Thanks, Kelly and Kanga!

I almost forgot to post this! After my blog post about Mother's Day and Fancy Feast, one of Ginger's coworkers was reading and brought this treat in from her kitty, Kanga! Wasn't that sweet? Thanks, Kelly and Kanga!

--Tuesday

First Babysitter

The kittens and I had our first babysitter this past week! Ginger and Christopher were both traveling for work for a couple days - what are the chances? Big THANK YOU to Ginger's brother, Keith, for coming to see us every day and taking such good care of us! He even took this video while he was here:

--Tuesday

Still Climbing

My apologies to Meghan & Matt, KS and WW...I fear I have allowed the kittens to develop a bit of a bad habit. They climb legs. They stay in a small space and it's hard to control five kittens at once...and it really is kind of cute...as long as you are wearing jeans and a sturdy cotton shirt. No silk, no lace, no sheer.

They are so sweet. They want to be held and loved. Gentle Ben (soon to be Benjamin Watson, "Ben") is the biggest climber of all - straight up to the shoulders. When Ginger cleans our room, feeds us, changes our water - everything - Gentle Ben is on her shoulder. Cole (soon to be...?) is getting there too - he makes it to her shoulders about 50 percent of the time.

Grey Oliver and Earl (I believe KS is dropping the "Grey" and keeping the Oliver and keeping Earl!) are climbers too, but they mostly climb up to Ginger's waist and then back down...and up...and down...and up...

Maurice (soon to be Obadiah Jackson, "Obi") isn't quite as agile, but he will definitely climb up to Ginger's lap if she is sitting.

Me? I'm a different story. Ginger say's I'm an angel. I don't climb, I just purr and love! Nobody has asked to bring me to their home yet, but I'm staying positive. I hope it happens soon. Does anybody know someone that would want me to live with them?

--Tuesday

Gentle Ben and Maurice

Gentle Ben and Maurice have found a great home with a wonderful couple in Kernersville. M&M are going to love these two kitties! Gentle Ben and Maurice won't be ready to leave Mom until the first week in June, but they are looking forward to joining their new family.

(why are they in the sink, you may ask? they are too rambunctious to get a picture of just the two of them together, both semi-looking at the camera!)

(gentle ben has been chowing down on some dry food! i am so proud of him. these two pictures are so funny!)

(maurice poses for the picture!)

Gentle Ben is the rowdiest of the crew and Maurice is the most calm. I think they will make a good pair - they can even each other out!

--Tuesday

Earl and Grey Oliver

Earl and Grey Oliver have found a great home with KS and her family. KS has a special place in her heart for grey kitties and had been looking for a some for the past couple months. I think that KS and her family are going to love Earl and Grey Oliver! The kittens won't be ready to leave Mom until the first week of June, but they are very excited to meet their new family.

(even in the sink I couldn't get a good picture of their faces together!)

(see what I mean?)

(sweet earl)

--Tuesday

Cole

Cole has found a great home with WW and her family. Cole will be heading off by himself, but WW and KS are sisters-in-law so perhaps he will get to see Grey Oliver and Earl occasionally. Plus, WW has a couple other cats at home who will be able to show Cole the ropes. Cole won't be able to leave Mom until the first week in June, but he is looking forward to meeting his new family.

--Tuesday

New Homes for the Babies

I didn't expect this news to come so soon, but all of my babies have found homes! I know new homes are best for them (and necessary), but I will miss them terribly. They won't be able to leave me until the first week in June, but they are all looking forward to meeting their new families. This really is wonderful news.

We sure have come a long way in one month, haven't we?

(april 13, 2011)

(may 13, 2011)

--Tuesday

Family Pictures

A few more pics of the fam!

(sweet miss. tuesday)

(gentle ben and pal, grey oliver)

(earl washing gentle ben - how cute!)

(cole)

(cole and earl)

(gentle ben, cole and a little bit of maurice. that maurice - he was a bit camera shy this time around!)

Fancy Feast for Mom

I got a can of this for Mother's Day and it was DELICIOUS! None of the kittens seemed to want any, which was fine by me; I got to eat the whole thing by myself.

(y-u-m)

Thanks for the fancy dinner...or shall I say, fancy feast! Haha!

--Tuesday

Behind the Names

I thought I would give Tuesday a break from blogging for a night. Lots of people have asked about the kittens’ names. I really did put a lot of thought into them; here are their stories.

Miss. Tuesday: I volunteer at Forsyth County Animal Control every Tuesday after work. I met the sweet and charming Miss Tuesday on a Tuesday and received permission to foster her and her wonderful kittens on a Tuesday. It only seemed appropriate.

Cole: I’m going in alphabetical order here, so Cole comes first, but he was really the hardest to name. I was convinced that at least one of the cats had to be a girl and I thought it might end up being Cole. Cole would have been Alley (cat) had he been a girl. But since he wasn’t, I went between “Coal” and “Bleu.” I ended up going with Cole, which was an original option for Gentle Ben (being a “coal” color and all). I still liked the name so I changed “Coal” to “Cole.”

Earl: Earl GREY Tea, of course! (Additionally, I thought perhaps my friend, Brianna Earle might want a cat named Earl Earle, but I don’t think she took the bait.)

Gentle Ben: Every time I looked at Gentle Ben, I couldn’t help but think how much he looked like a tiny little bear. Perhaps a miniature version of Gentle Ben.

Grey Oliver: Cutest, funniest story here. (Megan – feel free to correct me if I have anything incorrect.) Before I get too into this story, know that my friend Megan’s father has a strong southern accent. Megan’s parents had a cat for the longest time. An indoor/outdoor cat named Lila. She was an only cat, and rightfully spoiled, until some strays started to come along.

Megan’s mom started to feed them and then her parents did an amazingly responsible and kind thing by trapping the cats, getting them fixed and getting their rabies shots. The cats became friendly and kind of like pets.

Then it got cold. Megan’s mom wanted to bring them in, but her dad said they didn’t need to come in. They came to an agreement that the cats could go directly from outside to the basement at night. Slowly, that turned into “the cats can walk themselves to the basement” and then “the cats can stop in the kitchen for a quick snack on the way to the basement.” Today those cats are living the sweet life with Lila; sitting on laps and curling up in recliners.

Anyway – not too long ago a new cat wandered up. Megan had a conversation with her dad that somewhat followed these lines:

Megan: What does the new cat look like?
Dad: It’s grey Oliver.
(Megan’s parents have a cat named Oliver)
Megan: Oh – so it’s like Oliver only grey?
Dad: No – it’s grey Oliver.
Megan: You named another cat Oliver?
Dad: No! It’s grey Oliver!
Megan: ….So….like Oliver?
Dad: No – I’m telling you it’s grey Oliver!
Megan: Uhm….
Megan: Wait – are you saying it’s grey all over?
Dad: That’s what I’ve been telling you – it’s grey Oliver!

Best. Story. Ever. How could I not name the most grey all over cat “Grey Oliver”?

Maurice: A looong time ago, my mother and I saw a big, fluffy white stuffed polar bear in some store and she commented on how cute she thought it was. A few weeks later, some gift-giving occasion was upon us (I think Mom’s birthday) and I decided to get the bear for my mom. She named it Maurice. This Maurice doesn’t really look like that Maurice, but I always think of something fluffy, soft and cute when I hear that name. And besides – a cat named Maurice? CUTE!

Even though I put a lot of thought into their names, I in no way expect their new parents to keep these names. I would only expect that they would also want to put a lot of thought into a name that means something to them. So, please – adopt! Change names! It will be wonderful!

--Ginger

Four Weeks

The kittens are about four and a half weeks old now. They are getting cuter and cuter every day because they are developing their own cute, little personalities.

(cole is sweet and quite calm. he likes to sit in laps and play with his brothers.)

(gentle ben is the quietest of the five. even though he spends a lot of time sleeping, he shows plenty of love.)

(earl with a little gentle ben. earl is a sweet kitty and likes to be held, but he's a wee bit afraid of heights. he cries every time someone picks him up, though he is just fine once he is steady on a lap or shoulder.)

(grey oliver is very curious. he's the smallest, but he's quite smart! i believe he might have been the first to start using the litter box.)

(maurice is very pretty with beautiful markings. he's very easy-going and friends with everyone!)

Thanks for taking a look at my babies. And don't forget that I'm looking for a home too! I wasn't a lap cat when I came to Ginger and Christopher's house, but I'm definitely starting to warm to the idea. I love to give Ginger head-butts and snuggle right under her chin. I'm pretty much always purring and I get along with everyone!

--Tuesday

Climbers!

We've made a change in the kitten set up! Sunday morning Ginger walked in the bathroom and all five kittens were out of the bathtub and walking around the floor. What climbers! She laughed and thought it was pretty cute, but she did not think it was so cute when it became apparent that the kittens couldn't get back in the tub to use the litter box. Little puddle on the floor...oops. Anyway - the kittens PLUS litter box are now out of the tub and I have my private space IN the tub. It's a bit of a move up for me, I think. It's a move up for the kittens as well because now they get much more exercise and get to share this awesome bed that Ginger left for me. It wasn't really my style, but the kittens love it!

(left to right, across the top: grey oliver, gentle ben, maurice, earl; on the bottom: cole)

--Tuesday

Big Step!

The kitties are using the litter box and it looks like they are totally getting the hang of it!

They are growing up so fast. :-)

--Tuesday