Ryder and her kittens came to us on September 18, 2018.
Ryder was living near a local business when a guardian angel in the form of Forgotten Felines volunteer/fosterer Steve spotted her moving kittens into the safety of a dumpster. When she was initially trapped she had a few kittens with her – and then the rest of her kittens were spotted nearby. This sweet girl had spent the previous 2 1/2 weeks caring for NINE kittens, keeping them safe and well fed. They were in wonderful shape, but Ryder was skin and bones. She and her kittens were fostered at Steve’s house for several weeks while waiting for our foster room to open up.
Ryder is estimated to be 2 1/2 – 3 years old.
Ryder’s kittens are now weaned and Ryder has finally started to put on some much-needed weight. Her rough fur has gotten delightfully silky, her gorgeously floofy tail is filling in, and she’s just about ready for her forever home where SHE gets to be the baby. She is a beautiful, friendly, laid-back sweetheart. New situations make her a little nervous, but she adapts quickly and is pretty calm about whatever is going on. She does like to know what’s going on (“nosy” might be the best word here) and likes to be in the middle of whatever you’re doing. She won’t interfere, she just wants to see what’s going on (and maybe judge you a little.) She loves to be petted, adores a good, vigorous chin rub, and while we haven’t gotten her to sit in any laps around here, she does like to lay next to you and keep you company. She’s a playful girl, has been seen tossing the occasional toy mouse around, but most of all that girl loves catnip. Toss her a catnip toy, and watch her go! (Note: after her spay surgery on October 31, Ryder went to Steve’s house to be fostered. She was very much ready to be done with the whole mothering thing (and who can blame her?), and at Steve’s house she won’t have kittens wailing at the milk bar.
Ryder’s kittens.
Ryder’s kittens’ date of birth is August 8, 2018.
Axle (boy) is a super-sweet, super-confident kitten who just adores being petted. If you happen to be busy doing something else, he will howl sadly at you until you stop and pet him. He may or may not respond to the question “Are you the BABY?” with a long, mournful howl, and you won’t be able to resist picking him up and kissing him on the head. We like to say that orange tabbies are the laid-back surfer dudes of the cat world, and Axle is certainly that. You can flip him onto his back and hold him like a baby, you can kiss him on the head and behind the ears, you can hold him up on your shoulder, and he just goes along with it, purring the entire time. He’s an excellent sleeping companion, and will curl up on your chest or next to you and snooze away. He’s also a very playful boy and will play with just about anything – he particularly likes toys with attached feathers, including feather teasers, and playing soccer with ping pong balls. He gets along well with other kittens, and needs to be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
Cam (girl) is a very sweet kitten who loves to be in the middle of things. If there’s a crowd of kittens gathered, she’s usually right in the center, directing the fun. She’s a super playful girl and if you wave a feather teaser for her, you’d better watch out – that girl’s got springs for knees, and she will BOING! higher than you’d ever expect her to go. Then she’ll BOING! again, just for good measure. She’s not only playful, though, she’s a sweet little snuggler, and when she’s expended all her energy, all she wants to do is curl up next to you or on you, and purr you both to sleep. She can be a little nervous in new situations, and might hide a little – but she’s too nosy to stay nervous for long, and will come out after a little while to investigate. She loves toys with feathers attached and feather teasers, likes to roll golf balls around, and will carry a toy spring around in her mouth, then drop it and smack it around. She gets along well with other kittens, and needs to be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
Clutch (boy) is the quintessential orange tabby – laid back, not worried about anything, and willing to be friends. In a litter of 9, no 10, no 11 kittens, he’s one of the quieter ones, but just as you wonder “Where’s Clutch?” he shows up, climbs into your lap for a snuggle, and then purrs himself to sleep. He takes pretty much everything in stride – stranger in the house? That’s fine. New kitten jumping on him and bunny-kicking him? No problem. One of his sisters wants to lay on top of him to sleep? Okay! As laid-back as he is, he’s also a very playful guy, and if you bring out the feather teaser, he gets the craaazy eyes and starts leaping. Toss a toy for him, and he chases it. He loves playing soccer with ping pong balls, toys with feathers attached are his thing, and he is learning to be rather fond of catnip toys (he must get that from his mother.) He gets along incredibly well with other kittens and absolutely must be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
Cruise (girl) is the quiet observer of this litter, and while she has her super playful moments (like her nearly-twin sister Cam, she’s apparently got springs for knees), she can often be found sitting and watching the others tussle, play, and snooze. During nap time, while all the other kittens are curled up sleeping, Cruise likes to sit next to you and just… watch. Oh, she loves to be petted and has a sweet, deep purr that begins the instant you talk to her, but we like to think that she has a hidden blog somewhere where she writes posts about her observations. (“The human continually asks “Are YOU da BAYbee?!” Why is she so insistent on knowing who the babies are, and why does she speak like a human baby while she asks the question? It’s puzzling, and yet I am sometimes tempted to answer her with a long, whiny complaint. Thus far I’ve resisted, but my siblings are not as successful.”) As mentioned, she loves to be petted and purrs like crazy, and when she gets sleepy, she’s happy to curl up next to you, in your lap, or in your general vicinity to sleep. She not only likes to jump up after the feather teaser, she also loves rattly mice, is an excellent soccer player when you toss a ping pong ball for her, and she enjoys smacking spring toys around. She gets along great with other kittens, and needs to be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with (and humans who don’t mind it when she sits and watches them.)
Dynamo (girl) always looks very very concerned about, well, EVERYTHING. But she’s not really worried, she’s just drawn that way. She’s actually a very confident girl who might react to new situations by floofing up and looking like a scaredy-cat, but she gets over her fear quickly, and stomps into the fray to see what’s going on. She’s a small girl, but doesn’t hesitate to jump on one of her bigger siblings for a tussle. She’s also a snuggler, and once the playing is over, she loves to curl up with her siblings or the nearest human to snooze a few hours away. She can often be found laying on top of one of her brothers, but she’s so light that they don’t seem to mind in the slightest. She is crazy for toys that jingle or rattle, loves springs, and will come running if she hears the feather teaser jingling. She usually sits back and watches her siblings jump for the teaser, waits for the right minute, and then LEAPS. She gets along great with other kittens, and needs to be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
Fender (boy) is always the first one in your lap, the last to leave, and while he’s there he’s just the happiest boy on earth. He is a true love bug, and he loves humans and other cats alike – if a lap can’t be found, he’s just as happy to throw himself into a pile of kittens for a cuddle. That boy is just a lover! (He’s never been around dogs while we’ve fostered him, but we fully expect that he’d be good friends with cat-friendly dogs, too.) He loves to be in the middle of a crowd, and if he sees one or two other kittens go running by, he rushes to join them, even if he doesn’t know where they’re going or why. He’s also an energetic, playful boy, and if he hears the jingle of the feather teaser, he is THERE like a flash! He doesn’t do much jumping up after the teaser, but bats at it if it comes near him. Basically, he’s waiting for the feather teaser to do the right thing and come to him. He loves feather toys, will play some crazy soccer with a ping pong ball, and will chase just about any toy you toss for him. He gets along great with other kittens, and needs to be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
Gauge (boy) is one laid-back fella. You can pick him up, flip him onto his back and kiss his face, and he just lays there and purrs like crazy. He’s a snuggler, but he’s not pushy about it – if there’s a lap available, he’ll climb right in. If not, he’ll flop down against your leg or at your feet. As long as he’s near you, he’s happy. If you’re busy and he’s sleepy, he’ll snuggle up to another kitten or even curl up in a cat bed alone. Whatever, it’s FINE, nothing bugs that boy. He’s a playful guy, too, and is happy to reach up and grab that feather teaser you’re sure is too high for him to reach, he’ll kick around a rattly mouse or a jingly ball, and if you toss a ping pong ball, he’ll play soccer with it until something else catches his attention. I think we’re saying that he doesn’t have a long attention span but laid-back, he’s friendly, and he is just adorable. He gets along great with other kittens, and needs to be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
Pulley (girl) is a very sweet, curious girl who won’t complain if you want to pick her up and hold her on her back like a baby, lets you kiss her, and then will race off to play when you put her down. She’s a lap kitten who loves to snuggle up for a nap, and if a human isn’t available, she’ll snuggle with a kitten (often many kittens) instead. She LOVES the other kittens, and they love her as well; they know that if they want to wrestle with her, she’ll tolerant their shenanigans for longer than you’d expect before she tells them to cut it out, and stomps off to play elsewhere. She’s snuggly, but she’s got a wild side as well. Wave the feather teaser for her, and she BOINGS straight up into the air. Toys with feathers attached drive her crazy, and she’ll carry them around in her mouth while growling quietly at the other kittens so they know the toy is hers. She gets along great with other kittens, and needs to be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
Solenoid (girl) is a lap cat. She loves to be snuggled and petted and kissed more than anything else. If you’re busy doing something else, she will settle for snuggling with another kitten, but she’ll also come and find you and tell you that she’s very sad you’ve made this decision. She UNDERSTANDS, but she’s sad about it. (We’re exaggerating a bit – she doesn’t actually require around-the-clock petting, but she does like a LOT of petting and love and baby-talk.) She loves snuggling with other kittens, too, and her ideal napping situation would probably be to be in a pile of kittens near (or ON) you, being petted and told what a sweet girl she is. Don’t get us wrong – she isn’t just a snuggler, she’s also a super playful girl – she LOVES to wrestle with her siblings, adores BOINGing up after the feather teaser, and loves smacking around the ball in the track toy. She’s a little emotional in new situations and when meeting new kittens, but give her a couple of days to get over herself, and she’ll eventually be the best of friends with the same cat or kitten she was hissing at when they first met. She gets along great with other kittens, and needs to be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
The orphans.
LoJack and Tanks’ date of birth is estimated to be August 28, 2018.
LoJack (boy) was in someone’s outside dryer vet – perhaps trying to get into their house – and when they went to capture him, he got scared and ran off up into a car; they had to lure him out with a hotdog. Since there was no mother or other siblings around and we had kittens around his age (and after all, what’s one more when you already have 9 kittens?), he came to us on October 24, 2018. We waited a few days to introduce him to Ryder and her kittens, and he made it very clear that he did NOT like to be alone. Ryder’s kittens accepted him into their ranks immediately, but Ryder was NOT willing to be friends. So we waited until she’d been spayed and went to Steve’s house to be fostered to let LoJack be with his new siblings full time. Once he spent an entire night in their room, they were all the best of friends with him.
LoJack is a very sweet boy who marches to the beat of his own drum. He is INCREDIBLY sweet and snuggly when he’s sleepy, but when he’s feeling playful, he goes his own way. You want to pick him up and snuggle him? Well, okay – but just for a moment. He’s got things to do, human, and none of those things are snuggling with you. He loves playing with the other kittens, but he’s just fine playing by himself, too. He’s made it clear that he does NOT like to be alone (as mentioned above), and if he finds himself alone he will howl the saddest little howl until either you show up to keep him company, or you find a kitten to keep him company. He doesn’t hesitate to jump on the nearest kitten, hug them, and then bunny kick them in the back side – and they don’t mind when he does it, either, so perhaps he’s gentler about it than he looks. He is not super interested when you wave the feather teaser over his head, but if you toss a feather toy for him, off he goes! He gets along great with other kittens, and MUST be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
Tank (boy) was rescued in Tennessee and was dropped off to be neutered and vetted because they thought he was old enough. As it turned out, he was still a bit too small for his surgery, and since we were RIGHT THERE (it was the day Ryder’s kittens had their spay/neuter surgeries) and we knew LoJack would need a friend when the older kittens went to Petsmart, AND we figured he was about the same age as LoJack, we brought him home. With 10 kittens, what’s one more, right? He joined us on November 6, 2018.
Tank is a VERY confident boy who marches into new situations with his tail straight up in the air. When he met his new foster siblings, he jumped right in with no qualms at all. And except for one or two hissers, they accepted him almost immediately. At this point, he has no idea they’re not actually his siblings. He plays with them, curls up to sleep with them, and pushes past them to get to the canned food every morning and evening. He’s a snuggler, and he loves to curl up on you or next to you at nap time. You can pick him up, flip him onto his back, kiss him on the face, and he just purrs like crazy. He is a very playful boy who will chase any toy you toss for him, will leap up after the feather teaser, and if you roll a ping pong ball for him, he’ll play a rousing game of soccer. His very favorite game, though, is Jump on the Nearest Kitten and Wrassle, a game where the rules seem to change every time he plays it. Tank gets along great with other kittens, and MUST be in a home with other cats or kittens to play and snuggle with.
You can read about Ryder and her Fleet of kittens beginning here. Read about LoJack beginning here. And read about Tank beginning here. There are links at the top and bottom of each entry; click on the one on the right to take you to the next entry.
You can see all the pictures taken of Ryder and her kittens (and LoJack and Tank) here at Flickr, or scroll through them below.
Cruise was adopted on December 2, 2018!
Gauge was adopted on December 2, 2018! (He’s now Leo.)
Tank was adopted on December 14, 2018! (He’s now Ron Weasley, or RonRon for short!)
LoJack was adopted on December 18, 2018!
Solenoid was adopted on December 22, 2018! (She’s now Grizabella.)
Axle was adopted on December 22, 2018!
Dynamo was adopted on December 23, 2018! (She’s now Piper.)
Fender was adopted on December 27, 2018!
Pulley was adopted on January 10, 2018!
Cam and Clutch were adopted (together!) on February 15, 2018!
Ryder was adopted on January 30th, 2018!
| Solenoid | Pulley | Dynamo | Cam | Cruise | Clutch | Axle | Gauge | Fender | Ryder | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9-20-18 | 1 lb 2.5 oz | 13.7 oz | 1 lb 0.1 oz | 1 lb 1.9 oz | 14.8 oz | 1 lb 2.7 oz | 1 lb 0.2 oz | 1 lb 5.3 oz | 15.7 oz | --- |
| 9-25-18 | 1 lb 5.8 oz | 1 lb 1.8 oz | 1 lb 3.3 oz | 1 lb 6.4 oz | 1 lb 2.8 oz | 1 lb 6.7 oz | 1 lb 3.9 oz | 1 lb 10 oz | 1 lb 4.2 oz | --- |
| 9-27-18 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 8 lb 5 oz |
| 10-4-18 | 1 lb 11.9 oz | 1 lb 5.8 oz | 1 lb 7.6 oz | 1 lb 11.8 oz | 1 lb 7.7 oz | 1 lb 12.6 oz | 1 lb 10.3 oz | 2 lb | 1 lb 10.5 oz | --- |
| 10-9-18 | 2 lb | 1 lb 8 oz | 1 lb 11 oz | 2 lb | 1 lb 11 oz | 2 lb 2 oz | 1 lb 15 oz | 2 lb 4 oz | 1 lb 15 oz | 8 lb 7 oz |
| 10-23-18 | 2 lb 11 oz | 2 lb 4 oz | 2 lb 6 oz | 2 lb 12 oz | 2 lb 7 oz | 2 lb 14 oz | 2 lb 11 oz | 3 lb 1 oz | 2 lb 11 oz | --- |
| 11-9-18 | 3 lb 5 oz | 2 lb 13 oz | 2 lb 13 | 3 lb 4 oz | 3 lb 1 oz | 3 lb 11 oz | 3 lb 10 oz | 3 lb 13 oz | 3 lb 8 oz | --- |
| LoJack | Tank | |
|---|---|---|
| 10/29/18 | 1 lb 11 oz | ---- |
| 11/6/18 | ---- | 2 lb 5 oz |
| 11/9/18 | 2 lb 9 oz | 3 lb |