Reunion

A few days ago, Marian emailed me asking if I could help Diane out at our Saturday Adoption Day at PetCo. I always enjoy helping out, so I told her I'd be there.

I was a little late due to a morning singing rehearsal for a one-time choir thing I'm doing (not part of Chorale) and when I got there, Diane was busy chatting with about twelve different people at once. I set my Starbuck's on the table, locked my purse up in our supply cabinet, and set out to say good morning to our charges. As ever, some I knew, some I didn't.

I saved our temporary cages for last--the cages we put out on Saturdays only, to show off cats that are brought in for the day by their foster families. I cooed over a litter of five that were there last time I helped out (they're teensy and oh-so-cute), and two slightly larger kittens named Spot and Sophia. Then I turned my attention to the cage on the very end.

I paused.

Waitaminute...

Diane was talking to someone, but I couldn't help myself.

"Diane, I'm so sorry to interrupt...but is that...I know that face. Is that...?"

"Oh, that little girl is one of Debbie's fosters, her name is--"

"Lucy?" My voice was fast and high-pitched, as it often gets when I'm excited.

"Yeah, her name's Lucy."

"That's my Lucy! I'd know that face anywhere!!"

The bad news is that the adoption for Lucy fell through--the potential cat mom is a college student living in student housing, who can't afford to move out yet. If she takes Lucy home to her dad's house, his girlfriend will get rid of Lucy. So Debbie decided it was in Lucy's best interest to go back on the adoption market. I'm sad for my little furry friend, my sweetest little Lucy-lou, that she hasn't yet found her happy ending, but oh, how sweet it was to see her.

She was nervous being at PetCo and spent most of the day burrowed under a towel in her cage, but she purred for me and let me cuddle her. I know, logically, that she doesn't remember me...but there's a small part of me that likes to pretend that maybe she does, deep down. She's still on the small side--she was the runt of the litter--and I think she'll always be petite. You can see, though, that she's grown into a pretty little feline.

And just in case you'd forgotten how adorable, how sweet, how full of sass and charm she was as a tiny kitten in my bathroom, well, here's a reminder:

(It turns out that what I always throught was a stubborn bit of dirt on her nose was, in fact, something that would darken into a charming gray beauty mark.)

Lord knows I loved all of my little Peanuts, but Lucy was always the kitten that could have tempted me to break my two-cats-only rule. The wee girl was so full of curiosity and affection. She was the first to make a run for it out of the bathroom, the first to purr, the first to introduce herself to Millie and Harley (and the big 13-pound lug, if you'll recall, always ran under my bed). She was able to keep up with her larger brothers and hold her own when it came to getting her share of Tuna Time. She talked constantly ("Mew! Mew! Meeeeewwww!!!") whenever I was in the bathroom and ran around the 2nd bedroom like she owned the place.

I try not to play favorites, but I'm not gonna lie. I have a soft spot a mile wide for this little girl. I have very high hopes that her longer wait for a forever home means that someone really, really special is out there just waiting to find her.

Full Circle

My kitten fostering experience has come full circle. On Friday, Charlie Brown and Snoopy were delivered to their forever home--together!!

According to Marian, they were adopted by a family with two kids, who are about 8 and 10. The kids cuddled with the kittens at PetCo last Thursday and apparently both Snoopy and Charlie Brown were purring and cuddling right back. It's a good match, a good home, and I'm glad this little pair went together.

So that's it. Linus and Sally are in their homes. Lucy is still at the foster home, waiting for her new mom to be ready to take her, but she is well taken care of and promised to someone. Charlie Brown and Snoopy will be loved by their new family.

My heart is full, and happy tears are in my eyes. Letting go of "my Peanuts" was hard, but seeing them get their happy endings is the best possible outcome. In July, four unwanted kittens were unceremoniously dumped at PetCo. Now, just as summer ends and fall begins, they all have homes. They will be loved.

And life goes on here, in their first true home. At the end of the week, Bella and Duchess will come for a three-week visit, while Mom and Dad go on a fabulous Asian cruise (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam...). Four cats, one human, 750 square feet. Bring on the madness.

More Peanuts Pics

Today I went back to PetCo for my normal Sunday morning cage-cleaning duties. I normally spend between an hour and an hour-and-a-half, depending on how messy the cats have been and how much cuddling I do. Today, I spent two-and-a-half hours. I cuddled at the beginning, then I cleaned, then I cuddled some more.

Sally doesn't really know me, so she was pretty stand-offish. But Linus, her Sweet Babboo and cage-mate, was the same little sweetie he was when he stayed here in July. He purred, he cuddled, he started "making biscuits" with his paws. I was loving every minute of it.

"Oh, we're just having a cuddle. But you want to love me up? Okay!"

"I think I remember this red flashy-box thing."

After giving Linus some love (and Sally, much as she'd let me), I went to Snoopy and Charlie Brown's cage. They're in the one that I can kind of sit in, so I spent some time camped out there, cuddling. Snoopy, at first, was quite shy and nervous, but after a few minutes, he let me touch him, then pick him up and hold him on my lap (even at five weeks, Snoopy did not want to be held much) and finally, finally, I had him purring, making biscuits, and wool-sucking on his little donut bed.

Charlie Brown was as sweet and friendly as ever--it didn't take much to make him purr. He was always an affectionate little critter here, and one night I even got him to fall asleep in my arm, lying on his back.

Snoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-py!

"Now I'm back in your arms again..."

Charlie Brown, wool-sucking.

Snoopy, wool-sucking.

Charlie Brown, again.

After a while, I managed to tear myself away...I left the scene above--two sweet gray-and-white kittens, still on the small side, but nowhere near as tiny as they were in July, wool-sucking and rumbling away in their donut beds.

I might go visit tomorrow. And if you're in this area, they're at PetCo. Go meet the Peanuts Gang--you won't regret it!

Then and Now: The Peanuts Gang

Watch out world, The Peanuts Gang are on the adoption market!

I saw three of my four little sweeties today, for the first time since July 17th, when Debbie and her daughter came to take them. On that day, they had a single calico kitten near in age and size to my Peanuts kids, so she was christened Sally and added to the group.

Sally and the boys went to PetCo today--Lucy is spoken for already by a friend of Debbie's--and I was there, with bells on, to see my little friends.

They've grown so much! They are still small, but they look much more like cats, and much less like kittens.

When I walked in, my eyes immediately found two grays, one tuxie, and one calico in a cage. They don't remember me, of course, but they let me coo and pet them, and I even had a chance to hold Charlie Brown and Linus. Snoopy was bunched up in the back of the cage, obviously nervous about this new situation, and he never was much for being held, anyway.

Without further ado, I present the Before and After pictures.

Linus, July:

Linus, today:

Snoopy, July:

Snoopy, today (behind Sally):

Charlie Brown, July:

Charlie Brown, today:

I stayed for over two hours, chatting with my fellow volunteers and going back, over and over, to coo over my sweeties. They'll be put in the permanent cages tonight and they will stay at PetCo until they are either adopted or they've been there two or three weeks. I hope they're all adopted as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy some serious cuddling tomorrow, when I clean cages. : )

And So It Goes

So the babies are gone, off to a more permanent foster home, where they will stay until they are adopted. I cried a little last night when I put them to bed for the night, and I cried a little more just before Debbie and her daughter arrived.

Both Debbie and her daughter (whose name escapes me) remembered very well a little ginger ninja they called Khan. They saw him in the window as they approached, and I called out, "Remember him?"

A chorus of exclamations ensued.

"Oh my gosh!"

"He's HUGE!"

"He's gorgeous!"

"He was so tiny!! Now look at him!"

I think it was nice for them to see that one of the babies they put so much time and love into grew up into a healthy and much-adored feline. They didn't call him Khan, sticking instead to my name for him, remembering that he is now Harley because of his louder-than-loud purr. He peered at them from behind the sofa, not running to hide as quickly has he usually does. I like to think he remembered their scent.

They brought with them a tiny calico, a single orphaned kitten in need of a foster home and friends. She'll be raised with my Peanuts Gang, and Debbie was contemplating a Peanuts-themed name for the baby.

We spent a few minutes making introductions. My babies were okay with the human strangers but the mystery kitten caused some angst. Too soon, we were loading everyone into carriers and I was watching Debbie drive off with them.

I went back to my apartment and cried some more.

Then I got down to the business of cleaning. It took me several hours, but I scrubbed, scoured and washed this apartment (especially the bathroom). It sparkles and shines now. At 7:30, I finally showered and made a trip to Panda Express for some dinner. The only chore left is to fold all the towels I just got out of the dryer. That can wait 'til tomorrow.

Last night I took some self-portraits with the Peanuts Gang. No one was happy to be interrupted during play time, but I got the shots.

It's quiet here tonight. Harley has figured out that everything is back to normal and won't leave me alone. I've received more head-butts, nudges and figure eights around my ankles than I've had in the last two weeks. Millie is napping on the fridge. The bathroom door is wide open, and my apartment smells of candles and faintly of bleach, rather than kitten poo and tuna.

Before they left, I took one last video. You can hear me struggling not to sob. I had tears streaming down my face the whole time.



Fostering has been a wonderful experience. I won't lie; I was ready to clean this place and have my bathroom back...I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to my babies. I know that I gave them a wonderful start, that they only benefitted from being here with me for two weeks, because I loved them and took good care of them. I'll never forget any of my sweet little friends, and I hope that wherever they end up, it is with true cat people, who will adore them and give them the best possible life.

Things I've Done Today

Some of these are out of order.

1. Attempted a 2-mile run.
2. Walked about a mile-and-a-half.
3. Taken three Ibuprofen for cramps.
4. Given two tuna times.
5. Showed off Harley to the lady (and her daughter) who fostered him. (They both exclaimed, "He's gorgeous! And HUGE!")
6. Introduced the Peanuts Gang to their new foster mama.
7. Helped pack the Peanuts Gang into carriers for the trip to their new home.
8. Watched the car drive away.
9. Cried a little.
10. Scrubbed the bathroom counter and sink.
11. Scrubbed the toilet, inside and out.
12. Scoured bits of dried-on kitten poop off the toilet, linoleum and walls.
13. Vacuumed up cat liter and carpet fuzz
14. Taken a load of garbage out (including old bath rugs).
15. Washed out Millie and Harley's litter boxes with soap and hot water (tops and bottoms)
16. Hauled two boxes' worth of cat waste out to the dumpster.
17. Dusted second bedroom.
18. Washed down baseboards in both bedrooms and the bathroom.
19. Pulled furniture out in all rooms and thoroughly vacuumed (with upright and attachments).
20. Wiped down scrapbook table.
21. Scoured out the shower and tub.
22. Mopped the bathroom
23. Left a candle burning in the bathroom, then the 2nd bedroom, now the master bedroom to clean the air of the bleach smell.
24. Made the bed.
25. Put new liners in the litter boxes, filled up with litter.
26. Washed the litterbox scooper.
27. Run a load of dishes.
28. Washed a load of rugs.
29. Put clean rug under Millie and Harley's litter boxes.
30. Called Marian to let her know the exchange went well.
31. Dusted all countertop decorations in the bathroom.
32. Put all toiletries that were in the bedroom while fostering back in the bathroom.
33. Put stuff back after moving it to vacuum.
34. Created large mountain of towels and rags from kitchen, bathroom, workouts, etc. that need to be laundered.
35. Eaten some strawberry sorbet.
36. Consumed approximately 40 oz. of ice water.

What I still need to accomplish:

1. Drink more water.
2. Organize kitchen pantry.
3. Dust computer hutch.
4. File a few things that are out on the desk.
5. Wash down the kitchen counters.
6. Sweep, vacuum and mop the kitchen floor.
7. Dust in the living room.
8. Move furniture around and vacuum the living room.
9. Vacuum couch and chair (cat hair removal).
10. Load a couple boxes of Goodwill stuff into the car.
11. Unload dishwasher.
12. Run a second load, including dish drainer, spoon from sorbet, and other stuff that didn't fit in the first load (had to wash a lot of kitten dishes and I put a fruit bowl and Millie and Harley's dishes in just so everything is fresh).
13. Wash a large load of towels and rags in extra-hot water.
14. Take out another load or two of garbage.
15. Think happy thoughts about the kittens.
16. Upload final Peanuts Gang video to YouTube.
17. Cuddle Millie and Harley.
18. Shower--scrub grease and sweat from hair. Deep condition.
19. Shave legs
20. Pedicure
21. Manicure
22. Face mask
23. Eat a light dinner.
24. Collapse on couch with glass of wine.

That should do it. No more poop on the walls. My inner Neat Freak will be appeased. And I'll miss those kittens for a few days before things go back to normal.

The Peanuts Have Left the Building

Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy...how can I ever forget them...

*Sniffle*

Tonight's my last night with the Peanuts Gang.

I just called Debbie, the wonderful lady who raised my own Harley when he was just a wee bottle baby. She's back from vacation and ready to take the Peanuts into her own home. She'll have more opportunities for them to be socialized with lots of people, and she is an expert kitten-wrangler.

After all, she took a tiny orange tabby who hissed at her every time she checked on him and turned him into to the awesome little dude that I adore now.

I'll bleach the hell out of my bathroom and put down the new bath rugs I bought the other day (my other ones needed replacing anyway, but now they REALLY need replacing). I'll shower with the door open and move my deodorant and lotion and body spray back to the bathroom from where they've been staying on my dresser. I'll stop putting my contacts in over the kitchen sink.

Life will go back to normal.

And oh, how I'll miss those babies.

Wait, What? You Want Kitten Pics?

I'll have to see if I can get some good pics of the babies at quiet time. They're so sweet when I can get them quiet! Of course they're sweet when wide awake and active, too.

On Wednesday, I made the mistake of leaving them in the 2nd bedroom while I had a peaceful, uninterrupted shower (they have a tendency to cry when I disappear behind the curtain, and I'm sure the fact that I'm covered in water dismays them). Someone pooped on the carpet, and if you know what kitten poop is like, you know that I was wishing I had a gas mask as I cleaned it up. Thank goodness for Resolve carpet cleaner.

On Thursday, I left them in there again, but this time, I also left the litter box. No messes to clean!

The babies have gotten bigger, and they are slowly getting more coordinated. Each one is an absolute sweetie, and while I am very much looking forward to bleaching my bathroom (might be Sunday instead of Saturday), I know I will miss their darling faces and rumbling purrs.

Harley ran away and hid about five seconds after I took this picture.

Excellent balance, Linus!

Handsome little Snoopy.

Lucy was engrossed in the story.

Charlie Brown caught himself a white stockinged foot.

Little Lady Lucy, full of sass and charm.

Mess

My apartment is a pigsty. A mess. A disaster of epic proportions.

Little fact about Meg of the LPB: Total. Neat. Freak. I don't like clutter, I don't like mess, I don't like dirty. I love my Hoover Pet Cyclonic. Clorox Clean Up is my friend. In college, I couldn't work on big term papers until my apartment was clean--I just couldn't focus, and to this day, I can barely write a lesson plan if there is a mess behind me that needs attention.

So you can imagine, I'm sure, how difficult it has been to...get past my crazy-clean tendencies with four kittens in my bathroom. Marian advised me to avoid exposing their delicate little systems to harsh chemicals, so other than daily sweeping, vacuuming and some soap and water wipe-downs, I have left the bathroom to become dirtier and dirtier.

Earlier this week I decided that, to help with the sadness of parting with my wee Peanuts Gang on Saturday, I would come home and bleach the hell out of my apartment. Not just the bathroom, but every inch of my 750 square feet. So I've been holding off on major cleaning, opting, instead, to leave it for one big clean-up job.

I'll start tomorrow, after my morning job interview. I have plans to tackle the bedroom first. It's very organized in there, down to my walk-in closet, but it's getting pretty dusty and the sheets could use laundering. I'm going to pull smaller pieces of furniture out from the walls and vacuum behind, and I'll probably wash down the windowsill and the baseboards.

Next will be the 2nd bedroom. There's a lot of dusting that needs to be done in there: my Snoopy collection, the piano, my bookshelves...I also need to wash out Millie and Harley's litterboxes, put new bags in, and all fresh litter (sometimes I go a little too long just scooping and topping off with fresh litter). Again, I'll wash baseboards and pull furniture out to vacuum.

After the babies go to their new foster home on Saturday (*sob*), I'll tackle the bathroom and kitchen. I always do these together because it's easier to only have to mop once. I will turn the bathroom fan on and go in there, armed with a full bottle of Clorox Clean Up and rubber gloves. I plan to sanitize every single surface and scrub, scrub, scrub. I can't tell you how many crazy places those kittens have managed to fling poop to from their litter box. It's horrifying.

Anyway, before I bore you to tears with all the details, I'll just add that I've been focussing on this big cleaning spree as a means of keeping my mind off how hard it's going to be to say goodbye to Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and Lucy. They have wormed their way into my heart, and though they are a huge responsibility and very, very messy, I'll miss their rumbling purrs and squeaky meow choruses whenever I go in the bathroom. I'll miss their tubby little tummies and teensy feet. I'll miss Lucy's fearless nature and Snoopy's playful wrestling moves. I'll miss Charlie Brown's obsession with attacking my feet and Linus's sweet clumsiness.

Though I will be glad for things to be normal for Millie and Harley (and my bathroom!!!) again.

It Was Inevitable

Eventually, Millie's curiousity always gets the better of her.

Last night, I let the Peanuts Gang have some play time in the 2nd bedroom before bed. I like to get them good and tuckered out, so they'll go right to bed when its time. Otherwise, Lucy cries at the door. And cries.

It's heartbreaking.

Anyway, Millie has pretty much ignored the babies, aside from the occasional curious sniff at the bathroom door. She hasn't shown any signs of dismay or bad humor, and I almost wonder if she even realizes that these little fuzzbutts are actually cats (or cats-in-training, because really, they're sooo not cats yet!).

Last night, she went into the 2nd bedroom while the babies were playing. Before their astonished eyes, she gracefully leapt up onto the piano--I assured the gang that one day, they will be that agile and powerful, too--and perched there, watching the goings-on below.

After handling the babies, who are lighter than air, Millie, my skinny girl at about 8-10 pounds (she fluctuates), feels like a bag of bricks. Harley, weighing in at 13-14 pounds (vet says he's healthy!), is an absolute mammoth compared to the Peanuts Gang.

Here's a 12-second snippet of Millie watching them:

Later (after it's uploaded to YouTube), I'll share a longer video. For now, enjoy one of my all-time favorite mama cat/baby cat videos from YouTube:

Over Or Under?

The babies don't seem to understand that it would probably be easier to go under the rungs than over. Oh, well, it's cuter to watch them go over, in all their clumsy glory.

I've been letting them have playtime in my 2nd bedroom (which is my library/craft room/music room/Snoopy collection display room). They've been having some fun.