Merry Christmas!

We're so happy to have met so many lovely people and kitties through fostering. Best wishes to all -- we count ourselves lucky to have you in our lives.

Well wishes for Sara

Miss Fuss in Boots is going to the vet today. According to her new mom, Sara's been vomiting, and she's still coughing, so it's time for a check-up and maybe a different remedy.


Yes, we know taking meds is no fun, Sara, but we all want you to get better! We're sending our love and our hopes for definitive answers.

Sara's settling in

"You want me to get in this thing? No way!"

(Sara's never liked being put in a carrier for car rides.)

But she made the trip home without too much protest, according to her new mom, Esther. Here's an update on Sara's first few hours at her place!

Sara protested the car ride the whole way, though not too loudly, so she was quite happy to get home. She was content in her kitty studio until she got a chance to slip out when the door was open and discovered the rest of the house. She immediately proceeded to explore every nook and cranny, questioning constantly the entire way. We think she was looking for you?

She expressed some shock when she met her big sister, Mona, who approached her quite cautiously. So Sara got some kitty timeout back in her studio. She was quite ready to come out after a few hours, but not wanting to leave her alone during the night, we moved her accommodations to our bedroom/bathroom. Of course, she immediately insisted on exploring everything and is indignant that the closet is off limits.

After an hour or so, she settled down, though she loves experimenting with various sleeping spots. We even got to snuggle under the covers a few times. This morning I introduced her to her personal kitty theater (our bedroom window ledge), which she loves.

Sara's still not over her kitty cold, so she'll be seeing her new vet shortly. Sending get-well wishes to you, little girl. And thanks, Esther, for the update!

Technical alert: We've gotten at least one report that the comment form on this blog isn't working. If you try to comment and run into problems, please e-mail us so we can report it to Blogger. At this time, we haven't been able to reproduce the error, so whatever information you can provide is greatly appreciated!

Paws

We are leaving town for the holidays and will be posting with less frequency until January. But as soon as we're back, we'll be heading to the SHS for our next foster(s)! So please stay tuned.

More about Sara's happy beginning: her new parents picked her up this afternoon, and they've told us that there are many fleeces ready for Sara to burrow into at their place. There's also a big sister kitty who's been waiting for a companion to romp with. We're looking forward to updates as everyone settles in!

Psssst ...

Guess who's getting a family of her very own today?

I think you know, but Sara's too blissed out at the moment for me to disturb her with the news. Sweet dreams, little girl -- when you wake up, at least one of them will have come true!

Hey, did somebody lose a hat?

I do hear that red seems to be my color.


I wonder ...


What do you think?

Two laps are better than one

Sara is an equal-opportunity snuggler. On movie night, when Dieter and I are on the couch next to each other, she places herself so she's within reach of both of us and settles in for as long as we're there. Case in point: photo below. Sara's leaning on my knees while planting her warm little derriere on Dieter's legs.


Double the love indeed. Little girl, you are a clever one.

If I'm not mistaken ...

... I think Sara's smiling.

This is so not dignified

Sara's been on antibiotics since we brought her home to help her get over her kitty cold. Unfortunately, this means she's had to tolerate our attempts to administer those meds every morning. We're newbies on that front, to say the least.

There's been a lot of squirming and meowing, but I have to say, Sara's been very patient overall -- no scratching or hissing. The only problem was that she wasn't keeping her meds down. As soon as they went in, they came right back out.

At last, I think we've found a solution.

We swaddle Sara in a blanket to keep her still and then hold her upright for 30 minutes after the meds go in. This seems to allow her stomach to settle. Once she's feeling less gaggy, we offer her a treat. And then life is all better. Right, Sara?


Hmm, maybe we'll check back with you on that after you're done with today's dose.

It's my turn ...

... for a belly rub.

Thank you, Sara. That was very generous of you.

Ready for the holidays

Well, Sara is, even if Dieter and I aren't.


Sweetie, I hate to disturb the two of you, but the presents aren't going to mail themselves. Maybe we should get on that?

If only we could sit by the tree ...


... gaze into the fire on the hearth ...


... and call it a day.

It's whisker Wednesday!

Long, white, and striking. Sara, you wear them well.

The high life

I have the distinct feeling that Sara does not sleep in her kitty bed. Every morning when I go to the kitty suite to let her out, I hear a small thump as I approach the door. It's the exact same sound I hear when she jumps down from here:


Maybe I should be putting her bedding on top of the cabinets?

A serious snuggler

Technical alert: We realize, after some investigation, that people have been leaving comments that have failed to appear on the blog in the last few days. Our apologies if you've posted a message and we haven't responded! We're hoping Blogger figures things out soon. If you're having the same issue, please go to the help forum here and add your information to the thread that's been started. (Apparently, a lot of people are running into this problem.) You can still post comments; you just may have to try more than once to have them publish properly. If you'd like to reach us directly, please e-mail us at kittitas.blog@gmail.com. And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming ...

We weren't kidding when we told you Sara loves this blanket. Normally she'll accept a chin scratch or belly rub whenever we offer one (and she does, as you'll see in the first part of the video below). But if she's under the fleece, her attraction to it is hard for her to ignore! Check out the burrower in action:

Yep, I tried to coax her out again by uncovering her, but she was having none of it.

Do you mind?

I was having a moment with my blanket before you interrupted me with that camera ...

A different kind of stair master

When we first went to pick up Sara from the SHS, we were told that she likes to perform kitty gymnastics on her cat tree. We don't have one of those -- but we do have a very long staircase. And Sara's adapted very well to it.

She starts on one step ...


... rolls off onto the one below ...


... and rights herself.


But if you're watching, she stops mid-roll and shows you her belly so you'll give it some love.

Sara's story

Earlier this week, I took Sara to the SHS to have her shots updated. While the lovely folks there were taking care of her, I got some more information on Miss Fuss in Boots.

It looks like Sara was born in March 2002, which makes her a very well cared for seven-year-old. Dieter and I were completely surprised to find out she was a middle-aged kitty as she has the energy of a much younger cat. It could be that her time in her previous home, where she had a sister kitty and a small dog to play with, kept her active and therefore in good physical shape. The family that surrendered her wrote in her file that she got along well with the other pets, so it looks like Sara could be an excellent fit for someone who already has other furry friends. That said, she's also very content in a house with just humans, as you already know.

We were also curious about the little shaved patch on her tummy. That's not from any recent surgery -- the SHS just had to make sure Sara had been spayed, so they looked for a scar (check!).

Sara now has a profile on the SHS website. You can view that here. Or you can keep staring at that gorgeous tummy. Sara won't mind.

Guess what?

What? What?

The Seattle Humane Society is waiving adoption fees on kitties one year old or older this month! Which means the lucky family that decides to adopt Sara could have her for free.

Details on this wonderful promotion are available here. Please help us spread the word!

Fuss in boots

That's what we call Sara when she's meowing for a lap. And as you can see, she has gorgeous snowy white markings on her hind legs to support the moniker.


If you look closely, you can also see a little brown birthmark of sorts on the left foot's paw pad, in the shape of a cowboy boot.

An experienced beggar

It didn't take long for us to figure out that Sara may have been fed by hand at some point in her life. Whenever we're in the kitchen, she comes running -- but not for her food. She wants what's on the menu for us. She'll raise a dainty paw as we're passing dishes around, hoping to get a tasty scrap.

Bev, one of my younger sisters, needed a quick lunch before going to the airport on Saturday. So she headed to the fridge for some leftover roasted squash. Guess who showed up.


We warned Bev that Sara would ask to share (and as you can see, she was already doing her best to resist her powers). What we didn't warn her about was how sweetly she'd do the asking.

"What's that? Can I have some?"


"Here, I'll come over. Then you can feed me a bite."


"No? I see. Time to turn on the charm, then."




"Kisses and still nothing! Geez, can you believe this woman?"


Sorry, little girl. We can't oblige you this time.