Another Floyd Update

Here's another update from Floyd's new family. It looks like he's becoming even friendlier and more social as time goes by.I wanted to give you an update on Mr. Floyd. He's doing remarkably well. I couldn't ask for a better match of personalities. He's turned into quite the laid back, but doesn't take crap from Ludi, my sister's adult male cat.

He rubs up against Ludi, Ludi growls, hisses, but Floyd just seems to shrug it off. Ludi doesn't get nastier with him, despite all the vocalized irritation and I catch them in moments of cuddling or laying together. It's really sweet how much Floyd idolizes Ludi but maintains his sweet disposition. He also does not let him bully him. Just does what he wants to anyways. Ludi, taken back, just walks away in a huff!

Boomer (the chihuahua pup) and Floyd are best friends. They play constantly and Floyd usually wants to sleep with my sister because Boomer sleeps with her. Unfortunately they have a tendency to wake and commense a WWF championship round on top of her, so now Floyd is banished from sleeping in her room! He doesn't seem to like to sleep with me, but occasionally I wake to find him at my feet or attacking my leg.

He is very affectionate. He can't go 30 minutes without checking back in with me, bumping his head against my cheek, or meowing in his sweet, sing-songy meow. He isn't as affectionate with my sister, so I guess that's his way of showing he knows I'm his.

He's grown so much, but is still a small cat. His legs are like stilts and my friends refer to him as "the panther." He's very sleek and regal looking and he is losing his kitten looks. It's amazing how fast they grow! He's probably 8lbs now. Oh and his eyes are bottle green on the inside, gold on the outisde, very striking.

He's become friendlier and less afraid of "strangers." I've started taking him to my best friend's house when we knit and he's getting to know her two kittens that are a little older than he is, maybe a month or two.

He's great, a total furry little bundle of love. I can't thank you enough.

Get ready for National Feral Cat Day!

Certainly, there are a lot of "national name-your-favorite noun" days, but this one is particularly close to my heart these days.

Your moment o' cuteness, part 2

One of the sweetest things I've ever seen is the amazing connection between Rififi and Clementine. They sleep curled up together, groom each other, and chase each other throughout the house. They're the best of friends ... so far. Dan says the real test will come as Clementine gets a little bigger and less kittenish. Will a power play ensue? Only time will tell, but for now, these cats are nothing short of adorable together.

Pico: Just peachy!

This weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting Pico and his new family at their home. Pico has become quite a stunning cat; almost all of his "kitteny" looks are gone. Strangely enough, Pico is definitely the largest of the three kittens now: his paws are gigantic, and he's quite "tall" in cat terms. Pico, who is also occasionally known by the moniker "Peaches," loves to watch the world from the second-story loft in his new home, and enjoys playing with homemade cat toys his people construct for him out of shoeboxes and paper. He's definitely a lucky cat!

An update from Floyd's new family

Here's an update from Floyd (formerly known as Sr. Gris)'s new family:

Little Floyd has grown friendlier by the hour. He's gone from kitty
totally afraid of every move mama makes to a relatively well-adjusted
kitty that hangs out with a big family of 6! He's even made some
progress with the other animals in the house.

I have to hand it to whoever taught Floyd his covering habits... he's
one very dilligent cat. He digs and digs and digs, does his thing, and
then spends 5 minutes covering it. He doesn't seem to throw all the
litter out of the pan either, which pleases me immensely. What a
polite little man.

He's also become very vocal kitty. He's meowed at me several times,
not even in response to me speaking to him. He's got the most delicate
little sound, in fact, it can almost be described as "a squeak."

I woke this morning to Floyd playing in the room. He's very playful.
When he plays with the feather on a stick, he grabs it, hisses at it,
then bites it as if he were a lion, piercing the jugular of his prey.
It cracks me up how seriously he takes his play. Also, you were right,
the balls with bells in them are probably his favorite thing but he
has taken an interest in attacking my fingers as I type.

He's just a ball of joy. Everyone is in love with him and he just gets
cuter by the moment. It has been 2 days and can't even imagine life
without him.

A new life for Sr. Gris ... Floyd, that is

Today I took Sr. Gris to his new, loving home in central Austin. His new adoptive parent is the best I could have ever hoped for for Gris. She even got the exact kind of baby food that he enjoys. Gris' evolution throughout the past few weeks has been nothing short of astounding; he's gone from a painfully reclusive, skittish little soul to a loving, trusting, and hilarious kitten. He actually runs up to Rififi and "marks" her, rubbing his face against hers while purring loudly. What's more, he hyper-extends his tail up over his back, just to show how happy he is. I have no doubt that he's going to be the happiest cat ever in his new surroundings. I'm looking forward to posting pictures of him and his loving new caretaker. Just goes to show you what a little love can do.

To-the-minute update: His new name is Floyd!

Pico finds a new home!

It's my utmost pleasure to report that Pico Hideaway has been adopted by two loving, caring people, Pam and Steve. Yay! They love Pico very much already, and will provide him with a truly beautiful environment in which to live.

I couldn't ask for a better home for little Pico, who, according to updates, is spending lots of time discovering the nooks and crannies of his new residence. Hopefully photos of Pico's new abode and home-life will follow ...

Three faces of change

Before the cats went in for their surgeries, I took a few photos as they sat in their respective carriers. Before you exists a small taxonomy of various reactions to impending change, as evidenced by three formerly feral cats.


Pico chooses to vocalize his opinion about the matter.




Clementine accepts the situation gracefully, albeit with wide-eyed trepidation.




Sr. Gris looks for a way the #^&$ out of the impending experience.

Spay Day

I took the kittens to Emancipet's mobile spay station in South Austin this morning. Even though it was early, the parking lot at the park was full of folks ready to have their cats and dogs spayed and/or neutered. Each of us took a number, and waited in the sun for our numbers to be called. It didn't take long before our companion animals were ushered into the mobile surgery van by friendly Emancipet staff. It really is incredible that you can get your pets spayed/neutered for free: for anyone considering this, here's Emancipet's schedule. I strongly encourage you to to take advantage of this fantastic and compassionate service, if you're in the Austin area.

My sweet friend Esha picked the cats up after their surgeries and brought them home, since I was at work. Amazingly, the kittens seem to be doing just fine. They don't even seem to be in pain at all; Emancipet provides pain medication to dogs and cats free of charge as well, which makes for an easy recovery.

Why "Free to a Good Home" is a bad idea

As we seek loving homes for Sr. Gris, Clementine, and Pico Hideaway, I wanted to pass on some of the worthwhile information that I've learned during this process.

Some folks have asked us, "Are you guys going to put a 'free kittens' ad up somewhere soon?" Here's a really good article from The Animal Spirit that details why "free to a good home" is a bad idea. Here in Austin, some cruel people are actually throwing kittens onto the interstate. It's hard to believe that someone could be that heartless.

"Screen potential adopters carefully," is the advice we've gotten from folks who foster abandoned kittens on a regular basis. It's sad that this has to be the case, but I'm happy to do it, if it means finding a truly good home for our little friends.

Moment o' cuteness

I present to you: your moment o' cuteness.

Thank you.

!!!

I love this photo because Clementine looks so tiny, which she is, and because her tail looks like a little exclamation point. Clementine is getting a lot more adventurous these days, and spends a lot of her time on the porch climbing up the support beams to view the world from new heights.

Portrait of a complex relationship

And speaking of spirited, here's the ever-fiesty Pico making an obvious impact on Rififi's perception of the world. No photo better embodies their relationship.

Rififi's getting really good at the low, throaty growl. And the swatting.

Blue cheese or Easy Cheese? The choice is yours.

The 12th was Dan's birthday, which we spent floating in the pool and having a dinner to end all dinners at the fabulous Zoot Restaurant. (Have you ever eaten a blue cheese tart that made you want to stand up on your chair and sing? I have!)

After our amazing dinner, we headed back home, full of wine and French cuisine. And what better way to end an evening than by socializing a bathroom full o' cats to a larger space?

Having experienced firsthand the power of Easy Cheese used as a training reward with cats, Dan got our supply (used only for cat, not human, consumption) and attempted to "reward" the little cats for staying calm and playful in a larger space. We're paying special attention to Sr. Gris, who stays calm, but is basically content just to sit in your lap while the other cats play together. Not necessarily a bad thing -- but we just want to see if he can venture a little further out of his comfort zone.

The balancing act

Clementine is getting even more skilled at riding around on Dan's shoulder, especially if she's had a little Easy Cheese beforehand.

Best cat face of the day

I find this photo of Pico chillin' by the toilet completely hilarious for some reason.

Three cats in a tub, part two

Sr. Gris and Clementine continue to relax by the spigot. They're going to be sad when we actually have to use the tub.

Three cats in a tub

Today was the first full days that Sr. Gris, Clementine, and Pico have spent a significant portion of the day outside their carriers. I decided to put them in the bathroom, since they tend to get a little intimidated when they're in a large, open space. They seem to have a special affinity for the bathtub: an affinity so great, in fact, that it causes their eyes to emit a radioactive glow.
They seem to really enjoy it in there -- a lot more space to investigate than their carriers. Pico and Clementine were playing hide-and-seek in a paper bag a moment ago. Sr. Gris, calm as ever, has spent most of the time contemplating the drain.

Portrait of an ear-tipped tabby

Tonight was the first night I've seen Slinky since her spay. Strangely, she allowed me to get very close to her after I gave her a few handfuls of Purina ONE. She seems a little more relaxed, although it could just be the lingering effects of anesthesia.

You can really see the ear-tipping in this particular image. It actually isn't as intense or dramatic as I thought it would be; it's just a little slice of the ear, not an entire half taken off. Slinky seems not to notice or care.

The newly-spayed Slinky returns

Mother Slinky is now spayed! She's healing well, and was released in our yard last night while I was at my Spanish class.

I left out crunchies and water for Slinky, but I haven't seen her yet. The vets tipped her ear so that, in the event that she's picked up again, other veterinarians will instantly know that she's been spayed, and she won't have to go through the process of being opened up again. Little half-eared Slinky. Aw. Photos are soon to follow.