspian or Wellington. I finally got the brightly-colored collars I ordered for them, I just need to get them put on.
Wellington or Caspian. I so love the look of those gorgeous blue eyes against the black fur. Why o why can’t they stay blue?
Keeping an eye on me.
She certainly does put up with an awful lot from those boys.
And yes, her ears really are as big as they look – they’re huge!
We’re probably going to start giving Brandywine a little time on her own this weekend. We’ll move her into Fred’s room during the day for a few hours at first, and see how that goes. I imagine she’ll like having a little time to herself without her own personal screaming entourage following her around constantly.
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What’s this I see?…
You KNOW Sugarbutt had to be deeply asleep to not realize that that little upstart had climbed in with him!
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Previously
2011: “Yes, I’m wearing my tiny hat. What of it?”
2010: (Have you ever seen a grown male cat, unneutered? My GOD those things are big!)
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: A new litter box = Big Excitement in Kittentown.
2006: No entry.
2005: Mister Eggs does his bat imitation.
Love the pic with Sugarbutt and the little one! Very precious!
Brandywine looks like she is being eaten alive! But she does have a “Don’t judge me!” look on her face in that second shot of them nursing! 🙂
Love the pic with Capt’n Floof and his butt half hanging off that box. And love me some Stompers.
Wishing all the Noms speeding forever adoptions!
I have a question for you. We have recently adopted a kitten (named Eloise Sparkles Red and Blue, thanks to my four year old daughter!) and she gets along well with our ten yer old cat and our huge eleven year old dog. The problem is that she likes to steal food. She got a waffle right out of my daughters hands the other day and growled and swiped at us when we tried to take it back and tell her no. That’s just one example. How can we show her who’s boss?
Also wanted to add, she is very well fed, so she isn’t starving by any means!
They never are hungry! It’s called food aggression and I have dealt with this one in spades!
I find growling, hissing and blowing air at the food stealer works to let them know they crossed the line. I also trained my food stealer to to stay at least 3 feet away from me and stay quiet if I’m eating. That helps prevent the sudden lunges and annoying dialogue during dinner.
The stay-3-feet-away-during-meals training consisted of the old ‘punishment’ and reward system. If she sat about 3 feet away, I’d praise her and toss her the occasional treat. I would always toss the treat so she would turn away from the table to get it. That refocused her.
The instant she got that look or started meowing or tried to approach more closely, I’d growl and cover my plate with my hands. If she persisted, she’d get blown on, hissed at or, if she made it to the table, sprayed with water.
It’s important to praise the good they do and if they stop being bad, that’s good! So, the instant she stopped meowing and/or went back to position, I’d praise her. (“Good girl! You stopped!!” gets a workout in my house.)
After the meal, she would get another treat or two. With time, she just learned to sit quietly about 3 feet away and not beg because she knew she would get more treats that way than if she meowed, begged or try to steal.
You just have to be aware of what you are rewarding, though. For example, if you toss her a treat every time she stops meowing at you, you will be actually training her to meow at you!
Another thing you can do to assert dominance in general is to ‘fight’ her. Put on an oven mitt and gently push her over. Just try to touch her belly and let her bunny kick you for a little while. When she’s tired (it happens quickly), firmly hold her on her back with your fingers gently touching her throat. That lets her know you are the boss in a way she can understand. Always be gentle but firm.
As you may know, it’s important to train them not to steal people food because onions, garlic, shallots and scallions can be fatal to a cat! You really don’t want her diving in a snatching a morsel which will hurt her. Good luck!
That is a GREAT name!
I had a kitten once that was very food aggressive. He stole and entire turkey breast off the plate, ran off growling. He…was diabetic. I was not made aware of it till he got into that lankyish stage. He fur became dull and he started having an unhealthy look about him. I took him to the vet and they gave him a blood test. He lived to the wonderful age of 17 and was a total doll. Even when they are well fed, they can’t tap into the “fuel” so they are always hungry. Does she seem to pee a lot? Or should I say, have you noticed more pee than normal to where you wonder who is drinking so much water???
sold AN entire…
His fur became…
For pete’s sake, I can’t type this morning! LOL
STOLE AN entire….
HAHAHAHAHAHA
Yup, food aggression. You say this is a kitten, but not how old. Might it be an issue of the fact that she might have missed a few meals before you got her?? (aka was she a stray?)
I tend to teach my food aggression kittens by not letting them eat when they growl. This tends to work with the babies who can’t really get a good grip on your hand, I’ve never tried it with adults. When I get a kitten who hoards the meal and growls at siblings when they want to eat I pull him away from the food and let him watch his siblings eat. When he stops growling I let him go. Most of the time they start growling again immediately and I just pull them back. Often they don’t end up eating until everyone else is done. Usually I don’t have to do that more then two meals in a row.
Growing up we had a barn kitten who stole food and growled at food. My mom tried to help him with that by offering him even more food. Instead of offering him one treat, she held one in each hand and offered both. That just confused him enough that he had to stop and think which one he wanted first and by realizing he had multiple options he stopped being so aggressive. But he was a food stealer till the end of his life so food couldn’t really be left unattended.
I’ve found if they are able to get away with it once, it will be all that much harder to break the habit after that, so everyone needs to be really careful for a while.
or you could just go with the distraction method and offer something yummy in the other room when you are eating 🙂
First of all, the name is OUTSTANDING!
Secondly, I have a food thief named Norman. This cat once stole a cooking hot dog out of a pan on the unattended (for a moment) stove and ran off across the kitchen with his prize. He was 11 years old when he moved in this past winter, so he may never completely follow the house food rules but we’re getting there. He now stays off the counters while I’m cooking and on the floor while we’re eating at the table. We’re still working on boundaries should we choose to eat anywhere else. It should come easier with a kitten. Just remember that consistency is the key. Every time she gets to keep what she stole, you’re giving her permission to do it again. Doodle Bean’s suggestion of giving her a treat every time she lets you eat in peace is a good one. She will eventually connect the dots that she WILL get fed, just be patient.
These are all great suggestions! I’m lucky that I don’t guess we’ve really had a food aggressive cat who’s THAT food aggressive. That, or they realize that I’m food aggressive myself and don’t want to mess with me. Heh. None of the cats are allowed to hang all over me when I’m eating. I tend to eat at my desk, and Spanky does feel the need to CONVENIENTLY need to walk past me to get to his bed when I sit down with food, and since he’s an old man and doesn’t try anything other than sniffing what I’ve got and making an “Ewww. Humans eat weird stuff.” face, I let him get away with it. Usually when we start letting fosters out to roam around the house, they show interest in what I’m eating, and if they get too pushy I shoot a blast of compressed air in their general direction. They tend to get the message pretty quickly.
Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! And for the love on the name! I’ll tell my daughter! She wasn’t a stray; we got her from a family friend. She is twelve weeks old. What we have done that is working is feed her a treat while we are eating. That works so far, but I guess it doesn’t really change the behavior. So we will try all the suggestions… She’s really very sweet most of the time but food=hers!
Sugarbutt has a Mini-Me!
[*clicked the Like button*]
LOL!!
Aw, little upstart! I hope you didn’t get hissed and smacked once the Sug Man woke up!
So, with all the extra snacks, has Mama Brandywine started gaining some weight? I just hate reading about abandoned animals being “skin and bones”. :/
She does appear to be putting on a little weight, thankfully. She’s still skinny, but not quite as skinny!
I’m glad Brandywine doesn’t seem to be in pain. I’ll try to stop fretting. It’s always the way-too-young, way-too-skinny mamas that tug at my heartstrings so. She’s really got to me with her burns on top of all that. I’m glad she’s such a good mama and it’ll be interesting to see if giving her a break helps her or stresses her!
All the kittens – the Taters, the Maters and the Perms look healthy and happy! You’re doing a great job! But you knew that… I hope.
I hope the Noms find their homes soonest. Getting some media coverage is a good way to get that done. So, have fun being on TV. If you want some advice, let me know. I’ve done that, too!
I’m mostly concerned that she’ll ask me something I don’t know the answer to or can’t think of the answer to – I am not good under pressure. On the other hand, it’s not like it’s going to be some high-pressure EXPOSE type deal where she’s hammering me with tough questions (“HOW MANY CATS DO YOU OWN? TELL THE TRUTH!”), so I’m sure it’ll be fine.
They never do ask that kind of question! Not even of people who should be asked that kind of question!
I hope it went well and more kitties get adopted because of the piece!
It’s not ’til tomorrow, though. Keep the good thoughts coming! 🙂
Sorry, the heat up here has me pixilated.
It’s good to memorize one or two succinct phrases and practice saying them out loud while smiling at yourself in the mirror (“You can adopt these adorable kittens at Challenger House. Challenger House is located at… Owning a cat is one of the most fun things you can do with your life! It’s great to watch them grow up. Your kids will love them!” etc.). You can even practice saying the phrases out loud to the cats and kits as you move about the house in your daily routine.
Have fun with it — Use different accents and inflections. The idea is to embed the phrases in your brain.
If you do that, then you are way less likely to freeze up with the camera on you. In the off chance you do freeze up, you’ll naturally default to the phrases you practiced. That way, you get your message across no matter what. Even if the phrases don’t answer the reporter’s questions, they’ll edit out the questions and broadcast your phrases.
On the day, just look at the interviewer and NOT the camera. Just to focus on the reporter as if he/she was a potential adopter at the shelter and pretend the camera just isn’t there.
Also, it’s *excitement* not nervousness. Have some fun with it if you can. If you feel nervous, focus on the reporter, smile, repeat your catchphrases and relax as much as possible. Try dropping your shoulders and pretending you have a swan’s neck. Smile.
Also, be prepared for the editing. They may change the order of the things you say, cut most of what you say and otherwise mess with what you say. This is going to be a feel-good piece, though, so everything they do is going to make you look and sound as good as possible.
They may appear a bit cynical about it when it’s happening, but the broadcast piece will be as positive as they can make it! And who knows, they may be really enthusiastic. Reporters and camera operators up here are jaded but I can believe that not all reporters and camera operators are that way!
I’m sure you are going to be just fine and will do good for those kittens! Go get ’em, tiger!
What a floof filled day! And who did Cap’n Floof bite to get the in-field demotion?? Surely not Colonel Fred?
Good luck on TV today! And as much as I’d love you to take Logie and promote the black kittehs, I wonder about her showing up well on camera (but don’t wear white – the media/presentation training I’ve attended in the past always taught that white shirts were not good on camera!) Can’t wait to see the link!
And did we get a confirmation that the grey kitty in Texas was adopted?
I echo the ‘no white’ advice. One way to make sure a black kitten will show up is to wear a dark color shirt and hold the kitten against the shirt. The camera operator will adjust the camera to distinguish all that darkness and the kitten will show up well. Dark green or dark burgundy are best, although dark grey works, too.
Cap’n Floof bit General Grumps on the butt. That kind of subordination will not stand!
I did know about not wearing white, and you have a point about Logie not showing up well on camera. I’m planning on wearing a medium-green shirt, so maybe I’ll take Razzie and Darwin. Logie and Newbery are more fearless, but none of the four are really scared of people. I’m going to play it by how they’re acting when I show up to get them at Petsmart, I think!
Oh, and yes – the gray kitty in Texas did get adopted! I’m not sure by whom, but she does have a home. 🙂
Yes, I got Gracie. You can see some pics and videos here:
http://twotortiesatabbyandatuxedo.blogspot.com/2012/06/gracie-thursday.html
Yay, Gracie!!! She is such a cutie! 🙂
Oh yay! She’s so beautiful!
Fabulous!
Cute! Gracie looks like she could be Jake and Elwood’s little sister.
She does!!! Maybe I will call her looney Gracie!!
You are a lucky woman, Trudy! Gracie definitely has a touch of the loon about her!
Private Floof! Snort!!
ROLFMAO If that’s not a phrase begging to become a euphemism, I don’t know what is…
“Fear the Floof”
LOL
Sugarbutt looks like he’s budding and the little baby suggie bud is about ready to break off into a clone. That’s right I made a nerdy biology joke… Can I have Brandywine? She’s my favorite type of tomato. I have a few dozen Brandywine plants in my garden.
HA – baby Suggie bud! That would be an excellent nickname. 🙂
Okay – Miss Fianna is a lovely little girl, but what no love little Miss Agata?
Robyn-The top kitty is Wellington and the bottom one is Caspian. Caspian in the right light shows up a bit gray-er and his eyes are a bit more blue. Just trying to help 😉
Best wishes on the little Noms getting adopted (well all but Newberry-don’t bring him please)!
Well, they have their brightly colored collars on now, so there should be no future confusion! 🙂
When my husband was promoted to captain (many moons ago), we had a themed celebration welcoming him to the ranks. Smaller, different flavored cakes decorated with Captain Kangaroo, Captain America, and Cap’n Crunch were served for dessert. His pinning-on gift was a large leather chair that we called his captain’s chair ala Captains Kirk and Picard. I think of this party every time you mention Cap’n Floof. I’m glad the floofmeister’s been demoted… it’s a good memory.
Thanks for the link to my blog! Today’s entry concerns yet another Sugarbutt clone. 😉
What a fantastic site! I want to adopt every one of these angels!!
Robyn, see you tomorrow at Monaco — I can’t wait to meet the little kittens you’re bringing! Nothing is as wonderful as kitty kisses. 🙂
See you tomorrow, Bev, I look forward to meeting you! 🙂
I’ve dealt with this one, too! My Fuzz was an indoor-outdoor cat when I rescued him and he really had issues with not being able to go outside. He also had all sorts of dominance issues with the neighborhood free-roamers.
My guess is that there are now other cats out there that your cat wants to go out and get – probably unneutered males. I’m assuming your cat is neutered. If not, that’s the first thing to get done. Second, you need to block sight, sound and smell of the other cats. That means weatherstripping the doors and windows to keep the other cats’ smells out (it will help your energy bills, too!). Block the view out of the bottoms of any full-length windows you have (patio doors, etc.)with paper or cardboard – at least 3 feet. If your cat has to be elevated to look outside, that’s good. It automatically puts him in a dominant position over the cats outside and relaxes him.
Assume the other cats are spraying and do odor neutralization at the bottoms of the doors and windows, especially the door he is pawing at. Apply a cat repellant to both sides of the door after you clean and odor neutralize it. You may need to keep up with the cleaning/odor neutralization.
If you exercise your cat really well before you go to bed, that will tire him out and make him less reactive to the cats outside. Also, you may want to train him to walk on a leash and harness. You can take him for an evening patrol of his territory around the house, which will tire him out and enable him to read his pee-mail. That might be all it takes to relax him.
In the discouraging-him category are compressed air and water spray bottles. If you have the money, there are motion detectors/spray can combos which spray compressed air at cats. If you buy a couple of those and put them at the door he’s pawing, that will scare him harmlessly when he goes near the door.
If not, you can do the discouragement part manually. Make sure to reward him if he moves away from the door and stays away from the door no matter what the time of day. Consider shutting him in a room with no outside wall at night, tiring him out first and then rewarding him for being quiet. Also, play with him away from any outside doors or windows so he associates the inside of the house with happiness.
Also, you might want to consider getting him a kitty companion if he doesn’t have one already. The good thing about having two or more is that they will play with each other at night and leave you in peace… mostly.
Good luck!
Shoot! This should have gone in reply to Carol’s question. Stupid internets!
I love the Baby Stompers! Can you tell us more about exactly how he stomps? Maybe a stomping video?
How do you control the butt biting? I have a problem with that in my house and one of the cats has to be separated from the others because of it. He’s the one being bitten. It’s like he finally freaked out over it and decided he’s done with the cat who has been biting his butt. We have Feliway all over the house, but I think the biting would probably continue if I let him near the biter for any length of time.
He is such a little brat – I’m trying to get a stomping video of him, but he refuses to cooperate! Mostly, he just walks with great purpose. 🙂
As for the butt biting, as long as there’s no obvious bullying going on, I usually let them work it out themselves. Which is not a particularly helpful bit of advice on this, is it? I’ll post your question in tomorrow’s post, maybe someone will have a suggestion or two!
Send Baby Stompers to me. I will take extra good care of him!
I love General Grumpy! That is a beautiful sweet face in need of many kisses! Hmmmm. Philly isn’t all that far away…
Hope the Noms get adopted soon! Please find loving forever homes asap!!!
Awwww gorgeous ginger, ebony and tortie overload!! Yay! take care
x
General Grumpypants’ belly just killed me dead.
Robyn my husband asked me to write you and see if you have any suggestions for how to deal with our cat who suddenly after almost 4 years with us cries and scratches at the door half the night wanting to get outside. He has been a total house cat since we took him in and this just started a month or two ago. We have put cardboard up to keep him from doing more damage to the door frame and have had to baracade that at night he is so determined. Thanks for any help from you and your wonderful readers.
Carol, I have no helpful suggestions, but I’ll post your question in tomorrow’s post, hopefully someone will know what to try!
So much floof! It makes my brain explode!!
Robin, I know you’ve done a comparison on water fountains before, so I was wondering if you could link to that page again? My baby boy is having issues and I guess fountains make them drink more? I’m not asking you to rewrite your review, but if you could point me to it, I’d so appreciate it! Thanks!