Tuesday, August 19, 2014

ALL the Von Tussles

A couple of days after we said goodbye to our precious Kibblesmiths,  I dropped by the shelter to see if there might be some babies in need of a place. I bumped into Ruth on my way in, and she said "You're in luck!"

She told me about a set of six that had just arrived, and said I could have three, four, or as many as I would like.

I committed to four, and headed back to the foster room to meet the kittens and make my selection. I had never been in the position to pick before. Uusually, I just get the call and take home the assigned kittens. I never give it much thought, I just assume whatever kittens await, were meant to be ours.

The kittens were in two carriers, and I peeked into both and after much pondering of all this adorableness, I made a list of the four I would be taking home and left it on Ruth's desk.

Before I could bring  the kittens home, I had to get their quarters set up and run a couple of errands.  My plan was to return at the end of the day and pick up them up shortly before the shelter closed.

And when I returned, I filled my carrier with all six.

If you were in my position to pick, could you leave any of these beauties behind?

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I didn't think so.


So here we have the final Von Tussle.
Please say hello to Miss Claudette.

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66 comments:

  1. I think that Von Tussle might just be the best name you've picked to date

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    1. I think "tussle" needs to be the new word to describe a group of kittens. A herd of sheep, a pride of lions, a tussle of kittens...

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    2. I agree entirely. "A tussle of kittens" is perfect.

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  2. Only if your heart was made of stone could you pick which two to leave behind. Thank you for keeping them together in one big tussle. You are the Patron Saint of Kitties.

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  3. SIX??!! I'll never learn their adorable names and faces before they graduate from Bean's Finishing School!

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  4. Oh my...Miss Claudette. She looks like a little cartoon kitten. All big eyes and that orange blaze. The Von Tussles are fabulous! Can't wait to watch them grow under the watchful eyes of Bean and Wylla.

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  5. what words......this is just too much cuteness..........wow! What a sweet bunch you have........thanks for sharing and helping them.....gg

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  6. As this story started, I wondered how you could leave 2 behind. I should have trusted you--I'm sorry. And delighted!

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    1. It's hard to find families to foster large litters, so sets are split all of the time at the shelter - especially when the kittens are very young and need special care. We've shared litters before, we're just not usually involved splitting-up process.

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  7. 6!! So much cuteness! Bean and Wylla will be so excited!

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  8. This has turned out to be a veritable "clown car" of kittens. Well done!

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  9. Ooh, they all look so lickable! Bean will be in heaven. I kind of want to eat them all up entirely.

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  10. I remember when you fostered a large litter before. When they were introduced to Charlene she was overwhelmed. You had a video of her gently nudging the kittens away as they surrounded her. At least now she has an assistant.

    Thanks for taking all of them. I couldn't leave any behind either.

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  11. Quite the clowder you brought home! All unique and wonderful, but I have a special place in my heart for Miss Claudette having a Tortie myself. Or Malcolm. No wait, I meant Midge. Or, was it Cosette? Possibly Greta. Oh yes, I meant Langston is my favorite. Oh heck, they all are :D

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  12. No, I wouldn't either :) Although I'll admit as I started reading, I was all "yeah right Laurie you took all six" because that's how you seem to roll XD And I don't blame you one bit.

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  13. This last one just put me over the edge!!! omg!!! They are the most beautiful kittens....I have to keep stopping my comments to go back and peek at them!

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  14. Thank you for not splitting up the family.

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  15. I would have had to take all six as well. My thanks as well for everything you do to help all the Itty Bitties out there!

    Bean is going to have a field day washing all of that floof...

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  16. this is one adorable family! and their surname is amazing!

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  17. Can we get a label on all of them. I'm guessing, clockwise from the top right: Greta (lightest in colouration), Malcolm (darker tabbie), Claudette (splash of orange on her face, tortie?), Cosette (long haired, light grey), Midge (orangier torbie), Langston (short haired grey)

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  18. wow! so sweet to have them all together as Bean and Wylla train them! i will never be able to finish work they are so cute i have to stare at them all day

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  19. Oh, my. Miss Claudette is quite striking. Good on you for taking every one of the Sweet Six!

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  20. Wylla seems to have competition on the tortie and floof divisions. Glad you are braving SIX kittens and Miss Wylla.
    Looking forward to those posts!!!!

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  21. Each of them is gorgeous in their own, individual way. Thank you so much for being there for them. I hope to learn how to foster in the not-to-distant future. I'm recently retired, and we want to sell this home and move before I start fostering. Thanks for satisfying MY desire to foster until I can begin.

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  22. A tortie! Miss Claudette, I love your tortie toes! My Harley's left front toes are tan, too.

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  23. Anonymous #1 is so right- that is a Tussle of Kittens right there! The picture of the tussle is fantastic! Ohhhhh wow. So much cuteness brings a tear to my eye. (no surprise) . I couldn't pick one over the others now. It's going to be a rumble in the hood when they are all set loose!

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  24. This "tussle" of kittens is over-the-top in the cute department! I could NEVER have chosen only four! All the floof is going to challenge Miss Butterbean, but I am sure she is up to the task! Especially since she has a very formidable assistant in Miss Stout! Adorable!

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  25. A six pack! I thought for sure this morning that there must only be five, that's already a good sized litter. But SIX? Wow! Wylla and Bean will certainly have their paws full.

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  26. So how often do extra kittens end up in your carrier then you first planed?

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    1. It's never really happened before. Usually they just call and say we have "x" number of kittens for you. We're usually not involved with the dividing of litters, which often happens with the big groups of young kittens.

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  27. OHHH MYYYY GARRRSH... you wicked woman! You saved the best for last, full well knowing how much I love torties, I bet! ;)

    They are all beautifully messy kitties with extreme "bed head" that I'm sure the Bean will fix once she's got access to them. lol

    ~Chris

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  28. A wonderful basket of floof!! A full classroom for Ms. Bean & her assistant!

    Rosemary K.

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  29. Of course you couldn't leave any behind! Squeeeee! Thank you for bringing home all 6 for us to admire remotely.

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  30. No issues telling these six apart. The concentration of cute has to be rough on the heart and the feels, though. ;D

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  31. These kitties gaze at you like they know YOU ARE THE BEST MOM ever!!! And I think you are too.

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  32. Roy Orbison's lyrics are purrfectly fitting:

    well i got a brand new baby and i feel so good
    she loves even better than i thought she would
    i'm on my way to her house an i'm plumb outa breath
    when i see her tonight i'm gonna squeeze her to death

    chorus
    claudette, pretty little pet claudette
    never make me fret claudette
    she's the greatest little girl that i've ever met
    got the best lovin that i'll ever get
    from claudette oh oh claudette yeah yeah claudette

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    1. I had to go listen to it on youtube! Thanks for the reminder....

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  33. Oh wow!!! This group may compete for the place in my heart the Dearborns still occupy!! Thank you Laurie for bringing all of them home!

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  34. Oh well, that's it. Miss Claudette has just slain me.Might as well pack up teh interwebs because it couldn't get any cuter or more adorable than that lovely little kitten. Just wait until Miss Wylla finds she has 6 new playmates to run about with! She'll be beside herself with glee! And Charlene will have to rest up now to be in good shape for all the bathing she's going to be doing!

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  35. Yes, I could not have left any behind either - especially this one! She's going to be so beautiful.

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  36. What a delightful group! I wondered (for about 3 seconds) how you would be able to choose. Then the final photo with all 6 and I was happy to see that you decided to go for 6!

    Rest up & hydrate Charlene - all that licking including her fave 'flavor'!
    O Wylla, she will have to have an extra meal to keep up with all the von Tussles!

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  37. Laurie, you had me in tears at the thought of any precious kitten being left behind (not that you would ever allow that to happen) - And Miss Claudette has my heart! What fun these babies are going to be!

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    1. No one would have been "left behind", they would just ended up in a different foster home. Large sets are split up all the time.

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  38. I'm swooning from the cuteness of it all! Bless you Laurie for taking the whole Von Tussle brood - the picture in the basket is ADORABLE!

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  39. OMG I'm totally smitten Hello Claudette its sooooo nice to meet you and your family

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  40. Oh my doodness sakes alive, I would have taken the whole bunch of cuttee pies..How could one leave any of them..I got my itty bitty kitty fix..Thanks for taking them in and loving them and taking good care,they will be getting strong and such cuttee pies..Your simply the best you and your hubs..enjoy them all. ciao have a wonderful week, I know you will be very very busy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  41. Fifteen years ago when I moved into my first grown-up apartment a lady at work named Claudette gave me my first kitty; a gorgeous tortie named Guinness. She warned me that torties were a handful, but also told me that they are the best cats. She wasn't lying. Guinness and I had fourteen marvelous years together and I'll forever be grateful to her for bringing us together. Claudette passed away several years ago. In my head I'm going to pretend that you named this sweet tortie in her honor.

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  42. That's it. I'm moving to Seattle so I can adopt Claudette. How wonderful of you to take in this lovely family.

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  43. I had a litter of five recently because I couldn't bear to split them up -- although of course they all eventually went their separate ways. They were a delightful multi-pack like this set, and so much fun, but five is definitely NOT the new three. I'm glad Bean has a helper to deal with this much cuteness at once.

    If I may ask, at what point do you let the kittens mingle with the residents? Are they fully vaccinated at that point, or just the first set? I wish I had a handbook sometimes.

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    1. Quarantine is two weeks, but it's extended if anyone is showing any symptoms. They usually have two rounds of vaccines at that point. We keep our girls fully vaccinated.

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    2. Thanks, Laurie!

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  44. Thank you so much for caring for all of these sweet babies :D And I totally get not initially wanting to commit to 6 little kittens, particularly when you're caring for Wylla too.

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  45. OMG that purrfect mouth & nose & everything! I'm so in love with the Von Tussles!!!

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  46. A tisket, a tasket, six kittens in a basket!!! OF COURSE you couldn't leave any behind!

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  47. It's like the lady that shows up to adopt 2 kittens and cannot leave one behind so she doe eyes her husband into a 3rd. *cough, cough* I have no clue who would ever do that.

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    1. My husband caved and allowed me to adopt a dog we had been "watching" at Petsmart for 3 months. He caved when I burst into tears to see the poor thing still there! Unplanned, but effective.

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  48. SIX babies - they are soooooo cute and fluffy !!!

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  49. I'd take all six too and doubt I could be parted from any of them. What a litter! I've said it before but if only I lived nearer. Miss Claudette is the image of my dear late beloved Peeps and I'd take her in a heartbeat if I could.

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  50. I cannot wait for the video of ALL of these doing the kitty madcap ball! And Claudette, sigh. She is a heart stealer.

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  51. Oh, Claudette! I already love you.

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  52. Would love to see pictures of the brothers and sisters of Malcolm and Greta Von Tussle as they grow!
    https://www.facebook.com/malcolmandgreta
    Billy and Carrie

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