Resting Comfortably...

On Friday last, Merlin finally passed his bill of health, got his boosters and could be let out of his quarantine area.  We were going to keep him in his room until he could get himself out and therefore put him back behind the fence, but he made such pitiful noises, we broke down and gave him the run of the house.  As you can see, he is making himself quite at home in his expanded surroundings. I took this picture on July 7th.

The Latest and Greatest

On June 8th, late in the evening, our daughter received a panicked call from her best friend pleading for help. She informed my daughter that her family had found a tiny, abandoned kitten in the drain culvert next to their house. She wasn't sure what to do with the kitten, so she called us to see if we could help. We weren't sure if we were ready for another kitten, having recently lost our cat Popcorn, but we told her to at least come over and get some food so that the poor, little guy would have something to eat. She responded with "Ok, I'll bring him with me." We knew then that we were doomed!

Doomed, I say, doomed! Weighing in at a mere fifteen ounces (that's not even a pound!), he captured our hearts! However, we were expecting him to be weaned.  After he refused moistened dry food, we tried a syringe and milk.  Success!!

An emergency run to the pet store the next morning yielded a can of kitten formula and a kitten-sized baby bottle.  (He hasn't refused a drop since, and, less than two weeks later, he has gained over a pound.  The little piglet!)  After a visit to the veterinarian office and several tests and medications, he has been given a clean bill of health.

Khione took to him immediately and adopted him as her surrogate baby, teaching him all the necessary tricks and how to wrap us around his little paw - no nursing allowed (she gave him funny looks and batted at him every time he tried); however, when he is hungry, she comes and fetches us to feed her baby.  NOW.  The rest of the cats have been slower to warm up to the little butterball, but they're adapting.

After much debate and consideration, we have decided upon a name:  our magical little kitten, who seems to have survived despite the odds against him, has been named Merlin.  We're still agreeing on a middle name.  He his now eating wet kitten food (yes, they have wet food and formula specifically for kittens. We did not know that prior to his arrival), and he is now lapping up his formula from a plate greedily and refusing the bottle.  Such a big, handsome boy! 

Our little daredevil has become quite active and playful and has nearly figured out how to climb the baby gate.  Soon he will be escaping his comfort zone and wreaking havoc on the rest of the house, much to the chagrin of the rest of the cats.  Our little boy feels quite at home.  More pictures to come soon!

Another New Addition

About a month or two before Popcorn passed, our daughter convinced us to take in a sickly kitten and give her a warm, caring home to recuperate in. After several veterinary visits and some tender loving care, we adopted another kitten. Her name is Khione Lotus, after the Greek goddess of snow.

We Lost a Wee One

After seventeen years of companionship, we lost one of our little souls.  Popcorn was getting rather frail towards the end before she passed away.  We will miss her antics and frequent cuddles.

I'm Watching You...

Well, here's a interesting picture for you. Now that Stormy is getting acclimated to a larger family, she's found the perfect spot to keep on the lookout for the occasional ambush by Jade, one of our other cats. My youngest daughter snapped this picture one afternoon.

I look at this picture and wonder just what's going through this cat's mind... perhaps (*evil maniacal laugh*) "The world will tremble in fear when faced with The Claw!" Just another plot by cats to take over the world and eliminate those pesky flea-bitten dawgs.

One good thing, however. In the last few days the kitchen has gotten much quieter in the evenings when we feed the cats. You can see for yourself in this photo by the same photographer.












Everyone is eating quietly and no one is fighting or instigating the other.

It's Official

After much deliberation, we have finally decided to drop the name Princess in favor of a derivative of her tenative name Storm.



Meet Stormy. Take a closer look and see if you can guess why she is so named.

A New Addition

I know we haven't posted to our site in a while, but if you're watching we have a new addition to our little family. Her name is Princess Storm (tenatively). She came from a family that couldn't keep the cat because of the owner's allergies. She is 10 months old and has had all of her shots and has been spayed (Thank you!). Take a look and see what you think.



She was very timid at first but now she is starting to make herself at home around the house.



Welcome Princess!