An Empty Nest, but Not an Empty Heart

Ten weeks have passed since Gabby, the feral mama, and her 3 surviving kittens came to live with me. So much has changed since that first day.

Gabby did a great job as a Mom, giving me little to do, other than make sure she got PLENTY to eat and stay the f- away from her! I tried a few times to sweetly coax Gabby to take food from a spoon or enjoy a treat, but she could only hiss her reply that she was not gonna come around-not one tiny bit.

As you know Gabby was eventually taken to be spayed, get her shots and ear tip, then was released to her caretaker Larry's property. I was told she was very happy to return to familiar surroundings.

The kittens have grown well and even though there were a few setbacks, such as Pixie's broken toe and Twinkles reluctance to eat, but by their last few days, they all seemed to be thriving.

As expected, the Spay surgery did take a lot out of little Twinkles. She was very thin when I got her back from the Vet, but quickly gave her lots and lots of good food, which she enthusiastically ate.

Since the Pre-Adoption forms had long since been filled out and approved, my last remaining task was keep the kittens occupied until their new families arrived. I can't believe how much they've grown! How they're starting to look more like adults, than kittens and also just how beautiful they all are. I was surprised to see that Sprinkles and Twinkles seem to have very faint tabby markings in their coat! Tre exotique!

The adopters arrived on the same day, not wanting to wait one extra moment after the girls were cleared to go to their new homes. I was glad there are still a few families out there who still want to adopt since our adoptions are dramatically lower than they were last year and we've got older and older kittens in the program as a result. Stinkin' economy!

Sprinkles is going to be called, "Ninja" and will be living with another kitty named Patches, who's not sure he loves his new playmate just yet.

Twinkles and Pixie were adopted together and will be renamed: "Cherry" (for Black Cherry) and Pixie will be named: "Sprite." They'll be enjoying their new home with Snowman the kitty, who seems to be okay with the new arrivals. The kittens will also have a very sweet little girl to play with them named, Chloe, who loves all animals and giggles like crazy at every one she meets.

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I spent a good part of yesterday cleaning the room, sanitizing the litter pan, dishes, floor and bedding and got the place re-organized and ready to go for the next crew. I'd like to take a few weeks off, but it's Kitten Season and we are overloaded with kittens who need help. So I get the weekend off and on Monday I'll be taking in FIVE BIG KITTENS!
We're not talkin' newborns. These cats are between two and five MONTHS old. I fear they'll be too big and rambunctious. That they'll simply open the door and let themselves out. They'll hang from the ceiling and have kegger parties when I'm not home---or worse, when I AM HOME!

And so, the a new story dawns. I hear rumors that one of the kittens is very shy and needs my help. Will he bite me like Tweetie did or just hide in a corner? WIll I fall in love with him, too and accidently call two of my cats his name? (It's embarrassing to call your OWN cats the name of one of your fosters. Shame on me!).

I have no idea how this is going to shake out. I've never fostered kittens this old before. I better enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts. I have a feeling things are about to get a bit crazy and I don't need to be a psychic to know that!