Happy Valentine's Day, Everybody!

I can't help it, as soon as I thought about Valentine's day, I thought of the Maples in their little red velvet thingy, so that's what you're going to get today. While I was at it I added a couple more of them, where they were all together in a pic, so you could see them grow.


Remember folks, while Valentines day and romantic love go hand in hand, don't forget the familial love that makes our lives so much richer! So what are you waiting for? Go tell them!

Clockwise from the top: Jasper (Fred), Miles (George), Zimmer (Percy) and Ace (Ginny) at 20 days old.



Three weeks later, see how they've grown...



Another week and a half and they'd graduated to a larger place to nest...

And this last shot is also not in the little red boat... they wouldn't have all fit by now anyway! This is the day before Ace and Miles found their furever home, and they are still getting lots'o'love from Miss Peggy Sue. They're 11 1/2 weeks old in this pic.

With the low light level bleaching out the color, can you tell which kitteh is which? (Yes, I still can...LOL!)

The girls came through surgery fine!

So sorry for no post yesterday, folks. Twas a heck of a day. As I mentioned, it's going to be reruns and very little visiting for a while until the January regulatory filings are done. *sigh*

Wednesday night was a run with Bitty up to the emergency vet - she had a broken tooth when she came three years ago and we think it has flared up. She saw Doc Ed on Thursday (he's Doc Andrew's dad!) and he put her on antibiotics. She's not "owie meowie" any more, but she's now hiding under the bed. *bigger sigh* She drinking, but not eating. If she doesn't eat soon, she's going back on Monday. Anyhow, after all that excitement, I crashed Thursday night.

On the bright side, I saw Sonia and the three Angels on their way out at the vet. :-) Big Girl, Cheeks and Noel came through their surgeries like little champs! Everyone is doing well and bouncing around like nothing happened. Daddy Frank couldn't wait to get Noel back! What can I say - the girl has him wrapped around her dew claw!

So, our rerun for the day is the Maples at three weeks old, bellying up to the milk bar. One of my favorites!

Lilo is coming! Lilo is coming!

Tom and Cheryl confirmed today that they're going to move Miss Lilo here to Casa Space Paws. Even with daily visits, she's getting lonely at her old home so, once they've run her to the vet and gotten her shots up to date, she'll be taking up residence here. I'll keep you posted.

I'm buried at work so I thought I'd beg your forgiveness and do some reruns until Miss Lilo joins us. I also haven't been able to up with you my friends. I'm sorry, but right now work and the kittehs come first. On the bright side, I'll have plenty of enjoyment to catch up on once W-2s and 1099s are out at the end of the month!

But back to the quick posting effort... I looked at a couple of the early uploads to YouTube and, although this one is far from the best, it got Miss Peggy Sue's attention. The kittens are 5 days old and having a weigh in. The are decidedly NOT happy about being removed from their warm, soft box and are quite vocal about it.

At the first kittens mews, Peggy Sue rushed into the room and started to nose around. She quickly identified the sound as coming from on top of the desk and jumped up. She poked and nuzzled around looking for the kittens... it was just so adorable!

I waited a few minutes, Peggy wandered off. I played it again. Back she came! Amazing! So here, in order of appearance, are Ace (Ginny), Percy, Miles (George), and Jasper (Fred)...

Thankful Thursday - Thanks to the Way Back Machine!

I was thinking today about how thankful I am for the foster experience. Flipping back through some of the old photos I found this "unpublished" clip, awkward as it is, reporting the weigh-in on the very day Peggy Sue's kittens were born (6/8/09).

This being their birth day, they didn't have names yet, but the buff boy is, of course, Percy. The smallest of the bunch is Ginny (now Ace), and the "twins" are George (Miles) and Fred (Jasper). I couldn't tell you which of the twins was which though!!

Sometimes a trip down memory lane is just what we need to remind us just how fortunate we've been!

Too Much To Do Tuesday

Whew! Work is brutal right now and I'm sitting here wondering what in the heck to post since I've been really bad about taking videos and pics (and visiting) of late!

So, one reprint and some unpublished pics to the rescue!

Here's our Percy boy, and his siblings, at three days old. Can you believe the difference a few short months make?? I love going back over his baby pics!


Miss Aggie, the first month she was with us... two pounds and an inch smaller than she is now. And she's still a slender cat!


Peggy Sue lookin' for love. After so many months of being a bit hesitant, she's insatiable these days!


Another view of our Grumplegreykins! (He does get the best "Hurrumph" looks going!)


And, finally, Gus not doing a terrific job of hiding!

Can't wait for the Thanksgiving weekend and a chance to catch up and catch you up on us!

ICHC Caption Material

What would this little guy be saying if only he could speak?? What do you think?
For some reason I just love this shot - it screams caption! Below is a tighter crop of the same pic.

Hi!! Just a couple of quick shots of the Angels, the Maples, and Gus before I head out to a Labor Day BBQ (yeah, yeah, I know our family has the wrong day... but this is the day most folks could make!). I'll be uploading some videos while I'm gone so you can see action shots.

Mr. Gus is doing fine! He's putting some weight on the leg now and he has discovered he can jump without using it... so we're up on the bed, the top of the crate and the chair now. Gives me a heart attack to watch but Doc Hess said he can do whatever he feels up to doing so I'm quashing my instinct to try to keep him quiet. Giving him Amoxi is getting to be quite the challenge! The incision still looks good, so he's just gonna have to suffer through it - we want it to stay lookin' good.

I slept in the guest bedroom last night (actually ON the bed) and we had a nice cuddle. Unfortunately it's only a twin and he abandoned me after about an hour or so, taking up position under said bed. When I got up this morning, he quickly appropriated the warm spot.

And here's some other random cuteness...

A still from the "Do You Love Her" video session.

Somehow this shot seemed, well, angelic to me!

Three shots of our boys chilling on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

Yes, this is Peggy Sue, Fred AND Percy (you can barely see a sliver of his back) squashed into the upper tier of the living room cat tree on Friday night. It is an evening shot so it's a bit dark. The cat tree is their bed of choice, but usually mom is on level two and the boys are on level three.

Kitten Demolitionists!

The kittens succeeded in totally deconstructing the scratcher/cave combo in the bedroom. The only sign of the scratching pad itself was little pillows of shredded cardboard all over the floor.

I found the pad under the dresser and put it back together before I went to bed. It was apart in the morning. I put it together before I went to work this morning. It was demolished this evening. *sigh* At least they're having fun!!!

Our Little Vampires!

It had been quite a while since I'd seen the kittens nursing. I knew they weren't doing it very often, because Peggy Sue's teats were much less swollen and the fur has grown back in around most of them. Winnie had nursed her kittens, occasionally, until they were about 5 months old, so I haven't been surprised Peggy Sue's kids haven't quit the habit entirely.

A couple of days ago I walked into the back bedroom. One kitten was nursing and the other three were poised, as if they couldn't wait to go next. When they heard me, their little heads shot up. They looked for all the world like a still from a bad B-movie! A little pack of vampires, startled while feeding!

Last night I got up from the computer and three of them were at it! Fortunately, the camera was close at hand. Unfortunately, the lighting wasn't the best so these are a little dark and grainy. A much less sinister pose! LOL! Fred is missing, but then Fred is always missing from the food bowl... I swear, I never see that kitten eat. But eat he must, because he's keeping up with his siblings, weight wise!



Speaking of eating... shoot on over to Monica's blog. She's got an update on Abigail's Angels, who are starting on solid food, and she promises more pics soon!

Good Grief!! Has it been three days????

Sorry for the gap in posting, folks!

Lots going on over here... busy at work (after vacation, you know!), a bunch of family stuff (all good - birthdays, nephew moving to Tucson, etc.), introducing the Maples to the General Population (going well) and a bunch of catching up around the house (you know how it is - gotta do it!).

I'll have new stuff for you on Monday! Can't wait to catch you up with the Maples and Miss Aggie. In the meantime, quick'n'dirty, here are a few more meet'n'greet pics to tide you over!

Hugs,

Lisa

Meet'N'Greet Part IV

I beg their pardon, but none of my siblings quite captured the moment. The best part of the meet'n'greet was...

The Snuggles!

There were lap snuggles!


Some laps were really, really firm...

And some were really, really soft.

And some were really warm.

Sometimes, two humans snuggled two of us together.

And sometimes two humans snuggled us at once!




All of that was very nice. But the best place I found all day was right on top of mommy.


And that's the truth!

Percy

Meet'n'Greet, Part III

I don't know quite what's wrong with her, but the woman is just staring at the screen. Her eyes are kind of glassy. She keeps muttering, "Sleep or blog... sleep or blog."

I think that thing she calls *#%& work did this to her because she started going there again yesterday... and leaving us alone with mom for hours and hours and hours. What does "*#%&," mean anyway?

Oh, well, I guess it is up to me then. I'm not real good at this so I'll just show you a few pictures of what we really liked about the meet'n'greet...

Human cat trees!

This one was really neat. He would get up and down! An elevator cat tree!


My brother liked this one, too, because she would give him a nice, wide perch... even if she didn't go up and down like the other one!


This was the first one. A lot of people made that squealy noise when she let me find a perch. She was a cat tree almost the whole time we were there. Sometimes I wanted to move over to the flowers but she was really quick for a human and wouldn't let me.

And I was never sure whether this one really wanted to be a cat tree, but I guess so 'cause he did it a lot for me and my brothers and even Ginny! No elevator action from this one, either, but there was always a nice view from up here.

The woman is starting to slump over so I better go now before she squashes me.

Maybe Percy will tell you more later!

George

Meet'n'Greet - Part II

I'm taking over the reporting... those boys don't know anything!

This meet'n'greet was all about FASHION!

What's the hottest trend in accessories? I'll show you...


Appropriate for both men and women, kitten is the hottest accessory on the cat walk these days. Note the elegant, tail around the neck look this gentleman is sporting!


The classic over-the-shoulder look has several lovely variations.


You can use color to coordinate with your own,


... or use it to contrast nicely with our outfit.


Note the enhanced visual appeal from the rear for any ensemble you may accessorize.

Kittens can provide a dramatic veiling effect.

Or merely a hint of mystery in a lower position.

Add a smile for a whole new look!

Place kittens next to any feature you wish to accentuate.

Prominent display, mid-body, is always an eye catching look...


...and works equally as well with light or dark fabrics.


No matter how you choose to use them, kittens work fashion magic all season long!


I hope this gives you a better perspective on the meet'n'greet.

Lord, my job here is done, please grant my brothers a bit more sense than they've shown so far!

Ginny

PS- Don't miss the previous post. My brothers and I would like to add our thanks to the gentle readers and staff of STScI who have supported Space Paws.