Robyn – Sorry if this has been brought to y’alls attention already, but Des Hommes et Des Chats is a must-see. Had me laughing at the end of a very exhausting day. Merci to the genius who dreamed this one up!
(I should say for the sensitive amongst us that this site shows in addition to cute kitteh pictures some photos of …er…well-sculpted human men. Nothing that wouldn’t be seen at the beach, except for the next to the last photo which is a full back view.)
I follow that blog religiously! But I didn’t even think to share it (duh!), so thanks for reminding me to do so!
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Are most kittens inclined to bite your toes? And how much do you usually put up with from them before you have to tell them to stop? Aslan looks like he’s perfectly content to keep nomming on them, sharp teeth and all!
I might be overstating it a bit, but I’d say that 100% of kittens are 100% inclined to bite any toes that they see, and they would chomp on them all day long if allowed to do so. When my toes are being bitten, I either make a high-pitched “Ow!” noise that the kittens recognize as “hey, that hurts”, whereupon they stop biting and give a conciliatory lick or two. That usually works, but if it doesn’t, I resort to blowing a puff of air in their face. None of them like that, so they’ll stop biting – and sometimes run away.
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Eh eh hem there lady. Are you aware of the hooligans passing their shenanigans off as “art” in YOUR neck of the woods? We think you need to send Sheriff Mama immediately to investigate!
Awww, I did know about that, and I think it’s adorable. Especially the Sir Grumpsalot. Don’t I totally need that for the foster room?
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Also, some of the Royal videos of hopping kittens made me think of this, which I thought was just hilarious:
What I find really funny is that there’s NOTHING in that pen for the kittens to play with and yet they are still jumping around like crazy.. for nothing!
Oh, I LOVE that video. Popcorn kittens are the BEST!
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The Stompers in the cage photo should be a mousepad too.
Done! (And Russell, I haven’t forgotten your request for a Loony Jake t-shirt, I just haven’t had a chance to get it done yet.)
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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!
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!
Trudy added:
Very reasonable, and lots of styles to choose from. Well made, I have 3-the oldest is probably 6 years old.
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My eight month old kitten, Clove, likes to look at this website with me and purr. She really enjoyed the kitten videos this morning, but when we reached Tommy’s picture her purr became so intense she began to squeak and reached out a paw to tap his image. Tommy now has a girlfriend all the way across the country! Does his charm have no bounds?
Oh, that Tom Cullen. Even hiding in a grocery sack in a picture on the internet, his way with the ladies comes through loud and clear. 🙂
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By the way, is this the only occasion you’ve had 2 mama cats give birth within this short of a time span in foster care before?
Yes! There are a lot of firsts this year, actually – I’ve never had two mama cats give birth here in the same year (I usually get one pregnant cat every spring), I’ve never had two mama cats at the same time, and the Dragons are the first litter where I know in what order they were born.
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Yes, why is the door opened? Did you give them access to the upstairs?
I opened the door last weekend. In addition to their own room, they get access to Fred’s room and the bathroom and most of the hallway (there’s a barrier up near the stairs end of the hallway that they can’t get over, but Kate can) during the day. Once they’ve had their first vaccinations on Tuesday, they’ll be allowed into the rest of the house during the day and then the fun will begin!
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At the Baby Bottle Nursery the kittens were restless yesterday waiting for their food and I started singing to them and all but one shushed. One little fluffy orange one hissed super loud (probably 3 weeks old) and then growled at me. I told him “If you didn’t want to hear me sing, ya’ll shouldn’t have popped your ears open!” heheheh They can hear some with them all shut up though, right?
Also, I dare you to watch this video without having one of your cats investigate or without laughing.
They can definitely hear when their ears are still shut – at two weeks old, I know the Dragons can hear me. When I talk, their ears wiggle, and if I’m across the room talking to Khaleesi, they turn and look at me. They might not have their full hearing yet, but they’re certainly hearing something.
And I love that video. Tommy was sitting next to me when I watched it last night, and it got his attention for sure.
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Pile o’ dragons.
Oh, the little pink toes.
Ruth would like to know just WHAT I’m under the impression I’m doing.
“Mama! That lady is here again!”
“Mama?”
Puff and Scorch.
Paws, paws everywhere.
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He is just. So. FLOOFY.
And she is just. So. GORGEOUS!
This week I took out all the lights in the ceiling fan, put an adapter in each socket, and then put an Ott light bulb in each adapter (the adapters were required because the sockets take ceiling fan lights rather than regular sized bulbs). When I turn the ceiling fan lights on, it is BRIGHT in there, and will hopefully lead to my being able to get better action pictures. But if you see a lot of pictures of the kittens looking up, as though they’re staring into the face of the sun, the new brighter lights is the reason why.
(Unless I’m actually taking pictures, the ceiling fan lights are turned off, so it’s not always super bright in there. In case you were concerned!)
“How’d she get the sun in the ceiling?”
Buttercup’s all “I HEAR you sniffing, Aslan!”
Snuggly sisters.
With all that floof, she needs help keeping those ears clean.
Last weekend, before Lisa came to visit the Royals and peek in on the Dragons, I said to Fred “You KNOW she’s going to get at least one of those kittens to purr for her!” None of the Royals had purred for us at all, and Fred was starting to feel insulted. Sure enough, Lisa got Leia to purr briefly. Ain’t it always the way?
Monday, after I had vacuumed the upstairs, I went into the foster room where all the Royal kittens were hanging out on the cat tree (they weren’t scared of the vacuum – which they hadn’t seen in person before, just heard through the door – but definitely wary). I started petting them, and Aslan looked up at me and purred and purred. Then he purred some more.
Yesterday, Leia was hanging out on Fred’s bed, and I started petting her, and she purred like crazy. So note to myself: I bet the Dragons will start purring around 8 weeks old. (It’s been my experience that kittens who are raised by their mothers and still have their mothers around don’t purr as early and easily as kittens who are bottle raised, or who don’t have a mother cat around. I don’t know why that is – maybe someone out there knows? – but I believe it’s held true through all our mama-raised litters.)
Kate is going to be spayed on this upcoming Tuesday. I fear we’re racing the clock; I suspect that she could go into heat at any moment. Hopefully we’ll get her spayed before that happens, because a cat in heat is spectacularly annoying. If you’ve never heard the trilling sound of a girlcat lookin’ for love, consider yourself lucky. I mean, it’s actually a pretty sound – UNTIL it’s repeated over and over and over and over again.
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Corbie is just so SMUG. He’s gorgeous and he knows it!
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Previously
2012: Look at my vacation pics Thursday!
2011: “HI MAMA!”
2010: Apparently Corbett WANTED to get down, but Stinkerbelle was sitting there glaring at him, and he was too skeered.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: “I CAN BE A GIRL!” I said.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.