Introducing..

This is the "addition" to the Fab Four.  She is not used to siblings, nor people.  She doesn't really hate either, but she totally doesn't know what to do with either.  Last night I got her to purr while I was patting her, but while purring she was still slinking away from my hand and moving away.  It was so bizarre  it was totally a "I want to get away" gesture while purring for the first time.  She often has a very sweet smell to her.  One time she smelled a bit like gum drops, another a bit like chocolate... which is a little disconcerting   A sweet smell coming off a cat often means there is a medical problem, but she is healthy and robust, eating well, doing well outside of an occasional sneeze.  I'm thinking about calling her Shortcake (after the Strawberry Shortcake toys of the 80s that smelled sweet) or Lani.. (pronounced la - nye)   She's just so unsure of things, she hasn't accepted a name yet.

This is the only longer haired kitty of the group.  He is also very robust, very healthy all be it pretty darn thin. It is harder to tell on him because he has fluffy to hide behind, but you get your hands on him and you realize there is little more to him than fluff and bones.   He was the first to engage Shortcake in anything more than a hiss contest.  I've decided to call him Clive.  (Clyve?)

Another boy.. this one is short haired.  I started off calling him Vlad, and it worked very well with him for a while, but then for some reason I started calling him Victor.  He seems to be more of a goof than the name Vlad would suggest, so I am 99% sure he is going to be Victor.  He is everywhere, very playful, very friendly, feels the need for lots of kisses and pats, but he has no problem going off on his own - or with his siblings - to play.

This little boy was Elvis for a while.  Then he was Lyle. Neither name stuck.  I ended up calling him Owen, and that one I like and he seems to like too.  I'm sure you are probably thinking I mean to refer to Clive Owen, but I so don't.. I am thinking Owen from the TV show "Torchwood".

Owen was one of two of the fab four who was failing to thrive when he came to the house.  He spent a lot of time "meatloafing" and just sitting on a lap or with another kitten.  I was so fearful that I took his temperature (normal if not a smidge low) and when the shelter opened up the next day I took him and his sister (upcoming) in to have their stool tested and to get some fluids. They gained back the weight that was lost, then lost some of that gain.  They are just hovering around the weight that they were when they showed up.  After a few days you'd think they would be more.. but nope. He is doing better clinically though.  He is a bit more outgoing, not always curled up in a ball, a little more engaging and more interacting.  Finding a food they will all consistently eat is not easy, and I've pretty much given up. They all like raw, and for now they will get raw, because frankly they are all just way too thin.  Owen isn't even fluff and bones because he has no fluff being short haired.  His fur is also quite wire-y.  Be glad that even his short coat covers his true condition, because there isn't an ounce of fat on this kitten.. anywhere. His tail is like a rod of pencil asparagus.. his ribs and hipbones are easily felt.. it is just so sad.

Last, but by no means least, is the girl of the Fab Four.  My husband named her when she was curled up on his lap one day causing a severe case of kitten paralysis.  Meet Anubis.  She should be called Velcro  or "no no, stop biting my nose", but if I picked the later than she would get really confused when I called her "no no stop biting my ear!"  After just a few short days she is doing better at the biting thing, but she does get over excited and can't help herself from time to time.  It really is sweet.  And when I mean she should be called Velcro  I do mean she should be called "the kitty who needs to be on a human at all times"  Just about all the pictures I have of her are on me. When I put her down to try to take a picture, she simply gets up and walks back over to me, so all shots are out of focus. This one above is when I finally got her off my lap long enough to get on the floor to take some pictures of the other kittens and she climbed on my back, then moved up to my shoulder and just sat there and purred waiting for me to turn my head so she could head butt me and we could touch noses.  She has a quota of a 1000 kisses per day, and is not afraid to run out.  She also loves to paw gently at my face as if patting me.  She is the kind of sweet you all too easily can get addicted to knowing full well that she is probably not going to be good for you.  I mean it is all well and good for an hour at a time, but could you imagine this all day long... (actually I don't have to, as I'm currently typing this up with Muffin on my lap because she also needs to be attached to me for a good portion of her day)  She is also completely lacking in fat.  Her little bones stick out pretty much everywhere.  She dropped in weight about an ounce, gained half, lost it, gained an ounce, and lost a half.

Lest you think I'm exaggerating on the there is no fat on them at all..

I can't tell you how badly I want to feed them completely inappropriate things that will put weight on them.. but I know it is better to do it slowly and healthily.. One day at a time.. (OK, fine, one meal at a time.. )