For the Foster Program!

The foster program is very near and dear our hearts, and because of this, we always devote at least a day of our donations during the fundraiser to this program.

This amazing program allows both cats and kittens to receive the best possible care while they wait to reach an "adoptable" state.

With these cats and kittens temporarily living in our huge network of foster homes,  more space is created at the shelter for incoming cats, and this time of year there are a LOT of incoming cats.  It frees up shelter staff, too. Animals in need of fostering require more care, sometimes 'round the clock, and special attention, too.



Foster homes give mama cats a safe and quiet place to raise their babies. For orphaned kittens, foster families are able to socialize them and monitor them closely to make sure they're getting all that they need.

The foster program helps big cats, too. Adult cats are fostered when they need time to recover from an injury or illness (like a highly contagious upper respiratory infection) or if they just need to spend some time working on their social skills.  By sending recovering cats into foster homes, it keeps the remaining cat population healthier too.

Fostered cats and kittens tend to be happier, healthier and better-adjusted pets. So when they return to the shelter and are put up for adoption, they get adopted quickly, and the likelihood of them being returned is very, very low.

A lot of kittens pass through the foster program each year -- last year there were 968 and 292 of those were neonates (four weeks and under).

Currently, we have 120 active foster homes and we're providing care for 185 kittens (the week before it was 265!!).  As you might imagine, it takes a lot to keep all of the foster homes stocked with supplies they need to care for their wards.



All day long, and through the weekend too,  the funds we raise will support the Foster Program.

The money will be used to purchase the essentials like kitten formula, bottles and syringes, canned and dry food, bedding, crates, kennels, scales,  kitty litter, litter boxes, vaccines, flea treatment,  heating pads,  probiotics,  nutritional supplements, medicine, sub q fluids, and more.

Kitten season is far from over, so I'm hoping we'll be able to bring enough to really bulk up the Foster Room shelves with all that they need!



Thanks to our Awesome Anonymous Donor, we've got another match!  It's a big one, but we love our foster kittens, so I'm confident we can complete it!

For every single dollar we donate, she will match it until we meet her very generous $5000 cap.  The match will run until 7:00 PM (Pacific Time) tonight, so we've got 12 hours to get it done.

Once the match is over, we'll still collect donations for the Foster Program until 11:59 PM on Sunday. I know many of you will be slipping away for a long holiday weekend, so before you head out of town, please get your donations in!

Thank you, EVERYONE, for all the support!  Thank you, Awesome Anonymous Donor, for this generous match. And thank you to all the foster families out there taking care of those many kittens and cats.


To make a tax-deductible donation, please pay a visit to our FUNraising page.

THANK YOU!

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Just in case you missed it yesterday, I did create a space for us to leave our comments after making our donations.  You can read about it HERE.

Also, we passed the $25 squillion mark yesterday and we're now over a quarter of the way to our goal!!  Of course, we still have a long row to hoe, but we are making major progress!  Thank you for helping us go so far in just a few days of fundraising!

I'll be back with more today.  I'm going to take you on a little tour of the Foster Room next! Stay tuned!

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.

Have a Heart

Here you go,, it's just for you. xoxo

All the Pickett Kittens

Picketts on Parade!

Craig was sweet enough to make this movie for all of you. There's music, so if you're in the office,, you might want to turn it down a bit. (Unless you think everyone may enjoy a little John Coltrane). The movie is about five minutes long and there are 1300 Pickett images along with a few of Nate and Tate ( the jumping orange boys) and a couple human members of the IBKC. Enjoy ! THANKS CRAIG !!

Lights, Camera, Picketts !!!

As some of you have heard (and maybe seen)the IBKC had a couple of visitors last week. Our local NBC station, King 5 stopped by to film a little segment on the blog and kitties for Evening Magazine.

The news was exciting at first, but then as it got closer to the shoot, the reality of it all set in, and the excitement turned to nervousness.

The Picketts can be real 'fraidy cats at times. Often big things or big noises will send them scattering. I feared most of the footage shot that morning would be of me, trying to fish a kitten out from behind the sofa with a feather wand. Fortunately, the kittens proved me wrong.

The Picketts were right in the middle of their post-breakfast rumble when the crew arrived. The timing couldn't of been better. They were too busy to be scared, so they just played and played while the camera man set up all the lights and camera and started filming their antics. They were bouncing all over the place, chasing their toys, wrestling, and pouncing on each other. I don't think they could of been cuter if they tried.



Charlene was tucked away upstairs. She's loving to the kitties, but she doesn't always take kindly to strangers. I didn't want the camera man to capture her taking any swipes at the reporter on film, so she stayed upstairs until things were winding down, then I let her join us.

She sauntered into the middle of the living room and rolled on her back, all four paws up. She paused for a moment, stretched, then rolled onto her side. Lovell dropped what he was doing and ran over to her. She flung her arm over him and pinned him down for bath. Next, Twyla joined them and it turned into a cleaning, purring fest. The reported shouted "mic the cat!", so they did. They only recorded a few purrs before Charlene decided to take a bite out of the microphone. It looked like a cat toy,, tiny plastic thing on the end of a cord,,any cat could make such a mistake.

I have to say, Charlene really stole the show. I was hoping that this touching, funny, moment would of made it into the segment, but these fifteen minutes of fame belonged to the kittens, not her.

The timing of the feature is really good. The Humane Society is bursting with kittens right now. Hopefully this exposure will inspire some others to try fostering.

If you didn't happen to catch it live, you can see the Evening Magazine segment here.

Shaved Bellies and All

Beulah Mae went with three of her babes (Lovell, Nadine and Twyla) to the Humane Society vet to have their itty bitty bits removed on Friday. Everyone returned that afternoon with their shaved bellies and stitches, feeling a little groggy and very hungry. After dinner, they took a good, long nap, and woke up with their batteries fully recharged. It was like the surgery never happend.

I did my best to discourage any bouncing, leaping, climbing or wrestling and removed any toy that could possibly over stimulate them. It's REALLY hard to keep a kitten still. Actually, it's impossible. Unless, of course, they are napping.







Ruth Anne will be going in this week for her surgery, then officially, everyone will be ready to move on to their new homes. It's hard to believe it's that time again. These kittens grew so fast!

Soooooo.... I suppose you are wondering who's going where and with who. I will announce that this week as they leave our nest. I will tell you that there is still one kitty that is looking for a home. Yes, darling Twyla is still available.

Are You My Kitty's Daddy?

The kitties would like to wish their daddies a happy fathers' day. Of course, we have no idea who they are, but still, they wanted to put the message out there.

Dad(s), your babies are doing well and growing into fine, well-mannered kittens (although we do worry about Lovell from time to time). Belulah has done a remarkable job raising them as a single mother. She wanted to remind you that you are 9 weeks behind on your child support payments.







I would like to wish my own dear-old-dad a happy fathers day, too. Big smooches and hugs to you, Dad. I love you !!

Us Girls Have Had Just About Enough of You,, Lovell Pickett!

The girl Picketts are getting tired of their bullying BIG brother.

Picketts in the Pansies

My friend Stacey sent me a link to to the CFA which lists plants that are toxic and non-toxic to cats. Her brother just lost his cat after the little guy nibbled on some lilies from a flower arrangement. I encourage you all to take a look, it's a real eye opener.

FYI, pansies are on the "safe" list.

The Top Ten Captions in the Contest

Well we couldn't narrow it down to just four captions,, so we decided to do the top ten instead, and even that was VERY hard.

So here are the finalists. Read them over, then visit the poll (look up in the right hand corner) and cast your vote for the funniest caption. The poll will close this Thursday the 29th at 11:59 PM and the winner will be announced on Friday. Thanks for playing along ! And thanks for your fabulously funny entries! Everyone gets and honorable mention ribbon. As a refresher,, here's the photo.

And the top ten captions:

Annf: Want a hug? Act like you need a Heimlich. Works every time.

Amanda: Don't judge us because our luff is forbiddens!

Chanter: Ah, snuggles. Uh... Lovell? You know, you're kinda heavy... I mean really? Mum, can you move him? There's no reasoning with him just now.

Meow: Look, mom, I finished my vegetables!

Anne Boleyn: OK Lovell, that last push got my tongue out. One more, a little harder, and I think it'll work on my tail.

Awen: Lovell is a firm believer in tough love.

Anne Bryant: Jerry Lee: Lovell... Why did you lick my ear?
Lovell: Why are you holding my paw?
Jerry Lee: [frowns] Where's your other paw?
Lovell: Between two pillows...
Jerry Lee: Those aren't pillows!

Lynda: I don't care what you say, I don't think this is the way to tie a bow tie. Cornelius never had to go through anything like this.

YDOD: MMA champion, Lovell
"The Orange Crush" Picket submits former partner Jerry Lee Picket with a choke.

Dale-Harriet: Quick! He's not looking - put that treat heeeeeeeeeerre.

Have a Relaxing Holiday !

Hooray for three day weekends ! No plans for Memorial Day BBQs for the IBKs. Just napping, that's all.

OH... and Just a friendly reminder,, today is the last day for the last day to enter the caption contest . There are a lot of great captions,, but I know many of you clever people haven't thrown your hat into the ring yet. Ahem.. what about you Dale Harriet.. or Alicia....?
You've got until midnight....

Charlene Meets the Picketts

So yes, Charlene Butterbean has been formally introduced to The Picketts. Being the kitten ambassador she is, she went right up to them and said "hello" . The friendly Picketts were curious about her, and not the least bit cautious. They greeted her, took a few licks from Charlene, then dashed off to explore the living room. They sniffed under chairs and behind the sofa and even went as far as the dining room. When they would go too far,and find that their siblings were out of eyesight, they would let out a cry and wait for a search party to come for them.

When the kittens are around, Charlene likes to sit in the middle of the rug and watch them run about. When one is in range, she'll grab them, then roll them, and give them a good bath. Ruth Anne was probably the one most interested in Charlene, but I think she was just hoping to be able to nurse on her. Of course she got a good cleaning instead, which wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but I think she still loved the affection and attention.

As the evening progressed, the kittens got braver, went further, and climbed higher. They chased foil balls across the rug and scaled the couch and wrestled in the pillows. The sat in the window and looked outside. After a intense period play and exploration, they piled into a heap and crashed.

Just like any parent, I think Beulah enjoyed having a little peace and quiet while the kittens were away, but she was happy to see them return.

Here are some more pictures from the day. Craig gets credit for the fabulous wrestling shots of Lovell and Jerry Lee.