Monday, January 4, 2010

UC-Pittsburgh, Class of 2009

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 - heeeeeeere's your hostess, Mother Catresa!

Daaaaaah, dah-dah-dah, daaaaaaaah-dah ...

Is that "Pomp and Circumstance" I hear? Are those tiny caps and catnip-padded gowns I see?

It must be. After all, it's the start of a new year again, and the University of Catsylvania at Pittsburgh has just graduated a new class of 16 student felines who came to Mother Catresa as orphans.

The felines - mostly babies - attended kitten boot camp at Mother Catresa's sanctuary, where the kitties were loved, nurtured, and nursed as they blossomed into future pets for some lucky owners. Except for two current tenants - adults Terry and Teddy - all alumni of the Class of 2009 now are enjoying their forever homes.

Following is a chronological list of kitties who, in 2009, earned their Scratchelor of Science degrees from UC-Pittsburgh:
= I started the spring with Orla and Lenore, two sister kittens whom I had for maybe just a week. Orla is a longhaired cream tortie, and Lenore is a black and white tuxedo.
= Then came Dorianna, a beautiful gray mother, and her newborn gray babies Malcolm and Inara. Watching them nurse warmed my heart. Aaaawwww ...
= Then, along came the girlie slumber party, with the female litter quartet of B/W tuxedoes Blythe and Basia, solid black Babe, and .... Oh, Brita! That beautiful, sweet gray and white baby that I bonded with so deeply. I fell in love with her, and miss her every day. She probably looks like a young lady by now.
= In July, I raised my final Animal Friends litter: black mother Gonzo, and her five newborn babies. I was devastated when the tiny black baby girl, who was named Gardner, died in the nursery when she was only a few days old. She will forever be in my heart, and the honorary 17th graduate of the year. The remaining littermates - gray Fleming, gray and white Gamble, black and white Gershon, and white and black cow-like Fleming - stayed with me through October.
= Last month, I took in Terry and Teddy, two sweet adult males who are orange and brown/black tabby, respectively. I am fostering them for Foster Cat, the Pittsburgh all-volunteer kitty rescue network for which I now work. I will write a posting about this other group soon.

It has been an honor and a joy for Mother Catresa, chancellor of UC-Pittsburgh, to graduate these sweet, adorable, deserving kitties. She looks forward to, hopefully, an even more fruitful 2010, and hopes to save many more precious lives.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Until next time, I remain,

Mother Catresa
Patron Saint of Homeless Felines
(and the "smitten kitten")