Georgie, Pookie, Puddin, Pi

One more update on the Vanalikalikes, then we can return to our regularly scheduled content. I promise.

With nursery rhymes singing in our heads, the kittens have received provisional names. It's so much easier to talk about them with names. At this age it's often best to go gender neutral. We're pretty sure Puddin is a girl, Pookie and Pi are boys, and Georgie, well, we're referring to him/her as ambidextrous at the moment.

It's the pottying that makes caring for wee ones under 3 weeks difficult. A half paper towel soaked in warm water and wrung out, then apllied in gentle circles over the genital area is working well. It's so funny to see them roll onto their sides with a blissful facial expression when they need to go. There has been enough poop in the bed that we're confident no one is "blocked up." Pi was the last to go, and made such a mess in his skirt (he has the longest hair) that he needed a bath last night. And red letter day, Georgie is the first to spontaneously use the clay litter this morning.

BTW, you know you are a kitten person when you get excited talking about poop.

As for feeding, the Vanalikalikes were a little messy at first, but are now masters of syringe feeding technique. They want food about every 3 hours during the day, but thankfully sleep well through the night. And if you ever have a kitten that is reluctant to feed from a syringe, you can show them this video to help them get the idea. Check out the ears.

Vanalikalikes

As Joan pointed out in a comment, our newest babies look a bit like the Vanalikes. OK, a lot like the Vanalikes. We are calling them the Vanalikalikes. The difference is in the tails: Vanalikes have gray tails, and Vanalikalikes have white tails with one dark spot near, but not at, the tip.

Here were the Vanalikes at two weeks:



And at three:



This group looks and acts to be somewhere in between. For the first 36 hours they slept and ate and pottied with assistance. This morning after breakfast they showed the first signs of play, with clumsy pouncing and bitey activity. Though their eyes are wide open, they're still mostly blind, and of course they're immature and without a mom, so it's amazing to see activity like I captured on this video. Look - they're washing their feet!



It is a coincidence that these were delivered on the same night that Bunny and Bonnet went to their forever home together. Beau left a week or so ago, so that means that the next updates you read about the Vanalikes will be adoption reports. Yippee!

Vanna, however, is still waiting. If you know of a home in need of a Beautiful Princess, keep her in mind.

Where's Momma?

These little mites were turned in to Feline Rescue last evening after their momma went missing several days ago. (We won't discuss the fact that momma was obviously not spayed.) It's quite a chore, feeding and pottying four infants this young - probably 2-3 weeks, we estimate.

If you happened upon this blog post because you were googling lost or found cat, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and you found a medium or long-haired mostly white cat, female and lactating, sometime near the end of July, 2008 we would love to hear from you.

These babies would love to find their Momma. And so would I!

UPDATE: To be more precise, Mom Cat was last seen in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis.

Peek-a-Boo update

We received another great update from one of our shelter alumni, Peek-a-Boo. It's obvious he is very loved!

Good morning!
Remember me? There's a picture of me attached to this email- my mom is typing it, but I'm telling her what to say;-) I want to thank you for all of the good care you gave me while I was there! Because of you, I am able to love and enjoy my new family and boy, do they love me back!

I love it when my mom brushes me (ooooh, I could just EAT that brush!!!!) and every night she reads before bed and that's my cue to jump right up in her lap. She can read and pet me at the same time!!

I love to sit in the windows and watch the birds in the feeders and to lay in the sun out on the porch! Sometimes if somebody I don't know comes over I'll just dive under my mom and dad's bed, but mostly if I just go to my mom, she tells me "it's ok Peekie, nobody's going to hurt you!"

I have a big brother that's 15 and starting to drive (yikes) and one sister who is 13 and she is a soccer star! Then I have 3 fuzzy feline brothers and boy, do I love the orange one, "Oliver"- we snuggle and sleep in the sun- he's my BESTest friend ! One of them has "special needs" my mom says, and he goes to the doctor a lot- mom found him in a bad neighborhood and he was almost dead from not eating!!! But my mom and the doctor fixed him up and now he has a little tummy like mine!

Well, I just wanted to drop you a line and tell you how much I love my home and how much I appreciate all of you. I would come and visit- but I'm still too afraid of the car- eeEEK! No thanks, so you'll have to just see in the picture that I'm very happy and (still) very good-looking ;-)
Love, Peek-a-Boo

Pins for Pets

HELP STRIKE TO PREVENT HOMELESS PETS Feline Rescue is a member of the Homes For All Pets coalition, a group of Minnesota animal rescue organizations dedicated to working together to reduce pet overpopulation.

Chuck & Don's Pet Food Stores is planning a fundraising event whose goal is to raise $75,000 for spay/neuter activities. The money raised will be shared among participating rescues in the Homes for All Pets coalition.

WHAT IS THE EVENT? The event is Pins for Pets and it's scheduled for August 3rd from 4-6pm at Flaherty's Arden Bowl in Arden Hills. In short, it's a bowling party where up to 216 bowlers will roll strikes, spares and gutterballs to raise money to help spay and neuter animals. Check out http://www.pinsforpets/ for complete details.

Top fundraisers are eligible for some great prizes. The number one fundraiser will receive a $250 gift card and a trophy. Second place gets a $100 gift card; and third place a $75 gift card. There are also prizes for top bowling scores.

Plus there will be guest celebrities like Katie K-9, giveaways to all participants (canvas totes, towels), t-shirts and prizes. Door prizes include Chuck & Don's gift cards, a two-night stay at Madeline Island, puppy kindergarten classes, and a year's worth of free grooming.

HOW CAN YOU HELP? Register to bowl on August 3rd at http://www.pinsforpets.org/. The registration fee is $15 (non tax-deductible) and includes the cost of bowling, shoe rental, lunch and beverages. After registering you will be directed to the www.firstgiving.com/pinsforpets page to set up your fundraising page and start securing donations.

Bowling isn’t your strength? No problem! Social butterflies can just show up for the party. It will be a wonderful opportunity to mingle with other Twin Cities animal lovers. Some of the other rescues involved are; Pet Haven, Red Lake Rosie's Rescue, Cause for Paws, MN Humane Society, RAGOM, Animal Ark and Minnesota Spay/Neuter Project.

Can’t make it on August 3? You can still help raise money. Go directly to www.firstgiving.com/pinsforpets to set up your own fundraising page. Feline Rescue also needs volunteers to help promote the event by putting up posters and distributing brochures. We also need one or two volunteers to help at the event. Email Jocelyn at jocelynlaberge@hotmail.com if you're interested in volunteering.

NEED MORE INFORMATION?
Check out http://www.pinsforpets.org/. Start watching the media this week for other announcements and promotions for the event!

Flowers in Bloom

**Note, these are not Feline Rescue cats, but we're posting this as a courtesy to their rescuer because we want them all to find great homes!

When this small orange tabby was first discovered, her rescuers assumed that she was a young male. But they realized their mistake the next day, when she gave birth to three beautiful, orange babies. Young Petunia and her three girls, Marigold, Sweet Pea, and Pink (a.k.a. Pinky) couldn't be cuter!

Petunia, shortly after giving birth to her three orange girls!

These little flowers are starting to blossom and are ready to find homes of their own. They would like to be adopted in pairs because they love each other so much. Plus, they look so good together! You'll look good, too, with a pair of these cute, coordinating kitties.

The flowers at about 3-4 weeks old

The babies are rambunctious, outgoing, and affectionate. Petunia is very friendly too, but quite shy, so is looking for a special person to help her along. These sweet girls are currently waiting for the perfect homes to come along. For more information on them, please call Nancy at 651-214-8753.

Flower Girls at about ten weeks old

Update on Penny + Johnson

Johnson was featured on the blog last spring, and we're happy to report he's been adopted with his friend Penny and they're doing great! They're a great pair of FIV+ kitties and seem to have adjusted wonderfully to their new home. Below is an update.

I just wanted to update everyone on how Penny & Johnson are doing since I adopted them. So far they've adjusted very quickly & are entertaining to have around. They love to sit on the window seat I bought for them & watch the birds. At night they lay on the couch with my boyfriend & I when we watch tv and also loved to be brushed. Every night Penny sleeps at the end of our bed & Johnson sleeps in his leopard printed bed that's on the floor next to me (our bed's a little too high for him to jump up on it, so i'm going to invest in some kitty stairs.) I've attached some photos.