Belle In A Box

Miss Belle just loves her box.

She has since she was very small.

Right through this very day, she naps in it.

Although there's not much room left in it at all. :)

If you have a box with slightly roomier accommodations (or would be willing to procure one in the near future), Belle would like to discuss a more permanent arrangement with you. She is available and ready for adoption whenever you are.

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Yep, they're still at it.

The kittens have decided that examining the workings of the door while open would be educational for escape opportunities while the door is closed.

Perhaps they should talk to Levi Madison to find out how it's done.

Or perhaps not.

Little Left Over Levi Has Left The Building

"Well, it's about time. What TOOK them so long to find me?"

All of the best adoption stories are worth the wait, and little Levi's is no exception. It begins about a week ago, when suddenly and inexplicably (other than he's so darn cute) my e-mail box began blowing up with a ridiculous number of requests to meet Levi. 

"Of course they want the Levi. They ALL want the Levi.

Just look at how charming and debonair the Levi can be!"

Well, out of five strong and supposedly super-interested contacts (people who sent messages for days on end no less), three were no shows and a fourth kept me waiting for 45 minutes past our meeting time. Quick Sidenote: If people are expecting you, pick up a phone or send a quick message. I don't care if that person is a complete stranger, a volunteer, or being paid for their time. They definitely have something better to do than wait around for you. And the kitten that you would have killed for 24 hours earlier deserved better than to be trotted out in a snowstorm only to sit and wait for nothing... Okay, that wasn't quite so quick. But this irritates the life out of me and happens more often than you might think. End rant.

"Yeah... Levi gets bored just waiting around, don't you know!"

The fifth contact wanted Levi desperately, but probably stood the least chance going into the adoption day. The supposed throng of admirers was due to show up at noon on Saturday and our last admirer worked until 3. If a great family showed up before then, I would have sent him home by then. But great fortune (perhaps in the form of rude people) intervened.

The gentleman had asked earlier if he could call Saturday afternoon to see if Levi was still available, and if Levi was still around the man promised to do everything he could to leave work early and bring his family out to the store as soon as possible. My cell rang at 2:05 p.m. and the conversation went something like this:

Potential Adopter: Is Levi still available?

Me: He is still available. Would you still like to come out and meet him?

Potential Adopter: Yes! I can leave work in a few minutes. I just need to run home and pick up my wife first. I'm working in Romeo (editor note: a small community about 18 miles away from the store) and the house is at (redacted intersection of two main roads along the way). We can probably be there right before 3, if that's okay with you.

Me: You live at (redacted intersection of two main roads along the way)?? I live at (redacted intersection of two main roads along the way)!

Potential Adopter: No kidding. Which neighborhood do you live in? We live in (name of subdivision).

Me: We live there too! Which street do you live on? I live on (name of road which happens to be the main boulevard through the neighborhood).

Potential Adopter: WE live on (name of same road)!

The conversation continued as we discovered that this family lives just down the street from me. Our children attend the same elementary school, ride the same bus home in the afternoon, and even attend the same after school program together twice a month. Their son is aware of who my daughter is, but since she is a gregarious and crazy-loud 6th grade girl and he is a very quiet and shy 4th grade boy... she hadn't really noticed him yet while she was apparently difficult to miss.

Needless to say, we skipped the store visit entirely. I told him to stay at work for the afternoon and bring the family down to meet Levi that evening. Also needless to say, the meet-and-greet was a smashing success.

The family asked if they could leave Levi with me for the rest of the weekend in order to prepare the house for his invasion. The original plan was for them to stop by Monday after school to bring him home. And then I got another phone call Sunday night... They couldn't wait any longer for their boy. Would it be okay if they came by and got him right now?

Meet my new (down the street) neighbor.

This adoption story is a good luck tale all the way around. Levi's new family got lucky that none of the other families showed up on Saturday. Levi got lucky in that the perfect family was waiting for him all along. And I got so exceptionally lucky that I can be so close by while he grows up.

I've come to dearly love this boy during the past couple of weeks. Don't get me wrong, I've always loved him. But those of you who foster know that sometimes when you're left with a singleton, they show you personality traits that you may have never noticed before or loads of love that they normally reserve for their siblings. Once Grizzly, Bear, and Misty moved out, our previously stand-offish, independent little Levi became snuggly, friendly, and amazingly charming and extroverted. He just needed a little space to shine... and shine he did. I'll admit that it hurt my heart a bit to give him up. But knowing where he is more than makes up for it.

And if he gets a little bored and lonely at home, he knows where to find me... and how to get out to see me. 

(Blogger is having bugs with uploading video as I write. If the video does not play, you'll just have to click the link to see the amazing levitating Levi instead.)

Update: Levi continues to amaze and charm his new family. They called last night to let me know how well he is adjusting (actually, he doesn't seem to have needed an adjustment period... he moved right in and claimed his spot within the family routine). He has a new name too. His new name? Ozzie. He's being referred to as "The Great and Powerful Oz", which tickles me no end.

Only one foster remains...

WHERE is Mama's family???

Could I be so lucky that they're down the road in the other direction?

Still Here... But Not For Long

Levi came home with me after adoption hours on Saturday. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a family...

In fact, if things happen as I expect... he will be packing up his little bags and great big ears soon and heading for his new home.

AND... it's a heck of a story. You won't want to miss it, so make sure you check back in the morning.

In the meantime...

"The dog LIKES it when Levi snuggles with him!"

"Levi doesn't care what the dog says. 

The dog LIKES it."

"Pay no attention to the choking dog.

He LIKES it."

"Don't listen to the dog.

He will miss Levi greatly when he moves out.

Yes, he WILL!!!"

Editor's Note: Never mind. He's not still here. His new family couldn't wait to take him home after all and came to collect him on Sunday night instead. You still have to wait until tomorrow for his adoption story, though.

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Since we can't keep Levi in the front foster room...

Mama moved out of the family room and back into the sunny window room.

I would try to get a better photo of her.

 But every time I open the door she jumps down and insists upon a lap. 

She wins.

Maybe tomorrow.

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 I spent last week creating a new home office.

It went from this:

To this:

Yay, IKEA!

Norman approves.

Too bad for Norman that I had plans for that particular cubicle.

"This box is too blanking small for Norman.

No, Norman should not watch his language.

And the Lady should clear out that cubby before Norman does."

Round Round Round Round He Gets Around

We've already established this:

And this:

Well just like the Energizer Bunny, our Levi keeps going and going and going and going. Not content to simply be friends with the friendlier, easier to access permanent residents, Levi set his sights high.

Just LOOK at what happened!

Mr. Simba was awake and aware that he had company.

"Oh, you do TOO want to be Levi's friend!"

Levi maintained a safe buffer zone just in case.

And that's not all:

"Now see here, Junior... You stay on your blanket and Norman will stay on his."

"The small one is quite handsome, Lady. But if he gets any closer Norman will be forced to unleash the paw of doom."

And when he got tired of feline socialization:

Levi tried to reach out on Facebook for a bit of human interaction too.

It looks as if we will be probably be saying goodbye to our Levi tomorrow. I've fielded four requests to meet him in the past 36 hours. The potential adopters will be meeting us at the store tomorrow to test drive a Levi and to see if they meet with his approval. I'll have the full story on Monday.

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Let The Sun Shine

Levi's quest for freedom has allowed Ruby back into her old stomping grounds.

"This place looks strangely familiar...

Could it be? Yes, Ruby thinks it is...

This is RUBY'S room!"

"And this is Ruby's toy too."

"CHOMP"

"Oooph!"

"Ruby meant to do that."

"Maybe Ruby can distract from her humiliation with a belly shot."

Have a great weekend, everyone!

But Keep The Old

Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.

Yesterday, we chronicled Levi's adventure in making new friends. But I still have some photos to share of his old friends too.

The Brothers Madison keep their eyes firmly rooted on the prize... 

a feather teaser, of course.

You saw this photo of Levi and Misty the other day,

but it turns out that our girl got around.

(Not in THAT way... get your minds out of the gutter!!)

Grizzly and Misty before they left for their forever homes.

Misty and Bear share a chair.

And I tried my very best to get a family shot, but we had an ever shifting round of willing participants.

Hey, Levi!! Over here, Levi!!

And now we've lost Grizzly.

Down in front!!

Sigh... At least we tried.

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An Update ALREADY!!!

I received a gorgeous collage of our handsome floofmeister Bear, along with a fantastically happy update:

"Bear is doing great... he is just AMAZING. He runs up and down the stairs of the condo like a maniac lol. When he's not running around he likes to pretend to be a parrot and sit on our shoulders (so cute). And at night he likes to sleep on Abe's head :)  Very playful and cuddly like you said, and he loves everyone. He goes crazy with a toy mouse, and can play with it for hours."

I am so happy for the happy ending for our boy and his new family. Love, love, LOVE to hear about my fosters in their new homes (hint, hint, hint... you can always send photos or drop me a line at teenytinytabbies AT gmail DOT com)

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And Remembering a Couple More Friends

I adopted a couple of angels for our website from the VSquillions Shelter. There is a list of Virtual Angels at the website where our girls are memorialized. As soon as I have time over the weekend, I will be adding their pictures to the sidebar to watch over our kitties (and doggie) in residence.

Our first angel is an old, old friend of mine...

And our second angel? Well, I think you might remember her...

I think she's STILL sitting on my shoulder. When Levi's not hanging out there, that is. ;)

Carry on, angels.

Make New Friends

Little Levi keeps right on making friends outside the front foster room. He is a complete love bug and doesn't hesitate to get pushy in order to get what he needs.

"Is this REALLY necessary?"

"But he's COMFY!! Levi needs to be COMFY!!"

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz"

"Ruby doesn't find this comfy. Nope... not one bit comfy."

"He is SUCH a pest!!!"

"HEY!!! Levi is NOT a pest!!!"

"Ahhh.... This is MUCH better."

"Well it WAS much better. Do you MIND????"

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Can you BELIEVE this snuggly and brilliant boy still hasn't found his forever home????? The first meet and greet didn't work out for him but, as luck would have it, he has another one scheduled very soon. We received two messages from new potential adopters within an hour of the first people choosing another kitten. The universe is working for us and I feel pretty confident that Levi won't live here much longer. But if you'd like to give the universe a hand and share our boy (or his mama), I'd greatly appreciate your assistance in helping him find his way home.