My little man

Lt. Dan sat on my chest last night while I watched the Biggest Loser and purr'd so loudly that you could hear him from across the room. Who would have guessed that the couch creeper was the most snuggly little baby?

I decided to let him sleep in my bed last night and he snugged next to my face until 3am. He then started to pace around the bed and wake mommy, so he went back to his cage for the remainder of the evening.

This morning I was greeted with a hisssssss as I let him out of his cage!?!?!?! I'm thinking, come on, you have got to know who I am by now. This is where Lt. Dan is still very anxious - when people approach him. But after I let him smell my hand, he started to purr - so at least he knows my scent.

I made him some breakfast, and yes, I do heat his wet food - who wants cold mush in the morning? He then sat on my bed and watched me get ready for work. I spent a few minutes brushing him and he rolled over onto his back and revealed his stomach, which is a sign of trust. This made me very happy.

It's truly amazing to see how far along Lt. Dan has come in less than a week. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with me when he arrived, and now he is a little snug bug. While he still has his moments with unfamilar noises, etc., he is getting better and better as time goes by.

My dear friend, Jen, has a kitten, Oliver, who is around the same age as Lt. Dan, and so we're in the midst of setting up a play date for the two babies sometime soon!

Billaaaaay!!!

UPDATE: Billie has been adopted! My sweet little girl is on her way to a permanent home!

Here kitty, kitty...

To catch a kittay, one must think like a kittay

After moving the couch from one side of the room to the other, it became obvious that Lt. Dan was no longer hiding under there. This made mommy very nervous. As I endlessly crawled around the apartment looking under every piece of furniture, I noticed a toy mouse near the radiator and so as I reached down to grab it, I heard HISSSSSSSSSSSSS. My roommate and I both jumped as we had no idea where that noise could have come from. We then looked under the radiator to find two wittle baby ears sticking up - LT. DAN!

I found you

Shall we spray some water to get you to come out?

Shall we use the cat's natural enemy, the dust buster, to get you to come out?

UPDATE: 10:15pm - Lt. Dan has been removed from the radiator and is safely in his cage. He is not happy and continues to let us know.

UPDATE: 11pm - Tonight there was a major breakthrough - Lt. Dan purred! After leaving him to eat and get over his little angry fit, I decided to brush him while he sat in his cage. At first he was very tense, but then he realized that he actually enjoyed being brushed and rolled onto his side. He started to rub his face against my hand, and within a few minutes the purring began. I called for Katie, my roommate, who came out and joined us. The three of us had a moment, and it was during this time that I realized Lt. Dan was slowly, yet surely, coming out of his shell.

Come out, come out, wherever you are...

I was gone over the weekend, so it was up to my roommate to take care of Lt. Dan. Sadly, he decided that he would rather stay under the couch. He has not been seen since Friday, although toys are scattered around in the morning and his food has been eaten.

Tonight I am making an executive decision and forcing him out from under the couch. I will be stuffing the coach and making sure he cannot get back under it. I realize this may seem extreme, but he must become socialized if he is ever going to be adopted. If I let him stay under there, then he will only get worse and remain scared.

So, the theme of this week is "I am bigger than you and therefore I make the rules. You will play and love me - no if's, and's or but's!"

Bubba Gump Shrimp

OMG - teenagers are so difficult! Just kidding, Lt. Dan is the sweestest little thing. As you can tell, Lt. Dan is in his adolescent stage, which is still a kitten in my eyes, so he will be treated as such.

Lt. Dan might just be my most difficult case yet - he's so scared of everything. I turned on my electric toothbrush last night and oh man, you'd think I had set off a firecracker or something. Right now, he hangs out behind the toilet in the bathroom where it's nearly impossible to see him. Oh, and did I mention that I stuffed blankets under the couch so he can't hide under there?

This morning I couldn't find him, so I decided to let him be and get into the shower. Well, I turn on the water and immediately hear the sound of death, followed by Lt. Dan climbing out of the tub. Poor little guy was in the tub sleeping and got quite a rude awakening. I felt so awful.

I went and sat next to the toilet and comforted him. I let him sniff my hands and get used to my scent, and then a few minutes later he let me pet him, as he was shaking out of absolute fear. His pupils were also extremely dialated - another sign of anxiety. Eventually, I was able to pick him up and snuggle for a few minutes. He did not purr, but he stopped shaking, which made me feel better.

It's really hard to see Lt. Dan so terrified and confused, especially after the ordeal he's been through in the past few weeks. I know he'll come around in a few days, but for now, all I can do is slowly introduce myself and make him comfortable in his new home.

God, I swear, there is nothing better than a kitten.

He's here...

Everyone, please welcome Lieutenant Dan!

This is Lt. Dan's first night at home and he is very scared. As expected, he ran under the couch and mommy let him hide for a few hours, but then I got restless and had to go kitten hunting - and you guessed it, I FOUND HIM!!!

Lt. Dan only has three legs, so he's my special needs baby. A few weeks ago he swallowed a foreign object and as a result got a major infection, which led to his front right leg having to be removed. He's been healing at the ASPCA, but was placed into the foster program after staff thought it was time for him to become more social. And plus, there is no better place to heal than my house!

That's all for now...

Weekend countdown

My little man is coming home TONIGHT, eeeeeeeeeek!

I've been doing some research on the best socializing techniques and here are some good ones:

1. Provide incentives to facilitate the socialization process - FOOD. Never put food down and walk away.

-NO FREE RIDES, kittaaaay - you want to eat, then you will first let mommy love you

2. Hold the kitten like a baby, cradled in your arms. Cats show their belly as a sign of trust.

-Um, done and DONE. I will also bottle feed, burp and rock to sleep, if necessary!

3. Allow your kitten to hear normal, everyday noises at their regular volumes.

-Hmmm, I better take a personal day and stay home to ensure he gets the best exposure to everyday noises

4. Make sure your kitten has lots of toys to play with.

-Are you kidding? I've spent more money in the last month at Petco (where the pets go) than the grocery store, so he's set...THANK YOU VERY MUCH

Stay tuned!

I've just received confirmation that I'm getting a three month old "undersocialized scaredy cat" who is hissy and needs some work.

Oh man, I'd like to accept this challenge, please. Send him over to the house of luv and i'll turn that frown upside down.

I suspect my new little man will be arriving tomorrow - stay tuned!

While I wait for new babies...

I know you are all eager to see the new arrivals - I will have an update soon! But until they come, here are some captions I've done with pictures of the foster kittens...

Translation: I don't think so human, this is my leaf

Translation: I'm sorry, are you going to return me?

Translation: Mom said we were going to the pool - she lied.

Translation: May we help you? Seats taken.

Do you see Lord Voldemort's hand twin?

Translation: Ewww, your breath smells like kitty litter

Wait, WHAT?

On Caturday, when I took Billie back to the ASPCA, the foster coordinator broke the news to me that she didn't have any babies. I'm sure the expression on my face was similar to that of a child who just opened their final gift on Christmas morning and realized that they weren't getting the toy they had asked for, but instead a pair of knitted socks from dear old grandma. While I know it's a good thing, it was very sad to think that the apartment would be kittenless for the first time since May.

ASPCA staff: "So, we don't have any kittens right now."
Nicole: "Wait, WHAT? Seriously? Like, there isn't a tiny baby in back who needs me?"
ASPCA staff: "We might get some in later today..."
Nicole: "So, can I call you tomorrow? What time would they be ready?"
ASPCA staff: "Um, they usually need to be assessed for 24 hours, so let me call you."

The rest of the day was particularly difficult. I continued to think I saw a little kitten run across the room or meow, but it was just my mind playing tricks on the poor creepy cat lady.

Billie's farewell

Billie is eager to start a new phase of her life - hello, NYC!

The past three weeks have been so much fun, and watching Billie transform from a scared, anti-social kitten into a sassy snug bug has been a wonderful experience. Billie is a classic example of how far a little (okay, a lot) of TLC can go.

While I will greatly miss her, I know that she is ready. I have no doubt in my mind that she will be adopted quickly and thrive under the care of her new family.

Don't worry! I'm getting new babies tomorrow - stay tuned!

Billie Jean

Foster kitty #7!

Little Billie came to us when she was only four weeks old. She had never had human contact before being at the ASPCA, so she spent the first few days under the couch, which made mommy very frustrated! I even went as far as lifting the couch and pulling her out - she was less than pleased. But as she's come to realize - I will find you.

As she began to venture out from the under the couch, her natural defense, the hiss, was often used against mommy. Sadly, unknown to her, mommy isn't afraid of the hiss (especially when it isn't paired with a bite and/or swat). So everytime she'd hiss, it made me want her even more - KITTAAAAY come pway!

Luckily, after about a week, she started to come out of her shell and now she's the most snuggly little baby! Now mommy only gets hissed at about twice an hour. Her favorite pastime is "you can't catch me" which involves mommy on all fours trying to grab the little rascal. It makes me feel particularly creepy as I endlessly crawl around the apartment attempting to catch Billie. The good news is that I ALWAYS win.

UPDATE: Billie will be returning to the ASPCA on Saturday, 9/19, so let me know if you're interested in adopting her! She is the sweetest little thing.

Helen of Troy

Foster #6 - Oh, our dear sweet Helen!

Helen came to us with a broken leg. She had fallen out of a window, and her owners did not bring her to the ASPCA for two weeks! After several operations, she was put in a cast and placed into the foster program - staff thought she'd heal better in a less stressful environment.

Despite her situation, Helen was the sweetest and most affectionate cat. All she wanted was someone to hold and love her. She spent most of her days sleeping and recovering from her traumatic experience. When mommy wasn't home, I wanted to make sure she could get up/down from the couch, so what does a cat lady do? Duh, she builds a ramp out of pillows to allow easy access when one has a broken leg. Now that is LOVE.

Helen is almost 100 percent and will soon be eligible for adoption. If you are interested in adopting an adult cat who will love you unconditionally, please let me know!

UPDATE: Helen has been adopted!!!

Our Tri-Wizard Family

Sleepy Gryffindor's

Harry

Ron

Hermione

Our three little wizards! Foster kittens #3, 4, 5...

EXPECTO PATRONUM! We took-in these three kittens right before Harry Potter opened, and with the orange kitten being a male, it only seemed appropriate to give them HP related names.

It was our first time being out numbered (sign #1 that you're a cat lady - when the cats outnumber you), but it was so much fun to chase them around the apartment. They were all really sick with colds when we got them, so they spent the first few days on meds and slept a good amount. However, within a few days they were all over the place and acting like crazy kittens.

UPDATE: these Gryffindor's have been adopted!

Nug & Coop

feeding time
Coop

Nug

Foster kittens #1 & 2 - Summer and Cooper (yes, named after the O.C. characters)

Summer (nicknamed Nug, due to her small stature) and Coop (short for Cooper) came to us around 8oz and left us seven weeks later at 2.5lbs!

When our girls arrived, they were incredibly small - to the point where it was scary to walk around the apartment because you'd fear that they'd sneak under your feet and get squashed. They were only three weeks old, so all they did was sleep, eat, play for ten minutes, and then go back to napping. This meant that there was a lot of snug time, which led to an instant bond.

Cooper was the snug princess and would demand that you hold her at all times. Nug would walk right up to your feet and sit - her way of demanding that you pick her up.

We had the girls for nearly two months, and since they were our first fosters, it was particulary difficult to give them back when it was their time. I tried to tell myself that it was for the best - they would find a good home, etc., but it was still extremely difficult. The bond was very strong, and I seriously considered adopting them both. I finally realized that they would find great homes, and while it would be great to keep them, I wouldn't be able to foster anymore kittens if I adopted them.

Update: both of these little gems were adopted!

10 signs that you're destined to become a cat lady

10. There are 23 toy mice under your couch at any given moment

9. You'll kick a snoring person out of the bed, but noisy kittens can stay all night long

8. You got really excited reading that New York Times trend piece about men who own cats - click here to read

7. You have more than three pictures and/or cat related decorations on your desk at work

6. You've accepted the sad fact that many people are just not as interesting as your cats

5. You always talk in a baby voice - to show them that you love them

4. The foster program staff at the ASPCA know you by name

3. You won't make up your bed if any of your cats are sleeping there because you don't want to disturb them

2. You consider I Can Has Cheezburger a valid news source - http://icanhascheezburger.com/

1. You refer to your cats as your "kids"