About a month ago while on my nightly walk, I noticed a cat nursing her four kittens near the curb of a busy street. In fact, I believe the mom might be from an earlier litter at the same location that I noted about a year ago. In any case, the owners of the house where the cat and kittens were residing were not specifically taking care of them. It seemed that their likely future was a combination of a premature death by automobile or continued population explosion of cats at area. Thus at the urging of my wife and daughter, we collected them all with the plan of turning them in to the local shelter.
Well, after conferring with our neighbor who is part of a cat rescue we agreed to foster them while she works to get them adopted. The good news is that two of the four kittens have already found a new home. But we still have the mom and two other kittens. While I feel our neighbor is making good progress during the weekend adoption events, perhaps casting a wider net is a good idea. The thing is that, despite her big heart, my wife has become very allergic to cats (and we have one of our own who is our last, very wonderful cat).
So maybe a Balloon Juicer might have a place for one or more of these kitties. Mom is due to get spayed next week but they have otherwise had their shots etc. and are all very healthy. The cat rescue we are working with will want to interview/home visit anyone interested and will expect pretty much an indoor/safe living arrangement.
Of the kittens, one is male (currently given the name “Chill” by my daughter) and the other is female (“Tuna”). Mom is referred to as “Sue Sylvester” (not my show but the wife and daughter’s).
Frankly, if it weren’t for the allergy issue, we would keep Chill for sure as he already has a pretty good relationship with our dogs. Sue, despite being raised mostly feral, is a pretty friendly and sweet cat with humans but wary of dogs. Tuna remains the skittish one – her next human companion might need to take some time.
Chill is white and gray [top pic], Tuna is gray.
If you have a lead (or need a new cat in your home), leave a comment. Or email me at annelaurie (dot) verizon (dot) com, and I’ll forward your message directly to cthulu.
Mnemosyne
Awww. You make me wish I didn’t already have three. I’ll ask around at work.
If that’s Mom on the bottom, it looks like she has a big dose of Ragdoll in her genes, which should give her a great temperament.
miroker
Notice the blue eyes, usually means part Siamese.
MomSense
I’m currently feeding a nursing mama cat outside my office. I haven’t found her kittens yet so I don’t want to bring her to the shelter. She is such a sweetheart. I foresee lots of crawling around buildings and bushes in my immediate future.
rikyrah
I hope that you find them homes. They are all beautiful.
Mary G
I already have two, or I’d take one in a heartbeat. I also will ask around.
Percysowner
They are all beautiful, but Tuna is the kind of cat I have always wanted. Sadly, I live in Ohio, so I’m out, but someone will take them.
Major Major Major Major
Tuna looks a lot like Samwise. Good luck!
Mnemosyne
@Percysowner:
If you’re really, really in love with Tuna, it wouldn’t be the first time that Balloon-Juicers have transported an animal from Los Angeles to the wrong side of the country. That’s how geg6 got Koda from LA to Pennsylvania.
MazeDancer
@Percysowner:
Really, as Mnemosyne says, transport is happily funded. Sometimes these rescue groups won’t allow out of area adoptions. But perhaps, since cthulhu is defacto guardian, something could be worked out.
Chris T.
Mama-cat is just adorable, but alas, we already have too many…
ThresherK
I had a landlady with a Siamese once, and I’m just wondering if a cat with some mixed Siamese lineage (like the mama appears to be) might be a good way for someone to get just a bit of that character instead of the full-bore.
Do cats work like that? I ask because my own history has been just DSHs, heavily in torties and calicos, so my experience with “breed” with “personality” isn’t firsthand.
Chris T.
@ThresherK: Cats work only like cats. ? That said, it can help, but in general, in my experience, it’s more just cat-to-cat variation than breed characteristics, with mixes.
Yutsano
@ThresherK: My mom has a part Siamese and it does seem the Siamese temperament is…dominant.
Mary G
@ThresherK: My ghost cat Shiloh looks a lot like Tuna and Samwise, and I think he is part Siamese. He is a big guy with a high, squeaky voice, and talks a lot. Really a lot.
Mary in Ohio
Mama cat actually appears to be a snowshoe and they are known to be more docile than Siamese. We have two snowshoe mix cats and Draco is as sweet and mellow as a cat can get while Luna has a touch more Siamese personality. If we didn’t just take in a cat that lost her home because her people moved to a nursing home I would be asking Mr Mary in Ohio if we could fly to California to adopt her. Good luck finding homes for them. I suspect the rest will go to good homes soon.
jenn
Oh my word, they are beautiful. Sadly, I don’t have a cat-friendly life, so I’m out as a home, but best of luck finding them a forever home!
Miss Bianca
Ooh, tiny little grey and white kitty, WANT!!
Can’t do, alas. : ( Must make do with awesome office kitties. Hope you find good homes for them!
Aleta
There is probably a better choice for the rescue folks and the cats, because we’re on the other side of the country. But if a home is needed, we can offer a good home to Chill and Sue, both or one. (Provided it’s enough to have a home inspection by a vet friend who lives 3 blocks from us and calls from our 2 other vets, and Skype with us. If not, we understand.) The main question would be whether the stress of distance travel on the cats would be unfair to them, given what they’ve been through so far. We have a gentle older dog, who doesn’t approach our 2 cats on his own, though the cats choose to share the same bed or couch with him every day. We have a separate 3-room, 2 closet upstairs section in the house for a new cat to adjust to as their own place, with windows and skylight. Then we do slow careful intros through doors, etc. Oldest cat is 12 or 13; he mothered the younger cat (now 10 1/2) 10 years ago when she came (taught her things). (He befriended the dog when he came, showed him the ropes. He also invited a stray young cat home one winter, who later went home with my cousin as they fell in love) All 3 are rescues from dicey situations. The youngest cat is still extremely playful, and the two cats still wrestle and race around and chase toys. We believe our animals’ happiness and health is as important as our own. Someone is with them in the house almost every day all day. AL can give you my email if we can offer anything.
Central Planning
Wasn’t this one up a few days ago?
Anne Laurie
@Central Planning: Yes, that’s why it says REPOST in the title.
Yutsano
@Central Planning: Unless I made that exact same comment within the last 30 seconds. Which I didn’t.
debit
@Aleta: I’m in if we need to pass around the plate for transport fees. I’ll always be grateful that the community here made it possible for Walter to get to Minneapolis and really want to pay it forward.
imonlylurking
@debit: I was too late to chip in for Walter so I will be first to chip in for the kitties. I’d speak for the sparkly-eyed one in the top picture if we weren’t already (officially) over the limit for cats. Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone!
Plus, my roommate would kill me.
Aleta
@debit: That’s good of you. (I think you pay it forward every day to Walter and to the people who ‘know’ him here.) I have a feeling they may be looking for a closer place that they can directly inspect, for the comfort/safety of the cats, which is logical.
Bonnie
Which one is the mother cat?
Miss Bianca
@Aleta: I too would chip in for travelling expenses. Just sayin’.
Uncle Cosmo
Wait a minute. I can (barely) see the justification for reposting the up-top section of this bleg, but what the hell good does it do to include all the old comments as well? Can it be that hard to remove the outdated stuff (which AFAICT didn’t get the animals any closer to a new home)?
Bex
@Uncle Cosmo: Feel better now? Want to make some positive suggestions? Nah. Too much work.
Mnemosyne
@Bonnie:
I think the last photo is the momcat. I thought “ragdoll,” but someone else thought “snowshoe” and they’re probably right. Ragdolls are usually floofier.
Pogonip
@Aleta: Hey, if you end up not taking the cats, can I move in?
Aleta
@Pogonip: yes!
either way!
Central Planning
@Anne Laurie:
I swear I looked at it twice and didn’t see REPOST. My bad! It wasn’t a complaint, just an observation (and to make sure I wasn’t going crazy or somehow developed premonition)
@Yutsano: Glad it wasn’t just me :)