We now return to KITT-FM, where it's all kittens, all the time. And now, broadcasting live from our studios in Purrbank, Cat-ifornia - heeeere's your hostess, Mother Catresa!
Hi folks!
A few weeks ago, I wrote a long post about the mother cat and her two tiny babies, whom I fostered for awhile. Damn my computer, which farted right as I clicked "Post," and the entire entry was gone. I was so bummed. I thought I'd just try to recapture what I wrote by memory, but in just one week's time, I've gone through another litter - then, I brought home new ones yesterday!
That's three litters in about three weeks. Read my last post with news from our meteorologist, Chance O. Showers: it really is pouring (or is it purring?) kittens!
Let me recap the lineup so far.
The first litter featured a beautiful and sweet mother cat named Dorianna, and her two newborn babies. They were only a few days old when I got them, and their eyes weren't even opened yet. Such delicate little angels! I've never had kittens that little. It was so sweet to watch them snuggle up to their mommy and nurse. Kittens that young don't do much; their movements consist mostly of stretching in search of a nipple, a very slight and shaky crawling, and rolling over onto their backs. This is the cutest pose, because the tiny babies kick their legs in the air, like bugs on their backs. I took a movie of them on my new camcorder. If I can ever get tech-savvy enough, maybe I can post it here on my blog.
Unfortunately, I had to give up Dorianna, a medium-haired gray kitty, and babies - Malcolm and Inara - early, because Malcom had a nasty eye infection. The staff wanted to send the litter to a foster home where someone is available throughout the day to clean the eye constantly. I can't take cases like that, because of my work schedule. I greatly miss the mama and babies; they were so very sweet, and Dorianna was a model doting mom. She deserves a Mother's Day can of tuna!
The second litter - sisters Orla, a blue-cream longhaired tortie, and Lenore, a black-and-white tuxedo - came to me in the middle of last week, and it seems like they were in and out faster than you can say kitty litter. They just needed to stay somewhere for a few days before the kitten shower, held yesterday (Sunday) for Mother's Day. So, Sunday morning, I packed them up and headed to Animal Friends, where each was claimed by a loving family within three hours. Our time together was short but sweet.
Now, finally - the current residents at Mother Catresa's sanctuary! I left the shelter yesterday with a litter of four tiny, five-week-old girls - oh, they are so itty-bitty! The runt, a little black girl, practically fits in the palm of my hand. I haven't checked the paperwork for their names, although I know that the shelter staff gave them all names that begin with "B." Two are black-and-white tuxedoes that look exactly alike; I'm hoping to find a unique freckle on one of them, so I can tell them apart. One is solid black (the runt), and the other is gray and white. They are all shy and mostly hiding in my bookshelves and around my computer, but wouldn't you do the same if you were an orphaned baby missing its mommy in a strange place?
I am amused that I have an all-girl lot of kittens - it's like a slumber party up there! Maybe I should head to a toy store and buy them some Barbies and a Dream Corvette, so they can play girly games together. And I, the mom, can bake cupcakes - and eat them all myself. Hey, it's for their own good; chocolate and sugar must give kittens bad gas.
Until next time, I remain,
Mother Catresa
Patron Saint of Homeless Felines
(and the "smitten kitten")
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
This Just In: It's Raining Kittens! Hallelujiah!
We interrupt this regular programming for an urgent news flash from KITT-FM and our meteorologist, Chance O. Showers:
PITTSBURGH - Good evening, folks!
Previously, KITT-FM reported partly cloudy weather, with a chance of kitten showers soon to come as spring rolls in. But according to our sources, a massive wet front now is headed our way, and we can expect to see kitten thunderstorms striking as soon as tomorrow at Mother Catresa's Pittsburgh sanctuary.
"Just look at that sky - man, isn't that forbidding?" remarks Mother Catresa, KITT-FM's popular hostess who also goes by Kellie Gormly. "Gosh, it's been gray all week. But now, it's almost black out there, and those clouds are swelling. Don't even get me started about the humidity, too; it's making my naturally curly hair all frizzy. What is this, the 'Wizard of Oz?' "
Catresa, 36, reportedly received a message from Animal Friends today that several kitten litters need prompt shelter. And as kitten season goes, this torrential monsoon is expected to last several months.
"So maybe it gets muddy and messy, but oh, I can't wait!" she says. "I start seriously jonesing for kittens after those dreary winter months!"
Stay tuned for frequent weather updates from Chance O. Showers, right here on KITT-FM.
PITTSBURGH - Good evening, folks!
Previously, KITT-FM reported partly cloudy weather, with a chance of kitten showers soon to come as spring rolls in. But according to our sources, a massive wet front now is headed our way, and we can expect to see kitten thunderstorms striking as soon as tomorrow at Mother Catresa's Pittsburgh sanctuary.
"Just look at that sky - man, isn't that forbidding?" remarks Mother Catresa, KITT-FM's popular hostess who also goes by Kellie Gormly. "Gosh, it's been gray all week. But now, it's almost black out there, and those clouds are swelling. Don't even get me started about the humidity, too; it's making my naturally curly hair all frizzy. What is this, the 'Wizard of Oz?' "
Catresa, 36, reportedly received a message from Animal Friends today that several kitten litters need prompt shelter. And as kitten season goes, this torrential monsoon is expected to last several months.
"So maybe it gets muddy and messy, but oh, I can't wait!" she says. "I start seriously jonesing for kittens after those dreary winter months!"
Stay tuned for frequent weather updates from Chance O. Showers, right here on KITT-FM.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
I Know They Miss Me Buh-LIND ... Don't They?
We now return to KITT-FM, where it's all kittens, all the time. And now, broadcasting live from our studios in Purrbank, Cat-ifornia, heeeeeere's your hostess, Mother Catresa!
Hi folks!
That odd title, for most of my peers, will ring a bell in its reference to one of the early '80s hits, "Miss Me Blind," by Culture Club (you know, the band fronted by Boy George with that bizarre clown makeup). May I say, for the record, that I think that song was one of the more annoying ditties of my childhood decade?
Anyway, what's the feline connection here? I just returned from a lovely four-day trip to El Paso, Texas, to visit my grandmother and mother for Easter. We had a great time. Truthfully, though, when I'm traveling, I miss my kitty-cats. As much as I love the thrill and experience of going places and experiencing different things - a'la "Karma Chameleon," I suppose - going to bed sans furry, vibrating companions (no double entendre intended, seriously) makes a bed feel extra strange. I slept four nights in a cat-free bed, and it felt weird. I could almost hear a phantom purr, see a phantom sphynx shadow lurking above me, and feel a phantom wad of fur brushing against my arm. Then, when I awoke in the mornings, my initial reaction was wondering, "Why aren't my cats loving all over me, and pestering me for their breakfast?" Oh, right, I thought. I'm at my grandma's.
Yes, it is nice to get a break from even the best things in life - especially if they involve work, like pets. But still, when you're a cat lover - especially a Mother Catresa type who is surrounded by felines - catless days have a certain odd feeling about them.
I can't help but wonder: do my cats miss me as much as I miss them when I'm gone? Although cats aren't nearly as needy as dogs, and pet-sitters will take care of the cats' basic needs once a day, my kitties seem to be happy to see me every day when I come home from work. When I've been gone a few nights, then, they seem all the more eager. I can almost hear them yelling, "Mommy! Mommy!" as they run toward me after I open the door. They usually follow me back to my bedroom, where I'll plop down on the bed, and they all leap up and join me, one by one, for petting.
Of course, as anti-cat folks accuse, maybe they're just eager for food, and the cats are only pretending to like me to get some. But, I testify, their food dishes were full. Take that, dog people!
Sure, my cats miss me. In fact, as Boy George would say, I think they just might even "tumble" for me, just like I'd "tumble" for them. But I most certainly do the lion's share of the tumbling - out of bed, to shut their hungry and demanding mouths up in the morning.
Then, there is the tripping and Figure-8 routine in the kitchen. But that's another story. Read about it in my last post.
Happy Easter, everyone!
Until next time, I remain,
Mother Catresa
Patron Saint of Homeless Felines
(and the "smitten kitten")
Hi folks!
That odd title, for most of my peers, will ring a bell in its reference to one of the early '80s hits, "Miss Me Blind," by Culture Club (you know, the band fronted by Boy George with that bizarre clown makeup). May I say, for the record, that I think that song was one of the more annoying ditties of my childhood decade?
Anyway, what's the feline connection here? I just returned from a lovely four-day trip to El Paso, Texas, to visit my grandmother and mother for Easter. We had a great time. Truthfully, though, when I'm traveling, I miss my kitty-cats. As much as I love the thrill and experience of going places and experiencing different things - a'la "Karma Chameleon," I suppose - going to bed sans furry, vibrating companions (no double entendre intended, seriously) makes a bed feel extra strange. I slept four nights in a cat-free bed, and it felt weird. I could almost hear a phantom purr, see a phantom sphynx shadow lurking above me, and feel a phantom wad of fur brushing against my arm. Then, when I awoke in the mornings, my initial reaction was wondering, "Why aren't my cats loving all over me, and pestering me for their breakfast?" Oh, right, I thought. I'm at my grandma's.
Yes, it is nice to get a break from even the best things in life - especially if they involve work, like pets. But still, when you're a cat lover - especially a Mother Catresa type who is surrounded by felines - catless days have a certain odd feeling about them.
I can't help but wonder: do my cats miss me as much as I miss them when I'm gone? Although cats aren't nearly as needy as dogs, and pet-sitters will take care of the cats' basic needs once a day, my kitties seem to be happy to see me every day when I come home from work. When I've been gone a few nights, then, they seem all the more eager. I can almost hear them yelling, "Mommy! Mommy!" as they run toward me after I open the door. They usually follow me back to my bedroom, where I'll plop down on the bed, and they all leap up and join me, one by one, for petting.
Of course, as anti-cat folks accuse, maybe they're just eager for food, and the cats are only pretending to like me to get some. But, I testify, their food dishes were full. Take that, dog people!
Sure, my cats miss me. In fact, as Boy George would say, I think they just might even "tumble" for me, just like I'd "tumble" for them. But I most certainly do the lion's share of the tumbling - out of bed, to shut their hungry and demanding mouths up in the morning.
Then, there is the tripping and Figure-8 routine in the kitchen. But that's another story. Read about it in my last post.
Happy Easter, everyone!
Until next time, I remain,
Mother Catresa
Patron Saint of Homeless Felines
(and the "smitten kitten")
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