Final Family Portraits!

It's true, these are the last group shots we'll have of our dear Plunketts because some of our dear Plunketss have already left the nest! By early next week, all will have moved into their new homes, and then I'll begin sharing the adoption tales.

These kittens are an exceptional bunch, they are as sweet as they are adorable, and the families who are adopting this batch are some lucky, lucky folks.

Gosh, we're going to miss them.

Dancing Bears

The morning sun drew the longhaired Plunketts to the window. They sat and warmed themselves for a bit, then something spurred a little slow-motion scrap between the two.  Paws were raised and these two little bears had a clumsy dance on the windowsill until a man walking a dog passed by our house and caught their attention.  Once he was out of sight, they climbed down the stack of books, and to the floor, to join their siblings in a sunbeam.

They're Home! They're Crazy!

I picked up four groggy little kittens from the shelter at 4:30 yesterday afternoon. They slept during the whole car ride, and when we got them home and into their room, I opened the door of the carrier and they rolled out and fell into a puddle on the floor like four adorable, fuzzy drunks. They slowly untangled themselves then walked away with wobbling knees. They spent some time smelling things, and smelling each other, then I put down a little dinner for them, which was quickly scarfed down.

Shortly after eating,  they were fully alert and moving around with typical kitten "grace". I wanted to keep them contained to keep a close eye on them, so I worked on some small craft projects at my desk while they played.

Which each minute that passed that evening, they got rowdier and crazier, and we're getting into everything. You never would have guessed these were post-surgery kittens. I decided to turn off the light and leave the room, which usually helps them settle down and go to bed, but nope, not last night. The rumblings from their room did not stop, so I returned to supervise once again.

And they got even rowdier and crazier and nearly every three seconds I was rescuing someone from a dangerous place they had climbed to,  or breaking up a much-too-rough wrestling match,  fishing someone out of my garbage can, or wiping up the mess of a spilled water dish.

Eventually, I decided it would be best if they could just run and burn off the energy, so I opened the door and set them free into the living room and dining room.  Wylla joined us, but kept a safe distance and perched on the back of the chair while they ran amok.  

They tried to climb the drapes, they knocked stacks of magazines over, they were engaged in more much-too-rough wresting matches, they were into everything, onto everything, and everywhere.

Finally. FINALLY,  around 1:00 AM they settled down.




FINALLY.

 I was exhausted from hours of playing referee and trying to keep them from harm's way and was so ready for them to go to bed.

I let them sleep for a bit in the living room while I tidied up their ransacked quarters. Wylla followed me in and paused in the doorway with an expression that read "What the heck just happened in here?"

I looked at her and said "I KNOW!"

As I tucked them all into the bed, each belly was examined to make sure no one had popped a stitch.  Thankfully, no one did.

Shortest to Longest, Smallest to Biggest

I'm not sure how much floof actually weighs, but it seems that the floofier the Plunkett, the more the Plunkett weighs.

Here they are in order of weight (smallest to largest) and coat length (shortest to longest).

Of course they're all equally adorable.

From top to bottom: Ellie, Ernest, Vancie and Lucille.

In Love with a Rug

I keep the kittens out of our guest room, but the other morning while I was carrying a laundry basket into the room, Ernest dashed past me and slipped inside.

When his toes touched the fuzzy rug at the foot of the bed, he stopped in his tracks, dropped, and started rolling around in a complete state of bliss.  Many biscuits were made and purrs were purred.

Seeing the joy this rug brought this boy, I decided to bring the rug out to the living room for all to enjoy.

It's a huge hit with all, but Ernest loves the rug the most.


 

Three Little Bears in Black and White

Meeting the Plunketts

After a very long day delivering, setting up, and breaking down florals for a huge event,  I came home, slipped into my jammies, sprung the Plunketts from quarantine, and watched four joy-filled kittens running wild. They were so happy to be free!

After they had a chance to acquaint themselves with the main floor, I invited Wylla to come say hello. Here's the video of their very first meeting.

Listen carefully for Wylla's hello chirp around the nine second mark.

Please make note of the synchronized Halloween Cat moment that follows.

And I just love how Wylla drops to the floor after startling the kittens.

"See, kittens? I'm not that big and scary. I can be small, like you".

Family Portrait Time!

Finally! All four Plunketts sat still long enough for me to snap a couple of quick family portraits!

From left to right:
Ellie, Ernest, Lucille and Vancie.

It's shocking that much cuteness can be contained in one little basket.

Springing them Soon!

They just fit right in with the other tchotchkes, don't they?

That's Ellie in the first few pictures. The hairs in her ears are getting a little whiter now, which is making it much easier to tell she and Ernest apart.









And then there's Lucille.  As she gets bigger, she seems to be getting rounder.  By the time she's ready to leave our nest, she maybe be a perfect ball.









These cuties moved in two weeks ago today, so quarantine is is officially up.  Though they are ready to come out, I'm not ready for them to come out. Once a year, I do flowers for a very big event, and I need to get that party behind me before I spring them.

The big cats are dying to meet them, so today I'll let them go in for a visit.  On Wednesday the kittens will be introduced to the bigger world!  Hooray! It will be fun having them bounce around the house!

Four Little Ghosts

I brought the Haunted House into the kitten room so our little Plunketts could have some Halloween fun.  They've been really enjoying it, and all morning long, I've heard the jingle ball in the doorway jingling away. They're very excited having something new in their quarters to explore.

Here's a little clip of the cute Plunkett ghosts haunting the house. That's Ellie "The Belly" on the roof.

 

We've had lots of Halloween fun over the years, so throughout the day, I'll be sharing some of our spooky posts on Twitter and Facebook, too.

Settling In, Pairing Off

 When our kittens move in, they spend their first few days in the wire kennel. It's a huge one, designed for XXL dogs, so they've got plenty of room for their bed, littler box, food and water bowls, and there's plenty of space to romp, too.  We start them off in the cage because we want their world to be small and cozy, and help them feel safe as they as they adjust to their new surroundings.

The Plunketts did their time in lock-up, and now they're free to bounce about their room during the day. When it's time for the humans to go to bed, the kittens get tucked away, too, and spend their night behind bars.

Until yesterday, this system seem to be working just fine. They were happy to have the run of the room, and that seemed to be enough. But then they realized there something waiting for them on the other side of the door.  And her name is Wylla.

Wylla has been camped out by the door, and when I'm in the room with the kittens, she cries to be let in.  Her cries have captured their curiosity, and now as I come and go, they all try to do the same.  They want to meet that cat who's calling for them!

Not yet kittens! We've still got five days left in quarantine!!

Even though this seems to be a very healthy lot, we still need to wait it out.

I put a baby gate in the doorway so they can't just dart out of the room as I come in. They can easily scale the gate, but I can get over the gate and into the room faster than they can get over the gate and out of the room.

Socially, they're all doing pretty well. Though sometimes they scamper when we try to scoop them, but once caught, they're all very happy to be held and are very generous with their purrs. Ernest is the most outgoing of the bunch, and seems to enjoy us humans the most.

They seem to have formed two teams, the Longhairs and the Shorthairs, and they pair off for wrestling and napping. Of course that could all change tomorrow -- kittens can be quite fickle that way! But today, the Longhairs are enjoying the pleasure of each other's company.

Ellie "The Belly" Plunkett

They Plunketts have been here a week now, and now that they're all coming out of their shells, their personalities are really starting to show.

Ellie's sweet, she's squirrelly,  and she's generous with her purrs.  All of her siblings love her, and we sure do, too.  She is always very happy to share her round, plump tummy with all, so she's earned the nickname "Ellie the Belly", or just "Ellie-Belly" for short.

You're a dear one, little Ellie-Belly.

The Importance of Being Ernest

Good morning! Please say hello to dear Ernest Plunkett.  He looks a lot like his little sister Ellie, with  a short black coat and a occasional wispy white hair. The easiest way to tell them apart is by their size -- he weighs a few more ounces and his frame is stockier.  His ears are a little flatter, too, but that could be temporary. They're all just a little nervous right now, so once he's feeling a little more confident, they may pop up.

And though he's still a wee bit scared, that doesn't stop him from purring.  Just a little scratch on the back of the head will get his motor running.

He's the only boy in this set of four and we'll be meeting his other sister on Monday. Any predictions on what she might look like? Another black baby bear, perhaps? Or a Siamese? That would be fun, we haven't had one of those in a long time.  Or an orange? How perfect would that be for the Halloween season?  What do you think? What color will she be? 

You're So Fancy, Vancie!

Just look at that lovely, ombré coat! You're so fancy, Vancie!

There's Someone I would Like You to Meet

This baby bear's name is Ellie Plunkett. In case you haven't noticed, she's adorable.

Her coat is 95% black, but there are a few long, wispy white hairs mixed in. She's the smallest of the set, and currently weighs one pound and three ounces.

They're all getting used to us, and were staying close to the back of the cage last night, but this morning, Ellie came to the door and greeted me with a few sputtering purrs.

It was a very lovely way to start the day.

Welcome Ellie Plunkett!  We look forward to getting to know you!