Pretty Girl Vixen

Our teeny tiny girl Vixen is a strikingly beautiful kitten...

which is sometimes difficult to photograph.

We received dozens of phone calls for her brother Comet based on this one single photo on Petfinder.

Vixen's intial photo session left a much to be desired in the results, so this weekend I dedicated some time to working with our pretty little model.

Someone else decided that he would like to be part of the session too.

And after a moment... not just a part of the session, Peeps wanted to be the star.

"Hi, Lady!"

What you should understand is that Peeps is the love monster of the front foster room

They all love to be loved, but Peeps is the leader of the pack.

"PEEPS LOVES YOUUUUUU!"

"The title of the article clearly reads 'Pretty Girl Vixen'.  Peeps is neither a girl nor Vixen.  Harrumph."

 "This is much better."

I understand that Vixen is the last of the baby-babies available before the holiday.

Not only is she pint-sized, but she's sweet as candy and a lap cat to boot.

If you know someone who is looking for a kitten for Christmas, send them my way.

I might even be able to arrange a "layaway" program ;-)

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Teeny Tiny Health Update

They're not teeny or tiny anymore, so Cruz and Lincoln are heading off to get "tutored" this morning.  Shhh..... they think it's a special field trip and I don't want to burst their bubble.

Norm is still quiet, but eating and using the litter box.  We're making progress.  

Why Does It Always Happen on the Weekend?

As we moved toward the weekend in Teeny Tiny Tabby Town, it became increasingly obvious that there was something not quite right with Norman.

Norm had been quiet for about a week, unusually so. On Thursday, he started to disappear. I found him first huddled behind the toilet in the bathroom off the kitchen. I brought him out, gave him hugs, and put him on the sofa next to me. He returned to his spot in the bathroom. On Friday, I came home from a day away to find him hiding behind the open bathroom door and completely uninterested in attention or food. He had also become a bit crusty and stinky because our boy has been less than interested in hygiene lately.

After calling the vet, I separated him from the rest of the population so I could monitor his food and water intake along with his output in the litter box until I could get him to the clinic on Saturday morning. Two bites of food, a slurp or two of water, and one trip to the box. To say I was worried would be an understatement.

On Saturday morning, the vet detected a heart murmur (which was new for Norman) and felt that his intestines were "thicker" than she would like. He had lost a half of a pound since August and was dehydrated. After x-rays, this is what we learned...  His heart looks normal, as do his lungs, liver, and stomach. His intestines? Completely empty, not a trace of food inside of them. Well, maybe not completely empty. They were blown up like balloons with gas.

Our mission... get Norman rehydrated and eating again. He received 150 cc of sub-cutaneous fluids and an injection of steroids. We also have a prescription for Metronidazole, every day for seven days. So far, so good. We're still keeping him separated to monitor intake and output. He's eating, drinking, and using the litter box. He's also apparently getting rid of some of that gas... good grief, is it ever stinky in there.

"Geez, Lady... do you have to tell ALL of Norman's private issues?  So an old man has gas.  How, exactly, is that surprising?"

As long as Norman continues to improve, we can avoid further vet visits before Christmas.  If he crashes again, we have an ultrasound on the horizon to check further into his insides.  If he thought the x-ray was fun, he's going to LOVE the ultrasound ;-)

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The Adoption Report

Zip, Zilch, Nada. No adoptions from Teeny Tiny Tabby Town over this weekend. Seriously... what is the matter with people??? They could have had the pick of:

Cruzie Claus,

Lincoln the Pink-Nosed Reindeer,

or Vixen the Magnificent

(who was having NOTHING to do with the beautiful jingle bell collar provided for her)

There's only one weekend left to find the perfect kitten for that special someone on your Christmas list. To that end, this week's blog will be an advertisement of sorts. I need to get these three placed in their forever homes, and soon. We will also have daily updates on the Futures 4 Felines blog featuring a new kitten every day. I know most of my readers are outside Michigan, but if you could find it in your heart to share our friends with fuzzy noses with your human friends in the midwest I would be forever grateful.

Oh... and the Mother Jefferson update: Mama came back to us on Saturday. She was wound up and upset at coming back to the cat condos, so we brainstormed a solution. Our rescue director Paula has a baby tortie girl in desperate need of socialization so she took Mama home with her to work her magic ((Mama Catalina, Lincoln and Cruzie's mama, was on the job but she got adopted Friday night so baby Paris needed a new substitute mama)).  I hear that both torties are "weird" enough to make it work.  So our Mama is back on the job... raising another baby.  :)

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For Comet's Mama

Floofy Friday

Our fabulously floofy little boy had a very special visitor last night.

"Is my new mama here yet?"

"Sigh.... We've been waiting ALL DAY!"

"Is that the door?  Is she here?"

"Do my hairs look okay?"

OF COURSE, his hairs looked absolutely perfect.  And OF COURSE, he completely swept his new mama off her feet.  We have a love connection :)

Comet will be a fabulously fluffy Christmas gift for two little girls (and their mama too).  We're keeping him safe here until next Friday evening.  Good thing too...

Peeps needs a playmate while he's waiting for Christmas Eve!

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We're headed back to adoption hours tomorrow with...

Lincoln,

Vixen, and

Cruz!

He looks so much more grown up, doesn't he?

Teeny Tiny Baby Cruzie during his first stint in Teeny Tiny Tabby Town

Just look at our big boy now!

He kind of reminds me of someone...

You could definitely do worse than resemble Handsome Henry.

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And now for the news portion of our program...

Mother Jefferson is coming back to us.  Apparently our girl has decided she wants to be an only cat (and made her wishes known by terrorizing her kitty companion at her new house).  She will be back at Petco for Saturday adoption hours and ready for just the right family to come claim her.

And speaking of Mama... the apartment building in St. Clair County where she was abandoned and gave birth to her babies burned down this week.  One woman was killed and another is in the ICU.  Our rescue has taken many stray and feral cats from this apartment building in the past and we currently have a group of feral boys that were living in the building when it burned.  These boys are completely feral, so we are looking for a farm with a nice barn for them to call home.  Please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested in the boys (one, two, all of them!)

The boys are vaccinated and neutered.  They have all tested negative for FIV and Feline Leukemia.  For more information, you (or your friends, family, neighbors, and associates) can e-mail Paula at futures4felines@yahoo.com

Thank you for spreading the word.  Have a great weekend everyone!!

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! It's a Secret!!!

It's that time of year, when planners plan and schemers scheme and secrets abound. We already know of one very big Christmas secret.

Someone is going to be breaking out of this joint

As a very special Christmas present for a very special girl.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! It's a secret!!!

Someone else has an appointment this evening

To see if he will fit the bill as a very special Christmas present for TWO very special girls.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! It's a secret!!!

Someone else has been adopted too...

Shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! It's a secret!!!

Willie Rae has the perfect forever family... a mom, a dad, three kids, a chocolate lab, two senior cats, and all the foster kitten playmates she can possibly handle. But shhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! It's a secret!!! Seriously, the dad in this family suspects it will happen but doesn't know about it yet. The mom is looking for just the right way to break the news.  

Sometimes the family picks the kitten and sometimes the kitten picks the family. Willie Rae's family has loved her for her whole entire life but didn't really "know" how much they needed her until she so vehemently insisted how much she needed them. She has taken some of the pain out of the loss of their late great torbie cat, picking up the family lap cat duties and purring throughout the night on her new mom's legs. Even the senior boy cats have decided that Willie Rae is a-okay.

They're still debating a forever name. Willie Rae just doesn't feel like a forever kind of name. The double name will stay... as in Something Rae. Fiona Rae, Lily Rae, Phoebe Rae, Lucy Rae... feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments. I'll be sure her new family sees them.

So, So Busy

 "WHY, Lady? Why do you not come and snuggle Lincoln on demand?"

"It makes Lincoln so sad. Perhaps he will escape from the room another 152 times to make you pick him up each and every stinking time."

And he did.

And I did.

And then I kissed him 152 times.

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The foster room is rocking and rolling. Between the mixing of two litters and the addition of wild brother Cruz, there is never a dull moment in the front room.  The big boys are clearly putting together audition tapes for major league wrestling. There may or may not have been discussions about capes and "taking a dive". But I'm no snitch.

Vixen still isn't too sure that she likes all of the testosterone in her room (Do male kittens have testosterone?  Oh well, I'm going with it.) She spends the majority of her day telling the boys to knock it off and stop jumping on her. But even Vixen seems to have found a use for one of the boys...  Peeps has a girlfriend.  ;-)

He is the only Quincy-Adams boy who merits such attention.  Work it, Peeps.

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Don't look now, but our little floofmeister might already have his forever home. Thankfully, this will not turn out to a "blink and you'll miss him" fostering situation. If everything happens as I expect, this little boy will be making his move shortly before Christmas.

Thank goodness... I was really starting to wonder who might keep Peeps company until Christmas Eve.  

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Our boy Squeaky needs a forever home. It's getting lonely at the Petco Cat Condos. All of his friends are getting homes in time for Christmas. This gorgeous boy deserves one too.

His new family may want to block off all access points to the roof, however. ((We're looking into one of those t-shirts that say "Dear Santa... I can explain" for dear Squeeks in case the jolly old elf gets a glimpse of this photo))

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Crazy busy week ahead. If I should happen to disappear for a day or so, please don't spend your day waiting at the door for your chance to escape. I'll be back. Besides, I don't know if I have the time to catch each and every one of you 152 times. 

Toes Day with Willie Rae

Sure, Willie Rae has amazing coloring in her coat... but have you seen her TOES?

She was in the mood to show off, so I took advantage and took some photos for you.

Notice the one foot with all black toes and pads.

She has one completely pink toe on one front foot.

The rest of her toes are either all black or a mix of black and pink.

Totally squee-worthy.

Don't you want to kiss them?

The good news is that Willie Rae is so sweet that she would probably let you do it, too.

"Abby has toes, too!! Pretty ones!! They're just a little cold right now so they're going to stay over here until they warm up."

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 Dark and dreary, overcast and cold...

 Monday was the perfect day for napping under the Christmas tree.

While I love Clay (Casper) dearly, I'm very glad that it's his sister staying here at Christmas time instead.  ;-)

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Bedlam reigns in the front foster room.

Exhibit A:

After an evening (and a morning) filled with kitten girl howls and hisses, things finally appear to be settling down. Vixen isn't interested in rough-housing, but Comet is game for anything. He looks like he's getting the worst of the deal... but then again it's hard to feel sorry for the kitten who initiates all of the action. As soon as he finds himself in trouble, he squeaks and hisses and the offending big brother lets him go.

"Yeah... Lincoln wasn't doing ANYTHING to that puffy little dude."