Alumni Update: Mavis and Bee Patmore

As promised, I've got an update on the other two of the Patmore Four -- Mavis and Bee!  Here they are (pictured above) shortly before their adoption. Mavis is on top and Bee is on the bottom.

Their mama, Parvaneh, sent us a nice long update with some sweet photos to share with us.

Here goes:


Wow, the girls are already a year and a half old! They still are just as sweet as the day that I first met them and their personalities have blossomed. They have been given different names, but I wanted to make sure I paid homage to their kitty committee names, too, and gave them little alter ego monikers. Bee became Dottie "BB Gun" St. Clair, and Mavis became Rosie "The Maverick" St. Clair. I chose the St. Clair name as it's a reference to a female mob boss and I just liked naming them after a powerful woman.

They are still as cuddly as ever and love to crawl into your lap when you're watching a movie, or hanging out in the living room with friends. Rosie has a tendency to sleep right on my head and keep me company in the mornings, but is also the one who is very insistent about her morning dining schedule and will meow relentlessly and gently pat your face to make sure you can't sleep through it. Even though she is the most aggressive about her eating habits Rosie is significantly smaller than Dottie. Rosie has a fluffy coat that's not quite shorthair and not quite longhair, but she is very slight and petite under her extra fur. She is very deliberate and focused, a very elegant young cat. Dottie is muscular and a little round in the belly. She is very much a shorthaired cat and very excitable and vocal. You always know when Dottie enters a room because she announces herself with little purrs and chirps. She's extremely cute, but clumsy, and she loves to take laps around the house at all hours.

These two have developed into quite the ferocious hunters and no spider or moth escapes them. They loooove feather toys and will jump several feet off the ground in an effort to catch them. We have to replace them very frequently as they chew them to shreds in moments once they catch them. Dottie is more of a catnip aficionado than her sister and will happily chew on her catnip carrots until she passes out in a blissful puddle.

Even though they love the hunt, they are ultimately extremely social kitties and love people. They are great with children and immediately climb onto the laps of guests who happen to sit in a comfy looking position. Every person who hears us gushing about our amazing cats thinks we're exaggerating until they meet our two wonderful companions. They steal the hearts of everyone who meets them. I feel so lucky that we were able to take these two sweethearts home and have them be part of our lives. They enrich our days in an incalculable way.

Thank you so much for sharing your girls with us today, Parvaneh. Clearly, they are living the good life in your care! We're thrilled to know they bring you so much joy!

Alumni Update: Genevieve and Theodora Patmore!

OH, this is going to be a fun week! To help celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the IBKC blog, which happens to be tomorrow, I've got a TON of alumni updates to share.  I love seeing pictures of our growing and grown-up IBKs and hearing about what they are up to, and I think you might too.

First up, we've got an update from Beth, who adopted Theodora (left) and Genevieve (right), two of our Patmore Four.  Here are the girls shortly before their adoption.



And here they are with sisters Belinda and Mavis.





Here are they are today!

And here's what Beth had to say:

We are thrilled and honored to have 2 itty bittys in our home.

Willett (Theodora): loves boxes and belly rubs, really good about getting her claws trimmed, used to eat more than her share of food and got a little overweight but we're working on it, super sweet, talker

Larue (Genevieve): loves her little plush ball toys with rattles, hates belly rubs and claw trims (doing her back feet is a 2-person task), feisty, dominant over her much bigger sister, super sweet, still has a high pitched squeaky voice, loves a lap



Thanks so much for sharing the girls with us, Beth! They look lovely and so very happy!  It's hard to believe they all grown up now.  It feels like they just left us yesterday, but they came to us in April of 2016, so it's been well over a year since their adoption.

Please give them some love from all of us!

Stay tuned, friends.  Two more of the Patmore Four are up next!


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Bean Approved!

For many, many years Beth and Steve shared their lives with a tightly bonded pair of sibling cats, Fidel and Grace.   This special pair lived well into their late teens and brought much joy to their humans, but sadly both passed within the past couple of years.  

Like all of us who experience this kind of loss, though your heart feels empty, you need a little time to heal before your open it up again.

So, Beth and Steve waited, and when they felt ready, they began their search for a pair of kittens.

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Mavis and Belinda had already been claimed when Beth and Steve came down for their "meet and greet".   They were very happy to know that Genevieve, the first Patmore that caught their eye, was still available. They had been admiring Thea's fabulous belly spots, so they were equality thrilled to know she was available, too.

We had a very nice visit that afternoon.  All the Patmores enjoyed meeting our guests and were happy to receive lots of love and attention from them.

Here's sweet Thea feeling safe in Steve's hands. 



A few minutes into our meeting, Charlene came into the living room to say hello. Normally, she keeps a safe distance from strangers, but much to my surprise, she jumped right up on the couch and joined the Patmores and their visitors!  And then she climbed onto Beth's lap where she sat for minutes.  THIS NEVER HAPPENS!

I knew they were good kitty people already, but Bean certainly confirmed this!!!!  Folks, getting the Butterbean Seal of Approval™ is something that never comes quickly -- it takes time, and the list of recipients is short!



So, yes. Genevieve and Theodora were adopted by these fine humans and are living the good life in Seattle.  Just like their sisters, they adjusted quickly and made themselves right at home.

Beth and Steve, we wish you all many good years to come with these dear girls.  I know they'll bring you many laughs, much joy and love!  Enjoy these special kittens!!!

"Beevis"

Several months back, Parvaneh sent me a note introducing herself and asking about our kittens in residence at the time, the Higgenbottoms.  She was interested in adopting a pair, but all had already been spoken for, so I promised her we would put her at the top of the list, and when the next set arrived, she would get to meet them first.

The Higgenbottoms moved on, and the long wait for a new litter began.  Finally, our Patmores arrived!  I checked back in with Parvaneh to see if she was still looking for kittens. Yes, she was, so once the girls were out of quarantine we had her down for a visit.

When she arrived, all four kittens were asleep in their usual cuddle puddle on the couch, but Mavis woke up and dashed over  to meet her.

Our friendly and outgoing Torbie got picked in an instant.  Selecting the second kitten wasn't as easy.

We sat for an hour while we discussed the possible parings, but when Parvaneh left that afternoon, she hadn't made up her mind. That was fine, she had time to think about it because our next suitors weren't going to be visiting until the following week.

So, she thought about it for a few days.

And when I posted this photo on Instagram, her decision became clear.



Bee would be the one to accompany Mavis.

From this point on, Craig and I began calling them "Beevis".

























We're thrilled Team Torbie!  I never try to influence our adopters when they're picking out their kittens, but if I had been given the task of pairing of this set,  I would have put those two together.







I've gotten a couple of updates already, and the girls are doing great. They transitioned quickly into their new home in Seattle with Parvaneh and her sweetie, Mike.  They are happy and comfortable in their new surroundings, and already thriving.


We wish you all the best!  Enjoy your very special Patmores, Parvaneh and Mike!

It's Patmore Family Portrait Time!

I think I've taken more group shots of this crew than any other litters we've hosted.  Partially because Tabbies and Torbies are the easiest cats to photograph, but also because these kittens, from day one, were always near each other, and near me.  There never was a need to round them up -- they were always right there and together in a posse, pile, or puddle.

It's nice to see them all lined up so we can pause on each one. We can compare the Tabby "M" on each forehead, count their arm bands and necklaces, and find subtle difference in eye shape and eyeliner.  They're equally lovely, but each Patmore is truly unique.