Miss Me?

"Of course you did."

When I promised you an update of the former foster with a special and distinctive trait, Holly very rightly pointed out that all of my fosters were special. They most certainly ALL excelled in "special", but my Zelda...

My Zelda aced the "special" part of the kitty exams. That pink tongue, those round green eyes, her gentle heart of gold... this girl makes my heart flutter, ache, and sing all at the same time.

"Darn straight... The Lady LOVES herself some Zelda!"

I received an email from Kevin, Zelda's new dad, the other day. Our girl is settling in nicely with her two new kitty brothers. The younger one is a sometimes playmate and a sometimes annoyance (as all little brothers are wont to be... just ask my older daughter). Zelda and her older brother are happy to ignore each other most of the time, although I do hear there are a few hissing and cranky "get off my lawn" moments from time to time.

"Zelda didn't see the lawn, but she DID see a cranky dude in her way. So she hissed. SOOOOOO not a big deal."

Zelda is playful and friendly, although the playful part is difficult to photograph because she's more interested in the camera and the person taking the photos than she is in the toy. She comes out to greet company but still seems scared of moving things above her head. Her kitty brother is nervous about ceiling fans and their dad is betting that Zelda will be too. But he does say that, for the most part, our Zelda is relaxed and happy in her new home. 

From the looks of the tongue, I'd say "relaxed and happy" are the right words to describe our Zelda in her new home. I couldn't be happier to know she's there.

For Our Wonderful Friends On Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to the most wonderfully supportive group of friends that we've never really "met" (well, not in person anyway). You have laughed with us through the good times, cried with us during the tough times, and have never left our sides during illness, melodrama, and lulls in the action. I truly do count you as friends.

The kittens wanted to get you a little something for Valentine's Day. First they were thinking flowers...

Grizzly picked the most beautiful bright pink flowers with just the right amount of greenery. He even agreed to pose for a photo sitting next to them.

He inspected every leaf for rich color, perfect shape, and made certain that the smell would not offend you.

He checked the bouquet and the vase from all sides to ensure its uniform beauty from every angle. He might have gotten a bit carried away and taste-tested a leaf or four, but the teeth marks merely add to the beauty of the arrangement.

After he made certain that every last detail was perfect, Grizzly asked his brothers and his sister to check his work before we sent the flowers off to you.

"A beautiful arrangement as always, Grizzly.

But what's that shiny thing stuck inside the flowers?"

"Shiny thing? What shiny thing? We LOVE shiny things!"

You really don't want to know what happened to the flower arrangement after that. Let's just say that Grizzly had some choice words for his brothers.

Levi remembered the jar of heart candies on the mantle where the flowers used to be. He suggested we send you the ones with all of the best messages printed upon them.

But after Grizzly licked them all in retaliation for the dive-bombing incident with the flowers, we all decided it was best if the heart-shaped candy stayed in Teeny Tiny Tabby Town after all.

The kittens next thought of a stuffed animal. Perhaps a cat to symbolize each of them...

But Levi fell in love as he was testing it for perfect hugaability. He's keeping it no matter how many names Misty called him.

And so they thought and thought and thought some more about the perfect gift. Grizzly wanted to send you a heart...

He suggested we send you his sister Misty's beautiful heart-shaped nose, but she would really rather keep it on her face.

And then Mr. Simba gave them a bit of inspiration. What if the kittens sent you a laugh instead?

But Simba was less than thrilled at being the butt of the kittens' joke. He suggested we send you Zelda instead.

Zelda was more than happy to oblige. Mostly because she understands that the tongue is LOVE and not something to be joked about. 

So after searching left and right, high and low, the kittens finally stumbled upon the perfect Valentine's giggle just for you...

"Draw me like one of your French girls, Jack."

"WHAT? It is FUNNY!"

"Ruby is NOT too young to watch that movie!"

"Oh, o-KAY! How about we give them a Ruby hug instead?"

Happy Valentine's Day, Friends. 

And Now For the News....

As if this week was not news worthy enough, there's one more piece of information that Aidan and I need to share this week.

You'll remember when Zelda came home in early January that she was not originally intended for Teeny Tiny Tabby Town. She took the place of a lovely little family who could not come to live here because the mama was FIV positive and couldn't come live in our house with an Abby who was prone to upper respiratory infections.

The name of this family?

Madison

Yes, this Madison family

Mama tested positive for FIV, or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, when we took her out of the shelter in January. Since her babies were too young and could not be reliably tested at the time, we left that for later.

To explain it simply, an FIV+ test result means that the cat has a weakened immune system. It is the feline equivalent to HIV. A cat with FIV is more susceptible to illness than it's less immuno-suppressed counterparts. They also could have a harder time recovering from any illness they contract.

This does not mean that FIV+ cats are damaged or less desirable as pets. They do, however, need a bit more care to maintain their health. Studies show that good nutrition, along with keeping a cat indoors and protected from the illnesses of other animals, can keep even an FIV+ cat healthy for a dozen years or more. With an attentive family, an FIV+ cat can lead as wonderful a life as any other cat on the block.

We will launch into an adoption and education campaign next week, posting more detailed profiles of each family member as well as the requirements that we would be looking for in an adoptive home. If you would like to read more about FIV in the meantime, please check here for more information.

Our babies are now eight weeks old. They are fat, happy, and healthy. Their FIV status is currently unknown and we will not be entertaining applications for adoptive homes until we know their true status and needs. We are making appointments for vaccinations and testing next week. We will also be setting the date for Mama to be spayed (and therefore the date on which she will be saying goodbye to her babies).

No matter what the test results, this mama and her babies will make tremendous family pets and are incredibly deserving of the right forever home. We will be accepting all prayers, good wishes, crossed fingers and toes for good results next week.

I know this was a bit of a blow to enter the weekend. To make it up to you, I offer a Zelda tongue.  xoxo... Kelly

I'll note here that Aidan's main contribution to today's post was research, photos, and providing the links (things he has to be able to do for his merit badge). He also edited and made sure that all of the information was correct. He will be writing one more blog post of his very own next week. One that will most assuredly be more fun than today.

Mission Accomplished

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the outpouring of love and support you showed yesterday when the news of our little Chanel broke. I received a phone call from Chanel and Abby's dad yesterday afternoon. After your reading your messages, he is overwhelmed by the affection, generosity, and kindness you expressed for Chanel and their family. He has asked me not only to convey his gratitude to you, but also to let you know how much they adore Abby and that she is doing a marvelous job of taking care of them during this difficult time. 

******************************************************

OPERATION ZELDA

Last Wednesday, I announced a plan that involved all of you... Operation Zelda. The basic idea was to share our special girl until her forever family came calling.

By Wednesday night, I had received a promising inquiry about our fabulous green-eyed girl. By Saturday morning, Operation Zelda was...

Mission Accomplished.

Zelda found her forever home with a wonderful couple. They have adopted two other special and quirky kitties... one senior who chooses to be alone and one five-year-old in need of companionship while they are at work. After learning that Zelda enjoys the company of other non-aggressive cats, her new parents drove over an hour in a Michigan snowstorm to meet our girl.

I spent Saturday morning preparing her for the meet-and-greet, telling her that new people were a-okay, and that she just needed to trust me (and trust them). I guess I need not have worried quite so much.

Because when the time came to meet her new family, I lifted Zelda into my arms and she took the initiative and left my arms and chose to climb into theirs instead. 

Zelda was calm. Zelda was charming. Zelda was adopted. I imagine that before too very much longer Zelda was...

A very happy kitty with a beautiful pink tongue on display for all to see.

On Saturday evening, I received an update from Zelda's new dad promising photos and mentioning that she "has such a big purr for such a small cat." Just knowing that Zelda felt comfortable enough to purr on her first day in her new home gives me tremendous joy.

Happy life to my darling girl. Operation Zelda... Mission Accomplished... Over and Out.

******************************************************

Operation Zelda had worked so well that Operation Sadie was already in the planning stages by Sunday morning. Little did we know that Our Lady Sadie had placed herself on an accelerated time table. 

Before I even had time to begin phase one, a text came in from the adoption center announcing that...

Sadie had been adopted by a wonderful family with a mom, a dad, and a young boy who was 7-years-old going on 30. He decided that Sadie was now his lady and off she went to her new home with her mom, her dad, her boy, and a shopping cart overflowing with goodies.

I just hope they know that all of the really comfortable furniture belongs to Sadie... and that there's a soft warm bed with a stuffed animal to snuggle every single day for the rest of forever.

Operation Sadie... Mission Accomplished (before it even began)... WooHooooooooooo!!!!!!

I'll just bet that when Zelda heard the news, she looked something like this...

Don't worry about me wasting tongue shots...

I've got more where these came from ;-)

Lazy Days

We're having strangely unseasonable weather in Michigan right now... fog, rain, and thunder in January. And you know what happens during a good rain storm? We're getting very sleepy, very very sleepy.

Okay, so the menace isn't actually here.

But this photo is darn cute and fits our sleepy theme.

I figured you wouldn't mind a Chanel shot ;-)

Anyway... Back to present day in Teeny Tiny Tabby Town.

Cole awakened a sleeping Norman.

And apparently didn't get the response he was looking for.

Zelda crashed out in the living room... YAY!

"Zelda is happy...

THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS!!!"

Mama Madison put her paws up while the kiddos snoozed.

(Just look at those curly whiskers... I adore them!)

"I'm not tired, but Mama told Levi to lay still and like it."

I'm sorry, but the only way to get a Misty picture is while she is sleeping.

If she isn't sleeping, she is in motion and, therefore, a blur.

It's the rule and we must all learn to abide by it.

Little Bear has no such problem posing for the camera.

I am amazed daily at the interesting mix of colors in these black kitten boys.

Just look at their legs! 

So much white and gray mixed in with their black fur.

"Peekaboo... Grizzly sees you..."

"Hey Lady... How come you're upside down?"

"You try sleeping with Bear singing in YOUR ear.

He thinks he's a cuter, fluffier Gene Simmons.

Grizzly blames You Tube."