This was Maggie yesterday: As big as she was when we got her – and she seemed HUGE to us – she expanded quite a bit. Yesterday she just wanted to be petted, and the thing that piqued my interest is that she went into the box and stood there, kneading. That was the first … Continue reading “4/2/11 – Maggie’s baby story”
This was Maggie yesterday:
As big as she was when we got her – and she seemed HUGE to us – she expanded quite a bit. Yesterday she just wanted to be petted, and the thing that piqued my interest is that she went into the box and stood there, kneading. That was the first time I’d actually seen her do that, and I decided (and told Fred) that I was sure it meant she was nesting.
I don’t think I mentioned this before, but we had set up a big carrier/ kennel in one corner of the room, covered it with a towel to make it darker, and lined the bottom with towels. That was this one:
(We actually also draped a towel over the other end, where you can see light shining through).
Then, because we wanted to make sure she had a choice, I lined the box that Fred built several months ago with a couple of cat beds. That was this one:
This morning when I was in the shower, Fred reported that all Maggie wanted was to be petted, and that she was purring louder than he’d ever heard her purr before. He also reported that she’d paid no attention at all to the food bowl, and that was the first time that had happened. I went in and spent some time with her before I scooped her litter box, and she seemed very very calm. She just sat and let me pet her. I put canned food on her plate, and she went over and licked at it. I scooped her litter box and left the room.
I was out in the garage, dragging all the recycling out, flattening the boxes, and loading everything in Fred’s truck, when he came out with a very smug look on his face.
“I called it!” he said gleefully. “I said she was gonna go!”
“What?” I had no idea on earth what he was talking about.
“She’s in labor!” I practically ran into the house, grabbed my cameras and cell phone, and went straight up to the foster room.
Maggie was sitting in the middle of the floor, and we sat down with her and petted her. She just sat there for a moment, and then you could see the contraction happening by the look on her face. She sat through it, then got up and went into the box and sat down. She was in there for about half an hour. I started timing the contractions (“We need to start timing her contractions!” I announced importantly. “Why?” Fred said. “Is that something you’re supposed to do?” Heh.) and first they were coming every couple of minutes, and soon enough they were coming much closer together.
Fred, petting Maggie.
Fred announced that he saw something hanging out of her back end, and she cried out, and then she stood up and ran to the middle of the room. I wondered if having us present was bothering her, and Fred decided that it was, and left the room. As soon as he did, Maggie went into the covered kennel and laid down. A few minutes later she gave a great push, and out came baby number one, at 8:42!
The kitten wasn’t moving, and Maggie was more interested in chewing through the umbilical cord, and I hovered and dithered about what to do, and finally stepped outside the room and bellowed down to Fred to bring some rags. By the time I got back into the room, the kitten was moving and Maggie had started cleaning him (or her. I truly have no idea of the sex of any of these babies).
Do the little pink toes and the wee claws KILL YOU DEAD like they do me?
Before I knew it, Maggie was pushing again. A few short pushes, and baby number two was born at 8:57 am!
Maggie’s looking at that little climber like “WHAT are you doing, child?” A moment later she turned and looked at me like “What is going ON, here?!”
Baby number three was born at 9:20, and number four was close behind at 9:32.
Do you see the wee leg thrown over the kitten next to him?
I had literally JUST posted Maggie seems settled in for the time being. We may be at a grand total of four – or maybe she’s just resting up for a second round! when she started having contractions again. Moment later I was pretty sure that there was a number five, but I had to lift the towel on top of the kennel to peek inside to be sure. That one was born at 10:07.
I think this was right after #6 was born; Maggie was attending to the newborn, and the other ones were kind of wiggling around yelling.
Baby leg slung over Maggie’s foot.
She was SO good during this entire process, doing her job like she knew what was what.
We just now went upstairs to change out the bedding in the kennel because the towels that were in there were pretty wet from the birthing process. Fred carefully lifted the babies and put them on a cat bed. Then he reached in to get Maggie, and as soon as he went to lift her out, she appeared to think “Oh, okay. They’re taking care of the babies. I’m going to go eat!” and then went and did so.
It was touching to have her trust us that much, to have her unconcerned about her babies since she knew we were caring for them. I got the bedding changed out, snapped a few pictures, and the instant Fred lifted the last baby back into the kennel, Maggie climbed in after them.
I posted after the first one was born that I thought it was black and white, but as it turns out, we have all brown tabbies, some with lots of white. Hopefully they’ll look different enough from each other that we’ll be able to tell them apart.
I’m hoping to get individual pictures of them tomorrow and perhaps even get a glance at their backsides to see what we’re dealing with. It’s probably too soon, but Fred’s pretty good at sexing kittens – I think he was able to tell what Kara had had within a day or two of their births – and of course as soon as I know, y’all will know.
Lori T. was the winner of the Maggie Pool – she guessed 9 am today – and once we can tell who’s who and what’s what, we’ll let the naming begin. I do intend to still go with the Irish naming theme simply because I wanna. đ Lori gets to choose which kitten she wants to name, and once she’s named hers, we’ll name the rest.
Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who took part in the Maggie Pool. I have to pull up the Paypal report, but I do believe we raised in the area of $500, and that is WAY too cool!!! You guys are beyond awesome, thank you!!!
New month, new banner! Thank you once again to the wonderful Christine, who’s created so many of my banners recently. As you know, Christine, you rock! Thank you! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I was watching TV … Continue reading “4/1/11 – Friday”
New month, new banner!
Thank you once again to the wonderful Christine, who’s created so many of my banners recently.
As you know, Christine, you rock! Thank you!
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I was watching TV the other day – one of the hoarding shows I love so much – and had to pause, rewind, and listen again. Then I got out the camera and taped the segment to share with y’all.
Breath cancer, you say? I wonder what the treatment is for that.
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You do know that someone already did the box test. Maru who is a japanese cheezburger sensation. (Maru survived the earthquake)
Actually, I must have missed that one. Maru always gets there first. Damn you, Maru! DAAAAMN YOUUUUU!
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Oh, and you are awesome for promising NOT to give in to April Fool’s ridiculousness. I hate that “holiday” because it glorifies practical jokes, which aren’t funny. The only people who find practical jokes funny are those with no real sense of humor to begin with. And, have you noticed that the people who find practical jokes the most funny are people who absolutely cannot stand to have a joke played on them? Talk about being able to dish it out and NOT being able to take it at all. /rant off
Six years ago, I wrote an April Fool’s Day entry that I was pregnant WITH TWINS, and though the majority of readers were all “Ha ha, very funny”, enough people believed it and were a TAD irate, that I swore I’d never pull another April Fool’s Day prank again. I don’t like it when people are mad at me! (But I am still a tiny bit gleeful that I was able to get anyone at all with that.)
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I was awake last night trying to think of an emoticon that I could do of maggie and her giant belleh!
here’s what I’m coming up with:
M
o
O=
s
the belly’s not nearly as huge as I would like for it to be, and you have to look at this like she’s lying on her left side, head up. But the fact that it spells MOOS is pretty damn hilarious.
Too cute!
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It’s about two weeks from being able to feel the babies move and them being birthed. Soooooo…. how long have you had her? How long have you been able to feel the babies move? At least a week, right? She MUST be nearly there, now in that case.
We’ve had her for three weeks as of today. And I’m sure it’s been at least a week since I first felt the babies move. More like a week and a half, I think. I would really really like it if dear sweet wonderful Maggie would BIRTH THOSE BABIES.
But no pressure, Maggie. Whenever you’re ready. I’ll just sit here and shut up, you TAKE YOUR TIME.
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I think you’re out of control. Leave some cats for the rest of us will ya?
That sounds like someone volunteering to take a couple of the more annoying ones off my hands. Shall I package up Elwood for you? đ
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I have a question that I have never thought before. What do they do with cats who just don’t deliver? Do they induce? Do you think Maggie has had kittens before?
That’s a good question – I don’t have a clue what they do with cats who just never go into labor. They must do something, mustn’t they?
I don’t know if Maggie’s had babies before, but as she’s guesstimated to be about a year old, it’s possible she’s had a litter, though maybe not likely.
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Awww, so glad to know Corbie has a forever home! Well, he always has, really, but now it’s official! I think you need to reclassify your place as a “cat ranch” or something. Maybe get one of those ranch signs that says “Anderson Cat Ranch” and have some claw marks or a picture of a litterbox on it đ And there’s no judging here on the number of permanent residents you have…says the woman who has 11 of her own…hee.
Oh sure, “Crooked Acres Cat Ranch”, with the sign that might as well read “Please dump your unwanted cats here!” (Wait. Maybe there’s already a sign like that out there I don’t know about – that would certainly explain this last year’s worth of dumpees!)
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I was driving behind a car with those stick figure family decals on the rear window and thought how tickled I’d be to see your “family” in decals — you, Fred, the dogs, and row(s) of kitties.
Every time I see those decals, I think about buying a bunch of them for my car. I haven’t yet, but I suspect I will sooner or later!
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Random question: when you take the stray cats you find to be tested, neutered, chips, shots etc., who covers the costs? Is it you and Fred, Challenger’s House – does the clinic donate services? Whoever is covering it is very generous.
If they’re becoming Challenger’s House cats like Newman did, the shelter covers the costs.
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My cat Enrique (mean old man) had to go on a diet a few years ago. I had to get a scale for him, and found the prices on most baby or pet scales were unreasonable for me. Robyn, your Jeffers scale isn’t too bad at $65, BUT what we ended up doing was getting a postal scale. We got an Ultraship 55lb postal scale (currently about $20-25 on Amazon) which was more than enough weight capacity for Enrique and still sensed small weights in ounces. The surface alone is not big enough for a cat, so we’d wait until he was sleeping in his favorite box, then scoop it up and weigh him in the box (deducting the box weight later). And now the scale is in the kitchen and we use it often for cooking and all kinds of random stuff we want to weigh.
This is an excellent idea – and someone else suggested the same idea, later in the week. Great minds think alike. đ
I made this one for a friend a number of years ago; it was quick, easy and came out beautifully. I think it would make a nice addition to the kitchen!
That’s one of the patterns I always think of buying when I’m looking at their catalog! I just recently got back to cross-stitching after about a year and a half of not doing it at all, and I have a million and three kits I have yet to attempt. Maybe when I’ve made a dent in those, I’ll get the rooster as a gift for myself. The colors would certainly go well in my kitchen, wouldn’t they?
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I need that compost container! Did you buy it or add holes to a plain container?
It’s just a storage container I bought and drilled holes in (the lid and the bottom). You’re supposed to turn the compost every week or so and I, uh, kinda didn’t. So who knows what the hell I’m going to end up with? The cats certainly like sitting on it, especially Corbie and Elwood.
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She is almost certainly pregnant (the few conditions that would look like this, that come on this quickly would probably cause her pain and you would know something is wrong. Most kitties get enormous before giving birth and as I said a day or so ago Maggie is just now starting to look “ready,” which can still mean as much as a week before full term. The good news is she isn’t wanting to be touched much (probably tender) which is a GOOD sign when it comes to a birthing Momma.
I hate to tell you this but cats can look “ready” up to three weeks before they really are, but in Maggie’s case I don’t think you have to wait that long lol.
Hopefully April 1st, surprise babies, that would be fun..
You know, if this cat goes another three weeks I’m probably going to go nuts with the waiting. IS ALL I’M SAYING, MAGGIE.
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As for Corbie, he’s clearly King of the Compost! Any word on how his equally regal brothers are doing? And what do you do with those dozens of eggs?
I haven’t heard anything about Buster or Rhyme (though I am certain that they are just fine in their new homes), but I know that after 7 weeks, Reacher has FINALLY acclimated to his new home (and his new brother), which you can read about over at Kathy’s site. I have to be honest, I really thought at times that Reacher was going to end up having to come back here to live, because it didn’t seem that he was ever going to get over being a scaredy cat. He’s VERY lucky that Kathy was willing to be patient and work with him, and THANK GOD he finally came around!
As far as the eggs, when Fred brings them in, I go through and separate out the smaller eggs. The bigger ones go into egg cartons, and we sell them for $2 a dozen (we have a “fresh eggs $2/ dozen” sign that Fred puts up at the end of the driveway in the evenings and on weekends). The smaller ones go into the refrigerator, and we eat them. If we run out of the larger eggs, we’ll (when I say “we”, you should know that it’s Fred who handles most of the egg-selling) offer the smaller eggs at $2 for 1 & 1/2 dozen. Sometimes we’ll build up a supply of 10 or 12 dozen and think we’re never going to sell another egg, and then someone stops by and buys every egg we have on hand. People love the farm fresh eggs, and I think they like knowing that they can actually look at the chickens running around the back forty and know that they aren’t caged hens.
Egg sales help pay for chicken feed.
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Maggie’s babies are sure to be the most photographed kittens ever!! Is the camera getting re-charged every day?
Both the big camera and the little one AND the Flip Video AND my cell phone are constantly charging. I don’t want to miss out on snapping a million pictures of the little darlings WHENEVER MAGGIE HANDS THEM OVER THAT IS, DO YOU HEAR ME MAGGIE?!
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Maggie’s got the girth, and she’s looking a touch crabby. But still a fine looker! How long is a kitten’s gestation period?
61 – 69 days, according to their breed, is what I’ve read. And she’s been with us for 21 days. ANY DAY NOW, MAGGIE.
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Robyn, do any of your fosters have blogs their folks set up when they took them home? Just wonderin’.
As far as I know, no. Unfortunately. Because I think a blog written by Buster would be AWESOME.
I have to laugh at that photo of you holding up Maggie so you can see her belly. When I saw Maggie, she reminded me so much of the foster mom I had that took 30 days to give birth at my house, that I knew it was going to be a while. Because here is my shot of her.
If I have to wait 30 days for Maggie to give birth, my head will pop off. I LOVE those pictures! đ
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You can always cut the permanent resident total by two by having you and Fred live in a tent in the back yard.
Why live in a tent when we could live in the chicken coop with the chickens? There’s plenty of room in there!
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And yay for Corbie staying! Such a pretty kitty. How’s the skinny back legs issue going, the supplements helping any?
It’s kind of hard to tell – I’ve thought once or twice that his back half was getting bigger, but then I looked at him from another angle and thought he looked smaller. It’s been a month – actually more like five weeks, I think – since we started giving him his supplements. I need to get him back to the vet and have her look him over so we can determine how he’s doing.
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So is there a limit imposed by your town ordinances or by the shelter?
There are no limits on animals imposed by town ordinances, because we live in the country and no one cares what we’re doing out here. đ As far as the shelter, I’m sure Susan would put her foot down if we got to the point where we were overwhelmed or just had more cats than we could comfortably take care of. I would like to say here that 14 is our limit, permanent-residents-wise, but of course if I were foolish enough to declare that, we’d immediately have to add 3 more cats to the house.
Like I reminded Fred yesterday, at one point last Fall I honestly thought we were going to end up keeping all four Bookworms because they’d had no luck at Petsmart. But by keeping just the one Bookworm, we’re really DOWN in numbers from where I thought we’d be!
(Fred calls that “Robyn math”)
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People are fickle sometimes. I found a dog on the side of the road. She was 1 or 2 yrs old. Abused. Chow or chow-mix. Sweeeetest thing ever! She had heartworms and tick paralysis when I found her and she was super skinny. Who ever owned her had cut her hair really really short with sissors. Her fur was sunburned and in poor condition. We took her to the vet and had her treated for her ailments. I posted and asked around if anyone wanted to adopt her and stated that you need to have vision and see in your mind’s eye what she will become. NO responses. My sister-in-law, at the the time, was keeping her at her house. Her fur grew out quickly and she put on weight. She was a completely gorgeous dog! I sent around an email titles “If you were curious….” and showed her before pics and after pics. I wanted to educate people and a bit of it was a “fungule to you”…I admit! đ Soooo many people wanted to take her home then. I told them “Nope!”…as my sister-in-law fell so in love with her that she was keeping her. She ended up being their very best dog…and much much sweeter than any of her golden retrievers.
I wish for everyone out there….”vision”.
By the way…chatty and social cats are the best companions. You won’t ever be lonely…and they are great company!
Two thumbs up; may more people develop the vision to see what a cat or dog can turn into, given time and love.
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Hmm… maybe you should have done a “how round can Maggie possibly get” pool! Have you ever thought to measure her belleh and see how much she is growing day to day?
I wish I’d measured her midsection when we brought her home, but I didn’t even think of it.
I can tell you, though, that she was 9.9 pounds when I got her from the vet, and yesterday she weighed in at 12 pounds 10 ounces!
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So, is Newman staying with you now? The other cats are gonna be all “Newman!” everytime they find him in one of their napping spots or eating out of the bowl when they’re looking for a snack, hee hee.
No, Newman went to the shelter Tuesday, where he’s being treated for all the parasites he has, poor boy.
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The Kitten Crew has a live cam of a mother with 5 kittens. I’ve been using it to treat Impatience-with-Maggie Syndrome. Plus, the little cow kitty has a panda face! And one of the white-with-tabbies opened his/her eyes this morning! Squeeeeeeeeeeee!
I’ve been watching that live kitten cam for the past few days, and it’s just making me more and more impatient for Maggie to get the show on the road! LOVE wee baby kittens and their squirming around. Squeeeeeee is right!
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I LOVE that last shot of Maggie (“A shot from above so you can see the spread”); it reminds me of a LOLcat that had me laughing all day.
Is it trouble with anal glands that causes cats to scoot? Only one of ours does it, just curious.
I think scooting can be caused by anal gland issues, yes. Cats with worms often scoot, too, and I can tell you from personal experience that cats who are too large to reach their own behinds will often scoot, thus using your carpet as toilet paper, which is THE NASTIEST THING EVER and should be a hanging offense.
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Ohmygod, SO RUDE, taking pictures of the pregnant lady from behind.
And from the side. (That’s the new scratcher I bought specifically for Her Majesty, because the one that was in there was too light and would flip up whenever she put her weight on it. And girlfriend LOVES her some claw-sharpening.)
Pregnant cat is pregnant. (And grumpy.)
She’s got that pregnant glow, no?
As a reminder, check in on the spreadsheet and/ or the Love & Hisses Facebook page. If she goes into labor, that’s where I’ll be posting it first, though of course I don’t think it’ll take me long to post it here, either. That’s what netbooks are for!
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Rufus, asleep atop the cat tree in the front room, covering his eyes from the flash.
He is SUCH a sweet boy. He loves to follow Alice around and watch her do naughty things like nose around in the sink to see if there are any scraps of food, or hover under my feet in case I’m struck with the urge to hand out treats. Wherever Alice is, Rufus is sure to follow. He’s also been spotted picking play-fights with Corbie and Jake. I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating – he’s certainly come a long way!
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Spanky: Pretty on Pink.
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Previously 2010: Random dogs and other stuff. 2009: Fred giggled helplessly. Which somehow did not help. 2008: However, I donât subscribe to the âonly pick it up if itâs heads up!â theory of thought.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry. 2005: Thereâs a saying that men make plans and god laughs.
2004: No entry. 2003: Wonât be happening in my lifetime, thanks.
2002: No entry. 2001: I get the weirdest freakinâ referrals to my site.
2000: No entry.
Scenes from around Crooked Acres. Aigs! We’re getting in the neighborhood of 3 dozen eggs a day these days. Not actually here at Crooked Acres – this is up at the feed ‘n seed store we always stop by on our way to or from Tennessee. Baby llama. This time he was friendly and wanted … Continue reading “3/31/11 – Crooked Acres Thursday”
Scenes from around Crooked Acres.
Aigs! We’re getting in the neighborhood of 3 dozen eggs a day these days.
Not actually here at Crooked Acres – this is up at the feed ‘n seed store we always stop by on our way to or from Tennessee.
Baby llama. This time he was friendly and wanted to be petted.
The Wisteria is abloom.
More Wisteria (and our house in the background.)
Peach blossom. Let’s hope we get more fruit this year than last.
The garden, tilled. Except for the tiny patch in the middle where a few cabbage (that I planted last Fall) are hanging in there.
Keep growing, little cabbage. One day perhaps you’ll be big enough for us to harvest and eat.
Corbie in the back yard, sitting on the compost container. That’s where I toss all the kitchen compost, including any paper towels I used. I used to toss it all on the big compost heap, but stuff would blow all over the place and look trashy, so I made this container for composting. Works pretty well – and it gives Corbie a place to sit and glare judgmentally at me when I’m outside the back yard and he can’t get to me. He likes to walk along under my feet and then stop dead and demand petting.
Rooster on the move.
White Silkie. Someone once pointed out that she looks like a Muppet, so now I call her “Angry Muppet.”
The red coloring on this hen’s face always makes her look like she’s been rolling in mud.
I love the coloring on her head and neck.
Rooster keeps an eye on his wimminfolk.
Places to go, people to see.
Prettiest flowers ever.
Playful pups.
“You has snacks for us?”
Gracie’s always startin’ somethin’.
It’s like watching two polar bears fight.
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As of last night, Rufus is out in Gen Pop 24/7. He went upstairs with us last night at bedtime and snuggled for a bit, then he wandered off. I don’t know where he spent the night, but it wasn’t with me.
He’s getting braver by the minute – at first he’d run if you walked in his general direction, then he’d flinch and look nervous. Just now, he was sitting in the guest bedroom doorway, and I walked by him, and he just watched me walk by. He’s more nervous in the rooms where he hasn’t spent much time – especially upstairs – but he’s come a long way, baby.
On top of the cat tree in the front room, accompanied by Alice.
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::SIGH:: NO babies yet. She perhaps ate a little less this morning than usual, but I can’t swear to that. She’s not laying down on her side and letting me feel her belly as much as she did last week. I try not to harass her about it, but it’s hard not to – I want to feel the babies moving around, Maggie! Give me that much, at least!
Several people have asked if I’m sure she’s pregnant. This is what I tell them: last year, Maura was never actually checked over by a vet before we got her. We believed she was pregnant because we were told she was. As it turns out, of course, she wasn’t and never had been. This year, Maggie was checked out by a vet who said that she is pregnant. We’ve felt babies moving (though of course, we thought we felt babies moving with Maura last year!), and the other night I could distinctly feel, at different times, a little head, and a tiny little paw. So yes, I am pretty sure she’s pregnant. Clearly she wasn’t as pregnant as I thought she was when we first got her, but in my defense, I’ve only had one pregnant cat before (Kara), and I hardly got a chance to get to know the signs of a pregnant cat before she wasn’t pregnant anymore!
(Feeling the kittens move around is very neat, but it also freaks me out a little bit. I don’t know why!)
Also, a note: tomorrow is April 1st, also known as April Fool’s Day. I PROMISE you all that I will NOT post that Maggie had her babies if she actually did not. That’s mean, and I know I’d probably have a ticked-off horde descending upon my house if I did such a thing. So you have my word that I won’t.
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“Wha? Why are my PAWS wet? What’s going ON?!” Not the brightest bulbs, these two.
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Previously 2010: The Problem with Warm & Sunny Days. 2009: (reCOOPerating, HA HA!) 2008: Shea Butters would be an excellent stripper name.
2007: No entry. 2006: It was so frigginâ cute I made Fred listen to it, too. 2005: I have my finger on the pulse of pop culture, apparently. 2004: A day in the life. 2003: What makes me crazy.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry. 2000: Okay, enough of the wallowing.
LOOK at that face, would you? Butter wouldn’t melt! I think she’s got a moose herd in there. Needless to say, no babies. SIGH. At least y’all are still keeping up the guessing, which is entertaining me, at least. If you’ve entered the Maggie Pool, do double-check the spreadsheet to make sure I’ve got your … Continue reading “3/30/11 – Wednesday”
LOOK at that face, would you? Butter wouldn’t melt! I think she’s got a moose herd in there.
Needless to say, no babies. SIGH.
At least y’all are still keeping up the guessing, which is entertaining me, at least. If you’ve entered the Maggie Pool, do double-check the spreadsheet to make sure I’ve got your guess entered correctly, would you?
So, today’s the day. I didn’t want to announce it until the paperwork was done and everything was official. But our dear sweet Corbie, who by the way looked like this a year ago:
and who looks like this now:
Yes Corbie, that sweet little monkey who is (if you ask ME), the MOST beautiful cat in this whole wide world has gone off to his forever home.
So say goodbye to our beloved foster Corbie, the last of the Bookworms, who has lived here for all but the first few weeks of his life. My sweet Corbie, whom I love with my entire heart. Say goodbye to foster Corbie…
AND HELLO TO PERMANENT RESIDENT CORBIE!!!!
That’s right, Fred finally caved last week. I just didn’t want to announce it ’til the papers had been filled out and it was all official.
(Yes, that brings us to 14 permanent residents. What’s your point?)
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Previously 2010: The chickens of Crooked Acres. 2009: IT WASNâT WATER AT ALL.
2008: No entry. 2007: Love you! Mean it! 2006: I am absolutely the last person on Earth you want in the vicinity if thereâs an emergency. 2005: Questions answered. 2004: I am absolutely stunned that⌠I frankly couldnât give less of a shit.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry. 2001: I have to wonder, what the hell do all you skinny people do? 2000: Yes, this is a lame, short entry, but since yâall love me, youâll be back. Right?
Okay, so, you remember a few weeks ago how I mentioned that in about the same time span, not only did Rufus show up, but a black and white cat who looked a LOT like Joe Bob from a distance showed up too? We dubbed the black and white Joe-alike “Newman” (or I should say … Continue reading “3/29/11 – Tuesday”
Okay, so, you remember a few weeks ago how I mentioned that in about the same time span, not only did Rufus show up, but a black and white cat who looked a LOT like Joe Bob from a distance showed up too?
We dubbed the black and white Joe-alike “Newman” (or I should say I named him that), and after that day I didn’t see him again. We decided he belonged to someone down the road, and that he’d just stopped by for a visit.
AND THEN.
He showed up one day last week, and he looked ratty, and he was very hungry. I decided that if he hung around I’d snatch him up and have him checked out at the vet, at the very least have him neutered, and I’d send Fred up the road to see if we could figure out where he belonged. But after he ate, one of our cats chased him off the property, and I wondered if I’d see him again.
Sunday afternoon, Fred glanced out the window and told me that Newman was on the deck of the people next door. They don’t have any cats, so we knew Newman was just passing through. Fred went out and called to him, and he ran right over. We gave him canned cat food, and he wolfed that down, then started on the bowl of dry food sitting there.
Fred did the rounds of the neighbors, and as it turned out, Newman belonged to none of them, though several of them had seen him wandering around the neighborhood.
Yet another dumped cat, it appears.
We dithered about what to do, but really, we had no choice but to catch him (which was a very difficult procedure of going out onto the front porch with a carrier, picking up Newman, putting him inside the carrier, and closing the carrier.). I emailed the shelter manager and asked if there was any possibility of room at the shelter for him. Fred thought that if there was no room at the shelter, we could at least have him tested and neutered and perhaps put him in the guest bedroom with Rufus.
(“Or we could just let Rufus run free in Gen Pop,” Fred pointed out.)
As it turned out, there was room at the shelter. We kept him overnight (away from the other cats), and yesterday morning I dropped him off at the vet clinic to be tested (negative, YAY!), neutered, id chipped, and get his shots.
He’s a super friendly boy – hands-down the friendliest cat who has ever shown up here. All the other cats who’ve shown up have been scared, at least at first, but Newman was friendly from the get-go. He’s a sweet boy, I hope he finds his forever home soon!
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“There are no other cats. There is only Maggie.”
Maggie would like you to appreciate her girlish figure.
She LOVES that scratcher, and in fact has pretty much torn the other side to shreds. We flipped it over for her, and she’s doing her best to take care of that side, too. She’s a giver, that Maggie.
Appetite: undiminished. Girth: ever larger. Perhaps a bit less talkative, but I can’t quite decide.
Bayyyyyyyyybeeeeeeeeees, Maggie. Give!
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Rufus on the cat tree in the guest bedroom.
Rufus lookin’ sassy.
I do believe that the only time Rufus hid under the couch yesterday is when I got the vacuum cleaner out and turned it on. He fled in terror to his safe spot under the couch. (In my defense, I didn’t actually realize he was on top of the cat tree in the front room at the time!)
The rest of the day, he either snoozed on top of the cat tree in the front room or wandered around the house. It’s nice to see him out more and more each day. He still gets nervous if we walk directly toward him, but at least he doesn’t run off. He just keeps an eye on us ’til we’re past him, and then he resumes whatever he was doing.
Probably another night or two, we’ll leave him out overnight (instead of locking him in the guest bedroom) and see how that goes.
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Newt would like you to know that he’s fully aware he’s gorgeous. But thank you for noticing.
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Previously 2010: Signs of spring â and pics from around Crooked Acres and beyond.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry. 2007: (âWhy, Robyn, you only sounded like a PARTIAL idiot! I was amazed!â) 2006: âWhat IS that? Some kind of GODDAMN NICKNAME? You fucking heartless freak? You want me to kick your ass to Seattle, or you want to confess right now, jackass?â 2005: A day in the life. 2004: Naturally, the mental note got lost in the mental clutter, so I forgot she was in there, and only remembered when it had been a few hours and I hadnât seen her.
2003: No entry. 2002: Don’t look at me like that. 2001: Of COURSE he falls in love with her inner beauty, because EVERYONE knows that fat women donât have any of that OUTER beauty, for crying out loud. 2000: I can only hope heâll flash me some butt cleavage.
Would you look at that face? Polite interest and a bit of surprise, all “You want what? Babies? Don’t believe I’ve ever heard of those, sorry I can’t help you. BUH-bye!” She is JUST SO PRETTY. A shot from above so you can see the spread. (Heh.) We were gone for two hours last evening, … Continue reading “3/28/11 – Monday”
Would you look at that face? Polite interest and a bit of surprise, all “You want what? Babies? Don’t believe I’ve ever heard of those, sorry I can’t help you. BUH-bye!”
She is JUST SO PRETTY.
A shot from above so you can see the spread. (Heh.)
We were gone for two hours last evening, having dinner with Fred’s parents and sister and her husband. I hoped I’d come home and find Maggie in the midst of birthing 73 babies, but NOT A ONE.
“MAGGIE,” I said. “GIVE ME THOSE BABIES!”
“Nyah,” she said, and then head-butted my hand and demanded I scratch her behind the ears.
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Obviously I have a thing for brown tabbies. Hello, pretty Corbie.
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Rufus is not only coming out from under the couch more and more, but yesterday afternoon we found him on top of the cat tree in the front room, curled up asleep. I’m glad he feels safe enough to do that now.
When we put him in the guest bedroom at night, I only have to sit down and call to him once, and he comes right over to me for petting and kisses.
“You gonna kiss me, lady?”
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Sugarbutt snuggles up to the new bed I bought him at Walgreen. Something about the fact that a cat is snuggled up to sleep in a bed shaped like a dog amuses me for some reason. It doesn’t take much, obviously.
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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry. 2008: Your comments, my answers! 2007: Turns out Maxi had found herself a desiccated frog and was chewing on it. 2006: Whereupon Nick Stokes, Ace Detective and CSI Genius jumps in and says, a dark scowl upon his face, âWhat is that, some kind of nickname?â 2005: Because thereâs nothing worse than having your eyes scooped out with a spork when youâre not quite dead yet, believe you me.
2004: No entry. 2003: Your âshitâ discussion is now over. You may move on. 2002: “Momma!” he cried “Momma, Iâll be good! Let me in Momma, let me in!” 2001: “Owowowowowow,” I whined, hand over my eye, and then stomped my foot in frustration. 2000: When I saw it in the theater, the ending so disturbed me that I sobbed all the way home from the movie theater.
Your best places for the up-to-date info on Maggie this weekend is to either check the spreadsheet – as the time of each entry passes, I’ll do a cross-out of that entry and a note on the side – or you can check the Facebook page from time to time, I’ll post there too. Whenever … Continue reading “3/25/11 – Friday”
Your best places for the up-to-date info on Maggie this weekend is to either check the spreadsheet – as the time of each entry passes, I’ll do a cross-out of that entry and a note on the side – or you can check the Facebook page from time to time, I’ll post there too.
Whenever it happens (unless it’s the dead of night, mind you), I’ll be there with the camera and my phone to make sure everyone knows what Maggie’s status is!
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Would you please let me know where you found the X shaped scratcher? I think my boys would really enjoy it. Thank you!
That is the Petstages Soothing Cat Easy Life Hammock and Scratcher. I got mine by using my Fresh Step points on the Fresh Step website, but they’re apparently not offering it any more. The only place I’m able to find it online is at Amazon, here.
It’s probably just about the most popular piece of “furniture” (if you can call it that) in the house. There’s always a cat on it!
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Sounds like a cat got on your dresser and ran off with the dead wasp’s body (I hope) đ
Well, my dresser is about the only piece of furniture in the house the cats can’t get on top of (partly because it’s so high and they can’t jump that far straight up, and partly because it’s always got stuffed piled on top of it and there’s no room for them), but I like to think that that murderous wasp limped out of the crumpled up piece of paper towel and plummeted over the side of the dresser before being eaten by a cat. Our cats regularly attempt to eat live, buzzing-around wasps, I’m sure a half-dead wasp would be no trouble for them!
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So I gotta ask how your phone is doing now that you’ve had it a week? I know you did post a short follow up when you got it. I actually did get the same phone myself but went to Wally World and got mine. This is completely new to me since I only had a basic cell phone before. It was really easy to set up and get a new phone number. I’m learning all the ins and outs of it. My husband actually has this exact model too (which I didn’t know since I don’t pay much attention to it), so he has been helping me out setting it up. I’m liking the FB, Twitter and mail things on it but finding it distracting. đ What kind of plan did you get? I started off the smallest since I don’t really use my phone to call out a lot. I usually only have it for emergencies. At least if I start using it a lot, I can upgrade. My hubby is jealous because my plan is so cheap while he pays a lot for his and has a contract. This is through another provider and not Virgin Mobile. Anyways, thanks for the recommendation!
After using it for a week, my only gripe is the battery refusing to last for more than a day and a half. I did turn the back light way down (it was a little too dark when I turned it all the way off), and I did set it to not use the wireless in the house all the time, and that did help the battery last a bit longer (thanks, you guys who suggested those two options). I’d like it if the battery lasted longer, but it doesn’t kill me to plug the phone in every night, and I bought a car charger just in case I’m far from home (ha) and need to call someone or check my email.
I downloaded some free bubble-popping game, but what I find is that when I can, say, stand in line at the grocery store and check Facebook or Twitter or my email, I tend to do that rather than play a game.
I REALLY like the camera on the phone, I think it takes a pretty decent picture – I snapped a shot of Alice at the vet yesterday and was able to post it right to Facebook, which I liked.
I got the cheapest plan, the $25 a month, which includes 300 minutes a month and that’s far more than I will ever use. The unlimited text, email, data & web is what appealed to me the most.
If I spent a lot of time on the phone or a lot of time traveling and couldn’t plug the phone in to charge every night, I might have a problem with the battery not lasting very long, but that’s not an issue for me, so I’m going to say that the phone is a definite two thumbs up for me!
My new baby in her protective yellow case.
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My aunt used to joke that she would never let a cat of any form in her house so my mom and me as well as other friends of my aunt would hide cat objects in my aunt’s house. Occasionally, we’d get a letter in the mail with the object when she found it. We would always leave a clue with the object so she could figure out who gifted it to her. My favorite on was a whisker that my mom found in the car long after our cat passed. My Mom set it on a shelf. She found it and knew it was from us. A few months later, the whisker came in the mail. Ha Ha!
I love family stories like that – your aunt sounds like a hoot! đ
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How do you weigh your cats? Do you (or Fred) weigh yourself with and without cat, or do you have a scale that measures 20 lbs or less? My big boy is on a diet and I would like to track how he’s doing, but I don’t have a home scale and I don’t remember them being that accurate anyway. Thanks.
I own one of these scales, which I bought last year (I think). Before that, I weighed kittens in a bowl on the kitchen scale, but once they get past a certain age and weight, that isn’t very easy to do given how hard they can flail.
That is so neat! One of the things I hate about cross-stitching is having to chart everything out myself when I want to do a particular saying. This is going to come in handy!
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Is Fred in fucking shorts already?! Is it warm enough there for fucking shorts! I hate you guys. Until babies you know, but until then…
Fred will wear shorts pretty much year-round, though in early January he switches over to jeans. But I should add, if I MUST be truthful, that I was wearing shorts on Tuesday because it was close to 80 outside. đ
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I was 13 years old and took in a stray cat, much to my mom and dads dismay. She was very pregnant. I would watch her lay on her side and see the babies rolling. From the time I saw the babies rolling, to the time of delivery was exactly 5 days. Not sure that will help you with your wait, especially with all the variables.
Adding another tidbit to that story. I woke up around midnight hearing little “mews” coming from down the hall. I knew that my cat had had her babies, so I followed their “mews”. Where was mama cat? On top of my 8 year old brothers chest, licking the 3 kitties she just gave birth to!!! I turned on the light, which awoke my brother (the light woke him up but not a cat giving birth to three kitties and all the bloody mess, go figure) and he looked down at his chest and screamed like he had just seen a monster, which I am sure looked like he did. Anyway…totally useless info, but a funny story, no?
Definitely a funny story!
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Today on the radio (in Dallas, TX no less) they mentioned a controversy surrounding a bill in Maine to name the whoopie pie the official state dessert. You know, of course, who I immediately thought of đ
Mmm… whoopie pies…. I could go for a lobster roll for dinner and a whoopie pie for dessert!
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I wonder if Alice and Miz Poo are going to turn into Mean Girls, making fun of Stinkerbelle and spreading rumors about her?
That would not surprise me in the slightest. They certainly have the Mean Girls look about them, don’t they?
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Are those starters in your house? We only have two cats, but every time I either try to start plants or nurture little ones from the nursery, my cats have a field day destroying them.
Oh, good lord no. I’d never in a million years try to start seeds in the house, and for that matter the only way I could see having any kind of plant in the house would be if it was hanging where the cats couldn’t get to it. Our flats of started seeds live in the garage, upstairs in front of the window where the sun shines for a good part of the day.
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When you started the seedlings in the styrofoam egg containers, did you poke a hole in the bottom for the water to drain? Or line them with pebbles or something? Or will water just drain thru the styrofoam? Or are you just so careful that you don’t overwater them? Because I can see an epic mess in my future were I to try that!
Fred’s a notorious overwaterer when it comes to seedlings, so I poked holes in the bottoms of the egg cartons. Otherwise they’d drown and I wouldn’t have my 90 tomato plants to keep me busy this summer!
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You should download WordFeud for the Android! It’s a fun crossword game, similar to Lexulous on Facebook. Also, I will bet you would like Angry Birds almost as much as Snood. đ
I suck pretty badly at Angry Birds. When those GODDAMN pigs smile at me I want to kick those motherfuckers. I’ll check out WordFeud, though, and continue to hope that one day there’ll be such a thing as Snood for the Android.
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It seems like your group can adopt the heck out of cats! I mean – you’re not the only foster mom and there seems to be space opening up fairly often. Do you know about how many adoptions your group does? And how many they take in?
My other question is kind of icky – but I’m asking anyway. You don’t have to answer. But, I know that vets will spay pregnant females – is that something that you guys are against doing or is it a timing thing? Not that I hate kittens – I’m just curious.
In 2010, Challenger’s House took in 180 cats and kittens and adopted out 169. That’s a lot of cats! (When I told Fred the numbers, he said “Did WE keep the other 11?” Ha!)
Someone asked about spaying pregnant cats last year, and I’ll just cut and paste what the shelter manager said then:
Yes, we do spay pregnant cats and yes we have spayed them right up pretty close to term. Every spring we get call after call about pregnant cats. Although we do spay many of them, most of us hate to. So early in the âseasonâ the first couple pregnant cats we take are left to have their babies. When foster homes are full and there is no more space available then it becomes necessary to spay them while they are pregnant.
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Rufus reminds me of my sister’s cat Louis Arnold (she always gave her cats two names). He was so gorgeous and would actually come running from the other side of the house if we called him. Like all boy kitties, he was very affectionate.
Now I want to adopt Rufus. I’d have to name him Rufus Windsor or George Pompidou or something silly like that.
It seems like cats need two names, doesn’t it? I tend to add “McGee” many of my cats’ names (Suggie McGee, for one.). Alice is usually either Princess Alice or Alice MO-rales (and I’ve recently taken to calling her “Alice Mo” and “Ally Mo”). Elwood has become Elly Belly, and Jake is, of course, Loony Pants. Something about two names just rolls off the tongue a little better for some reason.
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Poor Joe Bob. Can you please get him a bigger box? He is making me uncomfortable. That has to hurt with corners and creases all up in his pits. Cats are such curious creatures.
I have GOT to do an experiment where I put two boxes down – one large, one small – and document the way Joe Bob and Spanky insist upon cramming themselves into the smaller box. It must make them feel safe. Maybe they’re reliving the feeling of being wee babies in the womb.
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Yesterday I was talking with my husband on the phone, he laughs and tells me “Squiggy is licking Lenny’s ass.” I say “Are they on your lap?” “Yes” My question to you is, do any of your kitties lick each others butts? Lenny and Squiggy are litter-mates, would that have anything to do with it? Or are our kitties especially disgusting?
ALL kitties are especially disgusting. Not three hours after I originally read this question, I saw Corbie lick Rufus’s ass. Rufus put up with it, and then looked appalled and ran away. I had to ask Fred if he’d seen any of our other cats do it, and he reminded me that Mister Boogers used to do it all the time. ALL the time.
Cats are so nasty.
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Love those blue boys!! It was hard to tell them apart as youngsters, not anymore. Does Elwood let Jake have any of the treats?
Although Elwood is a big eater (obviously), I find that Jake is the one who’ll come take food right out of your hand. He’s much smaller than Elwood, but he’s not starving to death. Maybe Elwood’s got a slower metabolism. Yeah, that’s it!
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Any changes in Maggie’s behavior? (We want kittens!)
No changes – she just keeps getting bigger and bigger! Still eating tons, still coming over for love and petting, still greeting me at the door and talking to me!
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How’s Rufus finding the great wide world?
Rufus is spending the better part of the day under the couch in the front room. He lets me pull him out from under the couch, and he’ll sit in my lap and purr. I take him into the guest bedroom and give him some time to use the litter box and eat without interference from the other cats, then I open the door again. Sometimes he stays in the guest bedroom and hangs out on his cat tree, and sometimes he sniffs around the house a little before he ends up under the couch again.
Yesterday, Corbie hung out with Rufus for a little while under the couch.
I think Rufus will come out when he wants to – until then, I’ll pull him out from time to time and give him lots of love and snuggles.
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Nooooooooooooope. Nuttin’ yet!
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Under the guest bedroom bed.
Laying in my lap, purring up a storm.
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Alice on the cat tree in the front room.
Yesterday, Alice had to go to the vet. She cried pitifully all the way there, and then she fought like a little demon when they tried to take her temperature (which they were ultimately unable to do), and then she gave the vet the dirtiest look when she dared to listen to Alice’s lungs.
Poor Alice has allergies, and the pollen is making her sit around with her mouth open because she can hardly breathe through her nose. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t something worse, and was relieved to find out it wasn’t. Like her daddy, Alice just suffers from allergies. She’ll have a miserable week or two, then hopefully she’ll feel better.
Not that being all stuffed up has slowed her down, you understand. She’s still eating just fine, picking fights, playing.
Just occasionally, she needs a nap. With her fangs showing and her tongue sticking out a bit.
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Previously 2010: And I said, âWe have a lot of cats.â 2009: For they are fearsome creatures. 2008: âMy flabby sectionsâ would be an excellent band name.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry. 2005: The spud is officially licensed. 2004: Ainât it always the way that when you call someone names in your journal, secure in the knowledge that theyâll never see it, they always do? 2003: (And before you say it, yes. You shouldnât give a shit what I think, either.) 2002: Is it just me?
2001: No entry. 2000: If you knew youâd get $341 million for being treated savagely and cruelly for 7 years, would you do it?
Last night, we had to chase Rufus down so we could put him back in the guest bedroom for the night. He spends most of his time during the day under the couch in the living room, and I sit down by the couch and visit with him and stick my hand under the couch … Continue reading “3/24/11 – Thursday”
Last night, we had to chase Rufus down so we could put him back in the guest bedroom for the night. He spends most of his time during the day under the couch in the living room, and I sit down by the couch and visit with him and stick my hand under the couch to pet him. If I stick a straw under there, he’ll grab at it, and I can hear him batting at toys under there, too. He seems pretty happy, and if he needs to hang out under the couch for a few days to feel safe, that’s okay with me. I just like to put him in the guest bedroom overnight so that he can have a little time without the other cats glaring at him and stealing his food.
The problem is that riiiiiight before bedtime is when he’s at his most curious, and so instead of hanging out under the couch, he’s slinking around the kitchen or down the hallway – last night he ran upstairs and hid under my bed. I was letting Fred chase him down, but when it appeared that he was having a hard time catching Rufus, I went to help.
“First of all, there’s a wasp,” Fred said, pointing to the cord to the blinds by the window. Hanging there, glaring malevolently, was a red wasp. I headed back out of the room.
“Are you not going to help me?” Fred said plaintively.
“Let me kill the wasp first,” I said. I got a piece of paper towel, grabbed the wasp with it, and then squeezed ’til I heard that crunching sound that always makes my metaphorical balls climb up into my body. I tossed the crumpled piece of paper on my dresser, and went to help Fred. We had Rufus several times, but he managed to get away from us, and then we had to chase him back downstairs and ended up upstairs again, finally catching him and putting him in a carrier to take him back downstairs.
It’s always fun and games at our house, y’know.
So this morning Fred woke me up before he left for work, and we discussed Rufus for a few minutes and then discussed the lack of baby kittens in the foster room (MAGGIE), and then he left for work and I tried to get back to sleep, but couldn’t. I finally got up and took my shower and got dressed for the day (did I mention that I’m finally back to wearing regular clothes during the day instead of the comfy, comfy sleep pants and t-shirt I wore for the first month after surgery?).
I was walking back into my bedroom to make my bed and open the blinds, and I glanced over at my dresser, to see the crumpled piece of paper towel sitting there. I remembered that I hadn’t flushed the dead wasp the night before, so I picked up the paper towel and headed into the bathroom. I uncrumpled the piece of paper towel…
AND THE WASP WAS NOT THERE.
I went back into my bedroom and looked on the dresser, on the floor, behind the door. NO WASP.
So what I’m saying to you is that there’s an ugly wasp on the loose in this house, and he’s got murder in his heart and my name on his waspy little lips. If I disappear, please start looking for me. I’ll be the sporting a full-body wasps’ nest.
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My computer seems to be slowly shitting the bed, and thus I am writing this on Fred’s computer because I’m too damn lazy to go upstairs and get my laptop. His fucking keyboard is like a mile and a half from me, I can barely reach the fucking thing, even with it pulled as far toward me as I can pull it. How the fuck does he reach this thing? His arms must drag the ground when he walks. You’d think I would have noticed that. Also, it’s a shitty keyboard. Also also, he runs Linux instead of Windows, and the goddamn clock is in the upper right corner and I keep forgetting that, and so I look in the lower right corner AS GOD INTENDED to see what time it is, and then I find myself confused, and I look all over the place, all “Duhr? What TIME is it?”
Also, his chair is huge and uncomfortable. I feel like I’m sitting in one of those ridiculously oversized giants’ chairs. Sugarbutt keeps climbing up behind me and laying down and pressing his back feet against me in a vain attempt to push me off the chair, and Tommy keeps jumping up on the back of the chair and smacking at Sugarbutt, and Elwood keeps sticking his ass in my face, and I’m about to vote all their asses off the island.
***SURVIVOR SPOILER; SKIP IT IF YOU DIDN’T SEE THE EPISODE FROM TWO WEEKS AGO***
Was it not hilarious when Russell got his ass handed to him by Matt and reacted by sobbing like the little bitch he is? LOVE IT.
The most popular day as far as guesses go is this Saturday. I hope y’all know something I don’t, because I can’t wait to see these babies.
Note: If you entered the pool, please take a quick look at the spreadsheet to be sure I entered you under the right day and time, would you? (Unless you entered last night, in which case I haven’t had a chance to enter you on the spreadsheet yet!)
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Nope, not yet.
“Tell them I can totally be bribed.”
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Rufus in the sun.
Rufus in his favorite spot on the cat tree.
Rufus carefully sniffing Jake so as not to rouse his ire.
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Despite challenges from Corbie and Jake, Elwood would like to assure you that he remains king of the scratcher. He knows you were worried.
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Previously 2010: What babies? 2009: Youâd think itâs not such a big decision, but I AM a master ditherer, so dither I shall. 2008: And then they tried to say that I was calling Rickâs feet âdaintyâ, so in one short day I managed to insult everyone in the house.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry. 2005: I. Am. PISSED. 2004: âIâm sorry,â I said. âI donât believe I quite understand. Could you explain this âspoonfulâ word to me via pantomime again?â 2003: That, or sheâs a stalker-reader.
2002: No entry.
2001: No entry. 2000: Some people just have a smack-me face, donât they?
Okay, I’ve had several people suggest that I start a pool regarding Maggie birthin’ those babies and/ or how many babies she’s going to have. So here’s the deal – there’s now a pool. For $5 per guess, you can guess the day and time she’ll deliver her first kitten AND how many babies she’ll … Continue reading “3/23/11 – Wednesday”
Okay, I’ve had several people suggest that I start a pool regarding Maggie birthin’ those babies and/ or how many babies she’s going to have. So here’s the deal – there’s now a pool. For $5 per guess, you can guess the day and time she’ll deliver her first kitten AND how many babies she’ll have. All money collected will go to Challenger’s House. There’s a Paypal link below that goes to my Paypal account. When Maggie’s had her babies, I’ll send the total amount to Challenger’s House (along with a printout so that Susan knows I didn’t go on a shopping spree or anything!).
The winner of the pool will get to name ONE of Maggie’s kittens. Caveats: name must be Irish-ish (Irish, Celtic, Scottish would all work, I know that sounds ignorant to you Irish and Scottish types out there, I apologize for being a dumb American (of Irish and Scottish descent, do I get bonus points for that?)), and the name can’t be on the list of names that have already been used by the shelter. The winner will get to choose which kitten he or she names.
Here are the rules:
1. One entry costs you $5, two is $10, 3 is $15, and so on. Make sure you include the date/ time/ and number of babies with your entry. The most important part of the guess is the date and time – the number of babies is just a fun tie-breaker in case, for instance, one person guesses 2 pm and one person guesses 4 pm, and she delivers the first one at 3 pm. In such a case, the person who guesses the correct number of babies (or comes closest without going over!) is the winner.
2. If you don’t or can’t send the money via Paypal and you still want to play, then send a check to Challenger’s House (address at the bottom of the page here) and then email me (mizrobyn (at) gmail (dot) com) with your number of guesses, and the date/ time/ # of kittens for each guess. I’ll assume you’re an honest person who wouldn’t liiiiiiiie about mailing a check, because you know and I know that if you were lyyyyyyyyyyyying about such a thing, it would make the wee baby kittens cry. You wouldn’t want that on your conscience, would you?
3. You don’t have to guess a number of kittens if you don’t want to. Just keep in mind that if you have the correct date and time and your number of kittens guess is wayyyyy off, you still win.
4. I’ve started a spreadsheet at Google Docs where I’ll list the guesses in order of date, then time. Your name will be next to your guess(es), and I’ll list you by first name and last initial, unless you’d prefer to be listed otherwise. That spreadsheet is here.
5. If we go to bed one night and Maggie hasn’t gone into labor, and then we wake up the next morning to kittens, we’ll make our best guesstimate as to when she delivered the first one. Or, if that’s too hard for us, we’ll go with whoever was closest (without going over!) to the number of kittens.
I was going to just take entries through the weekend (assuming she doesn’t birth ’em before that), but I truly do not have the slightest clue when she’s gonna blow (I really thought she’d have them last weekend!), so as long as she hasn’t gone into labor, entries are welcome.
Further down in the entry there’ll be pictures of Maggie in her current physical state, along with some description of how she’s doing/ acting, which may help you make an educated guess. If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll add them (and the answers) to the list.
Okay, I think that’s it. Y’all let me know if you have any questions about this!
(If the above Paypal button doesn’t work for you, you can log into Paypal and send the money (don’t forget your date/ time/ # kittens info, too!) directly to me at mizrobyn (at) gmail (dot) com I’ll know it’s meant for the Maggie Pool, but you can certainly include a note to that effect if you’d like.)
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It’s been almost three years since we had our very first pregnant foster cat. That was Kara (who later became a permanent), and she was only in the house about 24 hours before she went into labor. (You can read her labor story here.) She had four kittens – River, Inara, Kaylee and Zoe. Two of them – River and Inara – were adopted by longtime reader Katherine in Madison. River’s new name became Nate, and Inara’s became Dora.
This is what they looked like then:
Dora
Nate
Nate (far right) and Dora (next to him).
Well, they grew up beautiful, as you can clearly see.
Nate
Nate (left) and Dora.
Dora in the back, Nate in the middle, stretched out, and their big sister Bailey, on the heated tiles.
Aren’t they beautiful? Katherine and I always say that Nate needs to be a model!
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It’s been about two years since we had Creed, Phyllis and Dwight (you can read about them here).
They were all adopted pretty quickly, but unfortunately it turned out that the 8 year-old in Creed’s new family was very allergic and getting worse. They tried bathing and the anti-dander solution, but nothing worked, and Creed had to be returned to the shelter.
This is what Creed looked like when he was our foster (and in fact the picture that always comes to mind when I think of him!)
and this is what he looks like now:
The family who adopted him had only the highest praise for him and were very sad to give him up. I remember him as being a real sweetheart when he was here, and he continued to be just as sweet in his new home. He went right to Petsmart after his re-test, so hopefully he’ll be adopted quickly.
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Okay, here’s the Maggie section. First, the pictures.
(So RUDE, snapping a picture of a poor pregnant lady from behind!)
“VERY rude, lady. I oughta smack you. But I need to go back and eat some more.”
As of last night, she was still eating a lot. I gave her a can of food yesterday afternoon, and I’m pretty sure that had my hand been in way, she would have wolfed that down, too. She seems restless – I have to be very patient if I want to put my hand on her belly, because she mostly paces back and forth and lets me pet her. She has to be in the mood to flop over for a belly rub, I guess.
Her nipples are prominent but not swollen as though they’re filled with milk. Her belly is huge. I can feel babies moving around in her stomach, but I have to concentrate. I’ve also been able to see her belly moving a few times, but I have to concentrate on that, too.
She really likes to sharpen her claws on the cardboard scratcher, which probably has nothing at all to do with anything, just thought I’d throw that in there.
She weighed 9.9 pounds at the vet the day I picked her up, and a week later she weighed 10 pounds, 14 ounces on our scale. I don’t know how close our scale is to the vet’s scale, but I imagine it’s probably within a couple of ounces.
Annnnd that’s all I can think of. Let me know if you have questions!
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Elwood (left) and Jake, hanging out in the back yard.
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Previously 2010: Oblivious is my default state, apparently. 2009: IT IS SPRING AND IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE HUMID, AND I STRENUOUSLY OBJECT TO GETTING ZAPPED BY STATIC ELECTRICITY IN MARCH IN ALABAMA.
2008: No entry. 2007: No offers yet though, damnit. 2006: âHookers and blow!â he crowed jubilantly. 2005: Also, thereâs that whole pesky âdealing with peopleâ thing, and I donât like that sort of thing at ALL. 2004: The spud passed the test for her learnerâs permit, THANKYAJEEZUS.
2003: No entry.
2002: No entry. 2001: Fred and I chose the names of our future child/ren way before we ever met – Seth Forrest and Samantha Jayne. 2000: On the other hand, I was shopping in Wal-Mart, wasnât I? Whatâd I expect, diamonds and furs?
