Bottomless Basket of Kittens

I bought this pink basket for Charlene when she was just a tiny tot. She slept in it for her first year, then outgrew it. Now, it belongs to the kittens.

Every single litter we've had has curled up in this basket. Oh, the memories it holds.
(and thank goodness it's machine washable)

Here's a little sampling of the cuteness this basket has contained.

OH, What A Year It's Been!

Today this Itty Bitty Blog is celebrating it's two year anniversary! What a year it's been! We've met so many amazing little kittens and found so many wonderful families to adopt them. Our community has grown bigger (it more than doubled over the past year) and stronger (so many friendships forged). We also joined together to raise almost 23 sqillion to help the homeless cats and kittens.

Thank you once again for all your love and support. I appreciate you all stopping by each day. I am thankful for all the comments you leave and the notes you send us. You're a lovely community, and I appreciate you all so much. Out of all the blogs out there,, I doubt there's a warmer bunch of followers.

Thank you for ALWAYS being there.


In honer of this blogiversary, I thought I would share some stats with you.

In the past year we fostered 32 kittens and placed them with 17 families.
The Davenports (5)
The Livermore (4)
The LaBaths (4)
The Ashbys (5)
The Lovejoys (4)
The Darlings (5)
The Fortunatos (5)

The posts with the most views:
Bathtub + Ping Pong Ball = Hours of fun
It Truly is a Miracle
Francine Throws Her Weight Around
Sweetness Sleeping
The Itty Bitty Christmas Committee(a post from the previous year, but for some reason, it got an awful lot of visits this year)

The Posts with the most comments:
Ok Are You Ready?
Heart-Breakin Harlan Lovejoy
Give Us a Big High-Five Hubie
The Lovely Little LaBath Ladies
He's Just a Little Toooooo Knead-y

Most searched labels:
Jerry Lee
Charlene Butterbean
Maddie
Willamena
The Pettibone Family

Some of my favorite moments: (in no particular order,,and certainly not all of them!)
Enid and her angel wings
Albert Livermore claims his mother.
The Itty Bitty Vampire Committee
Orson gives us the bird
Kickin' serious booty with our very first fundraiser
And of course The opuurrrrators at the telethon
Nelson Lovejoy's tongue
Butterbean's birthday!
Hover-cats, Rupert and Clovis
Our blissed-out biscotti maker, Gaetano

Countries with the most IBKC visitors
1.United States
2.Canada
3.UK
4.Australia
5.Germany

Cities with the most IBKC visitors
1.Seattle
2.New York
3.Tacoma
4.Chicago
5.San Francisco
6.London
7.Portland
8.Washington DC
9.Vancouver BC
10.Houston

If you would care to look at last years stats, click here.


THANK YOU for an amazing year. We can hardly wait to see what's next!!

xoxo

Lots of love, Laurie, Craig, Charlene Butterbean, Drewster and all the IBKs

The Very Last of The Livermore Four

Even though The Livermores are long gone and settled into their new lives, I still had a few pictures I wanted to share with you. Enjoy!

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Last week I was contacted by a lovely gal named Cori. She was interested in adopting a pair of kittens. Trudy and Lyle were the ones that caught her eye.

At that point, Lyle and Trudy had already been spoken for. I told her that Davy and Albert were still available, and she was excited to meet the pair.

If she wasn't in love with the two before she got here, it may had happened when she drove up, and saw them nestled in the window. And if she hadn't fallen in love at that point, it happened minutes later when little Albert decided to climb up and perch his little kitty booty right there on her shoulder, almost to say, "I'm picking you". He sat there for another ten minutes, at least. The deal was sealed. Nice work, Albert.



Davy was equally charming that day, with his big, blinking, bright eyes and squirrelly kitten ways. He did an impressive exercise routine on the living room rug to dazzle us all. He's quite the acrobat.

Separately, these two are pretty amazing, but there's something about them as a pair, that's just enchanting. Needless to say, I'm thrilled they are going together.

Albert just hit the two pound mark, and he's scheduled to go in on Friday for surgery. Albert and Davy (AKA the bookends) will be departing this Saturday.


We're equally thrilled that Lyle and Trudy are staying together. Of course it was sad to say goodbye to them this past weekend. We are already missing the two little sweet peas.

Lisa, their new mama,is wonderful. She had been following the IBKC for a while. She had inquired about Orson, but he had already been spoken for. Later, she contacted Sue about The Treadwells, but they too, had already found their home. She was quick to respond when The Livermores became available. She got the pick of the litter, and she picked Trudy and Lyle.

Lisa is kind and sweet and will give them all the love and attention they deserve. I couldn't imagine a more perfect home for the two.

She just emailed today and said that they are both doing really great and she couldn't be any happier than she is right now.






This is as good as it gets,,, all the kittens going out in pairs and to the perfect people for their personalities. AND they are all keeping their names too, which always makes me happy.

Hip,hip, hooray for the Livermore Four.

All is Well

I just got home from picking up the babies from the vet. They were all a little groggy when they first got home, but they had a snack, and now they are bouncing off the walls.

Albert seemed to enjoy spending some alone time with Charlene, but was happy to see his siblings return.

All is well.

The Itty Bitty Snippity, Snip, Snip.

Well, it's just going to be me and Albert today. The other three Livermores are off to the vet today for a little snip-snipping. Yep, everyone else is over the two pound mark, so they are big enough for surgery. Albert's got four ounces to go before he's ready. He's a slow grower, compared to the rest, but he's making good progress.

OK, please, everyone sit down now. I've got some news.

Trudy and Lyle are leaving us. Whew, there, I said it.

They met their mama earlier this week, and she'll be bring them home this weekend.

I know I say this every single time, but REALLY, it seems they only got here yesterday. I can't believe we'll be saying goodbye so soon.

I think Trudy and Lyle are a lovely pair, and their new mama is very sweet, so they've got a wonderful life ahead.

Alrighty, I've got a couple of suit cases to pack. Happy Friday everyone.

PS In case you haven't noticed, there are a couple more new things on the sidebar, including a poll at the very, very bottom of the page.

Growth Spurt

When The Livermores first moved in with us, they were a tad scrawny and we had a very hard time getting them to eat enough to pack on the ounces they needed. Since then, they have completely turned the corner and are all gaining weight fast! Every day I put the little piggies on the scale and they've gained an ounce, or two,, or three even. Now everyone but Albert is over two pounds. It's kind of caught me off guard. I thought we would have a little more time with the kittens. It's now time to REALLY start trying to find them homes.

So with that said...all of you folks out there in blogland,, who's going to step up and claim these kittens? If you're living in the Seattle/Tacoma area and are needing a little fluff in your life, please consider adopting a pair of Livermores. They promise to give you lots of love, distract you from the depressing things like the election and the state of the economy, and will curl up on your lap and keep you warm and toasty through the cold, winter months ahead. They also promised to always bury their poo and never climb the drapes, but I'm not so sure I believe them.

If you're not in need of a kitty, but know of some quality folks who might be, please send them a link to the blog.

PS...AND speaking of blogs... perhaps you've noticed a couple of changes. I worked into the wee hours last night, mixing things up a bit. There are lots of new things on the side bar including pics of all the IBKC alum and a few new FAQs. Also, a new banner, new colors,,, etc.

Butterbean and the Babies

The boys LOVE Charlene. All three of them greet her in the morning by running up to her and rubbing their little bodies against hers. They literally swarm her. They'll settle down and sit right in front of her and lift up their chins and wait for licks on their heads. Trudy isn't nearly as smitten. She puffed up when she met her and let out a few tiny hisses. Since then, she's completely comfortable around her, but doesn't seek the attention like the boys do.

Albert is the one who probably loves Charlene the most. He likes to snuggle up with her and warm his buns on her fluffy tail. She'll tolerate it for a moment, but when it gets to be too much, she'll yank it out from beneath him and roll the poor little boy. He's quick to forgive. Or maybe quick to forget, because he'll try it again seconds later and get rolled again.

'Fraidy Cats to Confident Kittens in Just Seven Days!

It's been a week since The Livermores moved in with us. They were feral kittens, so there's been a bit of an adjustment period. Their first day was spent mostly under the bed. They snuggled up together and only one kitten (Albert) was brave enough to venture out to say hello. The next morning they were feeling safer and more adventurous. Each day they have improved, and now they are quite confident kittens. I feel like we have gained their trust.

The bigger challenge with these kittens has been getting them to eat. On the first day, they lapped up everything we put in front of them. Their new diet rocked their system, and made them pretty sheepish around the food dish. We've had to spend a lot of time syringe feeding them to make sure they take in enough calories. They are eating a lot better now, but we still have to give a little extra to the little ones.

The Livermores are such darlings. It's been so amazing to watch them develop. Each day, they show us a little more of who they are. And what we've seen so far is sweet, sweet, sweet.

The Livermore Four

From the bottom left, going clockwise:
Albert, Lyle, Trudy and Davy Livermore.

Good Afternoon, Mr Livermore

Here's yet to be named, tabby number two.

Good Morning, Mr Livermore

Mr Livermore is the same little kitten you met yesterday. The kitties came late in the day, so I had a limited amount of natural light to photograph in. (it sure is getting dark earlier these days!) He's the only one I was able to capture.

The surname has been decided upon, but still no decisions on the first names. So for now,,, it's just Mr Livermore. There are a couple of other Misters and a Miss too. You will be meeting them shortly.

The kittens are all settling in just fine. They are getting used to their new surroundings and new family. So far, this Mr Livermore is the most social. He purrs upon eye contact. The others have good motors too, but you have to catch them first. They like to dart under things when you first enter the room. They are warming up though. I can see vast improvements in the brief time we've had them. I'm sure they'll be just like the Davenports... 'fraidy cats turned loving machines.

Although she was a little bored at first, Charlene did seem to enjoy the kitten break. When the kittens are around, she always near them, keeping a watchful eye. The break gave her the opportunity to relax a bit and catch up on some napping. Since the Livermores arrived, she's been camped out on the other side of their bedroom door, anxiously awaiting introductions. She can't meet them yet. We've got to make sure they are all A-OK and didn't come in with any bugs.

Drewey was happy to have a kitten-free life for a spell. She never really interacts with the kittens, on a rare occasion she might have to dash past them on her way out the door. Some how they managed to cramp her little old lady cat style.

It's very nice having kittens again. I certainly did miss them but it was nice having a break too. It made me realize how much time caring for kittens, photographing and blogging really does take. I can't really slow down on the kitten care, but I can slow down with the blog. I'm still planning on blogging, of course, but I probably won't be posting every day.

Thanks for sticking around while I was on hiatus. I know you're anxious to meet all the Livermores. I'll post them as I name them.