BENNY GOT ADOPTED!!!!!!!
"Who? ME?"
Our sweet lover boy Ben got a home of his very own on Sunday afternoon. After coming in runner-up to three different families on Saturday (who obviously didn't deserve him anyway), Ben charmed his way into a lovely lady's heart and went home with her. He has older kitty siblings and a new Mama who is obviously very smitten. I got there just in time to smother Benny with goodbye kisses (which might have made the new Mama just a tad bit jealous... but he was just as happy when I turned him over to her)
Have a wonderful life, my dear sweet boy.
AND AN UPDATE...
Penny's new mom and dad report that they are completely over the moon about their new calico princess (as if there was any doubt). The phrase they used had something to do with giving her up over their dead bodies.
"You were worried that I would somehow disappoint them? Pfft. I've got them wrapped around my little toe bean."
AND MORE NEWS...
Henry and Porter made the trek to Petco on Saturday. Henry moved right in, found a bunch of playmates, and basically took over the joint. He wowed a couple potential adopters within the first hour. Our Henry is going to be just fine.
"Well, duh..."
Sweet, timid Porter had the opposite reaction. He crammed himself into the back of the carrier and needed to be pulled out. He shook like a leaf in the arms of anyone who tried to hold him. Our rescue director Paula even took him around the store to look at the fish and birds... he still trembled and wanted nothing to do with the place. She tucked him into a comfy bed in the the display and covered most of him with a soft blanket (where he stayed and hid).
But something remarkable happened... Eloise (who had her own issues with being at Petco and was still a bit bothered by the whole thing) was in my arms when she saw Porter being put into the cubicle. She suddenly became exceptionally determined to leave me... clawing, climbing, leaping to the wire door that had Porter on the other side. We put her in with her brother, where Wheezy started purring immediately, curled up in Porter's stomach, gave him a few kisses and then went directly to sleep. Porter, who had only arrived an hour earlier, was still scared but relaxed considerably with Eloise as a companion.
I'm thinking that I would like these two to be adopted together and I do have final say as to whether they are adopted separately or with a partner, and which partner they go with. On Sunday when I came for a quick visit, it was free play time for the boy kittens (who were on the loose in the room behind the display). I was greeted by a much more confident Porter... happy to see me, wanting a hug, tail high in the air. But then Henry got a much more interesting game going and Porter needed to go play with the guys. Eloise was happy to see me, too. Miss Crankypants demanded that I let her out of her cubicle and snuggle her... with a great big purr.
I checked in on them again on Monday (told you I was a worrier). They're doing better and better.
I checked in on them again on Monday (told you I was a worrier). They're doing better and better.
AND EVEN MORE NEWS... AND A QUANDRY...
Um... How shall I put this politely? Our Henry has become a man. His integration at Petco was quick and easy... and then he decided that perhaps his sister should be a little easy?
"You wouldn't BELIEVE what Henry tried to do to Eloise!"
Our Petco shelter display usually allows for free roaming throughout all of the cubicle for all of the kittens. Let's just say that our babies are now segregated by gender while we wait for the vet clinic to open again on Tuesday. The plan is for Henry, Porter, and Baz (all of the remaining unneutered boys) to visit this week. Which brings me to our quandry...
I volunteered to collect the boys and taxi them to and from the vet. I was also offered the chance to bring them home again for a night or two to recuperate after their surgeries... which I desperately want to do just to be able to snuggle my boys for another couple days. But I am concerned about Porter's reaction if he gets to come home and then has to go back to Petco. Any suggestions or gut reactions?
Let's see... What was I forgetting? OH! The TUXIES!!!
Two terrific tiny tuxies. One gray, one black. Both fabulous.
Itty bitty baby gray tuxie Hudson is a fluffy powder puff of love.
When he isn't snuggling with his stuffed puppy mama substitute, Hudson can usually be found somewhere near his sister Malibu.
Snuggling or kicking butt... Hudson and Malibu stick together.
Sweet baby Hudson always manages to look surprised at the day's events.
And yet he keeps a slender little belly stripe surprise mostly to himself.
(He was here for almost a week before I saw it!)
Black tuxie brother Bentley is, how can I say this kindly, a character. He might be best explained by letting you in on the fact that Bentley is the Henry of the Adams litter.
Bentley is the first to greet you at the door, the first to climb in your lap, and the first to...
Chomp... fingers or toes, it doesn't really matter.
But Bentley really likes fingers.
Stay tuned tomorrow for Womenfolk Wednesday... and ANOTHER update. ;-)
Yay for kitten adoptions - and what a lovely pair of tuxedo kitties you now have.
ReplyDeleteHope Porter and Eloise get a home together too!
They ARE gorgeous, aren't they?
DeleteYup - My first ever cat was a tuxedo kitty back when I was around 7 - She started off a life long love of cats! 43 now and had cats for most of the time since Pippin - My last cat was a black and white kitty called Sooty!
DeleteCan't have pets where I live at the moment though which is a shame or I would be having another black and white kitty or tuxedo kitty!
Yay for Ben! I'm glad Eloise and Porter are doing better. I would take them both if I lived closer. They are wonderful lovebugs. If it were me, I would probably return Porter to Petco after surgery but maybe keep Henry a day. He has always been the character but oh my - poor Eloise. I can just envision her saying "Well, I never" and Henry coming back with "Try it you might like it" and some lady coming down with the vapors. Good heavens!
ReplyDeleteThankfully (or perhaps not so for the witnesses), he made his moves during adoption hours so he was caught before anything really happened.
DeleteJust curious as to why the shelter you are fostering for does not spay/neuter before they go to Petco? I think all kittens should be neutered before adoption. A lot of people say they are going to get done and don't.
ReplyDeleteI would be the wrong person to officially comment on this since I am relatively new to the foster situation and this is my first litter to go up for adoption. Of course, ideally they would all be fixed before adoption (and I would prefer knowing that for peace of mind). But keep in mind that we are not a shelter, but a shoestring mom-and-pop rescue funded primarily out of the kind heart and retirement fund of one lone woman.
DeleteI do know, however, that our director firmly believes that females should not be spayed before 6 months of age (and if we have a female beyond that age, she is absolutely spayed before adoption). There is a sizable refund of the adoption fee made if adopters can show proof of spay/neuter within a certain time frame. Vet checks are done and treatment history are also investigated (One potential adopter left screaming obscenities last Saturday because we wouldn't adopt unless we could call his vet... I'll bet HE had no intention of fixing the animal). Our boys would have been required to be neutered before 6 months of age to receive the refund (and from what I understand people who fail to return for the refund are few and far between).
As it is, with just one of them entering sexual maturity they are all getting fixed anyway. It may not be an ideal situation, but she's doing the be that she can manage at the present time.
I was wondering the same thing as Deb..don't they have to be spayed or neutered before adoption? Most other shelters spay or neuter after they hit 2 pounds.
ReplyDeleteKaren, for full story please read my response to Deb. I can't speak officially, being a new foster, but as a rescue on a shoestring budget (not a shelter) our director has parameters in place that have worked for her in the past. It isn't ideal but every kitten I've fostered this summer would have absolutely been euthanized at a shelter (and as it turns out, all will be fixed before adoption).
DeleteWhoops. That would be all by Eloise, since she will be adopted out before she hits 6 months old.
DeleteI don't know how your kitties (or you) will react. but I can tell you that Kitten Friday does wonderful things for my foster kittens. Kitten Friday is when I feel comfortable enough (several factors in play) to bring the kittens to work on Friday when I have a half day. they play, they socialize, then they go home to their safe zone. It really bolsters their confidence and makes them more outgoing and confident kitties. The "see I survived that place and nothing bad happened to me" mentality really does make a difference.
ReplyDeleteOh, that would TOTALLY be the place I'd want to work. Kitten Friday? Perfect. ((I am currently getting ready to send out my resume to re-enter the job market. Wonder how I find the places that let you bring kittens to work?))
DeleteHi Kelly, What fantastic news re Benny and Penny, and I'm glad to hear that Porter and Eloise are together and feeling a bit better. My gut response to your taking the boys back for a little post-surgical R&R is no, because they will then forget about Petco and then be returned to there. And of course it was lovely meeting the tuxies.
ReplyDeleteI think that's the conclusion that I've come to as well. Porter doesn't need to get settled back in here at home. He needs to build his confidence to get ready for the adoption event on Saturday.
DeleteYeah for Ben!!! We knew he could do it.
ReplyDeleteIt would be tough, but we think going back to the store might be best. I would think coming home and then going back might be too much change.
I am starting to think the same thing. There's an adoption event at the store this weekend and I want to make sure he's relaxed and confident in his surroundings by then. So back to the store he will go (unless the vet tells me different)
DeleteI have very little expertise in this area, but my understanding is that boy cats don't need much recovery time at all post-neutering, so I think the decision is less about R & R for them and more about their response to so many changes and how YOU feel. I had two foster kittens last summer and I know that saying goodbye to them once was hard enough -- I wouldn't want to do it twice.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, I nearly had a heart attack on Sunday when I got a "HomeAgain" notice in my email saying that a cat was lost in my area whose description fit that of one of my former fosters. I had met the adopters and was able to email them to ask if indeed the missing cat was theirs, and it was -- but he wasn't missing. They had been out of town for a week and when they returned their pet sitter said she hadn't seen him. After searching for him high and low, they were freaked out enough to report him missing. Three hours later, he came sauntering through their kitchen like nothing had happened. He had apparently found a REALLY good hiding place. What a brat.
Good luck with whatever decision you make.
Before I even got to the "What a brat" at the end of your story, I was thinking "What a brat." It's amazing what cats will put us through. Brats. I'm glad he was safe and sound and home all along.
DeleteHooray for Ben.
ReplyDeleteMy only experience is with TNR males. They really bounce back quickly after surgery. Those boys want OUT as soon as they wake up in 8 hrs. I keep them only long enough to feed them a good meal and then off they go. Of course, these young guys are pretty tough and very wild. I guess I’m more scary then Ouchy on their backside.
I bet socializing kitties would make Petco go smoother. And I'm a bit jealous that someone somewhere gets to play with kitties at work. Very Nice! Good Luck
Katie
Yeah, I'm sure that health-wise the boys will need precious little recovery time. They should be ready to go back to Petco that afternoon and I will probably send them there rather than bring them home.
Delete