Tony Rocky Horror Pickle continues to hang in there. No weight gain, but he’s bright-eyed and eating, he’s drinking and using the litter box, he likes to be petted. I tried to clean some poop off his tail yesterday and he squawked indignantly at me, so he’s got some spirit, that’s for sure.
Petey, my last holdout against the diarrhea that’s plaguing that litter of kittens, succumbed yesterday. I would give my kingdom for a solid poop from any of those kittens!
The Pickles, picture taken over the weekend, before we realized that Tony Rocky Horror Pickle was leaving little presents everywhere and needed to be contained.
His entire body’s practically the size of Polly’s head (to be fair, she’s kinda big-headed).
Hello, little bug.
Petey could not be bothered to wake up.
And then he woke up and was grumpy. Go back to sleep, Petey!
Ah, I see the problem. You’re supposed to eat your food, Tony Rocky Horror Pickle, not absorb it through the skin on your nose.
“Am I in JAIL for not eating all my food? How do I get bail? Halp!”
Take any smallish container, put something soft in it, and the kittens will sleep in it.
Today, we focus on Sungold!
Sungold is the hunter-gatherer of the litter. If there’s something moving, he regards it as prey. And he hunts it down and kills it, then carries it proudly back to his mama and brothers to show off. With Sungold around, no one will ever go hungry! He’s the one kitten in the litter who can not only hunt the flies that occasionally make their way in through the door, but he actually catches them (okay, he eats them, too. Yuck!)
He’s secure in his hunting skills, and in his down time he likes to take baths, harass his brothers, and chase after his mother begging her to let him nurse. Unlike some other kittens in his litter, though, he understand that when Mama says no, she MEANS no, and he doesn’t keep bothering her. He’s a gentleman, is what I’m saying.
He’s a sweet, laid-back chilled-out hunk of a mankitten, and no matter where he is, you can bet he’s stretched out, comfortable, and ready to snooze (unless he’s hunting, of course).
He’s got a tiny bit of a leaky eye, as you can see – interestingly, Mr. Stripey’s leaky eye is his right eye; Sungold’s leaky eye is his left eye. Unlike Mr. Stripey, though, Sungold’s eye is rarely leaky, and it goes away on its own pretty quickly.
Sungold LOVES to climb, and he climbs straight up that scratching post every day, then sits there and chews on the cord attached to the top. Sometimes his brothers and mother try to help, whereupon he growls them away and says “I’ve got this! Back off!”
Like the rest of his litter, he’s sweet and friendly, playful and laid-back. He loves to play and his favorite toy is a Kong Kickeroo, but he’ll play with almost anything. One thing’s for sure – if he’s got a toy, he’s not sharing! This video was taken about a month ago, but his attitude hasn’t changed at all regarding sharing his toys.
More back yard Da Bird hijinks!
Alice goes for it… and misses.
So close, Newt!
Truck driver Newt giving the invisible finger to other invisible drivers.
Though he tried his best to catch the football, the quarterback’s throw went wide, and Newt didn’t have a chance.
Newt hung there as long as he could, hoping that he could force a different outcome, but mind over matter only works in the movies. And on TV. And in books. But NOT in real kitteh life.
He knew Coach Alice was about to let him have it, and he tried to defend himself before she let loose. “Coach! There’s no way on earth ANYone could have caught that!” Coach Alice was not impressed, and opted to give him the silent-glare treatment.
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Previously
2011: Do you remember Starsky and Hutch?
2010: No entry.
2009: So, that’s what’s going on with these kittens and their eyes.
2008: Kara lets her Southern roots shine through.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
L-O-V-E the pics of Newt! Jump Newt, jump!!!
Wow, Nicole’s kittens and mama are gorgeous! I am sure she will find homes for them quickly!
Wishing you a home of firm poop! Hugs!
Oh I wish there was a magic kitten/mother cat carrying carpet across the Atlantic, those batverse themed kitties are just so lovely! Good Luck and purrayers for excellent homes for all. Nicole you are a VERY good person!
Sungold is just purrfect and the backyard games looks like cat gymnastics..any Gold medal performances??
They’re ALL Gold medal performances – but Sugarbutt has a sequence coming up (tomorrow’s post, I think) that is simply breathtaking. 🙂
Newtles may be my favorite, his fur looks so fluffy!
I never would have guessed that Newt would turn out to be such a jumper! He surprises me all the time, that one. 🙂
Newtles is one of my favourites, too – he looks a lot like my cat, Stanley.
Newtles reminds me of our first cat Sylvester AKA Roo Rabbit and he was a crazy ass buff boy who loved to climb and jump. I have a soft spot for Newt too.
Robyn, Sorry I feel like I jinxed you with the diarrhea question last week. So what has been your attack on this batch? pumpkin? cottage cheese? I am going to a meeting with our shelter in two weeks for foster parents. I am requesting that we all discuss our tricks for this because it is the biggest ongoing problem and everyone has different ideas. I will let you know if I hear of anything different. I also have had many kittens like little Joe..how hard is it to put weight on such a pipsqueak. So fragile but usually they have small body big spirit, lol. Do you use a food scale to weigh the kittens? I find when I have a little one like Joe I weigh in the morning and then at night, I get obsessed with fattening them up. I hope they all get over the big D soon.
Slippery Elm syrup, Forti-Flora added to their food, and occasionally I’ll sneak a little pumpkin into their food, but they don’t like it much, so usually they get a bite or two in and then give me a dirty look. 🙂
You said Joe, but I think you mean Tony – and this morning I can announce that Tony seems to have found his appetite, thank god. After this past week of offering him food every time he looks at me sideways, he’s finally eating every bit of the food I offer him!
We use a scale like this to weigh the kittens (and our adult cats, too, occasionally). A food scale would probably work better when weighing the tiny ones like Tony, but the scale lives in the foster room (up on a shelf), so it’s easier to use that than carry the food scale up to the room and then remember to bring it back down to the kitchen. (Oh, hey. What if I bought a second food scale to LEAVE in the foster room? I can’t believe that just now occurred to me!)
Definitely share any additional tips you learn at your meeting, I’ll be interested to hear!
Yes, I meant Tony..I think I had Joe on my mind because he caught my eye..very handsome. I actually purchased a food scale with a clear plastic bowl just for my foster kittens. It has never been used for food. Bowl is handy cause you can clean/disinfect easily. Some of the kittens give you a hard time though going into a bowl and staying put..so I usually grab them by the neck…like momma would and they curl up into a ball & you just place in a bowl and get a reading quick before they decide that they have sat still long enough (5 seconds). These scales are just for small babies..once they get over 2 lbs. hard to fit in bowl and keep still. Glad Tony is getting his appetite 🙂
Hahahahaha, “what if I bought a second food scale to LEAVE in the foster room?” Doncha just love moments like that when you realise your brain has been hiding the answer from you for awhile. I get moments like that and almost have to sit down while I laugh at my self. Glad to hear Tony has found his appetite. I told Jennifer yesterday that we were just 20 minutes, gasoline and road snacks away from being on I-65 heading south to get Tony to live with me. We just know he will be the sweetest monkey when he gets old enough for his forever home. Love love love the markings on Nicole’s kittens and mommy. It looks like mommy is all white with a gold tale. So pretty. Not Miz Poo pretty mind you but in the neighborhood.
The mom, Talia, is indeed all white, except her entire tail is a buff orange and she has a couple orange spots on her head. 🙂
“twenty minutes” isn’t that long, should we have Robin fax you an adoption form?? I’ll get the snacks! 😉
Tony RH Pickles, you are a hot little mess! You missed a spot on your nosey 😉 but you keep eating! (I have to confess that I looked at your blog the first thing when I got up, in hopes of a good update on Tony.)
Love the fierce, growly little Sungold with his toy! And was that a cameo appearance by Stompers at the end of the video?? Any updates on him?
No, that was Mr. Stripey at the end – Stompers didn’t have much exposure to the ‘Maters before he left, just one or two visits. I haven’t heard how Stompers is doing, I’ll have to email Kristyn soon and check on him – but I expect he’s got them wrapped around his little paw. 🙂
Hi Robyn, thank you so much for posting about Talia and her babies! I’ve gotten an e-mail already with some advice and another shelter to try and contact to see if they have space or I could foster for them (and thus get Talia and the kids their shots and everything, which would be great). Also, I’m happy to report that after a few hours of giving me a heart attack by not eating anything, Talia up and decided she was hungry again and seems to be doing fine now (knock on wood).
Of course, now the kittens seem to be getting diarrhea, so I saw your comment to another reader on some tricks you use and am taking notes! But I can’t rule out that they might have worms or something else going on since they haven’t had any vet visits. Going to try and get them taken care of today in that regard via a shelter around here or a kind vet who might give me a discount. But otherwise the kittens are all very playful, so I’m taking that as a general good sign. 🙂
No leads on forever homes yet, but I’m trying to be patient. 😉
It’s early yet – hopefully as the day progresses you’ll get some interest!
And of course Talia decided she wanted to eat again – all she wanted to do was make you worry. It’s her JOB and there are even instructions in the secret kitty handbook she has hidden somewhere. 🙂
Also, ha, I don’t mean to co-op your blog. I’m glad Tony RH seems to be doing better! I was worried after yesterday’s story (even though it had a happy ending).
And wow! Newt sure can jump high when he’s after Da Bird.
No way, you feel free to jump in any ol’ time. 🙂
Newt’s a heavy, solid kitty – it’s kind of amazing that he (and Elwood, for that matter!) can jump that high.
He got some serious air in those pictures. I am quite impressed!
He’s a stuffmuffin par excellence — so cute! And Tony RH, keep up the chowing down, young man your tabby sibs needs you to break up the design scheme.
In 2007, one of my grand-nephews was born, three months prematurely and only weighing 3 lbs. He had numerous health problems and spent the first 100+ days of his life in the hospital, including his first Christmas. I remember saying to his dad, my nephew, that what I wished for Christmas for him was that someday, sooner than he thought, he would be looking at his son and be unable to believe that they ever went through all this difficulty. That little boy is now a happy, healthy, almost 5-year-old with some cool scars to show off, and my wish came true: you wouldn’t know from looking at him that he ever cut it as close as he did.
I wish the same thing for all little’uns struggling to make it; I especially wish it for Tony RH. Rock on, little man. Grow big and strong.
love da bird pics…. Sungold is just pretty danged adorable.
And those pickles are seriously cute. we had kittens one fall and one was much smaller than her siblings. i took to feeding her a little a/d once per day to help with her weight. never failed she would get some on her face – which made her VERY popular when I put her down. she got clean pretty quick. 🙂
Awwww….
Sungold really loves this toy right? Loved the video!
The photos are especially beautiful today!!
Thanks for sharing.
Just wanted to give an update on Talia and her babies: The New Rochelle Humane Society is letting me foster them and will take care of the tests and shots, etc. Their first vet appointment is on Monday, and once they get a clean bill of health and are about 8 weeks old, they’ll be up for adoption through the shelter (http://www.newrochellehumanesociety.org/). 😀 But if anyone is still interested and has the patience to wait for these adorable kittens to be certified healthy, I’ll do my best to make sure you get first dibs on the kitten of your choice (or on Talia).
Robyn, thank you for all your help! I did get a couple of e-mails from people in my area interested in the kittens (or offering advice). When all this is over with, I am definitely sending some kind of care package to Crooked Acres. <3
Nicole, that is awesome news!!!! Yay! 🙂
Ha Ha – Newt looks like he’s completing the “Bend and Snap” from Legally Blonde (which, I think he may qualify as a blonde) in the last picture… very nice! Perhaps he’s showing Coach Alice THE move!
Hadda laff at Stomper’s appearance at the tail end of Sungold’s video – it looked like the Tiny Titan was using the plastic box to sneak up on him!
Nicole, you are good people! Talia and her kittens are beautiful and no doubt will get great homes when they are ready.
Yay Tony for getting your appetite back!
And what can I say about Newt that hasn’t already been said? He’s awesome!
YAY for Tony Rocky Horror and his comeback. He is too adorable not to do well. He has the best possible chance there with you and Fred.
Still sending heaps of smoochy love to Tony Rocky Horror. I’m rooting for you, little Tony! We all are. You’ve got to grow up to be a big, strong Basement Kitteh. And you know, The BK’s are the very most magical kind of cat. Solid gold hearts and oodles of affection to share with their forever families. <3
Sungold, what a lion!
Newt’s got some moves!!
Brandywine, you forgot to teach Sungold to share.
Robyn, I think the line “she’s kinda big-headed” will keep me giggling right up until the hydrocodone kicks in. Thanks. I needed that.
Don’t you just hate it when kittens think they eat by osmosis?? I swore Schuster was never going to eat properly!!
I LOVE those photos of a jumping Newt.. and your captions.. priceless
We encountered something with one small cat at the shelter. He wasn’t eating very well unless someone stayed with him. We wondered if he was afraid to eat or was nudged away. Thought I’d mention it in case Tony might be similar.
I live in the Hudson Valley and love your blog. I shared the post about Talia and her rescues on Facebook with Orange Street Cats and another person involved in animal rescue and homing. I hope it helped.
I’m glad Tony is doing better too. He reminds me of one kitten when I got her. I figured out she was part Rex and part Siamese. It makes for a cat with a lot of personality.
Debbie
I LOVE the pictures of Jumpin’ Newt! Look at that boy go!!