1532 Florida's Kitten Foster Frenzy

Posted by stand-in-foster-mom Jen:

I’m very sorry Internet, for I have let you down.  There have been no new posts this week, despite many many adorable kitten things.  My best excuse is that kittens are often very very fast and the camera on my phone is very very slow. which means I have a ton of pictures of kitten blurs, but not so much worth posting to the internets.  You are all very happy that I live with someone with a real camera- yay Mo!

My master plan for the past week was to pack up my office space while playing with adorable kittens.  They decided to help out since I was clearly not using my office chair.  This is how i found them every morning when I went into the office.  I’m pretty sure the black one that is missing there is Twelve Step, as she was most likely curled up in the cat bed..

Twelve Step and Zoom both have a snuffly head cold- Twelve Step has spent most of her time being super snuggly or sleeping in the warmest place she can find, but Zoom has been too busy running around making snuffly noises like a pug to care about a silly cold.  Its hard to tell who is cuter.  I also broke down and bought collars so that I could tell the black ones apart, so now I know that Zoom never stops moving and Twelve Step is the world’s biggest cuddler (and they aren’t just alternating when they get tired).

Triple sSs would like you to know that none of her S’s stand for stupid, scared or sane.  She’s been known to leap several feet, claws first, at nothing but human flesh.  She manages to look very very cute while doing it though, so you can’t help but forgive her and love her anyway.  She’s no longer the tiny runt that everyone picks on, she’s started standing up for herself in a big way.  She’s also an accomplished leg climber, and will be up to your thigh before you know what is going on.

McGurkus and His Lordship continue to be stripey and adorable. The biggest scare of the past week occurred when McGurkus found a previously ignored hole in my screen door and went through it. Luckily for us, he just got very confused because he would much rather be inside playing with his siblings and was thrilled to be brought back inside. Phew.

More pictures can be found here here.

The Feral Cat Foundation  got back to me with adoption rules.  Each kitten costs $100.  If you adopt two kittens, the price is $150.  This is much less than has been spent on the kittens – one vet visit alone (spay/neuter, full physical, vaccines, FIV testing, etc) costs more than this.  Also, by requesting a donation it ensures that the kittens are not going to be used as lab rats, fed to snakes, or any other horrible thing.  Boo, horrible things happening to kittens.   The kittens should be indoor animals only and can never be declawed.  (Declawing is cruel and vile.  Trimming kitty nails is a-okay.)

The kittens are heading to their spay/neuter appointment on Wenesday.  Once they are healed they are good to go – adopt away!

Triple sSs would like you to know that Macs are better than PCs.

I know that kittens this old (seven weeks) should be expert meowers. These guys, however, are completely quiet. I’ve never seen (heard, I guess) anything like it. Adam thinks it is because they were feral. Meowing might be a good way to tell other things in the world that you are here and should be eaten. I’m not sure. Either way, I’ve never heard an honest meow out of any of them before. There is plenty of purring and a squeek or two as someone gets pounced too hard (ah, zoom) but no meowing.

Today I learned that yes, they can meow. I locked McGurkus in the closet where the food is stored on accident. After a few minutes the meow meow meow meow started. Adam and I looked at each other for a moment with the ‘what the heck is that?’ before the kitten was promptly rescued. I would hope that this teaches them the closet is verboten, but I have my doubts.

But you don’t care about any of that. I know why you are here. Pictures. Therefore, I give you the star of our post, McGurkus:

A week ago I fostered 5 six week old kittens.  They are seven weeks old now and almost ready for adoption. 

Six weeks:

Seven weeks:

So who are these precious kittens? Let’s introduce them:

Starting any line up has to be ZOOOMMMM!!!! Zoom is a dark brown girl with bright blue eyes. She also is the first one into anything. She runs up to say hello, she charges the food, she finds the way into the forbidden areas. Zoom has no fear. To prove this, I chased her with the shop vac. She pounced the suction tube. Everyone else ran for their lives. Ah, Zoom.

Zoom’s almost identical sister is a much mellower kitten named Twelve Step. Our friend Henry named Twelve Step after visiting the first night the kittens arrived. We gathered ourselves for a night of kitten watching while having some beer and wine. Twelve Step seemed to instinctually know which glasses had wine verses which were water. She wanted booze, she wanted it all, and she wanted it now.

Twelve Step and Zoom can be differentiated by their eyes and time required to pounce. Zoom has blue eyes and has already pounced your foot. Twelve Step has gold eyes and is in mid pounce.

If I thought the black ones were hard to tell apart, the world did a number on me with the gray kittens. One is named McGurkus and the other Lord Tiberius Ravenspaw. Lord Tiberius has slightly larger ears. Slightly. Maybe. He’s also the one hiding in the corner, while McGurkus is timidly investigating your toe.

McGurkus was named by our friend Jenn after Dr. Seuss’ Circus McGurkus. When McGurkus is excited he raises his little paws in almost a military march. McGurkus loves nothing more then bellyrubs. He’s also a very curious coward – quick to run away, but just as quick to wonder what he ran from!

Lord Tiberius Ravenspaw is the most gothic kitten in existence. He is gray and black with eyeliner markings. Lord Tiberius would also like you to know that he is better than all other kittens. Ever. He believes it is his destiny to sit on laps, look amazingly stunning, and purr. The only acceptable other kitten is his brother, McGurkus. Together they play and roll around on the floor…but don’t tell anyone. His lordship would not like it if such undignified rumors got out.

The runt of the litter and general all around outcast is Triple sSs. She’s the stereotypical little sister; the bigger kittens ignore her and she tags along begging to play. Triple sSs also missed the ‘Gothy McGothass’ notice at birth – unlike all the other black and gray kittens, she is a Siamese. She is the nicest complete misfit one could ever hope to meet. ZOOOMMM!!! is a particular jerkhead to her, as the larger black kitten will come and steal the runts toys as she’s playing with them. It is both hysterical and totally pathetic to watch. Triple sSs also has some structural flaws. Her back legs are strong and powerful, but her front legs are simply too short. It gives her a strange hopping sort of movement that defines cute. I’ve promised her the best human ever. All she wants is someone to love her, pet her, and include her in everything.

All of them are looking for wonderful homes and should be ready for adoption in the next week. If you know anyone who wants a super amazing bundle of fur, send them my way. I got five amazing kittens – everything from the wild explorer to the perfect lap kitten.