Crazy, Calm.

It's funny, but as kittens leave our nest,  we always see the personalities of the remaining kittens start to shift.   Since Sweet Evie left, things have definitely calmed down.  I thought it was just because we went from three crazy kittens to two crazy kittens, but as it turns out, she was was wild one who riled up the other two.  There's still plenty of kitten energy and rowdiness happening, but there are fewer heated wrestling matches and less swinging from the chandeliers (although Maeve and Delphine did manage to take down a floor lamp).

Of course, it wasn't all wild times when Evie was around.  There was plenty of sweet and quiet moments too.  Like this one.

Three calm little Kibblesmiths posing for their final family portrait.

Come Over and Play, Kibblesmiths

A few days ago I pulled out the cardboard houses and put them in the center of the living room.

Wylla loves to hide inside the houses and wait for an unsuspecting Kibblesmith to walk by so she  can give them a BOOP with her paw, or pounce at them through a window or door.  

If they come knocking on the door,  she'll let them in, but usually there's a slap fight or a wrestling match on the doorstep first.


They've figured out all sort of games to play in the houses, and seem to really enjoy themselves.  It's highly entertaining to watch them, too!

 

Why Can't We Be Friends?

As we have all witnessed, Bean is always eager to become friends with any kitten that passes through our home.  She's non-threatening and has a very relaxed vibe around them, but sometimes the wee ones are a wee bit scared of her.  Eventually they get over it, and everyone becomes pals.

The Kibblesmiths are still a little unsure of what to make of this giant cat.  They're on edge when she is in their presence.  They've moved past the arched back/ bottle brush tail phase of introductions, but as you can see in this video, they're still tense around Bean.


I'm sure as they mingle more,  they'll figure out Bean is their friend.  

Relax Kibblesmiths. She just wants to lick you.

No Time to Rest!

With just eleven days of fundraising left, and $39,000 to go, there's not time to rest, kittens!  

There is work to be done!  There are squillions to raise!

To help get us there, an anonymous kitty-loving gentleman is offering up a $1000 match for us this morning. 

You know how this works, every donation we make, he will match dollar-for-dollar,  until we reach the $1000 cap. We've got until 7:00 PM (pacific time) to do this.  So, let's do this!

I know we just met a huge match yesterday, but with $39,000 left to raise and 11 days to do it, we have to keep up a pretty good pace, so please bear with me as I push us a little harder.


To make a donation and get your dollars doubled today, please visit our Firstgiving page.


And stay tuned.  There is more cute to come today!

THANK YOU to our anonymous gentleman!   Thank you to everyone for listening, and thanks to all who give!   oxoxo

Kibblesmith Family Portrait

Look!  All three Kibblesmiths!  Sitting still!  And mostly looking at the camera! Finally!



Thank you, sweet kittens.  What a lovely little family you are.

Darling Nappers

There's nothing cuter than a pile of napping Kibblesmiths.



























'

Mixing and Mingling

Wylla has been spending a little more time with the Kibblesmiths, and the kittens have moved past their initial fear of the "giant" beast, and are becoming  more curious about her.

It's interesting to watch Wylla watch them. You can see the wheels in her little brain churning as she's trying to process it all. It must be a bit confusion - we had two kittens, they left, and now we have three kittens, and one of these kittens looks a lot like one we used to have.  Bean's been through this enough to know the pattern. Wylla will figure it out eventually, but for now it's a bit boggling.






SLOW going on the match this morning!  We've barely made a dent in it!  If you're in a position to give and can help the homeless cats and kittens out, please do! And if you can't give, please share and tell your kitty-loving friends about what we're up to over here. 

Every wee bit help, especially during a match, when your dollars are doubled.  Even if it's just a few dollars - that can feed or vaccinate a shelter cat, and that makes a difference in their lives!    

Thank you for listening, thank you for giving!   To help the cats and kittens out, please click HERE. 

The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of Its Cute Parts.

These Kibblesmiths are always on the go, which has made it difficult to get photos of the trio.  Thankfully, they paused long enough to allow me to snap a couple of shots this morning.

Thank you, Kibblesmiths.  You're adorable individually, but together, even better!

Check-Up Time!

Every two weeks, foster kittens go in for a round of vaccines, a weigh-in, and get a good once-over by Allea, who's in charge of the foster program.

The girls were due for a visit, so I loaded them up in their carrier, and off we went.  We live less than ten minutes away from the shelter,  and the ride is an easy one.  No complaints from the kittens, so the trip was quiet.



All the girls did great with the vaccines, and everyone had put on weight.   Delphine is still the smallest, but wins the prize for gaining the most ounces since their last visit.  That little piggy just rolled past a pound!   Maeve is the biggest at 1 pound and five ounces.  Evie is almost two ounces smaller than Maeve.    They're all growing at a pretty good clip now.

Allea's great at handling the kittens. They always feel calm with her.



Even when they're getting poked with needles.











Nice work, Kibblesmiths!    I know getting shots isn't much fun, but you all did remarkably well.



Keeping all of these kittens and cats vaccinated is so important, and when you have hundreds of litters of kittens flood through the shelter each year (two hundred litters of kittens in last June alone), it isn't cheap.   Please consider a donation to our shelter to help with these and other medical expenses.  Maybe you can give enough to vaccinate one cat? Maybe you can give enough to vaccinate a litter?  Every  bit helps, every bit matters, and all is appreciated!   Thank you!  


To make a tax-deductible donation,  please visit our FUNdraising page!   

And right now, we've got a matching donation challenge happening!  Donate now and your dollars are doubled (until we reach the $2000 cap)! 

Say Hello, Kibblesmiths.

The Kibblesmiths are still residing in the basement, they're kind of small to be running around upstairs, so Wylla and Bean have been coming down for visits.

Wylla's very curious about the new wards,  and has enjoyed peeking over the edge the wall of their exercise yard to watch them play.

They did hiss at her at first, but now getting used to her looming, and seem happy when she stops by to say hello.

Kittens of Mass Destruction

Weekends get a little quiet around here.   And when things get quiet, kittens get bored.  And when kittens get bored, kittens get naughty.




So please, before the set is completely destroyed, give us a call!

To make your tax-deductible donation to help our shelter and help improve the lives of homeless cats and kittens, please visit our FUNdrising page.

And if you're not in a position to give, please let your friends know what we're up to!  Spreading the word make a difference too!

The Exercise Yard

You can tell the Kibblesmiths are all feeling good.  They are much bouncier and have been spending a lot more time playing, and doing less napping.  I took little footage of them having some fun in their "exercise yard" last night, and I think you're going to enjoy it!  There's lots of pouncing, some side-winding and a little biting of butts.






I don' know if you were watching the FUNdraiser last night, but it was a nail-biter.  I have a tremendous amount of faith in this community, but for a while, so late on a Friday night when not too many folks tune in, I didn't think it would be able to meet that big matching donation challenge.  But it did happen,OF COURSE IT DID, because you all are awesome, and you would never let the kitties down!  Gosh, I love you guys.

Thanks for making these first couple days very good ones.

Did you enjoy the video? Did those kittens make you smile?  Perhaps you could give a wee bit to support the shelter that provides and cares for these dear things.  Any amount will do!

Please visit our FUNdraising page to donate if you can.  Or just pop over there and see all the heartwarming comments folks have left.

Too Much Poo

 Diarrhea is a pretty common thing when you're fostering kittens.  You don't know what the kittens  were eating before they came into the shelter, so it's impossible to slowly transition them to the food you want to feed them.  As their systems get accustomed to their new diet, you usually have some loose poo.

Well, the Kibblesmiths had it for a few days, but then it got worse and more frequent, so into the doctor they went. They tested a sample, which revealed nothing, so we started them out with a probiotic and they sent me home with a bag of sub q fluids to help keep them hydrated.

Still, it continued, and wee Delphine was starting to look a little low, so back to the vet we went, and we returned home with a couple of new medicines to try, another probiotic, a nutritional supplement, and more fluids.

So far, things seem to be working.  The poo seems thicker and has more shape, and the frequency has reduced too. It's not perfect, but it's better, and the girls are all starting to put a little weight on now.  Hopefully in next day or two, we'll see some nice little tootsie rolls in the box!

They've been here over two weeks, so quarantine should be up, but until they are 100%,  they'll stay in their basement quarters and we'll wait on letting them mingle with the medium and big cats upstairs.

They nap in their wire kennel,  and come out for meals and playtime.  I have a giant box that was used to ship flowers and it works great for their exercise area. It's four feet long and two feet wide, so there's a fair amount of room for running around.  The slick surface is great for chasing mylar balls on, and I've witnessed some pretty great soccer scrimmages in there.  They've figured out how to climb up the sides of the box, but no one seems to have the strength or sense to make it over the edge yet. Hopefully by the time they figure that out, they'll be healthy enough to move upstairs!



















Adoption fees don't even begin to cover the care costs of a sick kitten at the shelter.  Donations are crucial to help cover medical needs.  

Please consider making a donation to our fundraiser to help with these costs.  Every bit counts!  Even if you can only give enough to cover a round of vaccines for a wee kitty, please remember THAT HELPS.  You are making the difference in the life of a homeless animal when you donate any amount.  

We've got a nice $2500 matching donation challenge happening today (thanks to dear Cynthia) so if you donate now, your dollars will be doubled by her until we meet the cap.  The challenge runs until 9:00 PM Pacific Time.

To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit HERE.

We've got about $1700 left to meet in our match, so please help us reach today's goal.  

Thanks for all the support!   We appreciate you so much!!