The Adventures of Space Paws

Tabby Update

2012-02-10T01:00:00.002-05:00

I liked the Tracy lady. And I like the Sara lady. You lady, not so much.

A quick update - our little Tabby is now little Moblin and has a fursis, Grue. As you might guess from the pic, the vet visit wasn't her favorite thing, but she held up quite well and we got a clean bill of health. Sara reports Moblin is starting to settle in - loves tummy rubs and playing. Sis, Grue, on the other hand isn't quite sure about the addition to the family and we've got some hissies and chasing going on - kind of to be expected since Grue has been the queen of the castle for so long. More as we go along!

Trudy, Buddy and a Bag

2012-01-27T08:40:00.000-05:00

A little something to brighten your weekend. The title says it all... just wait for it.

Forgive the thick voice. Allergies. *sigh*

Thankful Thursday - (pretty sure it will be an) Adoption in 11 minutes!

2012-01-26T00:01:00.004-05:00

Oh, my! Today was truly amazing! And no, this is NOT the way it is usually done!

If you can remember back to the last time I posted (ahem!), the Casa is kinda full up. One of my cat-allergic colleagues contacted me on Friday asking if I could help find a foster spot for sweet little cat whom she was sheltering (story below). See sweet Miz Tabby:

I asked around with a few folks I knew did fostering and found they were full up, too. Wednesday, I "asked around" the 'tute by putting up these pics, and Tracy's story on the 'tute's social network (kind of an in-house Facebook).

Within a half hour or so, three wonderful ladies had stepped forward to say they'd foster her. Thank you Kay, Cheryl and Sara (and Elizabeth for spreading the word)!! You all ROCK!

Sara, who had responded to the post in a mere 11 minutes, mentioned that if Miz Tabby and her darlin' got along, she'd look at adopting her. Squeeeeeee! It doesn't get any better than that! So Saturday we swoop over to Doc Andrew, get Tabby tested, get her shots, make sure she's spayed (we think she is) and deliver her to new foster-to-adopt mom, Sara!!

Here's the email that started it all:

Hi Lisa,

Hoping you and Space Paws might be able to help me. Wednesday night, I stepped outside to hear this desperate meowing. I saw a cat at my neighbor’s door and thought maybe one of their cats had gotten locked out. I bent down to see if I could get her to come over to me, and she came to me at a dead run, headbutted my hand, and then stood there eagerly waiting for me to unlock the door. The moment I opened it, she ran inside.

We’ve been checking with the shelters and posting signs, but no one is turning up to claim this little girl. She’s an incredibly sweet, affectionate cat, well-cared-for and clean, looks perfectly healthy. She’s extremely calm and obviously very used to being with a family – she comes when you call, obeys when you tell her no, doesn’t object to being picked up and pushed around. I’m allergic and am usually a bit intimidated by cats since I don’t know anything about them, but this one is such a sweetheart I’m completely comfortable with handling her, and she’s very tolerant of my clumsiness.

So my husband and I have been holding onto her to keep her safe and out of the cold, but we both have cat allergies and can’t keep her. We’d take her to the shelter, but she’s the gentlest, friendliest, most affectionate cat we’ve ever met … she runs over, meowing and chirping, to greet you when you enter the house or wake up in the morning, she likes to hook your hand with a paw and nuzzle it when you’re petting her, she purrs like a little motor when she’s near you.

She doesn’t do a lot of jumping or climbing – we’ve had to shoo her off the table once, and she likes to sleep on the top of the sofa, but she’s shown no interest in the bookshelves or countertops. She’d make such a perfect pet for someone looking for a calm, loving, companion-type cat.

We can hold onto her for a few more days while we try to find her owner, but then we have to figure out what to do, I was wondering if anyone in the Space Paws rescue group might be able to foster her? I’d be willing to pay for shots, fixing, etc. for her (my friend who owns cats and checked her out said she’d be surprised if she wasn’t already fixed.)

That’s it … let me know what you think. I’ve attached a couple pics. Thanks for any help you can provide.

Tracy

Tracy, there's a special place for folks like you and your hubby who are willing to go out of your comfort zone, and endure being uncomfortable to boot, to help a little critter. Thank you!

Do I work with a great bunch of people or what??!

MD Furblings need a new home

2012-01-09T22:34:00.002-05:00

Our friend Sue over at Pitter Pats of Baby Cats let us know about this need! Her friend Cora passed along this message:

Keiko Wells

PLEASE HELP!! My grand-dad just informed me about a lady he knows who just lost her job. She is having to move and can't take her fur-babies with her. Does anyone know of a place or rescue in Maryland or vicinity that can help re-home her kitties? We'd totally take them except we are on the wrong side of the country.

I'm assuming Gary is grand-dad and he posted:

Gary Wells

Here's the gal of the pair. These two are pretty mellow. At our first meeting they we both very accepting of me.
We've looked hard for a shelter, but everyone is full up.

Gary Wells

Here's the guy ... needs a good home for himself and his 'sister' of about two years. Owner has to leave them behind due to a job loss and other troubles. My friend will watch over them for a bit but we need to find a happy home situation as soon as possible.

You know how this works girls and boys... repost, FB, tweet, email and let's see if we can't find this pair a home!!!

Hugs,

Lisa

Inside Annie

2011-12-26T23:51:00.000-05:00

Today we'll catch you up on Annie's story since we now have a pic to go along with it - you know I love x-rays... peering into innards is endlessly fascinating.

My little Annie has always been a nervous kitteh - startling easily and darting from one thing to another. In fact, with her grey coat, this had earned her the nickname, "Squirrelette." Over the past year, she had taken to being even more timid than usual, hanging out by herself more and more (aka hiding), developed a chronic sneeze, lost weight and, frustratingly, decided the dining room floor was an appropriate place to relieve herself. (Yes, she's ruined some of the brand new hardwood flooring... *sigh*)

Long story short - Annie has become a "frequent flyer" at the vet. Poor thing has had tests out the wazoo and we tried a number of things to address her various issues, including putting her on Prozac for the peeing (sadly, ineffective). One trip revealed deterioration in her kidney numbers. So, on meds she went (one for the kidneys plus an appetite stimulant) and things improved somewhat. She's chilled out and seems happier (more snuggling, etc.). She's been in regularly to keep an eye on her weight, let the doc recheck her numbers, and to treat the recurring bouts of sneezing.

Last week she started again with the sneezing and I had a heck of a time getting her to eat (probably because she can't smell when this happens). The day before Christmas Eve, Annie and I headed to the vet. Doc has been worried about her chronic respiratory issues, even though we manage to get the episodes under control, so he suggested it was time for an x-ray to look at her lungs.

Well, her lungs are fine! But something weird showed up on the x-ray. Don't mind saying I was plenty worried we were now looking at a surgery to remove a foreign body. Doc sent it out to a radiologist for review and he came back with a happy answer - it's a bile stone and it requires no intervention. He also said that it appears Annie had undiagnosed heart problems in the past which are now healed. Good to know - Doc will be keeping an eye (or ear, as the case may be) out for any cardiac complications.

So, all together, not a bad day at the vet. Looks like my little lady is going to be high maintenance for the foreseeable future, though!

Christmas Greetings from Our Casa to Yours

2011-12-25T18:47:00.004-05:00

Thankful Thursday - Opie's New Family

2011-12-15T20:30:00.005-05:00

I know I promised more about Loki for the next post, but it's Thursday, and Thankful Thursday is a tradition!! We've got a lot to be thankful for here at Casa Space Paws, not the least of which is for you! Thank you to everyone who wrote and emailed to welcome us back. I'll try to get in 2-3 posts a week until things lighten up in February or so. And sneak in at least a one or two visits a day until I've made the rounds! I've missed you guys so much!

Anyway, back to the kittehs: We are very, very, very thankful to my sis for talking up Opie!! That's how he found his furever family. She was at her son's in-law's for dinner when their son said he was looking for a companion for his Charlie. Oh, she sold him, but good!

So Kevin came over to meet Opie. We took it slow, since Opie and Charlie were both adults, and Opie went to live with them on a foster-to-adopt basis. Turns out Kevin lives just up the road from me. I knew things were good when Kevin referred to Opie as Homer (thanks to his cute 'stash and beard). I read on Kevin's Facebook that Charlie now had a partner in crime!! It was a match!

Here's a shot of Homer in his new digs.

Think he's relaxed and made himself at home? Kevin, says 65% of the joy of being subject to a feline overlord is taking pictures of them sleeping.

New brofur, Charlie, is as energetic as Homer (thank heaven!) and the two of them cavort and wrestle. It's a veritable den of testosterone over there!

Not so sure about Homer at first, were you Charlie?

This is dad, Kevin, enjoying some more testosterone laden activity without the boys.

Just teasing. Kevin is great - keeps me updated about the boys and he even joined us for Thanksgiving! I hadn't even really met Kevin at Mark and Liz's wedding (had NO idea what he looked like when he came to meet Opie), so it's been great to get to know him and great to have extended family in the neighborhood!

And, in case you had any doubts that it's a small, small world... Kevin's good friend, Mike, starts work at STScI in January. Mike and his wife volunteer at the local SPCA. Wonder if they'll be willing to be Space Paws foster parents... hmmmmm....

And I'll leave you with a shot of Homer and his dad. Ahhhhh... I love a great match!

Next post, we'll finish up Loki's story.

RIP Sweet Sgt. Andy Panda Pants of The Patio Patrol

2011-12-12T18:39:00.007-05:00

Please send your deepest purrs to Aunty Pol on the passing over her beloved Andy. Aunty's SU (spousal unit) brought Andy to the house but it was she to whom he bonded and he became her baby. Like Grey and Buddy, Andy was HIV positive and lived many a healthy year as part of Aunty and Gordy's "six pack." A couple of months ago Aunty was in puddles - Andy was declining and she promised he wouldn't suffer. This weekend, they kept that promise.

You'll be in our thoughts and prayers Aunty, Gordy, Munchkin, Loki, Zena, Boschka and Gracie Marie. I know Winnie was ready to meet your boy and, even now, they are cavorting at the Bridge. Hugs and headbutts from B'more.

I am manly mancat, NOT an elf!

But I'm ooperating with these folks and let them take pictures of me to help me find a good furever home. Hi! I'm Lucky...errr... Loki. (These two legs can't make up their minds. Sheesh!) The Space Paws lady says she needs to watch her time, so you'll get to see more of me and hear my story tomorrow. She just wanted to get this in today because she says it's "cute." I am NOT cute. I am manly.

We're still alive and sorry we've been gone so long

2011-12-11T23:32:00.005-05:00

Hi everyone - I don't quite know what to say... it's been a rough summer and fall and blogging and visiting have been back burnered in a big way. I have no excuse for not doing a 15 min blog post every now and again just to let you know we were OK.

I kept waiting for a time when I thought I could definitely keep up semi regular blogging to come back. *sigh* I can't promise that yet, but I do want you to know what's transpired and that I do miss you very much. I have to try to keep some balance in my life right now and once I get online and go visiting, balance goes out the window! Heck, even reading Space Paws email would throw me into major guilt.

Good news is I've been able to divest of one large outside commitment (doing the books for a friend's business) and am working to divest of another (being my church's treasurer) by February. Between those, my real job, family and caring for the kittens, there haven't been enough hours in the day.

So enough about my guilt. Here's a short catch up (more details on everyone later):

Ace came and went and you never even met him. Like Gus, Ace had a broken leg that we patched up and he's comfy in his furever home with two furblings.
A couple of local cats, Sparky and Buick passed through our doors. Sadly, some of my neighbors have fallen on hard times and we took care of vet needs before they were returned to their loving families.
Opie has a new home and a new name - Homer! Yay! Best, I've stayed in contact with his new dad.
Mama Lucy is slooooooowly making progress. A little more friendly each week. Yay!
Buddy looks like he will be a permanent resident. Between his FIV and his chronic skin alergies (yep, poor guy is an itchy mess), he's not likely to be adoptable.
Trudy and Lawrence are still with me. Their dad is unable to take them back, although he would very much like to, and I think they'll stay with me for now. They are now both plump pushkins.
Bitty, Peggy Sue and Sophie are all hale and hearty! Yay!
Justice, sadly, was diagnosed with both kidney and liver problems and passed away 2 weeks ago.
My Annie has had some serious health problems - kidney related. She's hanging in there.

And now a sneak peek at tomorrow's post...

And, nope, that's not Sophie!

And I'll work on cleaning up our sidebars this week, too.

I know we've lost readers because of our lack of posting. I apologize to them and to you.

Hugs,

Lisa

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2011-07-13T21:19:00.002-04:00

OK, at least words from me! ;-)

Thanks, Kate! It's great to see all the girls so happy!

Gia & Lessa are now Jasmine & Ginger!

2011-07-10T01:18:00.004-04:00

Yep folks, happy news! Gia and Lessa have a new furever home - together! :-D

Margaret, one of the lovely Cat Ladies of Ednor Gardens, introduced me to Kate. Kate and her hubby have one biped youngun, Josephine, and three fur kids, a lovely tabby, Friday, and two torties, Tuesday and Wednesday. They'd just bought a new, larger home and decided it was time to add to their family. Well, Kate was just as nice as Margaret had said she was, and she and her family are clearly tortie lovers... just kidding... kitteh lovers - the tortie consistency is just a fun plus!

Here are a couple of shots of Gia & Lessa, literally in their last few minutes of Space Paws custody. Traffic was horrible on the way up and I took the opportunity:

Kate greeted the girls individually:

And then they packed up for the trip home:

Before the day way out, Kate had sent a quick video of the girls settling in:

As I post this, I've received another video from Kate already! But I think I'll save that for the next post! For now, join us in wishing the new family well - I just know there will be lottsa hugs'n'headbutts in their future!

Cry for help - Cats needs someone to help them live.......

2011-07-09T01:58:00.003-04:00

Update:

Thank you, everyone, who has offered to help. If you're interested in contributing or fostering, please contact Sonia at the address below!

Original Post:

Our own Sonia, who has fostered more critters than I can count (most recently Justice), asked us to post this PSA. B'more area folks, especially, please post, email, tweet... and let the intertubes due its stuff...

I've been contacted by a local person of a situation in my area. Apparently at this house, there has been domestic abuse. The mother is in jail and the father is in the hospital. There were 30 cats in the home. Animal Control has come in and trapped all but 8 of the cats. The person that contacted me has promised Animal Control she would find homes or foster homes for the remainder. The have not been cared for (infested with fleas and very thin). If all the cats are not gone by the end of the weekend, Animal Control will be back to drive them to their death. Someone in the household signed a paper allowing them to be euthanized. I understand some of the cats are very young and loving.
I have been in contact with the Md Feline Society and they have offered to provide flea medication (Revolution). We are going to bath them and remove all the fleas before we adopt or foster.
I am at my limit and at my location (financially and just not enough hands to give them all the love they deserve). I am desperately trying to help save their lives and find them loving homes (or foster homes).
Please pass this along to anyone you think might be able to help save their lives.
Warm regards,
Sonia
blatchley@stsci.edu
I have contacted the Md Feline Society and the Feline Rescue Association. The Md Feline Society is providing us with Flea Meds for all the cats (Revolution). I will foward you the message I received from the Md Feline Association.

Can You Get Through to Her?

2011-06-28T17:40:00.009-04:00

First though, an important PSA from Brian...

Go on over to Brian's and read the whole story. Then, you know the drill folks... post, tweet, email and otherwise work intertube magic for these ladies, OK?

And now to my dilemma... The bean has been on vacation and, clearly, she's been too busy to LISTEN to me. So maybe you can help.

Well, you know I came here with a bunch of war wounds... it's a jungle out there!... and some of 'em aren't healing up as fast as the doc would like. So what does she do? Puts me in ridiculous outfits! It's unseemly for a manly mancat, I tell you!

No matter how irritated I look, she just doesn't get it.

I mean, people can SEE me in these stupid getups from the window and I'm NOT giving up my favorite lounge area.

Oh, it gets worse... when I figured out how to get out of this stretch muscle shirt, she had to audacity to sew me into a baby onesie. Ha! I was out of that one in a day. Her next effort was even more offensive. SHE PUT ME IN A GOOGIE SHIRT! That's right. The raiment of my mortal enemies. That one was off in under an hour.

I guess she's not a very bright bean. Mad or not, I won't take away her TLC... beans need that, you know. If you don't give 'em regular lovin' they get right cranky. This one loves having her hair groomed every night - I can tell be the squeals and delighted squirming she does when I really get into it. It's quite convenient actually, since I sleep on her head.

So anyhow, if you could please tell her to lay off the lame clothing, I'd sure appreciate it.

Thanks!

Buddy

PS- Parts of me are healing really well, did you notice my nose isn't red anymore!

A PSA from One Cats Nip - Rocky Needs Help

2011-06-17T07:57:00.004-04:00

Hi folks, our friends over at Lee County Clowder saw this at One Cats Nip and asked if we would help... you know the drill - email, repost, tweet and let the intertubes do what it does best... spread the word and save a life!

See this guy here playing in the pool? He's happy...he's 3 years old and 87 lbs. Yeah he's a big boy he's a pitbull. He's sweet as pie with people but he is dog aggressive. (though to note he came to us with a sister who he got along with smashingly until she was adopted) His owners can no longer care for him so we have been caring for him at my job. None of the local shelters or rescues we have come into contact with will take him. Our building is about to undergo a renovation and is due soon to be under construction so Rocky is desperate to find a place to go...whether it be a forever or halfway home. HE HAS TILL MONDAY 6/20! If Rocky cannot find a place to go his time will be up. So if you or anyone you know can possibly help you can contact us to inquire about Rocky!

East Shore Veterinary Hospital
50 North Main Street
Branford, CT 06405
(203) 488-1686

Let's get the cat and dog blogosphere working together to save this young dogs life! Feel free to re-post as many times as neccessary! Thank you!

Halp! My Brothers Have Been Kittennapped!

2011-06-13T21:38:00.013-04:00

Maybe you people in blog land can help... where did our brothers go??? They were there and then my sister and I turned around and they weren't. The lady... what? No... I need to ask... NOOOO! Don't want to get dowwwwwnnnnn....

Well, thank you Gia. I know you and Lessa were disappointed your brothers took off without so much as a how do you do, but they were excited. Wouldn't you have been? Oh, wait. You were! I know honey, but your perfect furever home is out there. Promise.

In case you hadn't guessed, Miska and Oliver found homes today. It was the traditional Meet'n'Greet at the 'tute. I'm very excited to report that there was considerable interest in both the girls and in Opie Simon James, too. We'll see if anything comes of that.

We got to the Institute shortly before two. I'd barely gotten parked and we had company...

I did my best to sell Opie Simon James as a "man's manly mancat" but the gents, surprisingly, all went for the kittens first. And mostly, for the girls.

Another batch of kittens enjoy shoulder rides at a Meet'n'Greet.

Opie Simon James took a bit of a back seat to the kittens in the cooing and ooohing and ahhhing department, but he actually got more attention than the number of pics I took of him indicate! (OK, the fact that the camera batteries died, early on, didn't help!) Frankie has already adopted two of our babies and, while he couldn't resist a visit, stayed strong. Not strong enough not to get in a pet when Opie had a young admirer, though!

Miska on his new mom's shoulder with Gia. Amy is technically his new foster mom. And all her colleagues say, "Yeah, right. We heard that with K2." You might remember that story - I couldn't get any pics or stories out of Amy. Guess who adopted K2? Yep, even if you don't remember, you probably guessed right. Amy. We are just glad Miska is in a super loving home and will be learning to socialize with other cats. And, if Amy's co-workers are right, better yet!

Personally, I'm a fan of the 'foster to adopt' concept. I think it acknowledges the reality that taking a new critter into your home is big commitment. Heck, if Valerie hadn't acknowleged that Sophie wasn't a good fit for her household, I wouldn't have my wonderful little moppet... and I just can't imagine our house without her now!

It always surprises me how well the kittens take to cuddling with new folks. And this crew was passed around. A lot!

The lady with the skeptical look was "this" close to adopting Oliver, even though she doubted her very territorial mancat would accept him. She got plenty of encouragement from co-workers. Got to admit, I never try to "close a sale" on kittens - folks are ready or they aren't and either answer can be for the best. I know she wants another cat and am pleased she knows it has to feel right when she does.

We're hoping that this gent's wife thinks Lessa is as cute as he did. Too bad we were down to cell phone pics by then.

The gal who had been debating so intently about Oliver, let folks on her floor know we were there. Just as we were about to go home her colleague, Maria, arrived and, wouldn't you know... Oliver took a shine to her.

After sitting contentedly, gazing at her adoringly, purring and giving belly, he almost fell asleep in her lap... and that was all she wrote! Yay! Now you know it's a small, small world, right? Before Maria became a super tech gal for the 'tute, she had been thinking about becoming a vet. And guess where she worked as a vet tech? Yep! At Carney, with our Doc Andrew's dad, Doc Ed. Think I feel very, very good about this adoption?

*sniff* YAY!!! *sniff* YAY!!! I know this is why we do what we do, but I miss the little dudes already. My heart aches when I start down the stairs and Oliver isn't charging up to meet me. I made sure to say my goodbyes before I left home because if I'd tried to say goodbye there, I'd have lost it. It'll take a couple of days for everything to settle in... when I start to get the reports of them, happy in their new homes, it'll all feel wonderful!

The girls are back with Mama Lucy now, of course. And mom is wondering where her boys are. But if history is any indicator, in a day or so she'll be focusing her attention on the babies at hand.

I will really try to get back to blogging soon... I have so much to tell you but with 13 cats in the house (now 11... I'm no longer an official Crazy Cat Lady!), work (been in audit for the last three weeks), church, family... it's just been a zoo. Have a backlog of pics and the stories to go with them!

ANYTHING can be a toy

2011-06-01T01:28:00.003-04:00

Just a quick one to apologize for being off the air again.

First off, everyone is well. As you can see, Opie Simon James is into anything and everything. Buddy is healing up nicely. The kittens and mama are just wonderful. And the General Population is doing OK, too!

As for me, too busy for words, no less posting!! More as soon as I can!

Buddy's in Better Shape & Kittens Choose Incarceration

2011-05-24T19:30:00.005-04:00

First up: Buddy. Well, our beaten-up boy is doing fairly well according to Doc Andrew. The wounds are granulating nicely and he didn't find anything else obviously wrong. Unfortunately somebody over at the Pet ER didn't send the blood work, so Doc will call me when that gets in. He says if there are internal parasites, one of the meds he gave our boy should take care of the problem. Doc guesses he's between 4 and 7. I had guessed 5, so we're going with that on his records.

We'll go back in a couple of weeks for a progress check. The ear mites aren't just ear mites - he's got an ear infection as well, but the antibiotics and meds should stand him in good stead there. Fortunately, nothing is "contagious" so I just have to wash hands before playing with the kittens. Yay for no more "strip downs" after Buddy lovin'! Buddy got all his shots and took it the exam like a stoic mancat... except the ears, he did growl a little on that. It went kinda like this:

Home early, aren't ya? What's up? Why are you talking to me in that sing-song-y voice? (And, yeah, the basement bathroom is circa 1950 - pink with maroon trim.)

Uhhuh... I knew it the minute you put me in the car. We're at one of those places where they poke and prod me, aren't we? I can tell by the smell. I'm not sure I like you anymore, woman.

Who is that? If he tries anything with my bum, like the other guy, it's all over - you know that don't you?

OK, not so bad. We'll give this guy a pass. Mostly. What? Stop purring so you can hear my heart, you say, mister? I don't think so. You're gonna have to work for it bud.

You are definitely on my s**t list, lady. Didn't you hear the man? I'm healing up fine. I shouldn't be expected to endure this twice in one week.

OK, back to being a model patient.

The kittens go in for their shots Thursday and, I hope, to the Institute for a Meet'n'Greet next Tuesday. Promise to take the camera down this week for some good shots. Yesterday they decided the kennel was fun and spent most of the night cavorting in and on it.

Miska: Halp! We iz prizners!!!

Oh. There iz teh door. Nebermind.

Mama Lucy is Thawing

2011-05-22T21:47:00.007-04:00

Told you I had great news!!!

Yes, Mom had been coming out to eat and has let me get quite close to her for weeks now, but Thursday we had a breakthrough. I knew from various signs that she was out and about with her kittens when I wasn't there. But as soon as I'd come down she'd scoot under the bed. Yeah, she'd come out again and start rubbing around for food, but would always go back to her retreat when finished.

Thursday I came down the steps and stopped cold on the third from the bottom. There was lovely Lucy, in the middle of the floor, just looking up at me as if to say, "Well, are you coming down or what?" I moved slowly and quietly and walked right past her to the "kitchen" area and proceeded to fix their meal.

Friday, she did the same thing. And then, after dinner...

She quietly came around the back of the kennel and crouched and watched her kittens play on me. (I love that they use me as a living jungle gym!)

(Sorry again, these are all cell pics... I have a perfectly good camera - do I bring it down... of course not!)

After a bit, she relaxed enough to settle down into a more comfy position.

And then shocked the ever livin' crud out of me by coming over!!

Now, in truth, this didn't last too long, but she walked right by me, no more than a foot away, to go back under the bed. I was dancing on air!!

And it wasn't a fluke! Saturday night she was once again in the middle of the room when I came down. I fixed the meal and when I did my usual, petting the kittens while they ate and putting a hand out close to her, she rubbed up against me!! Oh, happy day! She then repeated her lounging behavior, getting even more comfy this time:

And today was the same, so now this is "normal" behavior... yay!

And the really big news - Lucy has let me initiate contact and I've stroked her twice without her pulling away (or growling or hissing!). I have waited for her come close, so contact will be sort of natural, but prior to her rubbing up against me on Saturday, any "brushes" were met with pulling away or a hiss. I am just thrilled she's allowing me to touch her but am trying to keep a rein on my enthusiasm and let it come slowly and easily.

Have I mentioned the kittens are just getting into everything these days? They've discovered the stairs and rip tear up and down. Lessa has turned into the kennel climbing queen. Got this shot... can you spot all four of the rambunctious rascals?

And the top tier of the cat tree is no longer good enough for anything but naps now. The window sill is the place to be for our active foursome. They will race up the tree and play "king of the sill."

Sorry I didn't get any pics of Buddy today. He's sticking mostly to his bathroom and the carrier is definitely his preferred place. I can't blame the poor guy. It's only been a little over 24 hours since he was dumped in a strange lady's carrier, taken to a place where repeated indignities were visited on his person, put in a cold, tiled place (don't worry, I put plenty of bedding around but he no longer has his sunbeams) and left alone a lot. And he has got to be hurting physically.

He loves to be petted and purrs up a storm for me, though. He doesn't seem to like the main back basement room. I think it probably still smells of other cats and that makes him uncertain - I can scrub down the tile but I'm sure the chair and boxes and other stuff retain scents from my crew. I play with the kittens first 'cause I have to shed my clothes when I'm done with him... yesterday night he sniffed my pant leg and hissed! I'm sure the kittens would be pleased to know they are so intimidating!

I wish I could spend more time with him. About 2 1/2 hours today, but it's a Sunday. During the week it will probably only be an hour. I liked it much better when the quarantine suite was my den. He goes to see Doc Andrew on Tuesday and I'll have more to report then!

It's Official - The Casa has a bona fied Crazy Cat Lady

2011-05-21T23:16:00.008-04:00

And Buddy makes thirteen. With 13, I have officially crossed the line into Crazy Cat Lady status, according to the IBKC's Laurie's reconning... assuming kittens count for the tally (somehow it doesn't feel like they should). And I couldn't say no.

My friend Rosalie is just the kindest lady you'd ever want to meet (I want to be Rosie when I grow up!). She called to say a stray had been hanging in her back yard for a while. Her neighbor had been trying, without success, to bring him in but both ladies had been feeding him. Rosie is highly allergic to cats but her hubby Jerry reported the boy welcomed petting and, sadly, that he was becoming increasingly beat up. So she called to ask if I could help.

Buddy taking his first look at his temporary digs - the back basement bathroom.

I made an appointment with Doc Andrew for Tuesday, fixed up the back basement to accommodate another charge, and arranged to drop off a carrier so Jerry could corral Buddy this weekend. As luck would have it, when I stopped by with the carrier, Buddy was napping under a rose bush. He came out, accepted pets and made no objection to being scruffed and put in the carrier. (We suspect he's finally at the point where he feels bad enough to accept handling, since her neighbor had little luck.) I could see he had a couple of open wounds so off the the emergency vet we went.

Oh boy. Not just a couple of wounds. Our not so young man is all torn up. By the time they got done shaving him to treat his wounds, he was half naked, poor guy! He has no obvious fleas, but has a monster ear mite infection. Buddy tested negative for FeLV but positive for FIV. That will probably impact his adoptability but you all remember how well Grey did here at the Casa, so I'm not too worried. I'm more concerned about the multitude of wounds and that, while he appears to be well fed and muscled (thanks to Rosie and her neighbor), he still tested as anemic. The ER vet sent off blood work and we'll see if it is a parasitic blood infection. Needless to say, our sweet guy will be in quarantine for quite a while.

I counted nine wounds on his body. His ears look like a pugilist's - thickened in some areas and they are leathery, without much fur. His tender little white nose is red with the seven scratches. It just hurts to look at him right now.

Rosalie and Jerry were right - Buddy was just such a good boy at the vet. They did have to lightly sedate him for the shaving - by then his patience had run thin after all the poking and prodding and blood drawing - but up until then he was as sweet as he could be. And, even though he was quite hesitant to leave the carrier when we returned home, he was very loving - wanting to be petted and purring up a storm. I wish I could sleep with him tonight, but I don't think I'd be much good to anyone tomorrow if I did. Maybe at 20 I could have slept on the bathroom floor, but that's not happenin' at 55 unless somebody is in really bad shape!

The next pics are not breakfast reading material so if you have a squeamish tummy, just stop reading here. We'll get more pics of our boy tomorrow and try to avoid the worst of the uglies. I'm leaving some scroll room for the tender hearted...

and scroll...

There are so many sores on him I counted those grouped together, as though they happened at the same time, as one.

There are more wounds underneath on this side.

He seemed nervous about coming out into the main area of the back basement. For tonight I've closed the door to the bathroom so he'll know he is safe in the small room.

Here's hoping the big guy rests easy tonight.

So tomorrow we have big news from Mama Lucy (yeah, Judy, I just gave up on the Lucia and she's plain old Lucy now) and the babies. I'll leave you with a cheery pic of Miska and the feather thingy to remind you of the up side to fostering...

The Apology

2011-05-18T20:31:00.004-04:00

Miska: What do you mean, "NO!?"

It's hanging here, isn't it?

That means I can play with it doesn't it?

Flashy box 'spensive? Oh. OK. Sorry.

Red Sparkley Usurption

2011-05-17T19:29:00.004-04:00

Hi folks! First let me apologize for my lack of comments on your blogs lately. Life is once again crazy between work, church, family and fosters. At least I can quick skim most blogs via Reader but even that is taking a back seat some days. And I love visiting, so I'm really feeling withdrawal pains!! Things should get back to normal in mid June but that seems forever away right now!

But I'm going to try to keep up several posts a week, at least. Today we have the saga of the Red Sparkley. Gia loves her Red Sparkley...

I am chomping you and tossing you, Red Sparkley.

I will do this until you submit to me!

Red Sparkley, you send me into spasms of glee...

Who is that on the cardboard castle? My evil brother Oliver???

No, no, no! Stay on the cardboard castle, evil brother!

I know what you're doing and I won't let you!

No, I do not want to play with you!! You can not have my Red Sparkley!

Give it back, give it back, GIVE IT BACK!

Oliver decides a flanking maneuver is needed.

And he pounces.

[Best Dracula voice] You will give your Red Sparkley to me!

Uhhhh... so Miska can steal it.

Oh well, there's a stripey thingy to be conquered!

Farewell Handsome Hubbard

2011-05-16T07:28:00.003-04:00

Our thoughts and prayers have been with Sundown and KittyChair this weekend as they adjust to life without their companion of so many years. Last week it became clear that Hubbard needed their help one last time and, on Thursday, they were with their Big Acoustic Kitty as he left for the Bridge.

It was an honor to have known you via the intertubes, Hubbard, and I look forward to meeting you when I catch up with Tish, Grey and Winnie at the Bridge. It will be but a blink in time before your humans join you there!

We Lubs Our Ham-Micks

2011-05-12T08:04:00.000-04:00

Several weeks ago I decided to splurge and buy a couple of Ham-Micks after seeing them on other friends blogs. Well, they've turned out to be wildly popular with both the General Population and, now, the little ones. The optional rubber feet are perfect if you have hardwood floors (I got one with and one without - my next order will have the feet, given all the hardwood upstairs- yeah, one is not enough for the GP).

Here Oliver, Miska, Gia and Lessa demonstrate the gentler side of Ham-Mick use. Read on for more active utilization possibilities:

I had to write to Forty Paws yesterday and let them know just how popular their simple, effective contraptions had become:

"Ordered 2 hammicks a few weeks ago. Back to report they are a BIG hit. Simple idea, great results. Kudos!

With the General Population (6 adults): Initially, there was surprisingly little interest... the poor hammick sat empty after the catnip wore off (nice touch to spur interest, btw). By week 2, some lounging activity was seen. By week 3, critters are clearly irritated when the hammick is already occupied... usurping activity noted. Since then, we've had a high occupancy rate.

Down in the foster room: First couple of weeks are moot - kittens too little and mom a feral who hides when I'm in the room. Then the kittens discovered the hammick could be climbed. They do. A lot. With enthusiasm.

Trampoline potential was almost immediately exploited. Hammick is extensively used as cover for surprise attacks on siblings. Unsuspecting loungers are dive bombed by their sibs, who launch from the adjoining cardboard castle.

But best of all is walking into the foster room to find the kittens curled up and snoozing in their new bed of choice, the hammick."

Ummm... and I wrote "6 adults" totally forgetting the Ham-Mick lounger extrodinaire, Opie, in the tally:

Aunty Wendy is at it Again!

2011-05-09T22:04:00.004-04:00

Here's Lessa, back when she was semi-nameless Little Girl!

You have to be sharp as a tack to attack successfully! Or to play tic, tack, toe!

Thanks, Wendy!! I really cracked up because, if you'll remember yesterday's post, Lessa darling attacked her poor mama right in the middle of Mother's Day Dinner!

If you haven't been to Wendy's LOL Spot lately, head on over for a good chuckle with many of your blog friends!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T20:57:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to all our friends!!

As you know, mama has been getting quite bold about coming close. She'll dive into a bowl of milk substitute before I've even removed my hand from the bowl. And she's even dithered a time or two about approaching my outstretched hand for petting.

Today we did a special dinner for mom. Oh it starts out well enough, with Mama Lucia thinking she can enjoy her treat. Her children politely partake from the edges if the plate. You will note Lessa, uninterested in sharing the repast:

Soon our littlest girl decides she's being left out and comes closer to observe.

But it is not food in which she is interested... it's time to PLAY! With Mommy's tail!! A bold ambush and she's got it! Is it any wonder that mama remains a bit wary?

Here's hoping you children out there showed your mom's a bit more respect!

Next a quick video of the meal. Given it was Mother's day, I decided they could share a can of real tuna on this special day (much beloved, but not particularly good for them). I apologize for the state of the casa. I can't vacuum - mom goes bonker nuts - so I wipe up the tile floor daily and a couple of times a week I drag a damp washcloth across the carpet to get up the shreds of hemp the kittens seem to drag everywhere. Unfortunately, the last wipe was last night and the last carpet cleaning Friday. You can see how quickly the little buggers can trash the place 'cause on a video I can't photoshop the mess out! LOL!

And we'll leave you with a shot of the daily shoe lace attack. Yes, those laces will be brought to submission, yet!

It Takes Two

2011-05-06T06:00:00.003-04:00

With all the kitten news, you'd think we don't live at the Casa any more, or something! Not so! With the woman otherwise occupied, Bitty and I have pitched in to help around here, but do we get any credit... noooooo! Well, just to show you, here we are, clearly holding down the paperwork on our own.

Just thought you'd want to know.
Sophie

Time Sensitive PSA (followed by our regular programming)

2011-05-05T13:31:00.001-04:00

Our regular post follows this, but we wanted this to be up front since it's time sensitive.

We received a request moments ago for assistance from the folks who do Baltimore's public housing. Todd called to say they are about to start construction on a building and discovered 5-10 cats are living in its crawl space. They have volunteers to trap the cats and will take care of both the arrangements for, and cost of, spay/neuter and shots.

What they need is someone (or multiple persons willing to take one or two each) willing to shelter the cats once the spay and neuter is done. A farm situation would be good as well.

Time is of the essence though - Todd only has a little over a day to make arrangements for rehoming these cats. Unfortunately, if he has to call Animal Control, odds of euthanasia are very high.

I am full up, but I said I'd spread the word to help. I was surprised and pleased that the city in which I live is making this effort - many would not. If you can help, please contact Todd - his information is below. If you know of someone who might be able to help, please forward this.

Thanks!

Lisa

Todd Cohen, M.A.

Community Liaison

Housing Operations

The Housing Authority of Baltimore City

417 East Fayette Street, Room 266

Baltimore, Maryland 21202

Phone: 410-396-4091

Fax: 410-783-1867

E-mail: todd.cohen@habc.org

2011-05-05T08:31:00.003-04:00

Nothing exciting today. Just some shots of the kids:

Lessa and Oliver in the tunnel:

Miska joins them:

Gia, prefering her beauty sleep:

And, do you come home to things like this? Apparently one of the residents thought this would look better in the living room!! I'd have paid money to see the transport!

And Tang's New Name is...

2011-05-04T00:00:00.008-04:00

Tang, anxiously awaiting news of his new name:

Opie Simon James!

What??? Three names? Well, your distracted blogist here wrote the names down on her handy dandy lined pad, cut them apart, tossed them all together and stuck in her hand to pick.

Unfortunately, this was a post-it note pad and there was an edge of stickum on one of the strips. Three of the names stuck together. So, since we do bonafide random drawings here, all three names win! (OK, I'll be honest, I read James first, but somehow he seems more like an Opie to me, so I put that first, and liked the sound of the three names in this order best. Sorry, Alexa!)

So, metzdarling and Judy (Opie), Milo & Alfie and Webbthistle (Simon), and Alexa (James) our boy is named for you.

On the kitten front:

OK, on the cat front first... yesterday, Mama Lucia came out from under the bed to watch me prepare her food and stayed out while I put it down! And ate in front of me! And today she moved forward toward the bowl while I was putting it down on the floor. Happy days! We are making progress, bit by bit!

And now, more somewhat blurry cell phone pics of the babies. I promise to try to remember to take down the camera tomorrow. Really!

We haz 'bandoned da little red boat in faver of moar spacious accomodashuns:

Miska: Ha! I beatzed Gia up here again! But darn dat Lessa, she iz alwayz here furst!

We Eatz da Big Kitteh Noms!

2011-05-01T22:04:00.001-04:00

This little crew didn't take to weaning as other litters have. Kitten size bowl of milk substitute... bah! Milk and kitten food slurry... good for stepping in and tracking all over the carpet, but eat that mess? Heck no! Try as I might I was unable to coax ANY of the kittens to eat or drink in baby steps.

And then what happens? I came down on Friday to see two of them, Oliver and Gia, crunching kibble from the big dispenser I have set up for mom. (Mama Lucia gets a bowl of milk substitute and wet kitten food twice a day and she's got kitten kibble available 24/7 to be sure her calorie requirements are met.)

Saturday, I see Lessa with her nose in mama's wet food. No baby steps for these kittens - they want to eat like mama does!

Sorry for the cell phone pics - camera was far away and the kids were chowing down.

Miska, sucking down the stinky goodness.

Oliver keeps the kibble dispenser from running away.

Miska washes down the SG with a swig from Mama's bowl.

And just a bonus - Lessa and Miska just waking up from a nap.

So what about Tang's new name!??? Gaaahhhh... it got so busy last week I just forgot. OK, I will gather the suggestions and draw tomorrow!!!

We Are Intrepid Climbers

2011-04-28T08:18:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-27T07:43:00.000-04:00

Has Anyone Seen Hazel? And Excitement at the Casa.

2011-04-25T20:04:00.007-04:00

First, a PSA: Hazel is Lost! Please Keep an Eye Out for Her!

Maryland readers: Little Hazel lost her family in the Hanover/Arundel Mills area on Saturday, April 23rd. Mom Esther, and her family, are frantic. They have checked shelters and rescues and are now branching out to nearby areas and contacted us, among others. We know the odds, but it's always worth it to put it out there. Here are Hazel's vitals:

Name: Hazel; Breed: Rat Terrier; Color: Black with White Underbelly, Brown paws and spots.
Weight: 6 LBS; Collar Color: Pale Pink (NO TAGS); Sex: Female; Age: ~4 years

If you should spot Hazel, please give us a call at 443.823.3944, and we'll get a hold of Esther, ASAP.

Such Excitement at the Casa

Oh, but another first, first... @Ted - no, I didn't make the roman shades. A friend of mine, Carol did. And the valances in the dining room, and the chair seat covers in the dining room. Nice having handy friends, eh? (And thanks everyone for the sweet comments about the remodel. I do love it!)

Excitement with Mama Lucia: Last night I almost popped back on line to give you an update... Mama is really starting to relax! Last night she honored me by rolling over and opening the milk bar for her babies while I was just an arm span + a hand span away. Squeeee!!! Sorry I didn't have the camera with me - it's the first time I've seen her nurse, live and in person!

Excitement with Miska: This morning Miska struck abject terror into my heart. I went down to feed Mama, do a quick peek and then was going to hit the road for work. But only 3 kittens were under the bed. Miska was missing. I looked and looked - no Miska. After giving up and starting to climb the stairs, something hit me. I'd seen what I thought was a plastic bowl upside down under the vanity leg. ????? I just cleaned on Saturday and there were NO plastic bowls downstairs.

I felt under the leg and realized it wasn't plastic, it was pyrex... a quick glance confirmed the pyrex bowl was missing from the scale (used to hold the babies while weighing). You know how adrenaline gives you extra strength? I lifted the end of the vanity as much as I could, with one hand and pulled the bowl up with the other... and a little black paw flopped into view. My heart dropped to my stomach. A touch told me he was ice cold - there was no response. Trembling, I gently moved in to scoop Miska toward me... and the little black paw was snatched back out of my sight. OMG! What relief!! He was scared and chilly, probably asleep when I moved the bowl, but otherwise fine.

While I warmed him, I tried to figure out what had happened. He must have climbed in the bowl and overturned it on himself. Sure enough the bowl is just small enough for him to have scooted it under one leg... across the width of the vanity, and under the other leg, before he got stuck in a corner. With the drawers above, there was no way he could have gotten out. I realized, with some relief, that the tiles are textured (plus there are grout depressions), so running out of air was not a danger. The little pyrex bowl has been replaced with a larger version, and put up, out of reach of little explorers!

I'll cut myself some slack on thinking it was a plastic bowl... it was all the way in the (dark) back corner and I suspect he was asleep, up against the side. I do not need this kind of excitement and neither do any of Mama Lucia's little family. We scoped the basement for anything else that might be a kitten trap... safety first!

As you can see, the kittens are quite mobile. That's Lessa's butt sticking out of the tube on the cat tree. Yes, she made it. This is old hat for her:

I think I owe Mama Lucia an apology. I feed mama plenty of wet twice a day and leave dry kitten kibble 24/7 just to be sure she's getting enough calories. The last couple of days I've been admonishing her for being messy with her kibble. Turns out maybe not...

And tonight, mama once again laid out in front of me (instead of her usual crouch or tucked position). Here's Lessa, showing mom what a good groomer she is:

Almost immediately, the sibs came thundering over. And Lessa decided to climb Mt. St. Mama.

The sibs thought this looked like fun and joined in.

Three kittens on mama's head.

Three kittens on mama's head and one thinking about it.

Everybody joining in the fun. Including ear noming.

Mama Lucia. A study in patience!

(Actually I think she may have been thinking, "Just sitting there taking pictures, are you? Think this is funny, do you? Just wait until they climb your legs for food. I will laugh. Laugh, I tell you!")

Chilling with Tang, Progress with Mama, and the New & Improved Casa Space Paws

2011-04-24T20:48:00.006-04:00

And a very good Easter it was! Lots of time with my family AND a breakthrough with Mama Lucia AND peace at the Casa! And enough time to upload the tour of the new & improved Casa.

First, peace at the Casa: By this morning all the hissing and growling and posturing was over and everyone was getting along as though Tang had been part of the bunch forever. Well, almost. Occasionally someone will look a bit wary, but no vocalizations and no action... just watchfulness. I'm thinking this is about as good as anyone could expect after adding a newly altered (and still stinky) mancat to the mix. Sophie, who likes boys, if you'll remember, will go right up to Tang now and put her nose in his face. We'll keep you posted on developments there.

Tang chilling on the kitchen hammik.

Next, Mama relaxes: This morning I was petting a boatload of sleeping babies - they'd chosen the little red boat to curl up in - and who strolls out from under the bed and starts chowing down as if I wasn't there at all?? Why, yes! Mama Lucia! And when she was done she strolled back under the bed and settled down to watch me pet her children. The key word here - stroll - not snuck out, not slunk out... strolled out... leisurely! I am very encouraged by this behavior from our little mama. Meanwhile, her babies are as happy as can be:

And, lastly, a couple of days ago the magic confluence occurred. A sunny day, a relatively clean house (pay no attention to the clutter on the island) and enough time to film. So after all this time, I am pleased to present, the new and improved Casa Space Paws! Told you it's a little house!

We Iz 'Splorin'!

2011-04-23T21:34:00.007-04:00

Yes, our babies are now climbing and exploring! Here are some shots of them, under the bed, on the crushed (that's a story for another day) S shaped scratcher, which is up next to the green cat bed. Venturing out from under the bed, they've discovered the "cave" under the cardboard scratcher.

Mama continues to relax and now watches the proceedings when I'm there with eyes at half mast. Several times she's moved to go eat while I'm there but seems to stop herself. That's OK... at least she's thinking about it. No progress on the weaning... everyone is still completely uninterested in the milk substitute. Ah, well, that will come when they're ready.

After weigh in, Oliver toddled right back under the bed and promptly disappeared. Then I saw a small movement from the corner of my eye:

Yep, he had scaled the S and was perched on top. In the meantime, siblings all piled in the green boat.

Am I an intrepid explorer or what?

Why is it you don't notice how full of kitteh hair something is until you take a picture of it?? LOL!

Venturing on to the rim of the green boat, carefully observed by Gia.

Gia: I want in on this too!!

This one turned out blurry but I just love the look on this little mug!

So, after dismount, there was a beeline for the scratcher...

... and the surprise when I uploaded the pics was that Gia had beaten him to it!

Miska and Lessa stayed cuddled up in the green boat - also a surprise since Lessa is our big explorer. She's usually the one to be found far from the maddening crowd.

On the Tang front, it was less peaceful today. More hissing and growling than yesterday evening. Poor Tang, he clearly just wants to get to know everyone. But no blows, of which I am aware, so that's good.

And since most of you will be reading this tomorrow... Happy Easter everyone!!

Some Baby Bellies

2011-04-22T21:17:00.005-04:00

Hi folks, been busy introducing Tang to the gang tonight. He escaped from the bedroom enough times that I just gave up on keeping him separated for two days. He is very good with other critters. The only hissing has been from my guys - and then everything seems to be OK with everyone ignoring one another. Boy, oh boy, does he still smell like a mancat, though! I remember the last time I had a full grown, intact male, it took weeks for the scent to die down after his neuter!

Luckily, there was this quick little belly video in the can already so I can give you that!

Oh, and I posted the new Easter Simon's Cat video earlier this evening (below!).

Squeeee! The New Simon's Cat Post is Out for Easter!

2011-04-22T18:59:00.002-04:00

Gratuitous link 'cause this will go viral... but I loves me some Simon's Cat!

When it Rains, it Pours!

2011-04-21T21:04:00.008-04:00

Oh my! There's a new face at the Casa. I'm feeling a little guilty 'cause I told the Cat Ladies of Ednor Gardens I would not be able to take their two little ferals - just not enough room at the Casa* or enough of my time to go around. And then Tang came along. The difference is that he's been through quarantine already and we know he's good with people and other animals, so he'll be able to join the General Population in a couple of days, rather than needing digs of his own, and a lot of attention to socialize him.

* Trudy and Lawrie are still here, too. Dad Ricky is moving and it is taking longer than planned. So as not to upset them with the turmoil, they're going to stay with me until the new digs are ready. I, of course, was thrilled. They get along so well with Bitty, Peggy Sue, Sophie and even Annie! But, with six in residence, I hate to shut off another room now that the basement is occupied with mama the babies (who are doing just great, btw). This is a little house! LOL!

Tang, just back from his neuter:

Here's his story: Co-worker Karen found Tang on her property. Poor guy was pretty beaten up and nothing but skin and bones. She and her daughter, Lexi, watched over his wounds and helped him put a little weight on. Sadly, she can't keep him - she's already got 5 cats and a slew of dogs. So we went off to Doc Andrew, got him his tests (FeLV and FIV both negative! Yay!) and his shots last week. Today was his neuter and he came home to the Casa. He'll be in my bedroom for a couple of days, while he recuperates from the surgery.

Karen reports he's a super lover boy, very tolerant and not aggressive with other critters. He's only been here a few hours and I can vouch for that. OMG! Does that cat love lovin'!! I'm gonna have me a snuggler for sure! Turns out Annie was hiding in my room when I thought it was empty and when they met, after a perfunctory hiss from her, they pretty much ignored one another in an easy sort of way - a very good start. Here's a little footage of his first day with us:

Now, we didn't know what to call him and vet tech, Jenn, suggested Tang because of his coloring. I'm not really sure he's a Tang. Over the next few days I'll gladly take suggestions and we'll do another random drawing to christen him! No shakedown this time... LOL! (You didn't mind, did you? The raffle to name the babies was for a good cause!) To name our boy, just leave a comment between now and next Tuesday, with the name you like, and we'll pull one out of the hat next Wednesday, OK?

Sorry I did not get around to visit today... I've kinda been otherwise occupied. But tomorrow, I'm looking forward to finding out what you've been up to! I miss you guys!!!

Video of the Newly Named Babies

2011-04-20T21:59:00.000-04:00

First off, I am way behind on my visiting and am dying to know what's going on with everyone. I should be able to do a good chunk of getting around tomorrow!

A little excitement at the Casa this evening. Mama Lucia came out from under the bed while I was still downstairs. She knows the drill by now and as soon as I pushed the rug'n'babies back under the bed and headed for the stairs, she came out to eat. This may not sound like much, but it's huge - this is the first time, since the bite, she's come out into the open! Who knows? In five more weeks she may feel comfy enough to actually hang out in the open. We'll take it slow and keep purrayin' for these little bits of progress.

And now, the moment I've been waiting for (and I hope y'all, too!), the first video of the babies using their official names!

CC, your baby is showing his handsome face today... it's young Miska who is playing shy!! We'll try to get portraits in the coming week!

We have names!

2011-04-19T21:00:00.002-04:00

Drum roll, please!!!!

First, let me say, choosing was HARD!! I wish I could have given everyone all of their names... ladies, you did a terrific job picking them. But choices had to be made, so here we go!

From Mari: Little Boy will be known as Miska. Mari wanted a Finnish name (yes, she's a native of Finland!) and kindly provided us with an MP3 so we would pronounce it correctly. She tells us this is a variant of the Russian Misha, which is a pet name for Mihail, or as we Yanks know it, Michael... which means "who is like God."

From Catonsville Cats: Big Boy is now Oliver. Now, CC had really wanted to name one of the torties, but when Oliver was the first name she threw out I was done - reasons to follow. Oliver is one of her favorite cats from the PetSmart where she volunteers with the cats up for adoption. Oliver happens to be the hero of one of my favorite movies (yeah, it's a schmaltzy B movie, and proud of it), called "The Enchanted Cottage" AND is a character in one of my favorite Shakespearean plays, "As You Like It." The name has two meanings - "presser of olives" and "elf army" (Germanic). I'm going with "elf army"... LOL!

From Aunty Pol: Little Girl has been christened Lessa. Lessa is one of the "Dragonriders of Pern," in the classic series of books, by the same name, by Anne McCaffery. Aunty says this is the first online entry of hers that has ever won (yep, it was a fair up random drawing, hon) and we are pleased to dub our sweetie Lessa, which means "joy."

And finally, from Hyacinth: Big Girl is now dubbed Gia. Gia means "God is gracious" and is a form of both Hyacinth and Jane. How could I not name one of the baby girls Gia!!!

And now, a surprise. I reserved naming rights for Mama in order to bestow them upon Judy, after the walk. Judy had the idea for the walk and served as our pack leader. She was, indeed, surprised this morning, but quickly rallied and suggested Mama Lucia, or Lucy, meaning "Light." Well, what do you know, we had three other suggestions for Lucy as one of the baby names sooooo... Mama Lucia it is!! Now... how to pronounce it!? There are three different pronunciations LOO-sha, loo-SEE-ah and, the one we're going to go with loo-CHEE-ah.

Did I mention that picking among terrific names is hard work? I'm pooped! I gave the babies a weigh and a hug, wrote this and am going to crash now!! I'll leave you with one pic until I can get some more in the pipeline!

From left to right: Oliver, Gia, Lessa and Miska

Oh, and in the photos you can see some tabby-like undercoat on the boys that's not obvious in "real life." The guys look solid black in person.

And the Winners Are...

2011-04-18T23:09:00.000-04:00

Congratulations, ladies! You are the lucky four who will get to name our babies!! Please email me, at your earliest convenience, with suggestions for names for any or all of the babies. You can assign a name specifically to a baby (ie, "Big Girl - Bertha") or throw out a name in general. We'll select from among them with, of course, one name from each of you being chosen. The email address is HubbleSpacePaws at gmail dot com.

Tonight's photos did not turn out well* because... the babies are loose! Yes, they escaped the confines of the box at 3 weeks and 1 day old and are having a ball walking and wrassling on the rug under the bed (which I can conveniently pull out to weigh them!). The rug is keeping them plenty warm (I checked) and, even when I removed one side of the box, they have zero interest in staying in it. "We iz BIG kittehs, nao!" they say! And they are! Both Big Boy and Big Girl cracked the one pound mark today! Mama seems very comfy with the new location and appears to be keeping a maternal eye peeled from some of the blocking I saw.

* Now, ask me if I could have photographed them when they were out for weigh in? Yes, I could have. Did I? No, I did not. Where did I try to photograph them? Why, in the dim recesses under the bed, of course! LOL!

Tomorrow or Wednesday, depending on how long it takes the winners to get back to me, we'll announce the babies new names!

So, once again, on behalf of the Space Paws walkers, thank you all so much for helping to raise money and awareness for the MD SPCA. It is truly appreciated!!!

Thank You All... So Very Much

2011-04-17T21:20:00.007-04:00

Space Paws walkers resting well after their labors:

The official tally isn't quite in, but it looks like we raised $1700+ in the 2011 March for Animals! Thank you so much to everyone who contributed. See our sidebar!

And big thank yous to Judy, for thinking of this and leading the pack, and Sonia, Pam, Leah, Michele, Karen, Frankie, Rebecca, Kathy, Kelly and Katy for joining the pack... all for love of the critters! (And a special thanks to Amy for the very cool Space Paws bandannas!! Click on the pic above to embiggen and check them out.)

One more cute shot, before we go. And tomorrow, the Name Those Babies winners!

Last Chance to Name Those Babies!

2011-04-16T21:49:00.003-04:00

Thank you so much to everyone who has pitched in to support the 2011 March for the Animals. I know the Name the Babies pitch was a blatant shakedown, but it's all for a good cause! At the end of the day tomorrow, we'll do a random drawing for four folks to submit names for our little ones and we'll announce them on Monday. Hopefully, we'll have real names for the babies by Wednesday!

The comment I cut short was that years ago I heard the behavior of Jurrasic Park's velociraptors was modeled on that of cats. And for some reason, the two girls there at the end just struck me as tiny, furry, inept velociraptors with their bobbing and weaving!

Big Boy: Eye Iz Mysterious!

Blog the Change for Animals

2011-04-15T23:00:00.002-04:00

So, what cause do we feel strongly about? Well, maybe it could be called "Trying to Make a Difference in Your Little Corner of the Universe." Nope, we can't save the world. But we CAN try to be guided by the starfish principle - we can make a difference for the one.

The folks I'd like to call out today quietly operate under the radar, trying to make a difference in their little neighborhood. They're shy, unsung heroes... kind of like the many Institute people who you've never met, who have been doing animal rescue in their own back yards for years longer than I've even been at the 'tute.

Today I'd like to honor the Cat Ladies of Ednor Gardens. No, that's not their "official" name or anything - it's how I've come to think of them. I have no pictures, nothing to show you. 'Tute staffer Sara lives in the Gardens and put me in touch with Margaret, who introduced me to Jeanne, the lady who finally was able to scoop up the elusive LBC (currently being fostered at the Casa), and Linda, who is very close to taking in two of LBC'S previous litter. I've had the pleasure of conversing with each of these women and was just blown away by their dedication to making the lives of the ferals in their neighborhood healthier and happier - and to getting as many as possible into homes. And refreshingly, they don't seem to think they're doing anything special... just what needs to be done. With amazing amounts of patience and perseverance. It took sixteen months to bring in LBC but they never stopped trying.

Like us, they're not a "formal" anything. But while talking to them and sharing stories, I realized I'd lost count of how many cat's lives they've touched and how many they've managed to save and, most remarkably, how many they've socialized and homed.

Right now, Margaret has a feral queen Gracie, who she plans to keep and socialize after Gracie's litter is grown. So, today I'd like to ask our Baltimore readers to consider helping their efforts. Could you make a point of mentioning to people you know that Gracie's babies will be ready for homes? If each of our readers mentions the story of the Cat Ladies of Ednor Gardens to just one person each day for the next six weeks, I'll bet this little litter will have furever homes to go to when they are ready. And you will have made a difference in your little corner of the universe.

Yes, I'll ask Margaret for pics to help, but it's the word of mouth, one person supporting another that makes so much difference! You are welcome to put anyone who has interest in touch with me at hubblespacepaws at gmail dot com, and I'll pass the word to Margaret.

So, to everyone who tries to make a bit of a difference, be it for the many or the one, I salute you!

Folks who are Blogging the Change:

Darling Girls

2011-04-14T21:50:00.004-04:00

The girls are so much easier to photograph than their dark furred brothers. Thought these two were especially cute. Not much happening today, except growing, of course!! Don'tcha just want to Name Those Babies?

When I tuned into Kitten TV, this sibling blanket shot just cracked me up!

And, last but not least (daily, until the big day), we give you our shameless plug (second for the day... LOL!) for the March for the Animals & NAME THOSE BABIES!

Our lady Two Legs is doing the March for the Animals on Sunday, April 17th, to raise green papers for the MD SPCA. I'm going to round up my siblings and we are going to help! If you can help, in ANY amount, you get a chance to name my sister and brothers and me!!!! Click here, to find out more!

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has pitched in to help!

Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate! Three Adoptions!

2011-04-13T22:50:00.001-04:00

I'm stunned!!!! First, Kathy wrote yesterday, saying that Poco and Teddy found a home with a nice couple... TOGETHER! And then, just as I was about to do tonight's post, I got an email from Carole letting me know that sweet Skippy found his furever home. Hopefully we'll have some more details, soon, but for now, wish each of these young men all the best with their new families!

Skippy, Poco and Teddy
It's been raining around here... and now we can say it's pouring good news!

Mama makes the roomier box roomier still... better to see her nursing!

Yesterday, I moved the "roll" forward in the box to give the growing family more room. "Ha!" said LBC, "Watch this!" and proceeded to push out the back of the box (as you can see in the photo). There is a rug under the box, extending to the back wall, in case the little ones decide to explore a bit, so I think I'll leave it for today and then turn the box around tomorrow. We'll see if I can't entice the little family into a "nest." We have two... a nice quilted one that Franca sent us and a larger, but lighter one that Ali gave to us. I think I might start with Franca's, since it's more cave like. I think it will be less threatening for LBC.

Hyacinth hit the nail on the head... we're going to be trying for streaming video in a few weeks. It's just too busy right now for me to work on it and I don't want to impose too much on the neph's good will. I can peek in during the day, but the current set up only allows 10 people watch at once... and we've still got a few technical difficulties.

I guarantee nothing but, if you'd like to try before it is ready for prime time, go to http://hsp.from-md.com. You'll get an authentication window - just hit cancel. Then you'll get a black screen. If you're lucky, it will change over to the feed fairly quickly. Or not. Once you get a feed it may go in and out. Very frustrating. (But isn't that always the way with new tech - then, once you finally get the hang of it, and figure out the idiot thing you were doing wrong, it seems so simple.) Seems the intermittent "black" was not mama against the lens, as we first thought it might be!

Our Sophie says, "You haven't been paying enough attention to ME!!" So to make amends, here's some Sophie belly:

And, last but not least (daily, until the big day), we give you our shameless plug for the March for the Animals & NAME THOSE BABIES!

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has pitched in to help!

Nursing Pics!! And Wendy LOLed Jasper!

2011-04-12T22:44:00.004-04:00

Well, our friend Wendy, of the famous LOL Spot has done it again!! When I was incarcerated... errrr... hospitalized, she posted this adorable LOL!! Thanks Wendy!!! If you haven't been to the LOL spot yet, I highly recommend a visit to brighten your day. You'll meet lotsa nice kittehs from all over the intertubes!

Drum Roll Please!! We have nursing shots!

My wonderful niece-in-love, Liz, encouraged nephew Mark to come to the Casa and play with electronics whist she kept the home fires burning. And what did he do for us? Why he rigged up a wireless, high def, night vision, IP security camera to get pics of the babies under the bed!

Here's a sequence of pics. You can see our lovely LBC's face, close up, for the first time! While they look somewhat similar, note the changes in the babies positions.

You know where this is heading, don't you??? ;-D

It may take a little while (spare time is at a premium right now) for us to figure out where, and how, to mount the camera so that Mama doesn't block it... sometimes I've tuned in to a black screen - she's laying up against it!!

And, last but not least (daily, until the big day), we give you our shameless plug for the March for the Animals & NAME THOSE BABIES!

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has pitched in to help!

Shabby Chic and Groomin' Babies

2011-04-11T20:57:00.016-04:00

Purrayer moment: Sending out hugs to Chrystal, at Daily Dose of Dogs (aka, Cats with your Coffee), who just lost two new foster babies, despite heroic attempts to save them.

******************

We don't usually do challenges, 'cause we're not organized enough, but Milo and Alfie's Shabby Chic Day was too much to resist. You see Casa residents have been rendering our furniture shabby for years! Who knew it was chic?!

First up is the recliner you saw so often in 2009 and 2010. It only took 1.5 years for it to get into this condition... and the cats WERE using their scratching posts, too! Clearly something about this chair brought out the claws, especially from the guys (OK, Grey, yeah, it was mostly you, sweetie). This is why we now have slipcovered furniture!! The lounge chair is languishing in Space Paws back basement, waiting for me to pull together the green papers for slip covers. Yes, I understand it is possible to slip cover a recliner - the chair is perfectly good - just looks, well, shabby chic!

I feel the perfect accessory to shabby chic is the GIANT MUTANT FURBUNNY! Unfortunately, we did not have any to photograph because we used the loud sucky machine on Friday. But, we can show them to you in the formative stages. First it's a little clump, here. And a couple of little clumps there. And a few hairs showing up everywhere. And THEN, they decide to have a convention.

That's the stage we're at now. Left unchecked, they will float and roll around, picking up members along the way, and pretty soon you have a Furbunny as big as one of your residents. Like I said, the perfect accessory to Shabby Chic!

And now, on to babies!!

Yesterday, when I tickled Big Girl's Belly, she immediately groomed a paw... and she did this over and over! I filmed it but it turned out a bit blurry. :-( But today she was grooming, with no prompting at all!!

We will close todays viewing with a gratuitous toesie shot, courtesy of Miss Little Girl.

Last, but not least, another shameless plug - March for the Animals & Name Those Babies!

Our sincere thanks to everyone who has pitched in to help!

Happy 2 Week Birthday, Babies!

2011-04-10T23:26:00.006-04:00

First, a purrayer alert: Everyone please keep Jordan and her kittens, over at "Tails from the Foster Kittens" in your thoughts. And Connie, too, as she works to help this fragile little family. Our hugs go out to them.

***********

I can hardly believe it! The kittens are two weeks old today! They are starting to be curious about their surroundings and, shaky as they may be, are actually walking with steps, instead of scuttling around. From this clip we can tell the box under the bed isn't going to hold them for much longer! Why does it always seem to be the littlest one who is so anxious to get out?

I'm kind of anal, so I've been charting their growth. I've added a tab so you can see it charted against both a "Normal Growth" chart and the Maples Family's average weights at the same age.

And, is it my imagination or is the dark portion of the Tortie Girl's coats getting lighter and lighter?

NAME THOSE BABIES!

Big Girl here! I'm doing a shameless plug for the March for the Animals our lady Two Legs is doing on Sunday, April 17th, to raise green papers for the MD SPCA. I'm going to round up my siblings and we are going to help! If you can help, in ANY amount, you get a chance to name my sister and brothers and me!!!! Click here, to find out more!

Big Boy: OK! I'm in! I think we should go this away...

No! Wait! I meant that away...

Little Girl: OK, everybody together now? Forward ho!

Thank you to everyone who has pitched in to help this fundraiser!

Tomorrow - we know how to groom!

We Got Legs!

2011-04-09T23:07:00.005-04:00

Ok, little legs, and they are still wobbly, but we can get back to mommy on our own, thank you very much! Take a look...

I haven't run the loud sucky machine since our little family took up residence and the carpet sweeper doesn't quite get all the bits'n'pieces. Oh well, better than a freaked out family, I suppose!

Mommy is still her shy self, but her eyes aren't quite as wide any more - a good sign, I hope. She's still not objecting to me being with her babies and I'm hoping that means some level of trust. After yesterday's whopping gains, weight growth was erratic today. Our Big Girl only gained .1 oz, while Big Boy gained .3, putting them neck to neck at 11.2 oz. Little Boy and Little Girl, each gained .5 oz, making them 10.8 and 9.6, respectively.

Little Boy stands... errr... lays, on guard.

Obligatory kitten pile shot.

Mama keeping a watchful eye.

Little Boy: Oh, puhleeeze! Cut it out with the flash box already, lady!! You're frightening the wimmin folk! Little Girl: Nuhh uh! It's not me squawking. Mama: Just who are you calling wimmin folk, young man?

And Sandy sent us this shot of a contented, snoozing Lilo, to let us know she's doing just fine! She and her fursis, Allegra, recently moved, along with mom Sandy, and are now enjoying life with Grandma Betty for company, too!

And last, but not least, there's still time to get in on the fun of "Name Those Babies!" and do some good for the MD SPCA! Thank you, again, to everyone who has pitched in to help!

Big Boy and Little Girl Weigh In & Meet Rancho J2's Tootsie

2011-04-08T22:21:00.003-04:00

Enough of this weigh in stuff already! We're growing! We're growing!

The babies are getting soooo big! Topping the charts is Big Girl at 11.1 oz!! Big Boy follows up at 10.9, Little Boy at 10.3 and, bringing up the rear is Little Girl at 9.1 oz. All very good weights.

Here's a clip of tonight's weigh in. Again, sorry about the camera work. You've got some blurry footage toward the end. If you look, shortly after I bring Big Boy out to the carpet, you can see the almost two ounce difference between him and his sister.

Those piteous cries break my heart! I feel guilty for the daily weigh in, each and every day!

Yesterday was very hurried and I didn't get a post up, so here are some extra pics. Trudy and Lawrie are still with us since Lawrie has a little bit of tummy upset. Since Doc Ed started treating him, his dad, Ricky, and I decided they should stay here until we're sure he's past it. They'll probably head home this weekend.

Lawrie and his lingering looks...

The beauteous Ms. Trudy...

Sophie just sayin', "Hi!!!!"

And, from Rancho J2, that surprise I promised. A new kitteh turned up at the Ranch - a young man who Joy and Jim have dubbed "Tootsie." If you look closely at the photo you can see he has absolutely tiny paws. We suspect this may be a birth defect. As with the other ferals, J2 are trying to get him comfy enough to trap.

Still no Wally sighting, and Joy felt they were so close to snagging him a few weeks ago. *sigh* So many strays it just breaks your heart. But J2 keeps trying - the starfish principle - even if you can only make a difference for one...

And last, but not least, there's still time to get in on the fun of "Name Those Babies!"

Hear Those Babies Mew!

2011-04-06T23:54:00.004-04:00

Whew! It's been a busy day so I'll just leave you with this little video we made a couple of days ago and catch you up on the goings on tomorrow!

And don't forget... you have a chance to:

1. DO SOME GOOD and

2. NAME THE BABIES!!

Just follow this link to find out how!

A huge Space Paws "Thank You" to everyone who has pitched in and reposted!!! Our readers are the very best!

Name Those Babies!

2011-04-05T21:33:00.008-04:00

Space Paws has formed a pack to walk, on April 17th, to raise funds for the MD SPCA!! Frankie's mom, Judy, is our pack leader and came up with this great idea (Frankie, aka Emmett, was from Bitty's Brood).

We know discretionary green papers are often slim these days and there are many worthy causes. Any amount you might be able to contribute... whether it be $5 or $500 would be so very much appreciated. For us, this is as much about showing community concern for the welfare of critters as it is about the amount raised!

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

As a little fun for our readers, we stole an idea straight from such illustrious folk as the IBKC and Love & Hisses! We figure we're not above hawking naming rights for a good cause either!

Anyone who contributes to the walk, in any amount, gets a chance to name one of our new foster family! It will be a random drawing and we'll announce the winners the day after the walk!

HERE'S HOW TO ENTER "NAME THOSE BABIES!"

Make a donation, of any amount, to the MD SPCA 2011 March for the Animals for the Space Paws Pack.
You MUST list a name YOU will recognize on the honor roll when you donate. It does not need to be your real name (but it can be, if you wish!). For instance, I could donate as HubbleSpacePaws.
We'll draw randomly from all the contributors and, when we announce the winners, we'll invite you to email us.
You do NOT need to show the amount of your contribution.
There are four chances to win - one for each of the babies.
Who gets to name which baby? We'll ask the winners to submit name suggestions for each of the babies and we'll choose from among them. (Hey, we get to have some fun, too!)

First disclaimer, to protect the Institute: Neither Space Paws, the Space Paws Pack, nor this raffle are sponsored by STScI or AURA, Inc. These projects are solely staff initiatives.

Second disclaimer: This raffle is intended to be low-key and just for fun and, as such, Space Paws reserves all rights regarding decisions in administering it.

HERE'S WHO YOU'LL BE NAMING!

Little Girl

Big Girl

Little Boy

Big Boy

SOME OUTTAKES FROM TODAY'S WEIGH IN

Just 'cause these babies are so darn cute! But I may be biased!

Big Girl: I can get out of here... just a little more, a little more!

Little Girl: NO! The stupid towel does not make this any more fun! It's cold out here! Moooooommmmm!

Little Boy: Mommy is right over theeeere.... I see you mommy...

Big Boy: What's all the fuss about? Aren't I handsome? My adoring fans love me!

Momma, slinking away from the box. Mom and babies were mashed in the very back of the box and she's starting to push out the wall we cut down for entry. Repairs tomorrow!

And tomorrow, more from Rancho J2!

Our Eyes Are All Open! Excitement at Rancho J2!

2011-04-04T22:34:00.007-04:00

First, the babies~

As promised, the boys. Big Package boy - look at those baby blues! My apologies on photos - today was my day for cutting off heads!

Little Package boy - hard to tell the difference, eh? Actually their itty "packages" are kinda looking alike these days. I can only tell by weight now. Time to whip out the nail polish, I think.

Mama, still keeping an eye on the proceedings.

They're starting to fill up the little red boat!

What a difference a few hours makes! My sis came over to see the babies at 5:30 and Light Tortie Girl still had one eye semi-shut. By 9:30, everyone's eyes were open!! And now our babies can start trying to focus in on their new world.

The kittens have developed velcro claws... and they do NOT want to leave their box! Who can blame them? It's cold and bright out there! I'm going to try leaving the sheet up for a while during the day so they start getting some soft light. Everyone gained again today - they are little pudge balls compared to the Maples. Clan Maples didn't attain these weights for another 3 days. These guys are, on average, 1.7 oz bigger and opened their eyes a couple of days earlier.

And look who came to Rancho J2!

May we introduce you to LilPatch. She is one of Little Bit's babies. Little Bit being the notoriously elusive lady who lives in the woods behind the Rancho. Joy and Jim have been trying to wrangle Little Bit in, by trap, by feeding, by patiently trying to acclimate her to them... well, just about forever. With no luck - she's a very, very canny one. And she taught her babies to be just as wary of the Two Legs. But, little by little, the youngsters began to warm up to the humans who painstakingly tried to lure them close enough to trap or catch. They think (hope, pray) LilPatch's brothers may be snagged soon, too.

J2 is worried that capture may not have come soon enough for LilPatch. The vet wouldn't give her shots 'cause there's a chance she is... yes, with kittens. :-( The good news is that she's now safely inside and, if she is preggers (the wanton hussy), this will be her one and only litter. We'll fill you in some more tomorrow!

The Little Red Boat Sails Again on the Babies One Week Birthday!

2011-04-03T21:57:00.008-04:00

Some of our readers may remember the little red bed that served the Maples family so well. It's baaaack!! This time providing a safe space for the babies to be filmed when weigh in commenced. The clip is at the bottom of the post. I'm still trying not to disturb Mama, as much as is possible, so I've tried to keep sessions with the babies quick. I took stills of the two girls today, and will try for pics of the boys tomorrow. Finally, I got clear shots!

May we present Ms. Dark Tortie Girl. She has more light on her face than her sister...

...but, overall, appears darker from above.

Now that we have stills, I see why! Check out those peachy little paws on Ms. Light Tortie girl!

And, from above, she's just as cute as her sis!

Today we changed out the linens again, and I used smaller towels to facilitate quick, daily changes from here on out (I didn't change daily in the beginning so as not to freak Mama out). The linens removed were clean and dry, just kind of fur covered, so that's good.

Mama was, once again, still nursing when I lifted the sheet to access the box. This is a good sign, I think, as she appears to be comfortable with me moving about the room and being close to her. She didn't move until I reached in for the babies, and then to the back of the box. Of course, when I changed the linens after the weigh in, she exited completely.

I wish I could check her out more closely (make sure she's in good shape), but we'll take what we can get. She's polishing off her wet food and milk substitute each time I put it down and, of course, she has free access to kitten kibble and water all day long.

The babies sure are thriving! I just wrote to Grandma Jeanne to double check that the were, indeed, born last Sunday. If so, they're not only one week old today, they're way ahead of the Maples in growth... and light years ahead of the "normal" growth weight chart I found in 2009.

Dark Tortie girl gained a whole ounce - gadzooks! - and became the heavy weight of the litter today. I weighed everyone again after film stopped rolling, just to be sure I had it right. (The "extrapolated" days on the chart are when I was incarcerated... errrr... in the hospital. Yeah, anal me had to fill in the days so the graph would turn out right. I'll post the graph next week.)

And here's the long awaited, decent look at the new babies! The camera work got a bit sloppy at the end, and I really do need to pay more attention to background (lovely shots of supplies on the table, throughout the video!), but you can actually see the babies for the most part! This is an improvement!

We Have Visitors! And A Short Baby Video!

2011-04-02T22:17:00.007-04:00

Does this look familiar? Recognize this dynamic duo?

Yes, Trudy and Lawrie have come for a visit. They arrived the same day Mama and her kittens did and, unfortunately, until today, have been incarcerated in my room! I'd planned to let them out to mingle with the General Population Wednesday night, but you know what happened... *sigh*

But they're out and about today and getting on with everyone but Peggy Sue... who still hisses every time she gets too close to them. Sophie looks like she wants to play and we may see that soon, I hope. Bitty just sniffs at them and ignores them. And Annie is still guarding the back basement. *sigh*

Trudy in huntress mode.

Lawrie gracing us with bedroom eyes.

While they are here, I'm handling some vet stuff for dad Ricky. The folks at Carney Animal Hospital were thrilled to see the guys again. I don't know if you've met Doc Ed on the blog. He's Doc Andrew's dad and was my very first vet for my very first cat of my own (you know, back in the dark ages). I went to live in the DC area for 20 years and when I came back to B'more, I called CAH for an appointment. They said, "Your appointment with Dr. Jendrek is at..." and I was thrilled -someone I knew! Imagine my surprise when the door opened and his son walked in!! Wasn't long before I loved him just as much as his dad, and Doc Andrew is our "usual" vet now.

Tech Chris and Dr. Ed oversee the indignities for Lawrie.

Unfortunately, I got busy with the tongue wagging, since it had been a while since I'd seen Doc Ed, and completely missed getting any shots of Trudy with him!

Lawrie doesn't hold a grudge and was soon helping me with my paperwork! Have I mentioned that this boy has bedroom eyes? Yes? Well, I just can't get over them!

And Trudy? What can I say? When she was a little tyke, she would crawl up on my chest and go to sleep while I worked, cradling her with one hand. As soon as I sat down, she was up and climbing onto my chest. She's too big to hold with one hand any more, but right off to sleep she went! Needless to say, I was practically in puddles.

The duo will be with us through Monday, so you may get to see a bit more of them, too!

On the kitten front

We've got some eye openings!!! Woohoo!! Big Package boy has both eyes fully open and Little Package boy has one eye fully open and one getting there. The girls are still closed, though

They're growing like weeds! Gains of .3-.6 oz! Very respectable. Mama is clearly doing her job well. As much as it is killing me, I'm trying to leave them alone since she is still very skittish. I checked once mid day and once for the weigh in. The box linens have only been changed once since they arrived (with other moms I did it daily). Again, I'm trying not to spook Mama. So laundry is on the agenda for tomorrow.

Mama must have really put the evil eye on me. Once again, the kitten pics did not turn out. Grrrrrr. They looked OK on the itty bitty camera screen but are blurry full size. I'll post the one that's least blurry with three of the babies. And I did a short video. It's dark, but at least you can see one of them! Tomorrow I'll try to film the weigh in!

Dark Tortie girl peers over the edge. Or at least she would if her eyes were open!! DTG's face is actually lighter than her sister's. But her back is darker, which is how I identify her when I grab in the kitten box!

So, hopefully tomorrow we'll have better kitten pics for you and maybe a weigh in video! And tomorrow and Monday I hope to catch up with visiting... gad, I am sooooo behind and miss you all!

Finally, Some Baby Pics and News

2011-04-01T19:21:00.007-04:00

I wanted to get these up, 'cause it's been a couple of days now. I took more pics of the babies and thought I had the camera on macro, but clearly not. *sigh* Only a couple of them sorta kinda turned out. Hopefully we'll have good individual shots soon.

I weighed the babies as soon as I got home (see previous post for where I've been). Everyone is doing fine! Dark Tortie girl, 7.1 oz; Light Tortie girl, 5.8 oz; Big "Package" boy, 7.8 oz; Little "Package" boy, 6.8 oz. I'm totally amazed by these weights. Even though the little Light Tortie girl is lagging significantly behind her sibs, everyone is way above the weights of the Maples for the same day of life (4.5-5.1 oz), so I'm content they're on the right path. I'll feel better when we're weighing daily, though.

Here's a shot of the box under the bed. I raise the flap and drop the blue sheet to give them privacy. I can snag the babies without moving the box with this set up.

Momma always moves away from me, but doesn't leave the box, which is good. Grandma Jeanne calls her LBC (Little Black Cat). We'll have to work on the names this week!

Aren't they just sooooo precious????

Little Package boy in the weighing bowl.

Little Tortie girl gets her weigh in.

And I don't think I've mentioned our Annie was in the back basement when the new kids arrive and will not leave. She's always been skittish but clearly doesn't want me to pick her up right now. She loves lovin' up but skitters away when I reach to scoop her up. So, she can guard the back basement and I'll just have another stop on the loving up train for a while! LOL!

Whew... things have not slowed down. Tomorrow I have a surprise for you! (Don'tcha love cliffhangers????)

Why NOT to get bitten by a cat

2011-04-01T18:21:00.008-04:00

Well, I'd heard this could happen. Usually, I've gotten a bite, gone to the doc, gotten some antibiotics, hauled the cat (if it wasn't mine) to the vet 10 days later for a rabies check and prepared to complete all the city paperwork. But sometimes the cat's spit will land you here...

Yep, the ER.

I'm doing this post as a cautionary tale (because I didn't take cat bites seriously enough) and to show you the truly amazing (I'm sure once in a lifetime) digs I wound up with for the next 2 days. You may rest assured I will be MUCH more careful in the future.

I got my antibiotics from the doc within hours of the bite and did the usual soaking, etc., assuming things would go as they always had. I didn't feel too sporty at work on Wednesday, after the bite, and went home early for a nap. Around 6:15, I got up and went to Bible study. My hand was somewhat redder than it had been when I'd laid down. By 8:30 members of the study were saying it looked worse than when I came in. Sure enough, the red area was bigger. *sigh* I schlepped down to Patient First, just before they closed. They took one look and sent me to the GBMC (Greater Baltimore Medical Center) ER for IV antibiotics.

To say I was put out is an understatement - I've had to have an IV before (an hour long deal) and thought it was just timing sending me to the ER, since Patient First was about to close. I zipped home, grabbed my meds ('cause I knew they'd want to know what they were), wrote the "Glitch" post below and, just in case, freshened everyone's food and water and did a quick poop scoop.

I hoped to be home by the wee hours of the morning. Next thing I know, they're admitting me. At that point, they said one more course and they'd check my blood work again. I was still hoping to get to work by noon the next day.

They finally released me late this afternoon - after 40 hours on IV antibiotics, with my hand bound and constantly elevated (your arm will ache, let me tell you!). I missed 3 1/2 days at work because of my carelessness ... not fair to my employer or co-workers and I feel horrible about that. I had to impose on my sis to come feed and love the critters and take care of some paperwork that was due by 3/31. Sheesh!

But I must admit there was a small plus side - I was plunked into what the staff repeated referred to as "the best room in the hospital." Thanks to ye old cell phone, check it out!

But, wait, there's more... here's the OTHER side of the room:

Two lounge chairs (another is on the other side of the bed), a sofa and assorted small chairs graced the room. Yeah, that's my drip, on the left, that I had to drag everywhere... no showers for me - I felt totally gross when I got home.

But check out the view from my chair by the bed:

Here's the view out the front window:

And, since this IS a cautionary tale, here's what the bound hand is going to look like if you wind up in the same situation:

Oh, yeah, and your other hand will be sporting one of these:

So, please be more careful about being bitten than I've been. I feel like a teenager, just waking up to the fact that, yeah, it can happen to you!

Little Glitch

2011-03-30T22:37:00.003-04:00

Something has come up and I don't have time to post tonight... so sorry... I promised pics and am reneging! Mom and kittens still doing well. More as soon as I can!

'Tis 3 am and All Is Well!!

2011-03-30T03:12:00.002-04:00

Mama is in the box!!!

Just went down to slip the heating pad in with the kittens, lifted the sheet shrouding the bed and saw a little black kitty, stretched out on her side... with a really big tummy (ok, I know that "tummy" was kittens, but it's dark under the bed and that's what it looked like). AND, she didn't flick a whisker at the interruption! I gently replaced the sheet and beat feet!

Ze drama... she is over! Yaaaaay!!! I soooo don't like drama when it comes to little ones! (You can click here and here if you missed it.) Whew, what a relief! And, I get to sleep for 4 contiguous hours before I have to get up for work! Yay!

Everything was so worth it to see our mom and babies together, but I do have one gripe - why couldn't little mama have shown me she was back with her kittens BEFORE I turned the house upside down looking for the diggledy dag extension cord for the heating pad. LOL!

Tomorrow (uhhhh... technically today, but later), pictures - I promise! And we can get down to the important business of naming the little family.

Well, Maybe...

2011-03-30T01:30:00.002-04:00

Sorry, no pics just lots of words. My tired brain was so focused on the kittens it didn't occur to me to take any today. But, and we have sexes! A tortie girl, a lighter tortie girl and two black boys. The only way I can tell the lads apart is the size of their "package" at this point. LOL! I'm sure we'll come to see other distinguishing features soon, though! I know they're young for sexing yet, but I'm pretty sure we've got this right.

Unfortunately, leaving Mom and the babies undisturbed most of the day didn't work. There was no evidence Mom had joined the kittens. In the meantime, Meg and Sue had strongly suggested, in off-blog correspondence, that I get Mom and kittens into closer quarters and consider starting bottle feeding and stimulating elimination.

I replaced the warm rice snake and called the vet's office, as I'd promised I would. I briefed vet tech Jenn on the situation. At this point, Jenn got a hold of Doc Andrew. He was concerned that trying to wrangle Mom into closer quarters would freak her out/piss her off more and suggested moving the box out of the crate. We all agreed I should start bottle feeding tonight if moving the box didn't do the trick and they immediately offered to take the kittens while I'm at work tomorrow and Thursday (Friday starts an 11 day vacation).

I woke up after a quick nap (at this point I'd kill for 3 or more uninterrupted hours of sleep... how new parents do this for months is beyond me!) and decided that, since Mom seemed to feel safe under the bed, I would cut down a box so it would slide under the bed, then tent the sides with a sheet. I figured this was a good compromise, creating closer quarters and not risking freaking Mom out more (LOL... I checked email afterward and Judy had the same suggestion! Thanks, Judy!)

My sis came over to help and we quickly weighed the kittens. They'd lost weight (.2-.3 oz each) confirming Mom wasn't feeding or feeding enough. We put in another warm rice snake, slid the box under the bed and hoped for the best. Soon we heard kitten mewlings all the way upstairs, in the kitchen. Then, suddenly, the mewing got really, really loud... and then stopped abruptly. We hoped that meant the kittens had plugged in to Momma.

I gave it a few hours and went down again. I heard a scurry as I descended the stairs. Mom was in the window and started yowling when I got to the bottom. I ignored her and checked the kittens. The box didn't seem "Momma warm" as though she'd just left, but the kittens felt warmish. It was hard to tell for sure, but one section of the towels seemed to be mashed down more than the rest, the "comfort towel" that I'd arranged around the kitten pile was askew and the box had some debris that I was pretty sure hadn't been there before, since these were fresh towels. And I saw no evidence of pee or poo, which is good. I cleaned up the debris so I can use that as a means of checking again.

I'd bought a nursing kit today and, after warming the kittens with a fresh rice snake, tried to bottle feed them, just in case. None of them would take the bottle and all of them fussed at me but good. Their fussing was more vigorous than when we'd weighed them, so I thought this was good. The fuss brought Mama down under the bed again and she gave me the hairy eyeball throughout - probably a good sign. I checked the flow and I'm pretty sure it's good, so I'm hoping (praying, pleading with the good Lord) that this means the box under the bed worked and they're dining with Mom.

I'll check in a couple of hours, just in case I'm wrong. If I'm still unsure, I'll replace the snake with a heating pad (the extension cord had been hiding from me, earlier). In the morning I'll weigh the babies. If they've gained a bit, I guess we can safely assume they're feeding. If not, I think it is safest to take them to the vets for the day.

More later!

Late Night Delivery

2011-03-29T00:11:00.010-04:00

Meet the newest residents at the Casa. 4 little bits, just 36 hours old and their Mama. It's late, so this will be short. STScI colleague, Sara, and her neighbors are working hard to round up the strays in their neighborhood and find them homes. Neighbor Jean called me saying they needed a place for a new mama and her brood and I said yes. So around 9:30 this evening our, as yet unnamed, new family arrived.

I've debated how much to tell you, but I'm just going to out with the whole story. Mama allowed me to pet her and weigh her brood (4.4-5.4 oz). They were still in the carrier she appropriated for birthing, with the dirty linens. Unfortunately, as soon as I transferred the kittens to a clean box, Mama took off under the bed. (Yes, I have a bed in the basement, we set it up anticipating another foster group!)

She's frightened. I left them alone for over an hour but she didn't rejoin her babies and won't let me approach her. I've heated up a rice "snake" and put it around the kittens for warmth and cranked up the heat in the casa. I put a piece of the birthing bedding near the front of the clean bed to give Mama a scent marker, too. The kittens appear quite content, have piled up and are sleeping. I'll set the alarm for 3am and see how they are making out.

In retrospect, perhaps I should have just let her stay in the birthing box until she was more settled, but she seemed to be doing so well. Just in case, I set up 3 other nesting boxes around the basement. I'll post the update after I check on them. I've not had this happen before and, of course, I'm concerned about the little ones. With any luck, Mom just needs some time to calm down. Purr for us, please!

6 am update - When I went down Mom was under the bed again with a little one suckling! I don't know if he crawled out to her (doubtful, the lip of the box is large, but possible) or if she took off under the bed when she heard me coming and he stayed attached. I think the latter because soon he was mewling as though not liking that cold tile floor.

I could just reach them so I put the baby back in the new bed with his warm and sleeping siblings, and added a newly warmed rice snake. Took a couple of minutes to try to make nice with mom. Amazingly she allowed me to stroke her head and scratch her chin (I could just reach her head) and she didn't try to move off, which would have been easy enough. The whole time she stared fixedly at the new baby bed. With the kittens settled down, I decided to give the little family their privacy again. Here's hoping 8 am sees them all cuddled in together.

9 am update - It still doesn't look like mama has been in with the babies. I am officially nervous now. I moved the new bed into a kennel, with litter and water and food, hoping that some enforced proximity would work. She came out from under the bed and when I went to pick her up to put her in the cage with them, she totally freaked. Yep, she bit the crud out of me. And back under the bed. Not good. I called Doc Andrew's office and tech Jenn suggested I just let them be, keeping an ear out for distress sounds from the kittens and call the office again after 3. And hi myself off to my doc for antibiotics, of course. On the plus side, every time I've gone down, the kittens were warm and sleeping and don't seem to be distressed at all.

I'm so very miffed with myself on the lack of judgement in trying to pick her up. (And why did I move their bed? I know cats don't like changes. Sheesh!) Sleep deprived, I guess, but she had let me have a nice long scritch session with her so I think I was lulled into a false sense of security on handling her. This is kind of reaction is new to me so if anyone out there has experience with a spooked mama, please do write: hubblespacepaws (at) gmail (dot) com. Keep purrin for us, please.

Some Fun Stuff (A Baby Pool and Sophie's LOL) and some Good PSAs

2011-03-27T11:00:00.006-04:00

First, if you haven't met Maggie over at Love & Hisses, you should! She a pregnant momma who STILL has not birthed those babies, and Miz Robyn is running a baby pool ($5 a guess), to benefit Challenger House, on when the kittens will be born. The prize? You get to name one of the little darlings!! Go on over, have some fun, and do some good!

Also at Love & Hisses you can read about Tom, a sweet, loving, gorgeous orange tabby, six years old from Chattanooga, TN, whose furever mom crossed to the Bridge about two years ago. For a year and a half, while her kids were wrangling over the estate, he was alone in the house with someone stopping by a couple of times a week to feed him and scoop poop... and not much more. THEN he was adopted by a woman who found him TOO loving, and shut him in a bedroom for 6 months, and didn't have the sense to surrender him. Sheesh! Spread the word, folks!

And to top it all off, dear Wendy has featured Sophie in a LOL.. Our young lady needs to let it go appropriately, it seems! :-)

Majestic Mancatliness... It is I

2011-03-24T20:05:00.007-04:00

Yes, it is I, Jasper (aka Fred Maples). CC and Waterdragon, it is edifying to know I am remembered. Good to see you all again, even though you appear to be upside down from here. You may kneel, or stand on your heads, to pay me proper homage.

(It is a secure, self-assured mancat who hugs pink, you know!)

My reign in DC has been full. My harem, small though it may be, worships me, as is my right. As you can see, my devoted servant, Doc Phyllis, has learned the time honored "face pillow" position. Training is arduous, but rewarding. She has done so well with this I am allowing my bean to train for another ride for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society this June. Yes, it is time away from me, but I'm nothing, if not magnanimous. I richly reward those who serve me well.

Kona, my fursister, did a good job beginning Phyllis' conditioning as a loyal retainer, therefore she enjoys an exalted position in my harem.

I allow Kona liberties I would grant no one else!

Yes, my wimmins... they simply revel in my mancatliness!

See you again, soon!

My, What Gorgeous Armpits (???) You Have!

2011-03-24T07:35:00.003-04:00

And chest fur! Hubba, hubba!

Can you guess who this handsome hunk is???

The answer and more in tonight's post!

(The toothsome male bedecking this bedspread is a SP alumnus, of course!)

Please Meet Skippy Caroleson

2011-03-21T23:09:00.005-04:00

Remember Ann's friend Carole, who is fostering handsome Jordy? Well, one foster was clearly not enough! Carole is also fostering young Skippy. Please meet him!

The young men are just pouring in here at Space Paws! Hmmmm... with the Casa being ladies only right now, maybe we should invite them over for a party!!

No word on the Wally front. We're starting to get a little worried. And, while we know that's part and parcel with ferals, it doesn't make the waiting and wondering any easier. Come on, big boy... a nice warm room with lots of toys and a soft bed and all the noms you can eat is waiting here for you!

Post V-E-T Progress

2011-03-20T22:42:00.004-04:00

Thank you, everybody, for your well wishes for Annie, yesterday. Remarkably, she's doing a bit better since we got back from Doc Andrew's, and it can't be the meds. Hey, we'll take it! She's not back to her normal self, but she is hanging out in the living room now, if only for half an hour at a time. Here's a pic of her chilling in the sunlight.

Annie had stopped eating with the General Population (and she LOVES her stinky goodness) over a week ago and that's what pushed me from "I'm a little worried she's not snapping back" to "we need to get her checked out." Tonight she actually joined the crew for dinner... OK, three bites and then she took off... but she came out to eat with everybody! That's progress!

Got an introduction and a visit from some old friends comin' up next week!

A trip to the V-E-T

2011-03-19T21:56:00.004-04:00

Oh, come on now. Don't tell me your cats haven't figured that one out! Mine sure have!

I leave the carriers out days ahead of time. They don't fall for that one, either. The minute I walk in the house, all I see are stray hairs, dancing in the sunbeams.

But, usually we manage to round everyone up and head out in time - although sometimes, in the ruckus, I forget the camera - like I did this time (cell phone to the rescue... again!). Sophie and Annie were up for this visit. For Sophie, it was to make sure everything was OK and she is just being a little chowhound. You see her belly is quite... errrr... ummmm... big. Smooshy-fatty and that had me a little worried.

For Annie, it was because she's become quite anxious since Grey and Winnie died. Her anxiety level went up markedly after each passing and now, months later, she still isn't back to her regular self. Mind you, "regular" Annie is still quite easy to startle and hyperactive. One of her nicknames is "Squirrelette" for a reason. Extra attention has not calmed her down in the least. She was very attached to Grey (never mind that the love was unrequited - she seemed happier when he was around than ever in her life) and Winnie was her rock the entire 11 years she's been with us, so losing them so close to one another was tough for her, I think.

There's not enough room for the two of us to hide back here... quick! Plan B!

If I stay really, really still they won't see me. You see their visual acuity is based on motion. Wait a minute... dang, that's me not them!

AAAAGGH! He's KILLING ME!!! Let me OUT of here!!!

I don't know what she's screaming about. All he did is mush my tummy, stick that stick up my bottom, the cold thingy on my chest, peer in my mouth and eyes and ears. Not so bad. I think I'll go to sleep now.

As usual, once Doc Andrew got his hands on her, Sophie chilled out. No fussing about anything. And she did, indeed, appear to zzzz out on the table, right in the middle of Annie's exam. Doc says she's just chubby so we'll keep an eye on it and try to get her more exercise. She's only 8 pounds, but that's a lot for her tiny frame - seriously! She's mostly fur!

Annie, on the other hand, went into frenzy mode. Neither Doc nor I like medicating more than necessary, but Doc agrees, she's one strung out kitteh, nerve wise. She's going to be on Prozac for a couple of months to see if that will snap her out of this - apparently anxiety can become self feeding and sometimes just breaking the cycle will do the trick. If she responds and stays calm for a while, hopefully we can wean her off of it.

No word on Wally... it looks like this is going to take longer than we thought!

Thankful Thursday - Celebrating life!

2011-03-17T22:47:00.007-04:00

It's been a busy couple of days so we weren't on yesterday (Wednesday Lenten study, so you may not see us much on Wednesdays for the next few weeks) and we were running behind today. But, before I hit the hay I tried to squeeze in just a little visiting, not really even hoping to get to a St. Paddy's day post. I'm so glad I did.

Bittersweet tears and joyful smiles today...

Our friend Kittykye posted today and it is a celebration of the circle of life. Sweet, courageous Wesley has gone to the Bridge, where we know he's running free... free of his CH, and just waiting for those who loved him so well to join him.

It was an honor to have known you, Wesley. We will keep purrayin' for your brother, L, and your wonderful furever mom, Ann.

And the circle of life brought joy, too! Please meet Andrew, Kittykye's brand new son~

Welcome, handsome! It's a great set of parents you've lucked into, young man!! We can't wait to see you grow!

So, see you tomorrow... we'll have a lot of visiting to do!! :-D

Please meet Jordy Caroleson!

2011-03-15T22:03:00.007-04:00

You may remember STScI staffer, Ann, who found homes for Spanky and Squinky. Well, her friend Carole is fostering a young man and asked us if we'd introduce him to you... she even sent us a "ready made" post!!

If you know someone looking for an only cat, Jordy may be the one for you. And Carole has updated her poster to say that Jordy isn't really long haired... more medium... and his coat is very easy to care for, not to mention shining, beautiful and very soft to the touch!

And on the Wally front:

We're so disappointed. Our boy has been nowhere to be seen around Rancho J2 the last few days, completely thwarting our weekend plans. From the relaxed behavior of the other male ferals, Joy suspects he's on walkabout again. *Sigh* But we are persistent!! Joy and Jim are determined to bring this young man in... when he deigns to grace us with his presence once again.

I am so impressed with how patient the folks at J2 are. They've had such success with the ferals from the woods behind them, and this patience has a lot to do with it. Sophie and I... well, not so much in the patience department... LOL!... we want him NOW!

Adopt the Internet Day

2011-03-14T21:22:00.001-04:00

Thanks to The Cats of Wildcat Woods, we were reminded that today is Adopt the Internet Day!!! And how perfect - we'd planned to reactivate our Petfinder account to help Poco and Teddy (and tomorrow, a surprise new face... no, not Wally, someone else!) find homes, so we hustled our butt up and did it! Here are the details:

What It's All About In honor of Petfinder's 15th birthday, Petfinder is asking people everywhere to pledge to spread the word online about adoptable pets on March 15, 2011.

What You Can Do Now

Add a badge (like the neat one above) to your Web site to show your support.
Take the pledge that you will tell one person about pet adoption. By pledging, you'll enter for a chance to win one of 10 Pet Hair Eraser^®Vacuums from BISSELL.
Donate your Facebook status and photo to an adoptable Petfinder pet. Simply replace your photo with one from the Adopt-the-Internet All-Stars gallery and post one of these messages:

More than 320,000 pets are waiting for homes on Petfinder.com. Help Petfinder Adopt the Internet today and find forever homes for as many as possible!
I adopted my pet from Petfinder and now I want to help get this pet adopted! If you want to help pets in need of forever homes, please repost this!

Share an adoptable Petfinder pet on Twitter with the hashtag #adopttheinternet.
Add a link to your blog, Facebook or Twitter post to Petfinder's Adopt the Internet page!

Simple!!

And who are we promoting? Well, of course, Poco and Teddy and the little lady who has been in our sidebar from TCOWW, pretty Avon. Click on any one for more details!!

Oh, and what about Wally?? We're still waiting! *sigh* Sophie is worried she will never have a boyfriend... but we're telling her patience is a virtue!!

Waiting... still waiting...

2011-03-13T19:36:00.005-04:00

It's 7:35 pm and we're still anticipating. So, to distract ourselves today, we made sure we caught up on our visiting and found the neatest thing over at Sparkle's. We love Simon's Cat but had no idea there was now a daily strip in the UK! Yay! And thanks, Sparkle, for the link!

And the girls did a pretty good distratction job, too. Here's Peggy Sue puttin' on the cute. She's filled out some from the skinny little momma she was when she arrived, hasn't she? A shapely young woman now, to be sure!

And so waiting for Wally continues...

Anticipation

2011-03-12T09:51:00.002-05:00

OK folks, just a quick one today. Please get your purrs on for us. Joy and Jim at Rancho J2 are going to try to bring in Wally this weekend. They didn't want to scare him by trapping (he's cautious but shows many friendly tendencies) and they have been working really hard to make this as gentle a transition as possible for him.

Sophie is waiting for you Wally!! And so are we!

Updates and Getting to Know Teddy

2011-03-10T23:17:00.007-05:00

We have updates and news!!

Frankie's Mom reports that Mittens and her family have found homes!!! That's right, all four of them now have loving furever families!! What great news! An update, with pictures (still heartbreaking, but better) are on the BARCS site. And Judy wanted to be sure we thanked everyone for reposting, tweeting, emailing and for all the contributions to the Franky fund for injured animals you made in honor of Mittens.

Brian reports that Little Bit (see last post) is in a new foster home and no longer in danger of being euthanized! His post gives more details. Again, thank you everyone for the reposting, tweets and emails that helped to make this rescue possible! (Have I mentioned that YOU GUYS ROCK!?) Please, go say thanks to new foster mom, Marge!

Our friend, Bethany, at Capital Animals has become the coordinator for Meow Mixers at the Washington Humane Society. The first mixer will be on 4/17 so, if you live in or around DC, and are free that evening, consider popping over and showing your support!

Pop on over to Brian's, if you haven't been there today - he's introducing us to Bufano, a sweet CH puppy, who needs a foster home geared to special needs.

Now, on to meet Mr. Teddy AnnaMaeson

Anna Mae is Kathy's neighbor and she took Teddy since both households were about full up. Kathy reports:

Teddy is Poco's brother, also around 1-yr old. (We know they are brothers by their markings and their similar behavior.) He was discovered outside a little after Poco because Teddy is slightly more shy. He is the dearest, sweetest thing. My neighbor named him Teddy because he is very much like a teddy bear. Like Poco, he loves, loves, loves to be petted and went for the loving hand before food when he was living outside in December and very cold and hungry.

For awhile, he had emergency shelter in an igloo on my deck. When I could logistically bring him inside, I'd get down on the kitchen floor and he'd flop over on the floor next to me, happy as a clam to be petted and snuggled, if only for a moment. He loves people and is very appreciative for what he is given. I think Teddy could do well as an only-cat, or with other cats. For awhile, when competing with his brother for resources outside, I saw that he was the under-cat. I saw that other cats were aggressive towards him. So that gave him a special place in my heart. After he was given love and food for awhile, he became more self-confident.

He was neutered and given all shots and vaccines and de-parasite treatments.

Kathy and Anna Mae will be sending us a few more pics and updates soon, we hope.

And Sophie still waits.

Wally, wherefore art thou?

Up Close and Personal with Poco

2011-03-09T21:18:00.002-05:00

But first, this important PSA...

I'm keeping this at the top of each post until we know Little Bit's fate. Please go over to Brian's Home. Little Bit, a sweet SC lass, is urgently in need of a home. She's gone through traumatic surgery, is having problems recovering because of being caged, and now will be out of time at her shelter on Friday, 3/11. Spread the word, good folks... Tweet, FB, and repost... this little intertube community of ours has done amazing things. Let's pull one off for her! As our good Auntie would say, "LET'S ROCK THIS!"

*******

Now, let's get up close and personal with the lovable Poco!

Details about Poco (he was the one she housed, says Kathy, so she knows more about him):

This guy has the cutest personality and he's routinely funny. He is around 1-year old, and has plenty of kitten curiosity but is also quite the diplomat with other animals and he seems to have a mature, watchful acceptance of new situations. He loves people and is curious about other pets and not overly shy nor overly aggressive. Very well-adjusted! I think he might do well in a house with other animals, including a dog.

He, like his brother, completely loves to be petted. He will close his eyes and purr loudly. When found, he loved being petted more than getting food -- and he was starving. A really neat thing about this guy is that he's easy to medicate! When found, he had many parasites, which needed various courses of antibiotics. I could just kneel down, put fingers lightly on the outside edges of his mouth, and pop a pill partway down his throat, as the technique is done. Not many cats will let you do that!

Funny stuff: One day he trotted into the room with an old sock toy of Ernie's (my now-deceased dog) in his mouth -- just like a dog! Also, when in the bathroom, you may see 'the claw' -- the arm extended under the door or to the side of the door. He is very playful! But he also settles down to nestle next to you on the couch and fall deeply asleep.

He was neutered and given all shots and vaccines and de-parasite treatments.

What a lover!! Tomorrow, we'll get a closer look at handsome Teddy!

We Need to Do a Better Job in Our Own Back Yard!!

2011-03-08T21:59:00.012-05:00

Before you go to our regularly scheduled self-chastisement post, please go over to Brian's Home. Little Bit, a sweet SC lass, is urgently in need of a home. She's gone through traumatic surgery, is having problems recovering because of being caged, and now will be out of time at her shelter on Friday, 3/11. Spread the word, good folks... Tweet, FB, and repost... this little intertube community of ours has done amazing things. Let's pull one off for her! As our good Auntie would say, "LET'S ROCK THIS!"

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Aaack!! Remember I've mentioned that lots of folks around the 'tute have been finding, fostering and homing critters on their own for years, with little fanfare?!! Well, turns out we could have been helping one of them for a couple of months now... only they didn't realize that ANY member of STScI is welcome to promote their foster on the blog! How did I let that happen?!!!! Aaaack! [Danny, I'm so sorry I didn't get that article done for the Scope (our internal rag) now! I will be getting on it ASAP!]

Over the next two days, we'll introduce you to two young mancats, Teddy and Poco, that one of our STScI colleagues is working with closely to find homes.

Here's the story:

This winter, Kathy and her neighbor sheltered a pair of stray brothers (they're pretty sure they're brothers... they do kinda look alike, appear to be the same age, and showed up together) who were hungry and freezing, even though their homes were pretty much full up. They gave the boys the usual medical workups and lotsa TLC to get them ready to find furever homes.

Sadly, an illness in Kathy's family is now requiring her to frequently travel out of town and doesn't leave her with enough time to work with her new charge, Poco. In the hopes of perhaps even being able to have the brothers adopted together, they got in touch with the MD SPCA to help. Poco and Teddy had their first public meet'n'greet on Saturday. When I saw the sign she posted, I called and Kathy and offered to put them on the blog... and found out she hadn't realized she could have been using us all along!

We'll give Poco his own write up tomorrow and give Teddy his on Wednesday.

And poor Sophie is still waiting...

But we have some good news. Wally came to Rancho J2 for a visit, soaked, on Sunday night around 11 pm. He let Joy feed him a can of food and even reach out and brush him!! This is a great sign!! We're getting closer to getting him in that carrier and on his way to the Casa for sure!! The waiting for him to trust enough is soooo hard! We'd rather let him get comfy enough to scoop up than use a trap, if possible.

So see you tomorrow for brother #1. And I think we're going to get a visit with alumni Trudy and Lawrie soon, too!!

Remember These Guys?

2011-03-06T21:53:00.006-05:00

Yes, Whiskey and Tango have made Rancho J2 their own now!! Aren't they looking great? All of Joy and Jim's hard work with these little ferals paid off so well. I guess we can take them down from the sidebar now! LOL!

Joy and Jim are still trying to round up Wally and they have their eye on snagging a couple more kittehs for TNR. Many of their visitors are quite feral - too feral to attempt adoption - as the Rancho's yard backs up to a wooded area. We wait (im)patiently for Wally to join us! Poor Sophie is longing for a boyfriend. ;-)

Sadly this weekend, both Hyacinth and meowmeowman lost well loved friends. And while I was on hiatus, Kea went through this, too. Tweety and Maggie and Annie are now waiting at the Bridge until their beans can join them. I saw many of you have been there to offer your support- that's something our little intertube community does so well. Here at the Casa, our thoughts and prayers are with them, too.

Start the Weekend with a Smile!

2011-03-05T10:00:00.003-05:00

Our friend Wendy welcomed the girls back to blogging yesterday with her wit and warmth! Thank you, hon! Everyone in the casa is smiling from ear to ear!! Go on over to the LOL Spot and soak up some great puns, and meet some stunning kittehs, to start your weekend off right!

Bitty's very wise to keep an extra tux on standby! It can double as an escort.

Sophie's ready to jump on any opportunity that comes her way! After all, you've got to act quickly before the window closes.

Tomorrow, we'll peek in on Whiskey and Tango!

Wally and 10 Questions

2011-03-03T20:39:00.004-05:00

We've got a picture of Wally!!! This is the BOY! Oh, I like boys!! I can't wait to meet him! Joy and Jim told the woman that he is friendly, but a little shy, and just as soon as the folks at Rancho J2 can scoop him up, they'll call her. Then she'll take him straight to Doc Andrew and then he'll come here!!!

I'm a little bummed because then we have to have a quarantine, just like we had when I arrived. But with the glass doors, we'll be able to see him and he'll be able to see us, which is good. And then he'll become a responsible mancat and then, finally, I'll be able to meet him whisker to whisker! I like boys!! They like to play. Have I mentioned I like to play... a LOT?? I hope Wally likes to play!

Soooooo... while we're waiting, I asked Bitty and Peggy Sue and Annie to help me convince the woman to do the "get to know you" that Delelian sent to us. And she said yes!

Tomorrow, I'll show you how well Whiskey and Tango are doing over at Joy and Jim's!

Hugs'n'headbutts to everybody!

Sophie

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Hi folks, Lisa here. In December, just as I dropped out on hiatus, Deleilan complimented us by naming The Adventures as a blog she loves. (Thank you hon, I do feel humbled and honored.) As many of you know, I've always felt a bit awkward about accepting awards 'cause the critters are the stars of the show! And I've not really participated in them, even though I have truly appreciated the compliment of receiving them.

But, I've finally decided to go out of my comfort zone and start participating in "sharing" since I've enjoyed reading these on other blogs and getting to know folks better - heck, we spend a lot of time with one another and I like you guys!!

So that said, instead of naming others ('cause I love so many of your blogs), I will invite any of our readers to pick up the "I Love Your Blog" award and take it back to your blog to share with your friends! (Do a blog post answering the 10 questions, and invite 10 (or all!!) of your blog friends to keep the sharing going!)

1. Why did you create the blog?
Most of you know the story, but I'll tell it again. In 2007, co-workers found Bitty, a pregnant cat, on the grounds of Space Telescope Science Institute. Since I had room, I took her home and she had seven gorgeous kittens. Raising them was a joy and a privilege. Five went to folks at the 'tute and two to my niece and nephew (and, yes, I kept Bitty). Soon after, a friend found tiny little Neville in the grass at their house and we nursed him for several weeks. Sadly, Neville unexpectedly died in his sleep one night - we don't know why. That's how I "fell" into fostering. Danny G created graphic, which became the Space Paws logo, to commemorate the 15 critters for whom folks at the 'tute found forever homes in 2007 (that we know of - some folks at the 'tute have just been quietly "getting the job done" for years, with no fanfare).

Somewhere in here I discovered Laurie (Itty Bitty Kitty Committee) and Sue (Pitter Pats of Baby Cats) and started following their blogs.

In 2009 my co-worker, Sonia (who has been rescuing animals dumped on her farm for years), needed someone to help with a young momma cat she found - Aggie (now Kayla). At that point, I knew about the cat blogosphere and Sonia and I started The Adventures of Space Paws to help promote any critters folks at the 'tute had rescued and were trying to place. As I've mentioned before, I'm just the public face to Space Paws. Lots of folks at the 'tute are unsung, and surprisingly shy, heroes.

2. What kind of blogs do you follow?
Well, my reading grew mostly from critter adoption blogs - and soon I started reading blogs of the wonderful folks who were active commenting on those blogs and Space Paws. It got kind of eclectic after that!

3. Favorite makeup brand?
LOL! None, when I can get away with it! The lovely Angie, from WeeFurries, is my Mary Kay rep - I like their mascara and ivy shadow (which I use as as liner).

4. Favorite clothing brand?
I really laughed when I read Deleilan's answers. I, too, loathe and despise trying on clothes. And, like her, I usually buy Hanes briefs!! Who would have guessed my Canadian friend and I had so much in common?

Lately I've gotten mail order from Lands End. I have zero sense of style and, back when I had to "dress" for work, a good friend would scope out great clothes and drag me along on shopping runs every so often! We didn't have the term "personal shopper" in those days, but I had one!! Lucky me! I looked good back then! (Thanks, Kim!!)

Fortunately, STScI is a very, very casual work environment and, for the last 10 years, I've been able to get away with sweaters and jeans and sneakers. I love Dr. Scholls socks for diabetics - no, I'm not diabetic, but these are the cushiest, most wonderful socks I've ever worn.

5. Your indispensable makeup product?
Moisturizers. I need them. I really, really need them. I've had good luck with Mary Kay, Moisture Tone, and Skin Preparations. Yep, I use all of them, depending on how my skin is feeling that day.

6. Your favorite color?
Yellow. Sadly, I can't wear it. But many of the rooms in my home are painted a golden, creamy yellow. I love bright yellow, red and blue - guess I'm just a latent parrot head!

Strangely, the colors that look best on me are bright fuchsia and olive green (who would have guessed, when yellow looks so awful on me). I'm not a fan of pink (no offense, Meg), but it definitely is "my" color, clothing wise, in all of its many shades. Now ask me how many pieces of pink clothing I have... 2. Dark colors comprise most of my wardrobe because I'm such a sloppahans. If something can be dropped or spilled, you can count on me to do it!

7. Your perfume?
I have a couple, but usually forget to put them on!! I've worn 4711 since I was a teenager and still love it today. Angie introduced me to Simply Cotton and I love that, too.

8. Your favorite film?
I do love movies but I'll 'fess up, both of my favorites are "B" films. I love them and make no apologies or rationalization. I can watch them again and again and again. The Enchanted Cottage is pure pap, and I feel uplifted and full of joy when I watch it. The other is Jumpin' Jack Flash. Yes, it's dated, and every time I watch it I laugh from deep in my belly. There are many "better" movies (and some worse, too! LOL!) that I love... but these are the ones I'd have with me on a dessert island.

9. What country would you like to visit and why?
I'm with Deleilan on this, too! Visiting Scotland is high on my bucket list. Many of the same reasons - rugged countryside, self reliant residents with lovely accents, lottsa history and a sense of mystery. Plus my brother-in-law has been an athlete in Scottish Games for, oh, 30 years or more. He still enjoys competing, even though he's in his late 50s. Watching him lift the caber is a thing of beauty - the younger athletes may have the edge on strength now, but skill, he's got it.

Actually, a number of countries are on my bucket list, including seeing a lot more of the one I live in!! :-)

10. Make the last question and answer to yourself:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I may never figure that one out!! :-)

My Best Friend

2011-03-02T20:48:00.004-05:00

This is my best friend, Peggy Sue. The woman has not used the flashy box a lot lately so this picture is from December, before we changed the slip covers.

Peggy Sue likes licking my head and my tummy and my legs and my tail and sleeping with me between the woman's legs. Sometimes we crisscross her legs, too. She says we're too hot that way. Well of course we're HOT... we're bodacious babes!

And Peggy Sue likes playing more than Bitty or Annie. She and I tag team the red dot. I scoot right under her tummy and nail that sucker when it changes direction. And we do the track ball together and we chase each other up the steps and across the catwalk. Running is a lot more fun when someone is chasing you. She's a LOT of fun. I like fun!

Tomorrow all us girls are going to make the woman do a post... it's a question and answer that Deleilan passed to us. It's kind of a get to know you 'cause she likes our blog and we like her's, too, and it's nice to find out more about other folks.

See you then!

Sophie

Two Fer Tuesday

2011-03-01T21:41:00.002-05:00

There's lots of catching up to do since the woman hasn't blogged for a while. *Sigh* A kitten's work is never done! Here's a shot of Bitty on the table and me on MY cat tree (the other girls need to get their own - this is MINE!) on a sunny Saturday in January.

All of us like the new white furniture. It came on December 23rd. The woman said it was her Christmas present but that's baloney! I AM HER CHRISTMAS PRESENT... which means I get lotsa presents every year 'cause that's going to be my gottcha day. But she can't send these back, either, 'cause they coordinate with our furs!!

The kitchen/dining room is where the guest bedroom/den suite used to be. She says the kitchen/dining room is "open plan" but I just say it's FINALLY big enough for us. We don't miss the wall in between at all.

We banished the computer to the extra bedroom upstairs... heehee. Now the lady has more time for us because she likes the downstairs better. She says we can still use the "suite" for fosters because the old French doors are now pocket doors - see the dark strip between the rooms? That pulls out and there's one on the other side, too. Mr. Gary made the wood parts of the new doors the same color as the new floors and there's lots of windows in each one so we can see our new guests when they come. (Hurry up, other lady at the space place, I CAN'T WAIT!!)

We like the new floors!! They're shiny and we can SLIDE really good on them. We like playing with the red dot on them and we can run from the kitchen, through the dining room, into the living room and up the cat tree - much better than the old rooms. The woman said it cost less to put in new floors than refinish the old, so we put the old one on the intertubes so young folks, who had more time than money, could refinish them for their house.

We can slide on the new table, too. It is painted and when I ran in from the kitchen and jumped up the first time, I just kept going, and going and GOING and went right off of the other side! The woman laughed and I did, too. I just did it again! Did I tell you I like to play?

The woman says we'll take a video of the remodeled Casa when it's sunny and the house is clean at the same time. *sigh* You know what that means! It could be FOREVER before you see it!

Tomorrow I have a picture of my best friend, Peggy Sue, and me!

See you then!

Sophie

Oh, and PS - Frankie's mom went to the shelter last week and she says Mittens is doing well - a vet is fostering her (how great is that??!) and she still loves people. I'm not sure I would, but everybody at the Casa is very, very happy for her! Thank you everybody who signed the petition and sent green papers and reposted and everything... it means a lot!

In the Last Half Hour of the Last Day...

2011-02-28T23:30:00.003-05:00

Well, hello there! Sophie here!

The girls and I have been doing everything we know how to to get the lady to take pictures of us and start blogging again... belly up and everything... but she just keeps running in and out of the house and IGNORING us! So I have taken matters into my own paws.

I guess you've heard by now I'm a permanent resident here at Casa Space Paws. Yeah, well, like the lady really had any choice in the matter. Not. I knew she was a gonner as soon as the Winnie cat decided I was OK. (I miss the Winnie cat. She was a great pillow and she licked my head a lot.)

Anyhow, I heard that the woman told you she'd start blogging again by the end of the month and I'm not going to let her be a liar. There's still a half hour left in today.

Guess what???? I heard the woman telling somebody she's ready to start fostering again and that some other lady at that space place is trying to get a BOY to come stay with us! Woohoo! I like boys! The girls are nice and everything but boys play more and I love to play. I love to play so much the girls sometimes get tired and then they hiss me off. That's OK, I just play some more. This boy probably had a family once, because I hear he's friendly, but the family must have lost him or something because he's a BIG boy, if you know what I mean.

So, we don't know how soon this will be, but the girls and I are going to see if we can at least get the lady to put up pictures of our gorgeous selves and sit on her lap every day so she gets out there and visits again! I promise!

Hugs,

Sophie

The Adventures of Space Paws

Tabby Update

Trudy, Buddy and a Bag

Thankful Thursday - (pretty sure it will be an) Adoption in 11 minutes!

MD Furblings need a new home

Keiko Wells

I'm assuming Gary is grand-dad and he posted:

Gary Wells

Here's the gal of the pair. These two are pretty mellow. At our first meeting they we both very accepting of me.We've looked hard for a shelter, but everyone is full up.

Gary Wells

Here's the guy ... needs a good home for himself and his 'sister' of about two years. Owner has to leave them behind due to a job loss and other troubles. My friend will watch over them for a bit but we need to find a happy home situation as soon as possible.

Inside Annie

Christmas Greetings from Our Casa to Yours

Thankful Thursday - Opie's New Family

RIP Sweet Sgt. Andy Panda Pants of The Patio Patrol

We're still alive and sorry we've been gone so long

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Gia & Lessa are now Jasmine & Ginger!

Cry for help - Cats needs someone to help them live.......

Can You Get Through to Her?

A PSA from One Cats Nip - Rocky Needs Help

Halp! My Brothers Have Been Kittennapped!

ANYTHING can be a toy

Buddy's in Better Shape & Kittens Choose Incarceration

Mama Lucy is Thawing

It's Official - The Casa has a bona fied Crazy Cat Lady

The Apology

Red Sparkley Usurption

Farewell Handsome Hubbard

We Lubs Our Ham-Micks

Aunty Wendy is at it Again!

Happy Mother's Day!

It Takes Two

Time Sensitive PSA (followed by our regular programming)

And Tang's New Name is...

We Eatz da Big Kitteh Noms!

We Are Intrepid Climbers

Wordless Wednesday

Has Anyone Seen Hazel? And Excitement at the Casa.

Chilling with Tang, Progress with Mama, and the New & Improved Casa Space Paws

We Iz 'Splorin'!

Some Baby Bellies

Squeeee! The New Simon's Cat Post is Out for Easter!

When it Rains, it Pours!

Video of the Newly Named Babies

We have names!

And the Winners Are...

Thank You All... So Very Much

Last Chance to Name Those Babies!

Blog the Change for Animals

Darling Girls

Celebrate! Celebrate! Celebrate! Three Adoptions!

Nursing Pics!! And Wendy LOLed Jasper!

Shabby Chic and Groomin' Babies

Happy 2 Week Birthday, Babies!

We Got Legs!

Big Boy and Little Girl Weigh In & Meet Rancho J2's Tootsie

Hear Those Babies Mew!

Name Those Babies!

Our Eyes Are All Open! Excitement at Rancho J2!

The Little Red Boat Sails Again on the Babies One Week Birthday!

We Have Visitors! And A Short Baby Video!

Finally, Some Baby Pics and News

Why NOT to get bitten by a cat

Little Glitch

'Tis 3 am and All Is Well!!

Well, Maybe...

Late Night Delivery

Some Fun Stuff (A Baby Pool and Sophie's LOL) and some Good PSAs

Majestic Mancatliness... It is I

My, What Gorgeous Armpits (???) You Have!

Please Meet Skippy Caroleson

Post V-E-T Progress

A trip to the V-E-T

Thankful Thursday - Celebrating life!

Please meet Jordy Caroleson!

Adopt the Internet Day

Waiting... still waiting...

Anticipation

Updates and Getting to Know Teddy

Here's the gal of the pair. These two are pretty mellow. At our first meeting they we both very accepting of me.
We've looked hard for a shelter, but everyone is full up.