comfy....

It's very fun to watch these kids get a bit bigger (I had to let Milkshake's collar out a hole). It is definite. She's a little independent soul, and Cheesecake is about the biggest snuggler you can find (when she's not chasing around with Milkshake). If you let her, she'll crawl up right under your chin and stay there, kneading and giving loves.  I've caught Mr. B down on the floor wrestling around with them, too... when he's not pretending he's above such antics.... :-D

Remember... August 8.  That's when the little monkeys will be back at the Anti-Cruelty Society waiting to be adopted.  And I doubt they'll last long there... so get down there quick!!

Babies growing up...

but still babies. Napping hard, playing hard with each other.  A fun moment of peek-a-boo.

Aha! FINALLY...

 The ONLY time you can catch them together and get ANY sort  of a good photo without blurring.  :-)

 Cheesecake the finger sucker (yes, she likes licking the tip of your finger then nibbling...not hard, just a nibble...)

Milkshake the brave taking over my art chair....

Milkshake and Cheesecake: A week and a half in...

Well, we knew it wouldn't last.  The tiny cutie pies have grown and are now strong enough to, as of this evening,  jump to the top of the gate and over. I'd take a photo of them to post, but that's going to have to wait until they get tired from running around in their new found freedom. Instead, I will describe...

Milkshake, the brown and white tabby (born 04/24/2011), is an adventurous soul. While tired, or unsure she will gladly sit in your arms while you stroke her cheeks and chin. However, once she is more comfortable, she would rather be on the floor, or by your side, walking around, exploring, playing. She's rather cautious, yet very independent.  Although the smaller of the two sisters, she has a deeper meow (which has amused me to no end) and you can see her processing her surroundings, then going after it full tilt. This I could see from the beginning, but the characteristic has stayed with her...

Cheesecake, the white with brown tabby spots, (born 04/24/2011) is still the impetuous kitten, running and jumping then thinking after.  She is more of a cuddler than her sister, but will quickly excuse herself to go play chase and wrestle with her more introverted sister. She has become the bigger sister of the two, with a tiny, cute, squeaky voice. She was the first to jump the gate, by the way....

As I type, waiting for them to tire enough to slow down for a photograph, with my faithful B by my side, I feel I shall have to wait for quite a while. Which makes me chuckle. Racing from one end of the room to the other, I can see how they would be okay if they were adopted out individually, but they have loved and played with each other for so long, they would definitely miss their sibling. From the perspective of a human who adopted a single cat, I must say that a pair is more fun to watch than any TV show.

From Mr. B's point of view (kittens are a first for him) he's doing rather well with them. Basically ignoring them imperiously, until someone decides to come running up and then he lifts the meaty paw... and taps them on the head.  Which cracks ME up, since he's a whopping 13 pounds, but knows not to hit hard.

Oh, and did I happen to mention that they have discovered his fishbowl, and they like to drink out of it, too?

*No fish were harmed in the making of this blog....

Remember, these kids will be up for adoption soon. So if you'd like to save on the energy bill (T.V.), and need some laughs in your life, be sure to come down to the Anti-Cruelty Society at 157 W. Grand Ave. in Chicago. Ask for Cheesecake and Milkshake!  :-D

Mr. B's Playtoys

Yesterday I went to get them something that would give them a little satisfaction in scratching I wandered home with a sisal mat (that Mr. B. tried his hardest to crawl in the bag with, as it has some catnip in a pouch on the back. He was a bit put off when I told him that it was for the kittens, but perked right up when I showed him that I'd bought some to stick in an old toy for him to play with.). Funny thing IS, hanging it from the door, they stretched up and were too short to reach it.  Ha! So I taped it to the floor for easier access.

B. has taken to watching them quite a bit. He finds them very interesting, has since the first, but now instead of tiny aliens he wants to play with them. I've explained that they're still in quarantine, as they only showed up a few days ago, but he is rather impatient to play with them, going so far as to try to play toe tag with them under the separation gate. Which doesn't really work, as he has huge paws. Here's what he, and I, have observed so far:

Milkshake, the tabby grey with white("Tips" to me, because of the beautiful white/ grey/ tabby stripes running down her ears...it looks like she was dyed like an egg) is the more reserved of the two (if kittens can BE reserved). She takes a second, measures things up, and kind of eases into the situation. She can get rambunctious, definitely, but she appears to think things over a bit.  Whereas Cheesecake, the white with spots (obviously I call her "Spots") is gung ho and goes hell bent for whatever she wants to do at that moment. She does tend to give up quicker than Tips, who will run with an idea (we're working on that whole "off" thing. Pants legs were not meant to be climbed. Ow.) hehe! :-)

So far this seems to be my observation.  That and they love playing with each other. (duh) and would , as a pair, keep a person entertained for hours on end.

Milkshake and Cupcake

 They seem to be adding a tiny bit of weight, even about just a day later.  They feel more solid, anyway...

Aaaaaannnd...they discovered the fridge. Checking out the apples. Because, hey, everything is new! Yes, this is my empty fridge. Don't judge me. And since they discovered the fridge, we're working on them knowing what "out" means.

Today they had their first experience with getting their nails done.  I didn't push them, I don't want them to get antsy, but they did rather well, holding still enough for me to clip a few nails. They're kittens, though, and they're naturally energy machines. I'd rather get them used to it than wrap them in a towel. So much easier.  :-)

Milkshake and Cheesecake

If I had my way, though, I'd name them Peary and Cook.  More on that later.

Today I went down to the Chicago Anti-Cruelty society to pick up these two little bits for a few weeks, as they were a bit to small and underweight to adopt out. One bonus on using the CTA is you get a lot of people oohing and aahing over the cute little babies, and maybe implanting the seed of an idea. Yesssss!!!!!

At home, the kitchen was to be their area. No mixing in with the current wildlife, since we want to make sure everyone stays healthy, no colds are incubating, and they get used to each other. After all, as kind and wise as he is, Mr. B. has about 10x the body weight that they do, and when a young whippersnapper gets wound up... well... yeah.  Best that they get used to each other.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. Peary and Cook. Well, with Mr. B. watching us like my Mom hooked on Survivor, I played with them a bit and watched them play as I stayed in the kitchen cleaning, and playing with them once in a while, touching their paws (that makes it MUCH easier to get them to hold still to clip their nails and no, don't even MENTION declawing... how would you like to get your fingers cut off at the first knuckle?) and then I opened the fridge door to get out some lunch. And in they went! exploring the coldest recesses of the icebox.

Even just knowing them for less than a day, I'm becoming familiar with their personalities. But I'll still have them for another few weeks. Remember, if you like them and what I write about their personalities, I'll let you know when they go back, go visit them at the Anti Cruelty Society and you can adopt them!!!

Oh, and if you will? Send this out to your friends so we can get a big old following and network the heck out of them. And any others that come to my attention... :-)  After all... everyone needs love.  And a home.

Day One.

I swear, to you by all that is holy that I'm not an animal hoarder. Or someone misplacing their misspent "mom" years babying animals in place of that longed for child.  Or someone who will at some point become the embodiment of the running joke about old cat ladies dressing up their "babies" in doll clothes. I have one cat, Mr. B., I have a million nieces and nephews, so I'm good there. And I have no desire, other than clipping Mr. B's nails to keep any roughhousing injuries to a minimum (mine AND his...) to dress my cat up. He's a cat. He already owns a beautiful white fur coat.

Why, then, you ask? Hopefully to hook people up with the pets that I foster, and that I find or someone tells me about that needs love and a home. But with more than an impersonal blank form letter... with someone's personal experience so that you know what you're getting yourself and them into.

As I go on with this, I'd like to expand and link any viable rescues in so that people can click and go visit.

All I ask is that if you want a pet, you think long and hard about it, about what you want to get, and about what is realistic for you.  The shelters out there are full of the pets of people with good intentions....

Mush mush, love, home, best friend. Yup. All that. So here goes: my first foster: kittens.