Many More!

Good morning!  We've got another post packed with IBKC alumni updates today -- nine kittens total!  It's always kind of shocking seeing how mature some of our kittens are. I still think of our babies as being babies, and it doesn't seem possible that so many of them are now entering the "senior" cat stage!

We've always been lucky to find such amazing families for our kittens -- it's so clear in all of these update photos that we've been sharing how happy and well-loved our these former IBKs are. Thank you for taking such good care of them!



Charles Laurent Gibson 

Hi Laurie!

 Here's an update on Finne Amir Charles Laurent Gibson Hamilton Hammerstrom, the 150th IBKC kitten.

Finne somehow grows more lovey and more silly every day. It took more than a year for him to grow into his floofy pants but, now that he's all of five years old, he seems to have reached max floof. Charlene Butterbean must have planted some fluffy kitten seeds into his grooming sessions. We call him "Vegas showgirl" due to how fancy glam he is with those yellow-green eyes, toe hawks, and his feathery tail. He used to adore bouncy balls and playing fetch but he switched to an obsession with sparkle balls and rounds of racing up and down the stairs at least twice a day. He literally flies down the stairs when chasing Viggo around. He and Viggo (also adopted from The Humane Society For Tacoma and Pierce County) are the dearest friends and adore each other more than we could have imaged. Finne is excellent at making himself available for petting whenever you're hard at work and he never met a yoga mat that he didn't like. He's taken car trips to Western Montana and Oregon, but prefers to be at home to birdwatch or lounge on the porch in his bright green harness. Finne is a little shy with visitors and will sit at the top of the stairs peering down at guests, sometime for hours, before he'll come down for pets. Where Viggo appreciates all guests and will happily hold a foster kitten down for snuggles and bath time, Finne takes a while to warm up. Once he does, he invites the fosters for constant racing, which the kittens adore. Compare his recent pics to this video from when he was smaller (http://youtu.be/rRALn2e3n94) and not a floof to be found. We're so happy he's our little orange fizz!

Aimee


 

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 Warren, Pippy, and Gaetano Fortunato





They are my best buddies and I love them beyond belief. They still have all their individual quirks...and still quite playful. Gaetano going out this summer...he's good and stays close. Warren is still the wanderer, so we're trying to leash train him. Have had a few adventures thru the woods as he doesn't much care for paths! Pippy is a sweetheart, albeit chunky, we're working on that...they all still act like they are always starving! These Fortunatos have enriched my life these past 8 years!!!

Mindy

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Clovis and Rupert Ashby






Hey there, Laurie. 

Hope you're doing well. I'm really excited to hear all of the updates from other parents. Here's a little update on Rupert and Clovis.
Favorite hobbies - Clovis: Sniffing dad's eye in the middle of the night, then drooling on it and running away. Plotting his escape from the vet's office (photo attached). Playing stand-in for a computer monitor (photo attached). Tub-sharking - Clovis will circle the claw foot bathtub when we're taking showers - all you can see is this black body, tail straight up, circling the tub through the shower curtain.

Favorite hobbies - Rupert: Leaving mom a scrunchie on the front door rug for when she gets back from walking Kona each morning (maybe it's for Kona, not me!). Being carried around the house by his mom (pic attached). Sneak-attacking dad's lap - seriously, sometimes we do not see him climb onto Ken's lap, and Ken doesn't feel him, but all of a sudden there he is. It's kind of creepy!
Some of my favorite times with them are my work-at-home days when I set up shop in the dining room. Clovis thinks my priorities are a bit askew (work vs love-Clovis-time), as he likes to park it right in front of my monitor during conference calls with our CEO. Rupert feels the same way, but climbs up my arm, head-bonks me, then gets all his fuzz in my face.

All in all, we're thankful every day for the laughter and love they bring us. They're each completely hilarious and have developed such unique personalities. We're so glad we found you 8 years ago, Laurie!

Kendra

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Louise and Ambrose Anderson-Erickson





My favorite story about these two is how we adopted them: we knew we wanted Louise and were certain we didn’t want Augustus, then named Ambrose, because we didn’t want a longhaired cat. But, we had a rule—the cats were going to choose us. Louise immediately came to Iris and before I knew it Ambrose hopped in my lap and started chewing on my thumb. And that was that. Fast forward seven years and these two remain a bonded pair and help make our house a home.

William

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Lambert O. Lively



Hi Laurie,

Here are some pix for the IBKC alumni special edition! Birdie is from the Lively clan and is my big loved baby. He's 7 or 8 now and doing great. He is so goofy, especially compared to his brother Percy who is a very serious Snowshoe boy. As you can see from the pix, he's a love bug and such a joy. We are eternally grateful to IBKC!

Nance

THANK YOU so much for sharing your kittens with us! It warms my heart so to see these sweet faces and hear your stories.

We'll be winding up the updates soon -- I think I can fit the last of them in one more post.  And I need to share Joseph and Henry's adoption tale, too.  OH, and there will be kittens to introduce!   YES, KITTENS!  Have a great weekend!  See you Monday!

Kittens for YOUR Christmas Tree!

I've been squeeing with delight over these cuties, and I am SO excited to share them with you today.

Months and months ago, my fabulous illustrator/printmaker friend, Chandler O'Leary, shared the idea of creating limited edition set of IBKC ornaments.  I fell in love with her songbird ornaments last year (please check them out, they're adorable) and the idea of our kitties presented in a similar format, thrilled me to no end.    

As you know, we've had a few kittens in our care over the years, so narrowing it down to just six for this set of ornaments was no easy task.  In the end, we felt a variety of kitten colorings and poses was the route to go. 

In the set, we have a reclining Ms Butterbean in her favorite chair, Pearla Dearborn and her button nose, a prim and proper Victoria Anne McGillicudy,  Baxter Lamm in a ball, dear Clovis Ashby with his little pink tongue  and a modest, wide-eyed Aloysius Petrie.    

Chandler generously calls this a collaboration, but she's the star in this show.  She created the beautiful illustrations based on my photographs, carved the blocks,  printed and hand-painted every single image.  I just did a little cutting and gluing.   

She wrote up a detailed post about the ornaments and every step in the labor-intensive process which you can read all about it HERE on her blog.     

If you would like a litter of limited edition kittens for your tree, or for holiday gift-giving, please visit Chandler's Etsy shop. A portion of the profits will be donated to the Emergency Pet Food Bank at our Humane Society. 

While visiting her shop, please check out her other lovely offerings, like those fabulous songbirds! 

I am so in love with the end results, they truly are gorgeous, and I hope you feel the same.   Each is a work of art, and worth every penny.  I've got my set hanging on the tree, and they look fabulous.   Thank you, Chandler, for sharing your awesome talent with the IBKC.  

PS In unrelated news, I'm going to temporarily turn on "comment moderation".  I've been getting too many spammy comments, which is driving me bonkers, and I need to try to discourage that for a spell.  Once things settle down,  I'll switch it back.  

Mom, Can Milton Go Too???

I'm sorry Clovis, but Milton has other plans. It's going to be you and Rupert, which is plenty-o-kitten for anyone.

I've Got Some News for You, Rupert

Just last week, Rupert met his new mom, Kendra. In the past, animals had always found their way to Kendra, and she had never been in the position of being able to "pick" her pet. So, when she visited all the IBKs, I think she was a tad overwhelmed by this concept.

After spending some time with the kittens, and getting to know them a bit, Rupert was the chosen one.

On Wednesday Kendra came back to visit her boy. Rupert was asleep in the basket. Clovis was next to him, fully alert, and completely charming. He just wiggled and squiggled around in there, offering his paws to Kendra, batting his eyelashes, and showing her his round little belly.

Today I got a call from Kendra and yep, Clovis has a home now too.

Rupert,, you've got yourself a brother,, forever.