Saying goodbye to the Kitten No One Wanted..

I am so struck by what the shelter said to me when they first asked me if I might want to foster Odilia.. 'Do you want her, she has no eyes, no one wants her'

How could I possibly refuse?

She came to me in April, the 23rd to be exact.. small, but robust, friendly and outgoing. She was the size of a three week old kitten but had the teeth of a five week old one. So who knows how old she really is. Talking with Amy Jo we thought that April 1st would be a wonderful day to celebrate her birth.

Amy showed up on Thursday and came to visit.  She couldn't take Odilia because they were staying in a non-pet friendly hotel - like I minded in the least. (oddly enough they ended up staying in a room called Ophelia)

Friday we went and did her adoption.

Amazingly enough while we were there two other kitties went home as well.  For a Friday morning that is impressive..  One of which I got photos of last week and you'll see him in the next installment of "Shooting at the Shelter"

Amy and I then spent some time together, shopping for goodies for Odilia and showing her the sites, including Lenny the Chocolate Moose..  I dropped her off at her hotel and she and Ray went to dinner and I went home for some last cuddles.  I was very fortunate that Odilia was in a cuddly mood.  We had a good long snuggle.. she played with the random tear that fell down my cheek.  Generally I prefer my fosters to be all playful and not snuggly in those last days, it tells me they are ready to go... but I was happy for the time. Odi has been with me far longer than most kittens - and it has been a while since I have had long term kittens. Generally they leave at 10 - 12 weeks of age and they rarely stay that long unless they were born here and when that happens they don't have personalities for the first few weeks.. and I haven't had a kitten born here in a while.

Saturday they came to pick her up to drive the 9+ hours home. They set her up in a kennel for the ride and the photo she shared with me showed that once again she drove beautifully..

And yes, I sobbed after she left. I felt silly because it was exactly what I wanted. I could not have been happier - well no, that's not true.. If Amy Jo decided to move and live across the street I could be happier.. but barring my own personal brand of crazy I couldn't be happier with where she ended up.  Amy has invited me to visit, and I don't doubt I will do that one day.  Until that day I always have this brand of crazy to keep me company

Come on Momma, lets get some chocolate cream pie and snuggle...

I'm hoping to get Amy Jo to do a guest post and share some of her photos of the trip home.. but I imagine she's a little stressed over the whole situation so I'm not sure when it will be.  I can tell you she is doing amazingly well.  There has been a bit of adjustment on her end with older siblings, but they are patient with her and I am sure in time it will be like she has always been there..

Sleeping with the kittens..

Why are you not kissing us??

Well the time has come.  I put it off and put it off and put it off, and my little creamy boy was getting well past the "just made size for adoption" and was quickly approaching that lanky teenage stage (he's not there yet, but man the way they were eating me out of house and home it won't be long)

I sent an email off over the weekend asking when they would like them back, I got one email back asking for info, then nothing.. OK then, so I emailed them yesterday saying I was just going to bring them back that evening.  I didn't hear back, but on the way home I realized I needed gas, and getting the kittens to the shelter then getting gas was going to be cutting it close and if I got gas first I might not make it until they were just about to close the doors and since I wasn't sure that they got the email I sent to them hours earlier, and I REALLY just couldn't face shoving them all in a carrier, I sent another email telling them I wouldn't make it that night but I would be stopping by in the morning.  (to which I got a reply - OK see you then! so there was no backing out again)

These really are an exceptional batch of kittens.. it really is rare to find kittens that are so willing to spend so much time on your lap with out being overtly obnoxious - trying to bite your nose or your ear or your clothing, or trying to redo your hair, or play with your eyelashes - they were very happy to just be there with you and let you soak in their adorableness and pat them and coo over them.  The long haired boy is a little on the needy side, which meant he meowed a bit more, rooted around like he might want to nurse, and was often afraid he was missing out on something good, but that just made him all the more charming.

So when I went down to feed them and clean up after them (and yes, they were obnoxiously clean and tidy and well mannered kittens so even this was not the pain it normally becomes when kittens are ready to go up for adoption) I was happy to do it and sad to leave.. so I told my husband I was going to sleep down with the kittens..

HA HA HA.. Sleep.. that's a good one..

Anyway.. it went well enough, they were playing and I settled in.  They were curious about the blanket and the fact that I was laying down, but they just sort of piled on top of me and started purring.. but they weren't ready for bed yet, so soon it became a wrestle fest.. which was quite funny to be under.  It wasn't painful, it wasn't over the top, just a bunch of kittens rolling around on top of you.. When finally it got to the point where one of them screamed (most likely because someone bit someone else) I gently informed them to get off the bed and wrestle somewhere else, and they did.  I settled in and started to doze.

after a while I became aware I was no longer alone.  The short haired boys had climbed up on top of my chest/stomach and were sitting there dozing themselves and purring up a storm.  they were soon joined by the short haired girl, the long haired boy, and at long last the long haired girl - who thought it was AWESOME to lick my elbow.  when I hid my elbow, she found my wrist, then my fingers.. When I hid my arm all together the two long haired kittens worked their way up to my pillow and I had ear muffs in stereo purrs that were so loud they would have waken the dead.  "Miss Priss" the long haired girl decided that laying on my pillow and purring me to sleep was the totally right thing to do, and so she made her self comfortable.. "Bashful" the long haired boy wasn't quite sure of the best placement for him so he wandered around a bit before settling down.

By 12:30 they had all settled, but they were either not going to sleep or they purr in their sleep because it was so loud I just couldn't drift back off to sleep and it was very much in need.  Sadly I got them all off me (no small task mind you) and escaped and went to bed.

Surprisingly none of The Crew was down in the basement waiting for me when I left the kitten room.. I made it upstairs to see all seven of them in the great room!  I was shocked that not one of them chose to sleep with my husband.. and a little chuffed that they all preferred to wait until I showed up to go to bed..

This morning I packed them all up and hauled them down to the shelter.  Giving them up was so much harder then I thought it was going to be.  I know I can't keep them all.. They are living breathing beings that need love and attention and with my seven and the foster work I do, there just is not enough of me to have any others in the house.. I often fall for kittens I care for, and love them, and think they are cute and sweet and special - and they are - but it is rare for it to be this hard on me when they haven't had a major crisis of one sort or another.  These guys were perfectly healthy, didn't have any challenges to over come mentally or physically.. this was supposed to be (and for the most part was) a quick in and out.. "topping them off" if you will.. so why oh why was I near tears after I left the shelter?

So I had this brilliant idea..

As much as I loved the bear seat I got..

It always did bother me that it had a "permanent sad" and I had a feeling that I could fix it.  So I finally tracked down a needle and pulled out some floss (mint flavored) and sewed it's head to it's back.. and poof..

All the better to sit on!

Um, kittens, could you get off I wanted to take a picture.. 

Picture of me?? 

No, of the awesome job I did fixing my bear
You can't even see the stitching.. 

See, awesome job.. 

Um, excuse me.. 

Did you say YOUR bear?

I'm pretty sure it is OUR bear.. 

Is it mine?

I want it to be mine

Nope, really it's mine, all mine!

Isn't it??

Sorry kittens, it is going to stay here while you move on next week.  I so do not want to let them go, but it isn't fair to keep them from their people.. So I've sent an email in to say they are ready..

Wordless Thursday - "Mischief" is on top of the bureau

I'm Cute..

Hey  I want you to know I'm cute.. 

Really.. pay no attention to my brother.. 

HEY!  I'm cute too!

well we are

right?

but I'm cuter!!

Not Monday Again!!

*sigh* Monday is here again, and we are left all alone all day.. 

I do not like this one bit.. 

Me neither.. I haz sad.. 

Friday better get here really quick!

(little do they know that come this weekend we have to start having 'that discussion' about the facts of life.. they are doing so well and are growing up so nicely that they are probably ready to go back now, but I'm being a little selfish)

KL Cool G

LL Cool J = Ladies Love Cool James.. 

KL Cool G = Kittens Love Cool DH

Which led to the creation of a new proverb.. 

May you have a kitten tail in your eye.. 

some how that should mean you will have all the luck.

DH didn't quite think that was the case, but I didn't have ANY kittens on me at the time 

 I thought he was lucky.. 

Seriously, kittens LOVE him.. 

Current fosters - The Girls

Current fosters - The Boys..