Four Little Ghosts

I brought the Haunted House into the kitten room so our little Plunketts could have some Halloween fun.  They've been really enjoying it, and all morning long, I've heard the jingle ball in the doorway jingling away. They're very excited having something new in their quarters to explore.

Here's a little clip of the cute Plunkett ghosts haunting the house. That's Ellie "The Belly" on the roof.

 

We've had lots of Halloween fun over the years, so throughout the day, I'll be sharing some of our spooky posts on Twitter and Facebook, too.

If You're Going to Be Naughty, Look Cute Doing It.

Well, Wylla,  you're not supposed to be on top of the dresser. You're well-aware that it is off-limits for kitties.  And I put those toys up there for a reason -- to keep them away from YOU. You have a very bad habit of gnawing the feathers off all of the feather toys, so between our play sessions, I need to keep them out of your paw's reach.  

So get down from there, please.  

But wait, you're being awfully cute. Let me snap a few photos before I shoo you off.

Settling In, Pairing Off

 When our kittens move in, they spend their first few days in the wire kennel. It's a huge one, designed for XXL dogs, so they've got plenty of room for their bed, littler box, food and water bowls, and there's plenty of space to romp, too.  We start them off in the cage because we want their world to be small and cozy, and help them feel safe as they as they adjust to their new surroundings.

The Plunketts did their time in lock-up, and now they're free to bounce about their room during the day. When it's time for the humans to go to bed, the kittens get tucked away, too, and spend their night behind bars.

Until yesterday, this system seem to be working just fine. They were happy to have the run of the room, and that seemed to be enough. But then they realized there something waiting for them on the other side of the door.  And her name is Wylla.

Wylla has been camped out by the door, and when I'm in the room with the kittens, she cries to be let in.  Her cries have captured their curiosity, and now as I come and go, they all try to do the same.  They want to meet that cat who's calling for them!

Not yet kittens! We've still got five days left in quarantine!!

Even though this seems to be a very healthy lot, we still need to wait it out.

I put a baby gate in the doorway so they can't just dart out of the room as I come in. They can easily scale the gate, but I can get over the gate and into the room faster than they can get over the gate and out of the room.

Socially, they're all doing pretty well. Though sometimes they scamper when we try to scoop them, but once caught, they're all very happy to be held and are very generous with their purrs. Ernest is the most outgoing of the bunch, and seems to enjoy us humans the most.

They seem to have formed two teams, the Longhairs and the Shorthairs, and they pair off for wrestling and napping. Of course that could all change tomorrow -- kittens can be quite fickle that way! But today, the Longhairs are enjoying the pleasure of each other's company.

Ellie "The Belly" Plunkett

They Plunketts have been here a week now, and now that they're all coming out of their shells, their personalities are really starting to show.

Ellie's sweet, she's squirrelly,  and she's generous with her purrs.  All of her siblings love her, and we sure do, too.  She is always very happy to share her round, plump tummy with all, so she's earned the nickname "Ellie the Belly", or just "Ellie-Belly" for short.

You're a dear one, little Ellie-Belly.

So Very Hairy

This is Lucille Plunkett.
And she has enough hair for ALL of us.

Please give her a warm, fuzzy welcome!





And this completes the set! Four perfect Plunketts.

The Importance of Being Ernest

Good morning! Please say hello to dear Ernest Plunkett.  He looks a lot like his little sister Ellie, with  a short black coat and a occasional wispy white hair. The easiest way to tell them apart is by their size -- he weighs a few more ounces and his frame is stockier.  His ears are a little flatter, too, but that could be temporary. They're all just a little nervous right now, so once he's feeling a little more confident, they may pop up.

And though he's still a wee bit scared, that doesn't stop him from purring.  Just a little scratch on the back of the head will get his motor running.

He's the only boy in this set of four and we'll be meeting his other sister on Monday. Any predictions on what she might look like? Another black baby bear, perhaps? Or a Siamese? That would be fun, we haven't had one of those in a long time.  Or an orange? How perfect would that be for the Halloween season?  What do you think? What color will she be? 

You're So Fancy, Vancie!

Just look at that lovely, ombré coat! You're so fancy, Vancie!

There's Someone I would Like You to Meet

This baby bear's name is Ellie Plunkett. In case you haven't noticed, she's adorable.

Her coat is 95% black, but there are a few long, wispy white hairs mixed in. She's the smallest of the set, and currently weighs one pound and three ounces.

They're all getting used to us, and were staying close to the back of the cage last night, but this morning, Ellie came to the door and greeted me with a few sputtering purrs.

It was a very lovely way to start the day.

Welcome Ellie Plunkett!  We look forward to getting to know you!

The Top Ten!

Today we have the final installment of our fifty most popular IBKC posts.

Wylla kind of dominates our top ten. I suppose of all the kitten stories we've told, she's had one of the more interesting tales.  I think we all just got pretty invested in the girl, so her posts always got lots of comments, questions, and concerns.

And you'll see a lot of our sadder moments, too.  I was hoping they wouldn't all fall towards the top, but they did.  Even though they do stir up some tears, it's not a bad thing to read those again. It's good to see the nice, comforting words, and I like seeing our community coming together.

I had a great time revisiting some of these most memorable of our memories. I hope you enjoyed our top fifty, too!



#10 Queen of the Couch
This video of our bouncy little Bibi Winkler was a huge hit and it had many views and shares.  It bounced around the internet, too, and brought us lot of new fans.



 

#9  It's Official 
Three cheers for Wylla Stout! Here's the day she officially became "ours". We were all filled with joy that day! I still am!



#8 What's Up With Wylla
It was such a huge relief when we finally had a diagnosis for Wylla.  It wasn't the greatest diagnosis to hear, but her condition wasn't life-threatening,  and we were grateful when we learned that we could manage it.  Step one was teaching her to eat vertically. Thankfully, she took to that right away.

 Oh, and that wee belly of hers!!




#7 Oh, Christmas Tree

The reason why this video has some many views may be because of me! There's nothing I love more than Christmas and kittens and I'm sure I've watched it a squillion times.
 

#6  I'm calling sixth place a tie. The introduction of Tressa Lovejoy got two more comments than Wylla's introduction, but Wylla's got many more views and shares.   Both are ridiculously adorable kittens and worthy of their ranking!

OK, Are You Ready? 



  The Floofiest Friday Ever! 



 #5 What's Happened and What's to Come
I think this was the hardest post I've ever had to write. It was most definitely the hardest day in all these years of fostering. But we got through it, and everything worked out.



 #4 One Tear-Filled Tuesday
Oh, Jerry Lee. Seeing your little face sill makes my eyes well-up, and I know I'm not alone. This was a hard day for all who were following the IBKC at the time.



#3 Sadness, Hopefulness

Sad, indeed. His passing was so unexpected. We're so, so very thankful that his sisters survived.



#2 A Very Sad Day
We were lucky to have so many amazing years with our dear Little Drewey Junebug. When we said goodbye, you said some very lovely things.



#1 Wee Wylla Won Our Hearts
Our most popular post was one of the happiest days of my life -- the day we decided to keep our dear Wylla.  It's funny to think about what we thought we were getting ourselves into at the time. We were a little worried and we anticipated a life of challenges. Our path started off rocky, and it was hard and confusing to navigate at first, but a couple of years down the road, it all smoothed out and we ended up with our healthy girl.

The Most Popular Posts Part Four!

Good morning, friends. We're continuing today with our big countdown of the fifty most popular IBKC posts!  Today, we're cracking the top twenty!

#20  Two Thumbs Up! 
I think this is the earliest post to make the top fifty list, and probably the IBKC image that has been shared more than any other.  It was featured on Cute Overload, which really put us on the map.  Prior to the CO feature,  we got got maybe a hundred visitors a day, but on the day this was posted, we had 13,000 visitors.  It's the reason why many of you found our way to us.



#19 My Apologies Charlene
I'm sure she hates this post as much as I love it, but dang, Charlene, you know I had to share it. And now, I'm sharing it again, because so many of you loved this, too.  Sorry, Bean.



#18 Kitten Clown Car
Those Von Tussles just keep on coming!





#17 Four Years! Really?

When we celebrated our 4th blogiversary, we took a look back.



#16 Such a Tolerant Bean
Poor Bean! This one has been shared a squillion times. It landed on Love Meow, Cute Overload, and I Can Has Cheezburger, too.




#15 I'm Their Mother, She's My Sister, He's My Brother
It was a very exciting day when we broke this news!



#14 Better
This one one of the most challenging times in our fostering history. Wylla and Audrey's brother had passed from a virus, and we were so worried about the well-being of the girls. Fortunately, things began looking up for the girls, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

 

#13 Pantalones De Loco x Four
They look so innocent here, but click on the link and watch the video. CRAZY PANTS!



#12 Stepping Out With Wylla Stout - Sweater Shopping!
When Wylla was wee, the poor girl got cold so easy, she wore sweaters when she stepped out. Here she is on a sweater shopping excursion.



 #11 The Saddest Day

We've been very fortunate that in these 9 years of fostering, we've only lost a few kittens.  These sad posts always come with many sweet, thoughtful, comforting words from all of you.  

 

Tomorrow will visit our top ten posts. What do you think will be number one?  Share your guesses, won't you?

Our Most Popular Posts Part Three!

Our top fifty most popular IBKC posts continues!! Here we go with the third segment!

#30 Because You Asked 
The first time we shared a photo of wee Bean on the blog sure got a lot of squees and shares.



#29 Wylla Stout Meets Nikki Sixx
Wylla met a very special kitty when visiting the vet.



#28 What Do You Do With Your Whiskers?
We always save the whiskers we find, and we asked if you did the same. There were lots of interesting comments on this post!



#27 The First of the Mussleman Men

It was love at first sight for many, when we met little Benny Mussleman!



#26 FREE BIRD! FREE BIRD! 
Walter and Ira Finch were sick little kittens and had to spend a little time in vet treatment. When they came home healthy, we all rejoiced!


#25 Are You Ready?
Perfect pink nose and button eyes! PEARLA!




#24 Who's A Big Kitty? 
This photos of Bean make me laugh so hard. Just look at her hiding behind her tiny sister at the vet! What a scaredy cat!




#23 Another Day Another Appointment
We talked about Wylla's acupuncture appointments and there were many opinions on the subject.



#22 Heartbreakin' Harlan Lovejoy
We loved those Lovejoys!



#21 It's Good To Have Friends in High Places
One of our all-time favorite adoption tales! Nigel and Mimsey Frost! Knowing now how much my folks love their kittens, makes this story even sweeter today!




We'll start into the top twenty on Monday! Are there any posts you're hoping to see?



One last thing before I wrap up this post:

Our friends at Royal Canin are having an event at the Tacoma Petsmart this Saturday (Oct 17th) from 12 to 4 PM. There will a cat and dog breed expert on hand to talk about pet nutrition and the specific needs of each breed. I'l be there too! My plan is to arrive around 1 PM.  Please come on by and say hello if you're in the neighborhood!

If you're not in our area, similar events are being held all over the country. You can visit HERE to learn more about the events and you can also download a $5 Royal Canin coupon for their breed-specific foods.

They're Happy We're Home!

We came home yesterday afternoon to our two favorite cats,  who were waiting by the door.  The rumblings of our rolling luggage startled them off for a second, but once we stopped making noise, they darted back to say hello.  Lots of hugs, lots of purrs, a couple of happy humans and a couple of happy cats.

And then the investigation began. Every square-inch of every bag we brought in was sniffed. So were our shoes, our clothes, our hands, and our hair.  When we opened our suitcases and put them on the bed to begin unpacking and sorting laundry,  both cats jumped right in and began searching for more clues.  They were more thorough than TSA or Customs.  Once they were through rummaging through the contents of our bags, "Where were you?" they asked with their eyes,

All of our evening activities were supervised closely by the cats. Their normal nighttime posts, like the cat tower and front window, were abandoned so they could stay close to us.

Our day of travel had started in the wee hours, so we went to bed early last night. They joined us and stayed cuddly and close all night. I woke at 2:30 to a purring Wylla curled up in the crook of my arm and Charlene roosting on my chest,  kneading the collar of my fleece pajamas into my pillow.

I think they missed us.

And we missed them. It's good to be home.










We'll pick up tomorrow with our most popular post countdown.  And now that we're back, we'll see if there are some kittens that might be in need of a little fostering.


Thanks for your patience while I was away!