A117744 (Velcro)

Velcro is the only boy in the litter, but still manages to occasionally get bossed around by his big sister, Tux. He is an inquisitive, playful little guy, who likes to explore every area of the apartment (after Tux has made sure it’s safe), play-fight with all of his sisters, and climb up pant-legs to see what’s going on higher up in the world – which is how he gets his name, and why we trained him to have his little kitten claws clipped.

He is litter-trained, scratching-post trained, loves being petted and held by people, and purrs almost all the time. He likes playing with pretty much every cat toy he’s ever seen, and also likes playing with big cats – he spent a fair bit of time trying to goad our adult cats into chasing him around, without much success. But he kept on trying!

Velcro also loves food, and will happily eat (well, it’s more like inhaling) more wet food than his little tummy can handle, so be careful how much you feed him until he learns his own limits. Other than that, he’s a perfect cat!

A117742 (Laces)

We have to admit that we don’t call Laces by her real name. We call her Blackbeard, since she has a little black beard (with a matching – and surprising -black lip under the fur), but since that’s not a very ladylike name, we left Laces on her sheet.

She’s a happy, playful, friendly little cat who loves people only a little less than her cat toy du jour. Other than growling (loudly for a cat this small) angry warning at anyone who comes to take her cat toys away while she’s playing with them, she’s the happiest, most playful cat in the litter. Things she likes to chase: her sisters, her brother, our other two cats, shadows, her tail, dust, and imaginary kittens.

She’s litter-trained, scratching-post-trained, and doesn’t mind (too much) having her claws clipped. Best to do that last one while she’s a little bit sleepy.

Laces is a prototypical kitten – she spends about 40% of her time sleeping, 40% of her time trying to look cute, and 20% of her time eating. She likes being petted, doesn’t mind being held (even flipped onto her back), and will make a very sweet pet for a good home.

But please change her name to something more dignified!

A117740 (Tux)

We tried calling Tux by other names for a while, but none of them stuck. If you frequently have to attend formal parties, Tux is the perfect cat – she’s always dressed for the occasion!

Tux is the biggest cat in her litter, and uses her size to take a level, stoic view of life. She was the first kitten out of the carrier when we brought them home, and the first to poke her head out of the bathroom when we let them out. But she never runs out to explore: she just solemnly walks around, inspecting things around her. (But if you surprise her, she sometimes jumps about 2 feet straight sideways…)

She’s litter-trained, scratching-post trained, socialized well with people and other cats, and actually doesn’t eat any more than the other cats in the litter (unless she’s sneaking snacks out of the fridge at night). Although the vet tells us that she’s not likely to be any bigger or smaller than her brother and sisters, we think she’s about 1/4 black bear.

One warning: she decided a couple of days ago that socks are prey. Even when there are feet in them. It might take a bit of training to convince her otherwise.

Tux likes to play with little cat toys, and will growl warnings at other cats if they get too close to her when she’s carrying one of her toys around the apartment. Until she drops is somewhere to investigate something new, and forgets about it completely.

Overall she’s a calm, happy, lovable ball of black fuzz, who’s just looking for a good home.

A117743 (Zipper)

Zipper has cleverly figured out the secret to not leaving: don’t grow. She eats (well, she did until a few days ago) as much as the rest of the cats in the litter, but has somehow managed to gain only 40 grams in 3 weeks. Her siblings have gained about 400-500 grams, so she’s losing that race.

Until she’s over 800 (she’s 560 right now), she can’t get microchipped. So at the current rate of growth, we’re going to have her until… March.

Update! Good news! Zipper is now healthy and over 800grams. She has also found a forever home with two of our closest friends. They kitten-sat her for a few days and fell head over heels in love. This of course means that we get to see her on a regular basis. woohoo!

The Butter Ball Mafia, Batch #4

Bring Alpha back for adoption was probably the hardest thing for me so far in the fostering experience. She stayed with us for two extra weeks after her brothers were ready to be adopted because she was still too tiny. Every night she would craw into the crook of my neck and sleep there, purring. In the morning she would wake me up by licking my fingers and trying to groom my eye brows. Her sweet personality made it next to impossible to not get attached. It’s nice to know though that she has gone to a wonderful family that will dote over her as much as I have.

Enter the Butter Ball Mafia. They were brought to us as we dropped off Alpha, and made it their mission to cheer me up. We call them the Butter Ball Mafia, because they are all round, soft, and squishy. For little butter ball like bundles of joy. For the next three weeks, I will go through the same experience as with the previous three batches. Falling in love all over again…

A116253 (Gamma)

Gamma is the reincarnation of the monkey king. He doesn’t walk – he prances everywhere he goes. He likes to talk in little low burbling noises as he struts around the apartment, and he talks to both people and other cats. When one of our adults cats lets out a loud meow, Gamma is the first one to come running to see what the need, and he greets them with a nose-bump and a purr.

In fact, a good way to tell whether Gamma is awake or not is to check whether he’s purring. If you hold him up to your ear, he usually sounds like a smooth-running four-stroke motor (but underwater). He likes to lie on laps, on chests, on his back in your arms, curled up on your leg, or poised carefully on your shoulder. You can tell he’s relaxed when he lays down to put his chin on your arm.

He’s quiet, except when he thinks it’s time for food. Then he lets out an alarmingly loud caterwaul to let you know that he wants to eat.

Gamma is the smartest of the litter. He has bright eyes that are always looking around to see what’s going on around him, he comes when he’s called (sometimes), and he definitely recognizes people. He wants a lot of attention, but rewards you handsomely for what you give him, with lots of love and affection

A116252 (Alpha)

Update – October 20th: Alpha has gained enough weight and confidence to leave the nest, so we’re sending her off to college… I mean to be adopted.

Alpha is (was?) the runt of her litter. When she first arrived, she spent a lot of her time hiding behind her three big brothers, hoping that other people and cats wouldn’t notice her. In fact, for a while, all she did was hide behind things, and peer out with her big eyes at the scary world beyond. After a week, though, she got used to us, and turned out to be a complete sweetie who likes to lie on your lap, stretch out, and purr.

Now that she’s grown, she likes to chase our other two cats around the house (weight 11 lbs. and 12 lbs.) after jumping out of hiding to tackle their heads. Her other hobbies are grooming people (she especially likes ankles, knees, and other ticklish points), practicing her `attack cat’ moves on people, and delivering `toys’ to people (crumpled paper, blades of cat grass, dead leaves…).

Although she’s much more confident now, some of her timid past comes out at times: she shouldn’t go to a home with loud dog, since she gets scared by loud noises. And she always needs some coaxing to eat her food (she loves food, including all types of wet cat food, dry cat food, yogurt, rice, and other people food that she really should not eat, but she gets distracted after having a few bites, and needs to be reminded to finish).

She also has a little hernia – it can be easily fixed when she gets spayed, but until then you should watch it. If it ever turns really hard (like a button), call a vet: it’s rare, but dangerous if it happens.

Alpha (so named because we couldn’t tell her apart from her two orange brothers Beta and Gamma) is a very loving little ball of adorableness. Everything that meets her falls in love with her.

A116251 (Beta)

Beta is a big teddy bear. When he grows up, he wants to be the friendliest and cutest tomcat on the block. To practice for his eventual duties, he enjoys finding hiding spots from where he can launch surprise attacks (on his brothers, on stockinged feet, on cat toys, on pieces of cardboard, etc), and running around as fast as he can.

He’s an independent cat, but also very well socialized. He spent his weeks with us with his two brothers, sister, and our own two cats. However, Beta’s favourite playmate is his twin brother Gobi (an identical cat other than his tan colouring) – if you’re thinking of getting two cats, get these two! They do everything together (and everything is: eating, playfighting, chasing each other around the apartment, sleeping, grooming each other.)

Beta is not only litter trained, but the most fastidious cat we’ve ever seen. He makes sure that everything in the litter box is buried, whether or not he
was responsible for the mess. (And for some reason, he also likes to make announcements when he’s doing his business in the box.) He’s also pretty good about having his nails clipped, and knows how to use scratching posts.

A116250 (Gobi)

Gobi is a friendly little monster who gets his name from the Gobi desert (his colouring is like sand). He is equally happy playing with his brothers and sister, as spending time sitting on your lap – or even better, lying cradled in an arm close to your chest. When his nails get long enough (and he’s OK with having them clipped), sometimes he’ll just climb up your jeans to get to a warm lap to sit in.

He’s an independent cat, but also very well socialized. He spent his weeks with us with his two brothers, sister, and our own two cats. However, Gobi’s favourite playmate is his twin brother Beta (an identical cat other than his orange colouring) – if you’re thinking of getting two cats, get these two! They do everything together (and everything is: eating, playfighting, chasing each other around the apartment, sleeping, grooming each other.)

Gobi is litter trained, scratching-post trained, and good with furniture (so far, at least). He does have a penchant for chewing on cardboard and tissue when he gets bored, so keep an eye on your toilet paper and any cardboard boxes that have sentimental value. He’s also a happy cat – he purrs when he’s being held, when he’s being petted, and sometimes just because he feels like it.