Thursday was a gut-wrenching, roller coaster type of day here at Teeny Tiny Tabby Town. We spent our morning getting ready to say goodbye to some of our first foster kittens ever. Three kittens were determined ready to make the trek to Petco.
We always knew our Benny would be one of the first to go. Handsome, outgoing, strong, and healthy... Ben exudes confidence and was more than ready. He did not disappoint. Benny entered the kitten area in the store as if he had always been there... had a snack and used the litter box within the first few minutes before meeting the ladies in residence without a single issue. Our floofy boy is ready and calmly waiting for his forever family.
Surprisingly enough, Baz went along for the ride. He had become Benny's shadow the past couple days, so we thought it might be worth a try to send him on the same day. Baz the Tasmanian Devil went back to Petco calmly and sweetly. He didn't make a fuss when he first arrived, or when I left him there, or when I came back for a visit that evening. He's a different cat than when I met him on Monday. ((That being said, I am on call this weekend to return for him if he goes back to his devilish ways))
This one hurt the most. Little baby Eloise also said goodbye. It was the right thing to do and it was the right time, but she didn't make it easy on me. I would have wished that our sweet, demure princess waved goodbye and confidently took her first steps toward finding her forever home.
Miss Eloise Crankypants made the trip instead. She hid in the carrier and had to be pulled out. She hissed and growled at the other kittens at Petco (even Ben!). She picked a comfy bed and trembled there until I left. I worried about her so much that I went back after dinner to check on her. She seemed a bit better, but still was decidedly unhappy. I'm hoping that when I bring Henry and Porter to join the party on Saturday, my Wheeze will be adjusted to her new surroundings.
Yep... two more goodbyes this weekend. Sigh....
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But When You Give Your Fosters Back, You Get More...
I just wasn't expecting it to happen right away... Meet Clyde (quite possibly the most incredibly gorgeous hunk of man cat I have ever seen)
When our rescue received the call about Clyde, we were told he was a six-month-old kitten who belonged to the neighbors that moved... and left him behind in the backyard. Our director had the callers drop him off at our vets to be checked, vaccinated, and neutered so we could bring him straight to Petco. Imagine our surprise when we learned that Clyde is closer to 2-years-old instead. This created a problem since the current adult cat in residence at Petco will tolerate kittens but not other adults. So...
Clyde is a short-termer, living in my family room until a spot opens up for him at Petco.
He brought his fox-tail with him. I can't be sure, but I think his tail might account for half of Clyde's nearly 8-pound weight.
He is a trusting lover boy who enjoys human companionship and is happy to be here with us.
I'm glad he's here too.
Hey... I gave up three kittens and only took in one more cat. That equals TWO steps in the right direction.
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And Last, But Not Least...
Our final kitten of the Adams litter... Here's Shelby (named for the Shelby Mustang)
Shelby is our confident and chatty conventional calico baby. Our girl always has something to say. Shelby attempted to leave the foster room yesterday and met Charlie in the doorway... and I'm still kicking myself for not having the camera ready. 85-pound dog gently sniffing a palm-sized kittens, who refused to don her floof suit... ridiculously adorable.
I'd say those words just about sum her up perfectly... ridiculously adorable.
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Have a great weekend, everyone. I'll be back on Tuesday with two more goodbye stories (sob) and lots of new stories about the teenier set.
Oh yeah... and Tuesday's the first day of school too.
Why yes... I am the parent that dances down the aisles while shopping for school supplies. It's been a long summer.
Awwww.....it is SO hard to see them go. Do you get involved in the adoption part of it? Mom has discovered that it makes it a little easier when SHE gets to see the applications and send the kitts home. Poor Wheezy..... Doc & Sally were at Petco for about 8 hours (before weird things happened and they came back) and Doc screamed the entire time. He may be a pest when he eventually goes.
ReplyDeleteThat Shelby is adorable....bet Charlie really wasn't sure what she was. :) And nice save for Clyde (love the name).
I can get involved to a certain extent. I do have total say in the kinds of households they are placed in and whether or not my kiddos need to be adopted together (and in which combinations). Our rescue director, bless her, always says that we know these kittens best so we get to make those decisions. We did end up having a pair that I decreed need to go together.
DeleteAhh Shelby-that's definitely a girl's name I left off my list yesterday. She is ridiculously adorable. Charlie is such a gentleman, why would she have needed floof?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the kiddos and school. I too am the kind of mom that says "bye-don't let the door hit you on the way out". Good lesson for parents of kids and kittens alike-they are really cute as babies but eventually they grow up :( Yes, I'm glad they are mostly going to be occupied for the next 9 months. Summer was hot and stupid. Watch now, it'll be just my luck to have mounds of snow days since we didn't have any last year.
Counting down the days. Less than 48 hours until I get to dance on my way home from the bus stop. I love my children. They are sweet, polite, well-behaved children. But by the time August rolls around they are sick, sick SICK of each other as constant companions and my tolerance for bickering is at an all time low.
DeletePoor poor POOR little Eloise. It breaks my heart. If at leats it were possible to make her understand that it's for her own good. And good job with Baz! Let's hope he stays calmer this time.
ReplyDeleteAbout Clyde: What kind of person does that? Leave their cat in the backyard when moving away. It makes me so mad! Here in Quebec, we have this problem too. We call July 1st "Moving Day" (more than "Canada Day", but don't mention it to all the other Canadians) because almost all the leases for apartments terminate on July 1st. So a LOT of people will move on that day and pizzerias are overworked. Anyway, in that period, there are always some ads with sad pets on them saying "Don't leave us behind!" So so sad. I would NEVER do something like that and I would never speak again to someone I know if they did that. (That is not to say that people in Quebec are cruel and are prone to do something like that, but since it so concentrated in on part of the year, it becomes a problem.)
I KNOW! This is the same conversation that I had with my husband last night (well, except for the Canada part since we're in Michigan). I will never understand how someone can KNOWINGLY put their pet in danger. People like that need never to have another animal.
DeleteI'm sure the Washingtons' forever families will be here soon and everyone will be fine! I got teary eyed when I sent my kittens all off, (and I handed them off to their families since they were stays I rescued myself), so I can't imagine leaving them at Petco... :(
ReplyDeleteSweet Clyde! It breaks my heart that people can just abandon a pet...I'm glad he has a safe and loving home to stay in while his new family is found!
And Shelby is a doll! And a brave doll to look Charlie in the eye without the floof suit!!!
Shelby is the adventuresome one in this litter. She's made it out of the foster room more than once already. And she's peanut-sized!
DeleteHoping that Eloise is feeling better today -- puir wee girl! We know it's for her own good; now if only she did! Oyez, oyez, oyez: may it be known that I am already more than a little enamored of Clyde.
ReplyDeleteClyde has the entire household wrapped around his little toe bean. Scratch that, the entire household EXCEPT Simba.
DeletePoor sweet Wheezy! As much as I hate to see Henry go, maybe she'll feel better once he and Porter join her. And what a great story about Baz's transformation!
ReplyDeleteShelby is adorable, but, oh, my -- Clyde! What a beautiful boy he is! I would adopt him in a minute, if I lived closer and didn't already have the 2 cats allowed by my HOA. I have to say that part of Clyde's attraction is his name. I went to college with a guy named Clyde (real name) who was one of the sexiest guys any of us ever met. He definitely overcame the name he inherited from his father, and since then, I fall for every Clyde I meet (although they've all been feline or canine!).
I'm running over to Petco to check on them all in a bit. Hoping to see some braver kittens... although Henry, Ben, and Baz were just fine Saturday. So now you know who I'm worrying about (which, knowing Porter, it should have been clear from the get-go that I was going to worry about HIM)
DeleteClyde is a suave and debonair dude, to be certain.
So glad to hear about Baz. I hope Eloise settles in quickly.
ReplyDeletescritches to Clyde.
She's doing better now that she has Porter with her. But now it's Porter that's anxious and scared, so I worry about him instead.
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