Alumni Update: Maddie Bouvier (And Team Tortie)

Maddie Bouvier’s adoption tale will always be a favorite of mine. Normally, we only adopt out locally, but for Maddie we did bend the rules. A lot of plotting and planning went into getting Maddie to her family, and because of this, she will always be a very special kitten to us.

Alicia, Maddie’s mom, sent a big batch of photos and some great kitty anecdotes, too. I think you’re going to like what she's sharing with us today!

Here we go!


Hi Laurie! 

 Maddie is a very happy 8 year old tortie girl in perfect health. As the leader of every household insurrection*, she makes sure there is plenty of chaos at home. Twice a day she functions as the family's official alarm clock, assuring that meal times are strictly observed on pain of rattled doorknobs, broken valuables, or snagged clothing. She runs to greet us at the door and slaps her paws to invite play, two dog-like qualities she acquired from Cassie. She is very happy to scoot the detached handle of a paper bag across the floor with her sister Gnocchi when a clean cotton swab isn't available. Maddie also goes nuts for peppermint tea, the package of which she carries away in her mouth and licks maniacally. 


Her best trick--and I hope the IBKC readers will say if they've ever known another cat to do this--is hiding wide-eyed with fully dilated pupils just behind a door frame as you approach. At the last moment before you step into the next room, she springs up five and a half feet in the air and slides down the door jamb like it's a fire pole. It can be genuinely startling and is therefore very hard to catch on video. I'll keep trying though.


*Almost every insurrection. Sophie starts a fight every day at 5pm Eastern but Maddie always wins.


love, Alicia

You can read her adoption tale HERE and HERE. It was such an awesome story, we had to put it in two posts!!


Thanks for sharing so much with us today, Alicia! Please give Maddie a smooch from all of us, and some love to the other members of Team Tortie, too!

Maddie BOOvier!

I've taken many pictures of kittens posing by pumpkins over the years, but I think this one might be my favorite. Maddie BOOvier really is the perfect little Halloween kitten, isn't she?

I shared the photo above on Twitter last night, and Maddie's mom, Alicia, replied with a current picture of  her sweet girl. 

She's still is a cute little pumpkin.  Happy Halloween, Maddie!  Thanks for sharing, Alicia!

Miss Maddie

Though Maddie Bouvier lives further away than any other IBK, we still remain in close contact with this sweet tortie and her family.  She was Bean's first favorite kitten, so she holds a big spot in all of our hearts around here.

Here's baby Maddie.  This picture always cracks me up.

THAT BELLY!!  Good golly!



And here's what Alicia has to say about her dear, goofy girl:

 Maddie is 6 years old now and has had an especially good year because of her feature in the IBKC book. I won't say she's gotten a big head with her newfound fame, but she has occasionally kicked Cassie out of her dog bed with little apparent remorse. When she and I aren't cuddling, which is most of the time, she likes to cuddle with her sisters. Maddie still loves to play with little plastic things that scoot across wood floors, she is still scared of the vacuum, and we still have to keep the toilet seat closed. She still likes to stick her nose into everything I'm doing. I can't leave beans to drain over the sink unattended because she will steal them! Bean thief! Maybe they make her think of her mentor, Butterbean. Maddie, Sophie, Gnocchi, Cassie, Tony and I are very excited to watch the totals go up on another great fundraiser and hope the money will provide care and homes for All The Torties! 

And here's a fabulous set of photos of Maddie, Sophie, Gnocchi, and Cassie!

Alicia's favorite photo of Maddie

Gnocchi and Maddie

Maddie with paper punch nose accessory

Sophie and Maddie

Maddie on the couch

Cassie and Maddie

Maddie in Garfield mode

Thank you so much for sharing these, Alicia! It's clear she's still the character we knew and loved. Please give our love to Team Tortie and Cassie, too!

Miss Maddie Bouvier

Maddie Bouvier moved far away from us, but we've stayed in close contact with her over the years.  Alicia, her mama, is always sharing lots of great Maddie photos and stories with us, so we've been able to watch our little girl grow up.


 Here's itty bitty Maddie, just a few weeks old.

 

Here's Maddie today!
 

 Here's Alicia's latest report.

Maddie, who's 5, continues to be the best kitty ever. She's exactly like she was as a kitten in habits and personality--super cuddly, playful, impatient, and talkative. The only difference is now she's fully grown. Saying that Maddie and I are two peas in a pod doesn't really do our relationship justice. We're always together and we're most happy when she's riding around on my shoulder, in my lap, or under the covers. Longtime IBKC readers may remember that Tony and I started with one tortie, Sophie. After adding Maddie to the family we also adopted Cassie, a dog, and Gnocchi, our third tortie. Maddie is the closest friend to all of them, pretending to be a dog with Cassie, teaching Gnocchi how to hunt and accepting Butterbean-style baths from Sophie. She's a constant source of joy and we know how lucky we are to have her in our family and to be an extended member of the IBKC family.

Thank you so much for the update and all the photos, Alicia!  It's always great hearing what that goofy tortie girl is up to!

Halloweens of Yesteryear

Here are a few links to Halloween posts from the past...

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlene Butterbean
Little Miss Bean and her first Halloween.

Albert Allen Poe
He perched, and sat, and nothing more...

The BOOviers
Sweet little pumpkins...

Happy Hallow-Bean and Candy Corny
Anxiously await the trick-or-treaters...

More spider wranglin'...
With Albert and Davy

A Little More Auction Action!

For those of you who have been with us for awhile, you'll remember our former foster, Maddie Bouvier. She has a pretty great adoption tale, and if you'd like to read it and maybe cry some happy tears, please click here. There's also a follow up post with pictures of the event here.

Alicia and Tony, Maddie's mom and dad, are owners of Chroma Lab, where they produce colorful, modern furniture and home assocories. If you follow any of the design blogs, I'm sure you're seen their lovely work.

Chroma Lab has generously donated one of their lovely clocks to be auctioned off for our fundraiser. The winner gets to pick their favorite design from their website, and they will make it to order.

And here is one of their lovely clocks:



And here's a little blurb about the clocks from Alicia:
Each of our clocks are built by hand from quality birch plywood and then hand painted. They come in a variety of colorful designs that are sure to brighten up any room in your home! We use Benjamin Moore Aura paints on our clocks, as well as a semigloss acrylic polyurethane topcoat for a durable and glossy finish.

To visit the auction and place your bid, please click here.

I might have to get in on the action on this one... There's a striking red and aqua one that would look mighty fine in my kitchen!

Thanks so much Tony, Alicia and Maddie!
Oh, and if you would like to see what a lovely lady Miss Maddie has become, click here.

Itty Bitty Tortie Committee

Originally uploaded by aliciaseesmice

Alicia has been so great about keeping me updated on Maddie. I thought you all would love to hear what she had to say and see some new pictures of our girl. Here's a little teaser photo, but you must venture over to Alicia's flickr page to see the rest. She has the cutest shots of Maddie cuddling ( and spooning even) with her sister (another tortie ! ) Sophie.

Here's what Alicia had to say:

Maddie is still doing great here in Boston. She is always running around playing and purring and snuggling. She is really getting big, you guys wouldn't believe it! Her tail is so long she has to hold it up off the floor when she walks. Sophie's doesn't even reach the floor! She is up to her usual tricks, but she is also adding some new mischievous skills to her repertoire....

Maddie loves to carry things in her mouth from place to place. She recently adopted a nice size cardboard box as her play center and likes to drop things in it for safe keeping. She likes to pick up and spin Tony's (clean) paintbrushes and she also likes to sneak away with bits of human food when we aren't looking. She has very sophisticated tastes, including chicken tikka masala. The other day she grabbed a whole slice of peach out of my bowl and carried it across the house to put in her box.

She is very good at whipping the glasses off our faces to play with. One minute I am reading, the next I can't see and she's off with my glasses. She likes to bat at pens I am using, too. Maddie still likes to climb people and loves to watch me clean the litter box on my back. She'll come running to see that. She also comes running whenever someone opens the front door and tries to sneak out into the hallway to run up and down the stairs. She gets really excited when she hears the door click downstairs because she knows Tony is home from work. She also loves to give kisses and hugs first thing in the morning and is always ready to curl up on my lap for a snooze (she is purring there now).

She and Sophie are starting to get along well. They like to wrestle, although this is usually initiated by Maddie and Sophie usually wins. They are starting to cuddle on the couch more with the heated blanket, and yesterday, for the first time, I saw Sophie give Maddie a little bath. They are on their way to being good friends.

Maddie Update !!

Sophie and Maddie
Originally uploaded by tony.bevilacqua

Alicia just sent me the Maddie report, and I thought I would share it with you. She and Maddie were staying with her folks in Texas, but now they have moved on to their permanent home in Boston. Maddie is quite the seasoned traveler ! I hope she's getting frequent flyer miles... she's accumulated a few thousand now, at least.

The photo above is Maddie with big sister Sophie. Photo credit goes to Maddie's daddy Tony.

Anyway,, here's what Alicia had to say:

I thought you'd like to know how little Miss Maddie's doing -- very, very well. You would not believe how big she is getting. Her tail is soooo long and she has these huge paws and ears she will grow into, like a gangly teenager. Curled up now, she is about the size of a dinner plate. Her legs are so tall and she is so energetic. Her latest trick is jumping onto my back whenever I bend over.

Maddie and I just flew into Boston last night. She was a little upset on the flight, but I was right there with my hand on the carrier for her to rub against if she needed me. I made sure she could see me at all times and I think that helped. She was very admired by everyone at the airport! They all said she had such a sweet face.

She has be doing great here at he house; in fact she already acts like she owns the place. She purred immediately when she met Tony again and loves to sit on his chest or curl up next to him. Sophie, our other tortie, is a very cautiuos kitty and is a little unsettled by Maddie's quick movements. There has a been a little hissing and growling, but I think it will just take some time for Sophie to adjust.

2007 Kitty Review

Pierre

Penny

Cassius

Vinny

Wendell Jefferson Hopps

Mitzy Jean Hopps

Rex Von Trout

Reva Von Trout

Lottie Bouvier

Cornelius Bouvier

Maddie Bouvier

Willamena Bouvier

It was really fun going through all the pictures from the year and selecting one of each kitten for today's post. I enjoyed reflecting on each of our babies during this process.

What a wonderful year it's been. I feel so lucky having all of these lovely kittens as a part of our lives. Each one was so precious and fabulous in their own special way. It was an amazing experience watching them grow and seeing their personalities develop. They made us laugh many, many times. We were touched by their sweetness. They enriched our lives so much.

It's been a pleasure getting to know all of you as well. We appreciate you always being there and loving these babies from afar. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

I want to wish you all the best for 2008. I hope your year is bright and filled with lots of love, happiness, and good health.

Happy New Year IBKC Friends!
Happy New Year Kitties !
Happy New Year Kitty Parents and Families!
Happy New Year Everyone!

All the Babies

Here's a group shot taken shortly before the kitties left for their new homes.

Letting the Cat out of the Bag: The Photos

Here are a few photos from the Maddie's big adventure. If you haven't read the whole story,, please scroll down and read the post below first. Thanks Alicia for sending in the pics from Texas !

Maddie and Cornelius share one last snuggle before saying goodbye.

Grandpa Dennis meets his new grandkitty.

Maddie charms the ticket agents into a upgrade to first class.

Maddie gets a quick manicure before departure. Kim holds her, Sue clips them.

Into the festive kitty carrier she goes!

Grandpa shows off his girl, and heads to security.

A sleepy Alicia meets her new baby.

Maddie and her daddy.

The proud parents.