On This Day...

I'm itching for kittens, and I'm guessing you are too. I took a look to see what was happening on January 10th in previous years, just to see if we were "holding" then or not, and sadly most years we were not.

Here's what happened.



On this day in 2016, no kittens for us and the big cats were bored.

In 2015 we were kittenless too, but we had an update on Maeve and Delphine Kibblesmith to share.


In 2014, we were still on our break after the Panleukemia incident,  so no kittens then, just a young, loud Wylla.



 In 2013 we had kittens! The Tipton Tabby Trio had just arrived and we introduced the adorable Jimmy!

On this day in 2012 we were without kittens, but had an update on Bess and Wee Willard Trimble, who had just left our nest.



In 2011 the Bartletts were in residence, but getting ready to leave soon.

And in 2010 the Finch Brothers were just about ready to take flight.

On this day in 2009, I shared an alumni picture and we all took a guess at who it might be.  No kittens in our house then.

And in 2008, no kittens for us because Craig and I were off traveling in Australia.



SO, we've only had kittens 3 out of the past nine years! Sometimes by choice, but mostly by chance. I guess the odds are kind of against us, but WHO KNOWS what will happen.  Keep your fingers crossed that we're able to restock our kitten department soon!

Answers! We've got answers!

OK, friends! Today I'm sharing the answers to our questions in our very first  IBKC trivia contest!

HERE WE GO!


1. What is Wylla Stout's middle name?

Francis! Both of my grandfathers had the middle name "Francis", and that's why I chose it for her. The full story is HERE.



 2. We changed Charlene's name when we adopted her. What name did her foster moms give her first?

Amelia. They named her Amelia because she was such a leaper and always going airborne -- she was named after Amelia Earhart.




3. Which kitten do we refer to as "The one the got away"?
Georgie Bartlett. He was such a little love and he stole my heart. Here's WHY.



 4. Who was the naughtiest IBK ever and what was his nickname?
Oliver Furman.  He had two nicknames, so we'll accept both answers:  "All-Over" and "Pantalones de Loco".



5. Just one of our litters came with a mama. What was her name?
It was Beulah Mae Pickett, and she was a beauty.

6. Where was Drewey born?
She was born in Martha's Vineyard, MA.



7. How many states has Wylla visited?
She's visited three: Idaho, Oregon, and California.



8. What is the name of Wylla's favorite rodent toy?
It's Rattle Mouse!!!

And there's a good Rattle Mouse story HERE.



9. In all of our years of fundraising, how much money has team IBKC raised for our Humane Society?

We've raised a total of $632,176. Woot!



10. What was the last name of the first batch of kittens we fostered?

This was the trick question in our quiz. The first batch of IBKs did not have a last name!

11. How many litters of kittens have we fostered?

We've hosted a total of 49 litters:
The Anderson-Ericksons, Ashbys, Bartletts, Batsels, Bouviers,  Clovers,  Darlings,  Davenports, Dearborns, Drapers,  Easterbrooks,  Finch Boys,  Fortunatos,  Frosts,  Furmans,  Gibsons, Higgenbottoms,  Hollis Girls,  Hopps/ Von Trouts,  Kibblesmiths,  Knapps,  Labaths,  Lamms, Lively Bunch,  Livermores,  Loudermilks,  Lovejoys,  Lumpkins,  Lytteltons,  Mayfields, McGillicuddy Girls, Medleys,  Mittenflosses,  Musselmans,  Petries, Pettibones,  Picketts,  Plunketts, Smalls, Spooners, Stouts, Suprenants,  Swift/Brisker, Tiptons, Trimbles, VonTussles, Wiggins, Winklers and the original IBKC.



12. Name one of the polydactyl kittens we've fostered.

Willamena Bouvier, Jerry Lee Pickett, Nadine Pickett. Beulah Mae Pickett was also a poly, but she wasn't a kitten!

13. What is Wylla's astrological sign?
She's a capricorn!




14. What's the name of Charlene and Wylla's kitty cousin (who lives in Texas with my brother and his family)?

That would be Cupcake (or Cupcake Muffin). She was abandoned by a neighbor and they took her in. They knew her name was Cupcake or Muffin, so they called her Cupcake Muffin, or just Cupcake, for short.



 15. What is Charlene's favorite "flavor" of foster kitten?

"Floofy Tabby Boy" has always been her favorite flavor! We will also accept "Longhair Tabby Boy" as a correct answer.



16. Two times we adopted out a set of three kittens to one family. Name one of these sets of kittens.

Three of the Lively bunch went together (Irving, Fiona, and Truman) and three Petries went together (Aloysius, Forrest, and Sir Reginald). The Petrie adoption tale is HERE and The Lively Bunch is HERE.

ACTUALLY, this happened three times!!  I forgot about our Fortunatos!!  Pippy, Warren and Gaetano  all went together too!!  Thanks for catching that, Laura!



17. Which foster kitten was discovered in a wall and later reunited with her siblings?

Miss Phoebe Dearborn was the one found in the wall -- one of our favorite stories from over the years!



18. What was Drewey's full name?

It was Little Drewey Junebug.   She came with the name "Drewey" and we added "Little" and "Junebug" once she officially became ours.



19. What's the Kitten Whisperer's first name?

It's Dave! (Or David!)


















20. What are the names of the six kittens featured in the banner at the top of the blog?

From left to right: Tressa and Neville Lovejoy, Clovis Ashby, Ira and Walter Finch, and Gordon Draper!



Tie-Breaker question: Charlene weighs how many pounds/ounces more than Wylla?

We will share the answer to our tie-breaker tomorrow and announce our lucky winner!!!  SO, how did you do?  I hope you all enjoyed doing a little digging and finding the answers!

Thanks to all who entered!

I Think They're doing JUST Fine!

Care to check in on George and Clarence?

Click HERE.

Bye-Bye Bartletts

Well, I asked the Universe to send some amazing people our way to adopt sweet Georgie and Clarence, and the Universe listened.

No surprise because:
1. The Universe always provides the most amazing families for our most amazing kittens.
2. Georgie and Clarence deserve nothing short of the absolute best.

Betsy, their new mom, just happens to be the sister of my friend Katy, who is a very dear friend of Opal's mom, Jennifer. Does that all make sense? Opal is the Kevin Bacon of Tacoma.

Anyway, Betsy has been following the IBKC for awhile. Last week, when she read the post about Georgie and Clarence's search for a family she thought they might just be the ones to offer them that loving home. So she promptly shared the post with her husband, Duncan, who promptly said "yes".

She emailed me, we chatted on the phone, and it was clear they were good, animal loving folks, so the next day they came down from Seattle for a visit.

I'm pretty sure it was decided before they arrived that these kittens needed to join their family (which includes a handsome orange tabby named Butters and a sweet pooch named Oly). Even so, Georgie and Clarence gave them the hard-sell, and were extra, extra cute and sweet during the visit. Their motors ran strong, they were uber-cuddly, they dazzled, and they charmed.

At the end of their visit, dear little Clarence stole the show. He climbed up on the arm of the sofa, sat upright with his tail wrapped around his toes, and started dozing off. For those of you who have witnessed kittens falling asleep while siting up, you know there are few things in life as precious.

Well, Clarence sat there blinking, fighting the need to nap until finally, his little body started to buckle beneath him and he slipped off the arm of the couch. Fortunately, he woke as he fell and managed to sink his toenails into the blanket hanging over the arm. I was sitting close enough to grab him too, so the boy was not harmed. Just befuddled. We all got a good laugh at his expense, and they left with smiles on their faces.

So, yep. They found their family and last night Betsy and Duncan came back and picked up the pair. I just got a note from Betsy, and the boys are doing great. They're happy and comfortable in their guest room.

They got a chance to meet Oly the dog and there was a little big of retreating and puffing up. Oly is great with cats, and I'm sure once they figure out he's their friend, all will be well. Introductions to Butters will happen soon. He's already curious about what's on the other side of the door.

We're all missing the Bartletts. They were a very special, joyous, loving litter and we're so happy to have spent a little time with them. The start of their story was a sad one, but their ending is the happiest of all ever-afters. I'm so thankful for the wonderful families that they found.


Here a few pictures of the Georgie and Clarence's last moments with us:

Right before they left, the kittens cuddled on the couch for a nap. Charlene jumped up and gave them both lots of goodbye kisses.






Here's Georgie, napping while Betsy fills out the adoption paperwork. Clearly, he's stressed by the situation.



And a couple more shots of the kittens with their "gold medals".







Bye-bye Bartletts. I will always treasure the moments with you. XOXO.

Bartletts: Then and Now

Here's one family portrait I never shared with you. I think it was taken their second week with us. They were starting to fill out a bit, but they were still so thin through their shoulders.

And here we have the babies one month later - all healthy and round.



Georgie is quite proud of their progress. Aren't you Georgie?





Yep.

Lean In For Some Love, Georgie

Just a quick pic to share, then I'll be back later with a post on Imogene and Marcel's departure. So please, stay tuned....

It's a Quiet Day

Just in case you missed Bean's tweets this weekend, we did find a home (and a very good one) for Georgie and Clarence. I'll give you more details on that, when I tell their departure tale. They'll be leaving us Thursday evening.

Everyone is off getting snipped today, so it's very quiet around the house. I just took all of our Christmas decor down too, which makes it feel extra empty around here. Bean said hello this morning, but retreated while I was off delivering the Bartletts to the shelter for surgery. She's under the bed sleeping, and I suspect with the Bartletts away, she'll stay there for the bulk of the day.

That's OK. Bean can use a down day. She loves those Bartletts, and has been spending so much time bouncing around with them that she's missed a few naps.

So, a quiet day is a good day.

Good day, everyone.

OK, Universe. Please Send Some Good People Our Way!

So, we're still on the hunt for that perfect home for dear, sweet Clarence and Georgie. I know most of you following this blog are cat owners already, and really aren't looking to expand your feline family. And many of you don't live close enough to Seattle/Tacoma to adopt these boys.

Perhaps you know someone living in the area who might be in need of a fabulous pair of kittens. If you do, please forward a link to this post.



A little bit about the boys:

Georgie is a spunky orange tabby with a short, kinky tail and a plump little belly. He's a warm, loving fellow who's social and outgoing and VERY cuddly too. He likes napping on laps and will purr himself to sleep. His best friend is his brother Clarence.

Clarence has a lovely, smokey black coat and a little tuft of white on his chest. He's a special little guy too. He's social and active and the second he's in your arms, the purring starts. He's a bright little guy and a total cutie-pie. It's obvious good looks run in this family.

Both are confident and trusting kittens and we're hoping to place them together in a home where they will receive lots of love and attention. If you're on a search for a pair of kittens to brighten your New Year, please let us know and we can arrange a meet and greet.

I know I always say our kittens are special,, but this litter is exceptional. They had a rough start in life, but when you meet them, and see these healthy, social beings, you would never guess it. They exude love.

Fabulous folks, please send an email to kittywrangler@gmail.com if you need these lovely kittens in your life.

Thanks for spreading the word, friends.

All Better Now

Georgie wanted you to see his nose.



As you can see, it's all better now. The fur has grown back, and everything is now normal. If you've forgotten how it looked when he first moved in, you can see it here.

The babes are doing great, and soon it will be time for them to leave our nest. We've already found a place for Imogene and Marcel, but Georgie and Clarence are still looking for their perfect home. I'm trying hard to keep these two together, so if you're in the market for a sweet, loving pair of kittens, please let me know! I guarantee, they won't disappoint!

Georgie Gets a Bean Bath

I guess he didn't wash behind his ears. Thankfully Bean was there to get the spots he missed.

Nice work, Bean.

Kitten Camouflage

Hey, has anyone seen Georgie?



THERE'S the boy!

Meet Georgie Bartlett

Georgie Bartlett and his family moved in with us late Friday afternoon. There are four in this family and they are a special little litter who had kind of a sad start. Let me tell you though, they are fine and I promise their story has a happy ending.

The Bartletts were abandoned at a bus stop in Roy, Washington. They were found crammed inside a filthy carrier by a kind soul who brought into the Humane Society.

They were crusty, thin, flea-infested, with ear mites and signs of upper respiratory infections (runny eyes and noses). They also had little bald patches on their lower back legs - signs that they had been contained in a space with a hard surface beneath them.

The fine folks in Vet Treatment took care of the ear mites and fleas, put them on antibiotics, and got them on the road to good health. Traci, foster care coordinator, called me Friday to let me know they mine if I wanted them.

OF COURSE I wanted them.

I set up their quarters, and went to pick them up at the shelter later that day. They were tearing around their kennel when I arrived. They were a tiny bit scared when I packed them into their carrier, but did fine on the way home.

Once I got home, I took them into their room and one by one, placed them into the large, collapsable kennel I had setup for them.

I thought for sure, given their start, that I would have some fraidy-cats on my hands. But, within seconds, and I mean SECONDS, I had two of them on their sides letting me scratch their bellies. They were purring strong and just as happy as could be.

Shortly there after, kitten number three was purring and by the next morning, number four was too!

Remarkable.

By Saturday morning, they were napping on my lap, content and comfortable.


And today, they are romping, wrestling, playing, eating, drinking, bouncing, pouncing, poofing, purring, cuddling, snuggling just like any kittens do. They are happy, happy little beings filled with life and love!

Now, back to Georgie Bartlett. He looks like a bit of a little ragamuffin, but he's the sweetest little boy. When he came into the shelter, his nose was all crusty with food and runny eye and nose goop and when they cleaned off the crust, a little fur came with. Hopefully that will grow back soon.



This little video illustrates the little love that he is.



He's got a funny little tail, too. It's just half the length of a normal tail, and if you feel it, it's all kinky. It's pretty funny when he puffs it up in excitement. Actually, it's pretty silly. : )

This is a special little batch of babies, and I think we're all going to enjoy spending time with them.

Why Bartlett, you ask? Well, because they are all pear-shaped! Once these scrawny little babes got a good meal inside their bellies, their middles got quite round. Hopefully the rest of their bodies will catch up soon!

Welcome, Bartletts. I'm so happy to have you here!