Part of the family

It really is official when you've got a designated seat at the table.

Meow Meow discovered this napping spot not long ago -- quiet, padded, and covered too. What's not to like? Nothing! Well, until someone unwittingly pulls the chair out while she's in the middle of a dead sleep ...

We are off to visit our human families next week, so we wish you a lovely holiday and safe travels, if you'll be on the road too. See you in 2011!

Early tidings of good cheer

Guess who else wanted a closeup?


Yep, it's Sara! Her mom Esther sent us a link in a comment to an album she started for this little ball of cute. Here are some of the photos of her, luxuriating in her home of one year (commentary mine below). For the full album, click here.

Okay, Sara, let's get a look at you. Maybe not quite so close so we can admire you in full form?


Thank you. And the other side, please. You always were a natural at posing ...


Excellent. I see you too have taken up reading, like many of our other fosters. (What is it about the printed word that attracts kitties so well?)


Hmmm, no comment. That's unusual; I do remember you were quite talkative when you were staying with us. Uh oh, wait. That's not -- you're not going to --


It is! You did! That irresistible invitation for a belly rub! I must ignore. Oh well, I guess it's not as bad as that other trick in your repertoire, possibly the only thing that can rival this cuteness --


Oh dear, you remembered that too. The blanket burrow! Now I must swoon.

Sara's adoption anniversary is next week, but we wanted to wish her and her family a happy one before all the holiday bustle got too crazy for our readers -- a proper feting of our former fosters is always warranted! So go check out the album and leave some congratulations there. We're delighted to have the update!

What's in a name?

As promised, another update on some of our former fosters. This is a little belated -- we received the following the first week of November, then all the mid-month craziness happened -- but I think you'll still enjoy the news.

Here's what Laura, mom to Spaghetti and Meatball, had to say:

I wanted to share a little story and some photos of Spaghetti and Meatball this Halloween.

Imagine my extremely pleased surprise when I saw that Target had a Spaghetti and Meatballs costume for pets! I knew I had to have it, even though Adam [the girls' dad] was NOT supportive -- of this costume, in particular, or costumes on pets, in general. I am stubborn so went on without husband approval. I hope you understand. :)

While Meatball was far more forgiving than Spaghetti, neither of them really liked it so I got about 4 minutes use out of the costume. I couldn't even put the hat (yarn spaghetti! pompom meatballs!) NEAR Spaghetti without her leaping away.

[Before]

[After]

My favorite Meatball photo is the one where she looks the most annoyed.

Thanks, Laura, for the update! Even if the girls didn't entertain the idea of getting into character, so to speak, they certainly entertained us ...

Well, you look familiar ...

Guess who's adoption anniversary was last week?


Say hello to Jada, our very first foster.

Here's what her dad Trevor has to say about Jada's first year in her permanent home with big brother Bluto, who appears to be her long-lost twin:

Hey guys! We love J so much! It took her a while for her true personality to show, but it's showing! I think it took her quite some time to adjust to Bluto, but they are getting along just fine.



She has a couple of favorite toys, is very motivated by treats, and her favorite activity is to lay on my chest in bed, and have her hands on my throat. The first couple times were kinda uneasy, but I have gotten used to it. I think she is stealing my body heat when she does that. She has her days when she doesn't want to get along with anyone, and other days when she is everywhere all at once.




She is very curious, and pretty defensive of her room and bed. She has a bed, and a nice red velvet blanket to sleep on, and sometimes Bluto wants in on the sleeping too.

Thanks to Trevor for the update and Brittney (Jada's mom) for the pictures. Happy first anniversary to the whole family! We're so glad to hear everyone's doing well.

We have another update from another of our adoptive kitty families that I'll post soon. Stay tuned!

You're going about this all wrong

Poor Meow Meow. Just when she'd finished getting over her bug, Mom had to go have surgery. (Turns out the health snafu from September was an impacted kidney stone that needed to be taken out.) Which means Meow Meow's been doing a lot of this since Wednesday:


Dieter has a firm rule about not letting Meow Meow into our bedroom (too many non-kitty-proof items), but we didn't want her to be lonely while I was stuck in bed. So he put up the kitty gate (which, to our amazement, she's never tried to leap) so she could see me.

She paced and cried and scolded and otherwise let us know that this was NOT how recovery is meant to be handled. As far as she was concerned, she wanted in so she could take matters into her own paws and tongue (I'm guessing she thought a good cuddle and a bath would set everything right?).

I'm finally moving around the house a little more today, to Meow Meow's relief. She was so glad to have me back that when I knelt down to give her some head scritches, she stretched up on her hind legs with an enormous purr and rubbed her jaw against my cheek. Such lovely greetings!

I missed her too.

Resting up

Meow Meow would like you to know how seriously she takes this napping business. A full 18 hours each day and no fewer, thank you very much.

Actually, Meow Meow's been getting over an infection. The bug itself cleared up right away, but the antibiotics weren't the kindest to her GI tract, so we kept her in a quiet room for a while with daily visits. She seems to be back to her usual very affectionate self (even more so, since she's been missing out on all the activity elsewhere in the house). Hopefully we've seen the last of the tummy troubles!

Waiting

That's what's been going on around here.

For me, that means a bunch of time-consuming testing (we still don't know what exactly is wrong, but hopefully we'll get some answers before Thanksgiving?). For Meow Meow, it means hanging out in the papasan chair with me -- I needed a change of scene -- while I try to get work done in between trips to the doctor.

Leslie: "Makes a pretty decent kitty bed with a human in it, no?"


Meow Meow: "Yes! So ... why did you get up?"


I know I've been scarce around the blogosphere. Forgive the gap in posting and visits. We've got a lot going on chez Kittitas.

You've forgotten something

As you already may have guessed, the living room couch is where I've been doing much of my thesis work. There are few distractions there (nothing but the fireplace to look at) and the coffee table offers ample space for spreading out books, documents, and other research artifacts. Mornings are rare for inspiration, but sometimes I get some ideas and I fire up the laptop. When things are really working, I can disappear into writing-land for about two hours. (And then, inevitably, my brain gets tired and I have to go do something else, like, say, reading foster blogs.)

Meow Meow likes to remind me when I haven't brought her breakfast in a timely fashion. Usually it's a verbal request, something along the lines of "mrow-ROW!" (which is very different from any of her other kitty-speak). Occasionally, though, she goes for a more artistic message involving the upstairs balcony ledge and the wall above the fireplace:



Very clever, little girl. I get the picture ...

A fitting way to mark the occasion?

Yes indeed, we're celebrating Kittitas' first anniversary today! It's hard to believe a full year has gone by -- it seems as if only a few weeks ago, we were getting to know a certain floofy black beauty who started us on the road to here. We've very much enjoyed our year of fosters, getting to know them and learning what makes each cat unique. And we look forward to meeting more kitties and figuring out what their favorite pastimes are.

Every single one of our guests has enjoyed the Spider, that little piece of ribbon on a nylon cord we introduced here. So I was especially amused when Meow Meow managed to find a REAL spider to hunt this week.


She enjoys batting at foam packing peanuts with a dainty paw, so this self-propelled creature provided lots of intrigue.

To the humans who've introduced themselves to us -- through blogging, working at the SHS and/or other shelters, adopting, and more -- thank you for reading! We're so glad to have met you. We have a feeling our fosters are glad about that too.

Grrrrrr

The chance to get back to fostering has been eluding me.

There was my parents' visit. Then Meow Meow's dental surgery and recovery. By the time she was back in top shape, we had only a short window before the out-of-town wedding. No fair inviting a kitty into our home only to take it back to the shelter a week later, right? We try to keep our guests until we can help them find permanent families. So, I told myself, after the trip.

Well, the health problem I thought was something minor a few weeks back has turned into something bigger that needs follow-up. So apparently, fostering has to get postponed again. I'm disappointed.


Meow Meow's looking after me in her own sweet way. Today's perch of choice was on the arm of the couch, where I was within easy reach for head-bumps (that's the collar of my fleece in the lower left corner of the shot). So we're doing all right, just in need of some tests to see what's going on with me.

Until all this is done, we'll definitely keep the Meow Meow updates coming. We'd also love to hear how our former fosters are doing -- hint, hint! -- as our one-year anniversary approaches, so if you've got news, do share!

Double your pleasure, double your sun

Back when we were trying to help Meow Meow learn where not to scratch, we taped foil around the areas of the couch she especially liked to claw. She's made the adjustment to her scratching post, as you know, and has also taken a liking to some doormats we have in the front hall (a frequent favorite with previous fosters).

We haven't taken down the foil yet, as we've wanted to give Meow Meow's habits time to cement themselves. In the meantime, it seems she's found an additional use for the reflective coating on the back of the couch: multi-directional sunbathing.


Back and front, warmed at the same time! Enjoy it while it lasts, Meow Meow. Previous guests here will tell you the weather's not always this luxurious ...

Meow Meow would like you to believe she's helping

... but a kitty on one's chest does not make for easy typing!

I'm still poking away at my thesis, which is a lot less relaxing than it looks. (Really!) That's what I've been working on since last fall. We're heading for an out-of-town wedding in a week, so I'm trying very hard to get a chapter written before then.

Meow Meow's opinion of the whole business improves by the day. The flatter the project lays me out, the more lounge time she gets! Sorry, sweetie, but your mother would like to graduate this spring -- don't count on this becoming a permanent arrangement.

Proof

... that I have been doing something in the last week, despite the lack of posting here:


Serving as a kitty bed! Yep, that's the kitchen table behind Meow Meow, and she's staking her claim to my lap (breakfast is her favorite time to hop up).

Actually, I've been cranking out work for two professors, so it's been busy. You know that whole butt-in-chair philosophy on writing? I'm employing it, which means plenty of opportunity for you-know-who to hang out you-know-where.

I think I need to use a better cushion this week or my sit-bones are going to be permanently bruised. Meow Meow, though, seems to have no complaints about her accommodations ...

Good company

Dieter's been out of town since Thursday, so it's been just me and Meow Meow, or Meow Squared, for the long weekend. (Thanks, Marlene, for the perfect nickname!)

I was under the weather for most of Thursday and Friday, which was no fun especially because I was on my own. But Meow Meow, sweetheart that she is, stayed close and has even started jumping into my lap when I sit at the kitchen table. Have I mentioned how much I appreciate having this little lovebug around? (The photos below weren't shot this weekend, but they're pretty representative of what she does whenever I'm curled up on the sofa.)




All's well here, Dieter, but I think Meow Meow is looking forward to a proper game of where's Hobbes when you get back tomorrow.

Irresistible

After a week of rest (and Leslie keeping camera time to a minimum), Meow Meow is more or less her usual self. Less one tooth and more mischievous! On her first afternoon home, she was hungry (no food allowed the night before the procedure and a reduced amount once she was awake, just in case the anesthesia upset her tummy), so she took matters into her own paws and went digging in the kitchen trash can when I wasn't looking.

We forgive you, Meow Meow. Yes, we know you know how to work that charm; you used it for the first half of August on your grandmother (below).


We're still keeping the lid on the trash, though. Just sayin'.

Magic treat dispenser?

We're pleased to report that, after following some of the great suggestions folks have sent, Meow Meow has gotten quite accustomed to her scratching post! With frequent play sessions around it and the discovery of a treat she likes, we managed to get her interested in hanging around the base in hopes of getting some string-chasing time (supervised) or finding a tasty nibble tucked into the fabric. One day, she just decided to try buffing her little claws on the microfiber. To her delight, there were no interruptions!


She hasn't quite figured out how to make treats appear at will -- I'm not always there to reward her -- but she's hopeful.


The habit isn't totally in place yet, so we're trying to stay consistent with the training. This may prove to be a little challenging in the immediate future -- Meow Meow goes to the vet today for some much-needed dental work. She'll be anesthetized and will likely have to have a painful-looking tooth taken out (she hasn't complained, but cats are good at hiding illness and injury). We're hoping she'll come through the procedure without complications. This does mean we'll also be delaying fostering until she's recovered, but we're looking forward to having a guest again soon!

News times two

Yes indeed, we have another update from Spaghetti and Meatball! Many thanks to their mom, Laura, who sent us these wonderful shots of the girls going about their daily business.

As you can see, Spaghetti and Meatball have their own room, complete with kitty condo:







Butler service is included (thanks to their dad, Adam):



Of course, the kitties enjoy having space throughout their new home, whether they're on the prowl ...


... at play ...


... or at rest.


So glad to see you both, lucky girls! Lots of love from our house to yours.

Cribbage is also a hit

Meow Meow can't count points, but she keeps an eye on the pegs for us.

This preference you have

... for cuddling on my lap only when I'm wearing my bathrobe, Meow Meow, is not at all conducive to productivity. If we both had our way, I'd never be able to leave the house!


Apparently, that's perfectly fine with you.