So I thought I fixed the orientation but when I uploaded it to youtube they changed it back. You know what to do... tilt your head of course!

Yay! Finally got the video working. I love youtube! Here are a couple of videos of the kittens for your entertainment.

Several of the little ones have come up with a new game. Here are the rules:

1. At 2:30am climb up the bead right next to human's face.
2. Wait for human to pet kitten.
3. After human falls back asleep pounce on human's face.
4. Jump off bed.
5. Repeat every 15 minutes.

But really, how can you be mad at such cuteness?

Five little kittens are in our house now. Buffy, Xander, Spike, Willow, and Giles.

Funny enough, Buffy is the most outgoing, :)

They're just supposed to stay here a week, which is perfect because my boyfriend is out of twon for a week. Yay!

Pics soon.

We had bottle babies last night! It was very heartwarming but quite tiring. I had to wake up every 4 hours to potty and feed them. I didn't care for the pottying part. I guess tiny kittens don't go to the potty on thier own (maybe to keep their nest clean?). You have to mimick the Mom cat licking thier little parts to get them to go to the potty on your wet-wipe. It's actually not quite as bad as all that, there is very little potty after all.

Then you warm up the bottle and feed them one by one. They're so very cute when they're feeding. Thier little ears twitch with each suckle. It made getting up worthwhile. Each kitten fit perfectly in one hand. They are soooo squirmy at that age and can be difficult to keep in one place long enough to do anything with. It's kinda like hearding cats... oh wait.

My pictures didn't come out very well but you get the gist. There were 5 in all and went back tot he shelter this morning. I didn't sign up for bottle feeders as they are quite a lot of work and my cats are still coughing from the last batch of kittens that were here. Not bad, just a little cold but I want to give them a break. But the shelter didn't have anyone to take them so I said I'd watch them for the night, which was about perfect for my taste. Just enough kitten.

We got Samuel, Samantha, and Sasha last Sunday. They're about 8 weeks old and horribly shy, or they were on Sunday. Both Samantha & Sasha now let me walk over to them, pick them up, and start purring when I do so. Samuel is smaller than his sisters and terrified of pretty much everything. But he is doing a lot better. He doesn't always run and hide when I enter the room now. And sometimes, I walk in and he lets me walk over to him and pet him. Still, when I pick him up he usually struggles to get away. And sometimes, if I pick him up too suddenly he hisses. Poor baby. But he has become increasingly tolerant of me petting him, even purring sometimes and doing elevator-butt.

Today, I have had the door to the kitten room open for the first time. We kept it closed at first to build kitten confidence. The girls pranced right out and started exploring, but Samuel hasn't yet come out. It's funny because none of the three kittens are in the very slightest afraid of our resident cats. It's like they don't even register. The kittens walk within inches, even sniffing the big cats, and simply don't care. My man-cat Dennis even hisses at the kittens and they still don't care.

Well, feeding time!

We're going on vacation next week and so our foster kittens will be going back to the shelter. Of course we are a little sad, but I know that they will all go to loving homes. Besides, I kinda miss my drapes (which we had to put away so they wouldn't get torn to shreds). Fostering has been a wonderful experience. I recommend it highly. I feel like we did somthing really good.

Final updates on the kitties:

Jonah: Rambunctious as all hell. Seems very healthy and has put on a lot of weight. Hopefully the necessary two pounds so he can be nutered and adopted. He still really dislikes being moved or picked up while he is sleeping and will protest loudly. He plays with anyone who is in the area. We plays with the other kittens and the big cats alike. He is scary fearless. We don't have a dog, but I suspect that he would even get along with a dog. Still a little finicky but not as bad as when he first got here. He has a very strong personality and is about as cute as they come.

Fiji: A little princess. A true angel. Just loves to be held and petted. Gently playful. Has a habit of sitting on the floor and staring up at you longingly until you pick her up. Has tried on occasion to climb up a leg. Purrs instantly. Happy and healthy.

George: Still a little shy but less so than his sibling. I think being around the other kittens has helped him out of his shell a lot. He no longer runs and hides when a person enters the room. He will wait to be picked up now (but still goes submissively limp). It doesn't take much to get his motor started. He's still not quite a lap cat. If you hold him for too long he will try to slink away. But he has improved significantly.

Washington: This one has come a very long way. From hiding all day to out and playing with the other kittens. He still isn't crazy about being picked up but he's still very young and that can change. He no longer hides unless he is sleeping. He likes to sleep under the bed in the boxspring lining. He's very quiet and will put his tail between his legs and go limp when picked up but I think it is more of a habit than being scared. He will stay for a little while before he decides he wants to go. That length of time has lengthened considerably.

Goodbye my babies.

It is said that some cats like catnip and some don't.

I have also heard that some like fresh, while others prefer dry.

And I just heard today that there are 6 different wild american catnips and that some cats react to some but maybe not all of them. I guess the one you buy at the store is the most common kind.

At first glance:

Jonah loves catnip.
Fiji could care less.
George doesn't care.
Washington likes it.

I've caught Fiji twice doing the butt scoot thing. I have been told it usually means the kitten has worms. But she has shown no signs of worms at all. I've been keeping an eye on her but she hasn't done it since early this morning. Maybe it really was just an itch?

Someone puked on the floor overnight and holy hell where does all the poop come from!? Two full litter boxes in like 8 hours!