A Vancie Plunket Update!!!

 You all probably remember the adorable Vancie Plunkett who was in residence here at the IBKC just this past fall. She’s now goes by the name “Olivia”.

She landed herself a wonderful family, and as you’ll see in the text that follows, she is completely adored!

Here’s what Deb, her mama, has to say about their girl:

The amazing Miss Olivia continues to charm the socks off everyone she encounters! Whether it's the sly "tag, you're it" pat given as you walk by, the all-paws-outstretched jump for joy she makes as she sees you, or that irresistible purr she gives out so readily, Olivia wears her heart on her sleeve, er, um, fur! :) Her beauty knows no bounds and that tail, oh my, it is a sight to be seen!  Everyone calls it Olivia's built-in feather duster! Whitney and I both declare her to be so soft, you just want to hold her forever.  She will rub her face against yours and look at you with such heartfelt love that it almost takes your breath away!

Olivia loves to play! Anything is fair game if in Olivia's reach as she maneuvers it deftly across a table top or the floor!

She knows her name and comes when called! Even if tucked away in one of her favorite hiding spots! She loves to curl up in her perch next to the living room window or the window seat in our bedroom. She's got a great view of our backyard from both vantage points and she loves to watch the birds and squirrels.  She and the squirrels are quite good friends and frequently can be found in rapt attention simply watching each other through the window! I swear if the window weren't there, they'd bound off together!  Now that it's warmer, you will often Olivia fully stretched out on the futon in the library for her afternoon nap!

We so often remark what an extraordinary, loving kitten/cat Olivia is...and we know that's due to the excellent start she got at the Charlene and Wylla Bean Finishing School!  We can never thank you enough for our now not-so Itty Bitty Kitty! We are completely, utterly besotted with dear Olivia!


Here are a couple of photos of Olivia, and some videos, too!

Thanks so much for sharing your sweet girl with us today, Deb! She’s so lucky she is to have a family that loves her so much!! Vancie/Olivia/s adoption tale is a real heart-warmer. If you need a feel-good moment today, please give it a read HERE!

A Vancie Plunkett Update!

 Remember little Vancie Plunkett? She was in residence at the IBKC just last November and if you want a feel-good moment today, you should take a second to go back and read her adoption tale.

Well, I woke up this morning to find a very nice update from her mom, Deb.

I hardly recognized Vancie in the photos, who now goes by "Olivia".  Her smokiness has turned black and her coat appears much shorter and sleeker - all of her kitten floof ended up in her tail!

But gosh, she's shiny and gorgeous! Those amber eyes are amazing!




Here's a snippet from Deb's email:

What a tonic she’s been for us all! She is the ideal cat for us though we have been intrigued to find out she’s part monkey, bear cub, and wannabe fish! She has scaled heights in our home that Kaliah never even sniffed at! She’s delightfully curious. She’s amazingly talented at playtime. She’s deliciously cuddly and loving! She will carry her Purr Kitty around with her ever so lovingly. She’ll gently bring me one of her favorite mice and lay it next to me in bed (and yes, sometimes place one mouse in her food and one in her water dish, both water dishes that is!)

Her purr motor is a wee bit quieter now that she’s growing into it but it is the sound of angels! Whitney has remarked over and over and over again, “She is the perfect cat for us.” Truer words were never spoken. She wakes me up every single morning with love and hugs. She welcomes Whitney home every day with love and hugs. Oh, she was indeed meant for us!

 As for personality, Miss Olivia has oodles and oodles. She will pop up on a chair to peek her head over the table while we’re eating dinner and then just as quickly pop back out of sight. She loves hiding her toys for “us to find”—in fact, our granddaughters now have a thriving business thanks to Olivia! Anytime they visit, they earn a quarter for every Olivia toy they find!!! And oh, how they love Olivia. Olivia has been known to FaceTime with the girls upon request...and will even “paw” at the phone during their “conversation.” (I should add that Olivia prefers making a paparazzi appearance, being followed through the house with the phone held close as she takes the girls on a walking tour of Grandma’s house!)

Yes, we are totally smitten with our Itty Bitty Kitten! And what a beauty she is...oh my goodness! Her tail is a sight to be seen...and those eyes against her black fur and black whiskers! She has charmed everyone she’s met.

Thanks so much for sharing these photos and update with us, Deb!  Yes indeed, you picked the right kitten! We're so happy to know she's bringing you all so much joy!

Please say "hi" to Whitney, and give some love to Olivia from all of us!

Well Worth the Wait!

Kaliah was a very special senior cat who passed away nearly two years ago.  Mama Deb cherished her, and so did Deb's daughter, Whitney.  Kaliah was 18 when she passed, so they all had many good years together.     

Deb knew they would bring another cat into their home one day, and was just waiting for that time to feel right. 

When the Kibblesmiths moved in with us in summer of 2014, Sweet Evie caught Deb's eye, and she emailed me about her availability. Deb's granddaughter's name is Evie, so she took this as a sign that perhaps Sweet Evie was meant to be her kitten. But it wasn't. Deb would be starting a new job soon, and with the demands of a new job, she thought this wasn't the best time in her life to add a kitten, so she decided they should wait.  

And then a bunch of other life stuff happened and a year passed. About the time our Plunketts moved in, they decided the time was right. 

Deb and Whitney came to meet the Plunketts after Ernest had been selected, so they had their choice between Vancie, Lucille, and Ellie. They loved all the girls and struggled with their decision at first, but the longer they stayed, the easier it got, because Vancie was clearly becoming more and more smitten with Whitney.  After some good cuddles and purrs in Whitney's arms,  Vancie became the front-runner.  Deb had said from the start that it was so important to her that their new kitten have a bond with Whitney, and clearly they were bonding!  

In all of my years of fostering, and all of these kitten adoptions, I don't think I've ever witnessed more joy than I did in the moment we finished the adoption paperwork and I handed Deb and Whitney their girl.  

I know these photos are a little soft and somewhat blurry, but I think you can still see the love and happiness of the moment. 








 
And as joy-filled as they were in the moment, I think they might be even happier today. Here's the first of many notes I've received from Deb about how well Vancie, who now goes by Olivia, is doing: 

Laurie, 
Olivia was made for us. She loves to snuggle with me! That purr motor of hers is so endearing! Whitney can hear it...we can all hear it!! She loves to play! She has adapted so well!! We are slowly introducing her to the rest of the house. She and Whitney have such fun playing. She is coming when we call Olivia! Great appetite, good litter habits, and fairly quiet at night! And she is really enjoying napping on a soft fleece blanket on the window seat. We are totally besotted!!! Thank you again for the blessing of Olivia!


You've got a great, love-filled life ahead of you, dear Vancie/Olivia! I know it took a long time for you to get your baby, Deb and Whitney, but she was worth the wait because clearly she was meant to be yours! Enjoy her!

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.

Crafty Little Vancie

I've been busy preparing for a big craft sale that's coming up next weekend and have taken over a good percentage of the dining room table for making things and messes. I'm sharing my craft room with kittens right now, and it's risky to leave works in progress, supplies, or tools out on my desk because those little monkeys will surely get into all of it. They forced me to relocate.

They usually are at my fee while I'm working and the scraps that fall to the ground are enough to keep them entertained, so they don't try too hard to get on the tabletop an into trouble.

But this weekend while I took a break from crafting to do a little housework, Vancie scaled the chair and settled in for a nap inside a bag of craft supplies. It was mostly filled with felt, so it made a very cozy kitten bed.







Today is surgery day for the Plunketts. I took them to the shelter early this morning and by now parts have been shaved and I'm sure they're sound asleep. It will be a hard day, but the worst part, the part where they are denied their breakfast, is behind them.  I'll pick up the groggy babies later this afternoon.

Everyone has a home now and later this week we'll start saying goodbye!  I know, too soon.

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

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!