Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Mama C's B&B

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!

If only I got paid for what I do. I am running a full-blown Bed & Breakfast for cats at my Pittsburgh-area sanctuary!

Downstairs, there are the usual daily tenants of Yours Truly, and the resident cats Rum Tum Tugger, Dharma, Gormly Girl (G.G.) and Tinsel. Then, go upstairs, and Terry and Teddy - two adult brothers - are cooling their heels in the guest bedroom, where they have been biding their time awaiting adoption for a few months. Then, the second door on the left is the kitten foster/office room, where I moved in a family on Saturday. I have mama cat Tiger - a brown tabby with some orange accents - and four kittens: a buff, orange, black, and rare male tortie. These sniffly babies need me a lot, for love, medical care and socializing. I alternate between their room and T&T's next door, with a lot of hand sanitizer in between. Then, my own cats get me the rest of the time, when I'm home.

I hope that all of my guests are patient with me, and understand that I'm trying to run as hospitable a business as I can with many guests. At Mama C's B&B, guests are pampered, and fed a delicious breakfast of ... chicken or fish. Blech. I'll take the omelets and the cereal - and, of course, pancakes. See a few posts down: flapjacks are the theme for my next litter.

Until next time, I remain in high demand, and -

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

Friday, April 16, 2010

The Kitten Fairy Cometh!

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!

Be careful what you wish for, right? Well, I've been saying I'm ready for some kittens, but so far, a litter has not been offered to Foster Cat, the new group I'm working with. I thought I'd be waiting another month, when shelters start to get flooded.

But, about an hour ago, the Humane Society of Western Pennsylvania contacted Foster Cat and said they had a "project" for an eager foster parent: a mom and four kittens who are being treated for upper respiratory and eye problems. I'm Mother Catresa, and "project" is my middle name! At that place I used to work, kittens that needed extra care (for socialization or otherwise) often were sent to me. I am eager, willing and ready to give these babies and their mama medical care and love and affection.

So much for my planned pancake theme, though, discussed in my last post. The mom, a brown tabby, already has a name: Tiger, so she's not going to be Mrs. Butterworth. The babies are about five weeks old, mostly weaned, and include a cream tabby, an orange tabby, a black one, and - get this - a MALE tortie. No kidding! I am about to meet one of the rarest anomalies in the feline world. About 99 percent of tortoiseshell and calico kitties are female, because of the X chromosome involved with black and orange. The almost unheard-of male has a genetic glitch and is probably sterile, but otherwise, a normal kitty that is just a prized rarity.

Oh, this is going to be fun. I pick them up on Saturday. Wish me well, and stay tuned!

Until next time, I remain,

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