Wednesday 4 December 2013

ADOPTED: LUCI

The last of our foster kitties has been adopted today!  Luci was warmly and enthusiastically welcomed by a retired couple from Kitsilano who took less than a minute to let me know that "We'll take her!" after seeing how adorable she was.

They came at 9:30 am to view Luci, got all the paperwork done and was back to see me three hours later to pick her up.  It's a good thing they came because I'm not sure I could handle another 4:30 am wake-up call from Luci. Being the last kitten left, she was meowing up a storm and demanded that she cuddle with me in bed.  Of course, once I got her into bed, all she wanted to do was play.  I'm sure Luci's new owners will have lots of time to play and cuddle with this ball of sweetness.


ADOPTED!  Luci - Dec. 4, 2013

The past three weeks of fostering these kittens have been some of the most enjoyable weeks in recent memory.  I've gotten to play with so many adorable, sweet kittens and have had almost all my family members come by to visit them (and in a far, distant, second place to visit me).

I'm looking forward to the next batch of kitties upon my return from some R&R at the end of this month.


 Smile for the Camera!

Hana

Skooter


Tuesday 3 December 2013

ADOPTED: SKOOTER

Another kitteh going to another fabulous home!  Skooter has been adopted by a wonderful lady who was hooked on Skooter as soon as she saw how loving he was.  He sat in her arms and purred and purred!

Skooter definitely was the most loving of all the five kitties and demanded the most attention from me (which I did not mind at all).


ADOPTED!  Skooter - Dec. 3, 2013

Skooter and Hana


Last day together before going to our
furever homes!
Skooter's and Hana's furever homes came to pick them up today, so I was giving them extra hugs and kisses all day long.  

I look forward to receiving updates from their new families in 4 - 6 months to see how much they have grown!



Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

Adoption application:
http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/  

NO WORK TO BE DONE

Today was not a day to get any work done.  Skooter was insisting that he be allowed to come and play in my studio.  Well, how can I get any work done when this happens?


Can I help?

All the other kitties are perfectly fine playing on the floor in my studio.  Only Skooter insists that he MUST play on my studio desk.

This is not allowed Skooter!
Um ... excuse me Skooter ...

ONE OF A KIND

Both Luci and Hana are female calicos and the family that came to visit them said that they believe all calicos are females, and that all orange tabbys are male.

Is a male calico and female orange tabby that rare?  The internet is always the best place to do your research.

Are all orange tabby cats male and are all calico cats female?

Hear the science behind uncommon female orange tabby cats and the extremely rare tortoisehsell or calico male cat.

Updated: January 17, 2013, 2 p.m. EST
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Orange Tabby Cats
Q: I have heard that all orange tabby cats are male, and to find one that is female is rare and worth up to $1,000. I also have heard that calico cats and tortoiseshell cats are female and to find a male is just as rare and prized. Is there any truth to this?
A: Your first statement is incorrect. Most, but certainly not all, orange tabby cats are male. Orange tabby cats are about 80/20 male to female. We have many female orange tabby cats in my practice. There is no monetary value, per se, associated with a female orange tabby cat. Calico and tortoiseshell cats, however, are almost always female.
Here's how it works. To have black and orange in the same cat, the cat needs two X chromosomes. Two X chromosomes mean the cat will be female. Male cats need a Y chromosome and are XY.
Occasionally a mutation will arise during embryonic development and a kitten will be born with an extra chromosome: XXY. The two Xs allow for the cat to be black and orange. The Y makes it a male. This is how you get a tortoiseshell or a calico male cat.
Tortoiseshell and calico male cats are uncommon (one out of 3000 are male), but don't get your hopes up about breeding these rare cats for money. As a result of this mutation, most tortoiseshell and calico male cats are sterile.

So, it looks like a mutation in the cat's chromosome is what produces a male calico and a female orange tabby.  You learn something new everyday!


Luci

Hana

Sisterly Love!

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

Adoption application:

Sunday 1 December 2013

ADOPTED: MALCOMB, STARSKY AND HANA

I am happy to report that today's viewings were very successful as 3 of our 5 kittens have been adopted!

Malcomb and Starsky have been adopted by a wonderful couple in North Vancouver, who were so eager to get their adorable bundles of fur that they viewed the kitties, got all the paperwork done and picked them up all in one day!  They promised to send us updated pictures so that we can see how they are doing.  Looking forward to that!


ADOPTED! Starsky & Malcomb - Dec. 1, 2013

Hana has also been adopted by a lovely family in New Westminster.  Their little girl wanted a calico kitten and did all her research and it looks like Hana has fit the bill.

ADOPTED!  Hana - Dec. 1, 2013

We are going to miss you sweethearts, but take comfort in the fact that you are going to be loved lots in your new homes.


Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

Adoption application:

Thursday 28 November 2013

FINAL WEIGH IN

We have appointments set up for viewings of all the kittens this Sunday, so I thought I'd get a final weight on them to see how much they've grown during the past two weeks.


Hana:  from 1.4 lbs to 2 lbs

Lucy:  from 1.1 lbs to 1.7 lbs 

Malcomb:  from 1.4 lbs to 2 lbs

Skooter:  from 1.2 lbs to 1.8 lbs

Starsky:  from 1.1 lbs to 2 lbs


So, it looks like Starsky has gained the most weight at 0.9 lbs, but even though Starsky, Hana and Malcomb all weigh in at 2 lbs respectively, Malcomb sure feels more heavy than the rest.  I guess he is just a big boned kitteh!


Nap Time!


Stretch and Yawn!



Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

Adoption application:

Monday 25 November 2013

'KITTEH' vs. 'KITTY' or 'KITTEN'

My sister was reading my blog and was wondering if I had misspelt 'kittens' when naming my blog 'Fostering Kittehs'.  A quick search of the internet produced the following for the use of kitteh:

Kitteh
Online usage of the word "kitty" or "cat". Found most often in the context of lolspeak, or in the anthropomorphism of cats in pictures and other media.

Kitteh
Canadian Kitten. KITT'EH.

Kitteh
A fricken adorable cat or kitten that you find and love but have to leave it.

Kitteh
An especially cute and playful kitten.

I think all of the above apply to my batch of kittehs!

Kittehs and their nom-nom

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

Adoption application:

Sunday 24 November 2013

LOVE AND WAR

Hana is the resident heavy weight of the kitty pack!  She loves to brawl with her siblings, usually attacking an unsuspecting kitty when he or she is not looking.

Every kitty is subject to Hana's sudden attack, but she tends to gravitate towards her bonded buddy, Starsky.  Who says that girls aren't tough?


Hana vs. Starsky

Hana with Starsky in a head-lock





Watch Hana in this YouTube video to see her at her full warrior mode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stcW3KFkxao


Of course, there are equal amounts of love as well.








Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

Adoption application:
http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/

Saturday 23 November 2013

CLOSE UP

Now that we've had the kitties for a week and a half, you really get to know their little personalities and their facial features.  Here are close ups of the cuties.
Malcomb
Cute little black marking on Malcomb's nose
***
Skooter

Very distinct stripe down Skooter's nose
and very "cat-like" eyes
***
Luci

The smallest of the litter,
Luci usually looks like she's just
getting up from a nap

... or laying down for one

***
Hana

Hana has these adorable ears that
will flop down once in a while like a
Scottish Fold kitten

***
Starsky

When sitting still, Starsky takes on
the look of a stuffed toy kitten

I had to give them their deworming medication (1 of 2 doses) and needed hubby's help to keep them still while I put their medication in some kitten food and gently pry their little mouths open so that I could put it at the very back of their throats to ensure that the medication went down.

Malcomb was the only one that was able to eat the food and spit back out the medication.  Sneaky little devil!

The kitties will be 8 weeks old on Nov. 26 and will be up on the VOKRA* website for adoption.  I'm going to miss these little cuties, but I'm sure there will be another batch of kittens to play with in the very near future.


* Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association

Adoption application:
http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/

Wednesday 20 November 2013

KITTIES EVERYWHERE

I must admit that five kitties is A LOT of kitties to have in one house.  You really have to be careful where you are walking when you have that many kitties in one room.  Accidentally stepping on a kitty is not fun for the kitty and makes the person stepping on the poor kitty feel really, really bad!



Also, with that many kitties, it gets really loud at feeding time.  Some kitties are so impatient that they start to climb up your leg thinking that they can somehow get to their food faster by doing that.  Um ... no.
Hana and Skooter



Of course, once the kitties have had their fill, it's then time to go and use the kitty potty and then crash on the softest surface they can find, which surface sometimes ends up being on another kitty.


Malcomb and Skooter

The life of a beloved kitty is pretty awesome.

Malcomb, Skooter and Luci

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association
https://www.facebook.com/VOKRA

Adoption application:
http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/

Tuesday 19 November 2013

NAUGHTY, NAUGHTY !

Hana


Where do naughty kitties go at our house?  The kitty jail, of course (which, by the way, doubles as our toilet paper holder when not incarcerating naughty kitties).  

Mind you, some kitties willingly put themselves in there, so I guess they must be feeling a bit guilty?

Hana looks perfectly content and actually looks like she is posing pretty for the camera, while Starsky looks like he is posing for his mug shot!


Starsky

Then there are kitties that belong in there, but are planning a jail break!


Malcomb

Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association
https://www.facebook.com/VOKRA

Adoption application:
http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/

Monday 18 November 2013

SKOOTER, LUCI & MALCOMB


We picked up three of Starsky's and Hana's siblings tonight, which brings our grand total to five!  There was supposed to be a sixth kitten, but it was the runt of the litter and needed to have one-on-one time with mommy.  One of the five kittens that we currently have will be returning to buddy up with the runt and will be staying at another foster home.


Skooter (Left), Luci (Middle), Malcomb (Right)

We now have two tuxedo cats (Starsky and Skooter), two calicos (Hana and Luci) and Malcomb.  I'm not sure what type of cat Malcomb is.  I need to google that.

If you are wondering why their names are spelt non-conventionally, it's because we need to give the kitties a name that is not already taken in the VOKRA* database.  With over 1,000 kittens going to various foster homes, you can imagine the confusion if everybody named their kitty "Abby".


Luci weighs in at 1.1 pounds

Malcomb at 1.4 pounds


and Skooter at 1.2 pounds

Luci is the very sweet, slightly scared little girl.  Skooter is quite active and scoots around all over the place (hence his given name).  Malcomb is the VERY vocal alpha kitty and lets the rest of the clowder know it.

I learnt what 'clowder' meant on an episode of 'The Big Bang Theory' and can now finally use it in a sentence.  I love Sheldon.  I'm waiting for the day when I foster a kitty version of Sheldon.


Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association
https://www.facebook.com/VOKRA

Adoption application:
http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/adoption_application/