Do you think Khaleesi may be a first-time momma, given that she seemed so out of sorts during the delivery of the first kitten? I had to laugh at your description the other day of being locked in the room by Fred. You went into what writer Patrick McManus called a “full-bore linear panic.”
I was INDEED in a full-bore linear panic! I’m going to have to remember that description, because it’s pretty perfect.
I think it’s entirely possible that this was Khaleesi’s first litter; she certainly seemed to have NO idea what was going on, poor girl. I have to add that she’s turned out to be an amazing mama. Yesterday I moved her kittens out of the kennel into a cat bed so I could change out the bedding. The babies were sleeping and didn’t even wake up while I moved them. She watched and kept an eye on me, but was pretty relaxed. I got the clean blanket put in, and started to put the babies back into the kennel. Ember was first, and she barely woke up. Then I picked up Puff and he screeched “OH MY HOLY LORD GOD IN HEAVEN MAMA SHE’S KILLING ME SAVE ME SAVE ME SAVEMEEEEEEEE!” and before I could even move my hand the six inches to put Puff down in the kennel, Khaleesi was like a BLUR. She ran over and grabbed him, carried him into the kennel and got him quieted down, all while I was trying to figure out what had just happened.
Lucky for me, none of the other kittens woke up and screamed, because I’m not sure I’d be here to tell you about it. (I joke, of course – Khaleesi has not been aggressive or bitey at all when I handle her kittens.)
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32 was the final number, by the way, and yeah. THAT isn’t going to happen!
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How can you tell the mama kitty is having contractions?
Her whole midsection goes tense. With Kara, Maggie, Emmy and Kate also pursed their lips during contractions (I’m not kidding!), but Khaleesi didn’t do that.
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I have to say though, when I heard about the little orphan kitten; my first thought was:
Khaleesi: (smug look, licks paw) “SEE? I TOLD you I was waiting for the right day…”
That truly couldn’t have worked out any better, could it?!
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Khaleesiβs probably like, βWell, Lady, I just donβt know. I give you one kitten, you start smashing the walls and cussing. You didnβt even SEE the second kitten coming; then after the third kitten, YOU start pulling kittens out of your back pocket! I just donβt feel it would be responsible of me to produce the rest of these kittens until youβve gotten ahold of yourself.β
And she’s SO right!!!
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Shannon‘s kitten-birthing story made me GUFFAW and read it out loud to Fred. Repeatedly!
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My Game of Thrones loving husband said you should name the kittens after the Targaryens and name the Orphan Robert because he’s the Usurper. I thought that was funny.
That would have been PERFECT.
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By the way, did you ever find out where the heck Fred went to when he locked you in the room?
APPARENTLY he was out checking the (humane) mice traps near the chicken coop and killing carpenter bees (he bats them out of the air with a racquet and then steps on them). When I finally found him, he was walking through the front door carrying a jar of peanut butter (to rebait the mice traps) and a handball racquet.
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I LOVE the “I lubs you, Mama” picture is so adorable. I want it on a pillow !!!
Here you go! You can get it on a t-shirt, a pillow, and a number of other things (I honestly don’t even know what all I’ve got there, I did it in kind of a rush. If you see anything where the picture looks weird or off-center or just WRONG, please let me know.)
As a reminder, you can still get Stompers gear here. AND if you’ve ever wanted to let people know that you love cats but you’re kinda “meh” on humans, you can buy gear for that over here.
Everything in those shops is marked up by $1, and any money generated goes to Challenger’s House.
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Is this Jake’s cousin?
That looks an awful lot like Elwood, actually!
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Also, I’ve been meaning to share this — it’s like an invasion of Stompers!
Although, yeah, I think that guy should put down his camera and feed those babies … π
They look so much like Stompers! An invasion of Stompers would be the BEST invasion EVER!
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Kara likes Tommy??
Sometimes she does. Most of the time she has no use for other cats (and she ESPECIALLY has no use for Corbie), but every now and then she needs a head butt, and if Jake isn’t around, then Tommy will do.
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Charming’s locket looks more and more like a very spiffy, very regal jabot… it’s as if he’s dressed impeccably… may I offer an image of another prince in his jabot to help explain…
and
Charming looks like he’s wearing one of those white, frilly Victorian collars. He’s a dandy.
Charming’s bib is pretty amazing, isn’t it? It kind of takes on a life of its own!
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Saw this cute sight and thought of you and Fred! It’s a baby pig taking a bath.
Oh lord, that is SO cute!
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Number 18 is totally Robyn π
I’m weirdly taken with those Stark Family wine charms!
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Just thought I’d point this out.
That is so cool!!!
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“Who, me? Just climbing up the side of the cat tree!”
Note that Charming and Aslan are behind her, on the floor. They were all going after the feather teaser, which I was wildly waving over my head, as usual.
I wish this was more in focus, but I believe you get the point. That’s Buttercup, all ::SPROING!::
Charming totally looks like he’s discussing the ceiling. “It’s so well-done! You don’t get craftsmanship like that these days! See how the pieces fit together? You don’t see that anywhere anymore. This is just amazing!”
“What the -? It’s… a CEILING. What is he TALKING about?!”
“No one appreciates my genius.”
Buttercup, on the run. That girl is go-go-go, all the time.
Aslan, pondering. “You don’t see well-made sisal scratching posts like that any more! Only, y’know, on eBay and stuff.”
Leia would like you to know that there’s PLENTY of room on this platform for her alongside Aslan and Buttercup. When a girl is mostly fluff, it’s amazing where she can fit.
Video! I don’t know where she’s going, but Leia’s determined to get there.
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Scorch is pretty much the same color as that cat bed, isn’t he?
Khaleesi considers the fact that there’s ALWAYS someone’s butt in her face.
I would like to draw your attention to the middle of the picture, where Ember is either trying to strangle Norbert or nurse on his nose. I’m not sure which.
Or maybe she’s telling him how it is. “You might CONSIDER yourself the fourth born child of Khaleesi, but YOU ARE NO DRAGON, SIR.”
Ember’s all “WHERE is my milk? I’ve been waiting and WAITING. I’m going to give this place SUCH a bad review on Yelp!”
Khaleesi’s thinking “The first thing I’ma do when I win back the Iron Throne is get myself a NANNY.”
Khaleesi practices her regal posture.
“That kid sure does have a big head. I wonder if he’s got two brains in there.”
Here’s a Dragon video. First Ember and then Scorch, hissing at me. Terrifying, I tell ya.
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Oh the beautiful, beautiful Corbs. You can’t tell from this picture, but he’s figured out a way up onto the second level of the cat tree in my room, and it’s his new favorite place to be.
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Previously
2012: O Christmas tree.
2011: I love how, at this age, when you rub their bellies, they think about it for a moment, then begin vigorously grooming themselves.
2010: Now that Maura is gone, weβre down to just our eleven, plus four fosters. Why, itβs like we hardly have any cats in the house at all!
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
I love how Buttercup’s eyes look so round and bulgy on that second climbing pic!
Aww, Leia’s trying to stretch out her sun puddle lol
I was going to say attacking the sun, but stretching out the sunspot sounds so much more politically correct!
That is exactly what I was thinking ! All kitties want a bigger sun puddle !!
SIGH …….. Corbie !!!!!!!!!
Must decide which “I lubs you Mama ” stuff I want to buy !!!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the kitty Mamas and to the best foster Mom around !!!
I think Puff’s head looks so big because, apparently, the little dude has got NO EARSES.
Love hearing about Khaleesi being a stellar mommy.
Aslan — may I call you As? — you are SO, SO handsome but clearly, judging from your indifference to Charming’s ceiling tutorial, aesthetically challenged. Thanks for the great photos, storylines, and vids, Robyn, and long may everyone’s excellent health continue.
Careful there, lady. You wouldn’t want to wake the Dragons, would you? π
Seriously, what the hell does Leia think she’s going to accomplish in her vicious, unwarranted sunbeam attack? From the looks of it, it’s Sunbeam 1, Kitteh 0.
I just thought she was trying to free the sunbeam. π
oh my – I don’t know how you get any work done with the play of the Royals and the desire to stare at the Dragons π
You know how if you see a damp patch of earth, you can dig down into it and the further you dig, the wider the patch grows and eventually you’ll get water? I think that’s what Leia was doing – like Ockqua said, “trying to stretch out her sun puddle,” pretty much literally! Somewhere in the cotton-candy/marshmallow-floof mixture filling her head, there’s an instinct telling her, “Scratch at it, it’ll get big enough to hold ALL of you!” (Which, incidentally, is more or less why mothers always say, “Don’t scratch at it,” but that’s another story.)
Have a happy Mother’s day weekend – with all the mamas in residence, I’m sure it’ll be a busy one, but I hope it’s as relaxing and enjoyable as possible!
I’m so glad my moment of kitten-birthing panic can bring amusement to others after all these years. As you might imagine, my mother would often like to trot it out in conversations at social gatherings. “Remember that time you phoned me because the cat was having kittens and you couldn’t get your clothes off?” Yeah, Mom, thanks for bringing that up AGAIN… π
Ha – you’ll be hearing about that for the rest of your life, guaranteed! π
Are you sure the baby dragons are hissing at you? It kinda looks to me like they are “flemming” – I don’t know the proper spelling of it, maybe Oldcat does. Adorable either way!
No, it’s hissing. If you turn your sound WAY up, you can actually hear the tiny hisses. But, you know, it’s kinda skeery so don’t do it in the middle of the night while you’re alone. π
On the subject of cat trees…can anyone recommend a tall cat tree that is nice but not super expensive? My cat loves to jump up on the kitchen counters, to the top of the fridge, to the top of the cabinets…where there are lots of glass things displayed (not my choice to display them, mind you) and I’m afraid she will break something. I’d like to get her a cat tree to discourage this, but I’m also a grad student on a limited budget right now. Thank you!
Laura, I’ll post this question next Friday in case anyone has recommendations, but I can say that I’ve bought three of the cat trees we currently have off of eBay; they’re relatively inexpensive, but hold up pretty well. They’re just a bit of a pain to put together – but I’ve done it myself and I’m not mechanically inclined, so I’ll say that anyone can do it!
http://www.armarkat.com/
Very reasonable, and lots of styles to choose from. Well made, I have 3-the oldest is probably 6 years old.
My father once built us a cat tree out of wood scraps and carpet remnants that were lying around the basement. It lasted for over 15 years (would have lasted longer if we hadn’t had violent, contagious illness run through the house so I just pitched it).
Someone (and I’m drawing a blank who at the moment) posted on their blog about using building parts from IKEA shelves to make a floor to ceiling cat tree. It looked really neat. Meant to save the link, but somehow didn’t.
Do you still have the hat as seen in this post https://www.love-and-hisses.com/?p=416 with Lem and Delmar? Cause I think Puff needs to wear it!
HA – yes, I need to dig out the tiny hats!
The hat may not look tiny on Puff’s big noggin but that thought is almost more amusing to me.
“Look at the wee kitten that makes the tiny hat look normal!”
i’m back again, looking at Ember. I had an orange and white girl, Phoebe, who VERY sadly died of cancer at 10. She was the sweetest, most loving, and not-very-bright girl ever, and I loved her so much. Ember’s determined attempts to nurse off Norbert’s nose remind me of the rather dim bulb Phoebe, who I loved all the more for being not the sharpest pencil in the box.
The Stompers in the cage photo should be a mousepad too.
Done!
Are those teeny eyeballs I can see on Ember??
They certainly are! She’s the first one with both eyes open, but I’m seeing eyes opening all over the place. π
I think Leia is trying to dig up that sunbeam on that bed so she can take it with her wherever she goes!