Every Picture Tells a Story

This is Duncan.

This is Gale.

This is Duncan in his wild and abandoned youth.

Now, here is Gale meeting Duncan for the first time.

And here is Gale, later that very same day.

The evidence speaks for itself.

But there is one added twist ...

Apparently, someone's been teaching these kittens to wipe.

Look Back in Cuteness

Here's one more picture of playful and adorable Dumbledore, the first of his litter to be adopted.

Dumbledore with his mom, Runway. Have a happy life, Dumbledore!

The rest of the Hunger Games Kittens--Peeta, Gale, and Rue--are going for their first shots on Saturday, and then they will be ready for their new homes. They are friendly, energetic, curious, and well socialized. Watch for their Petfinder pages, coming soon!

If you'd like to make one of these cute purrmeisters part of your family, email mirishouse (at) gmail.com to request an adoption application. If you can't adopt right now, you can still sponsor a kitten by making a donation to help cover the costs of their food, litter, and veterinary care. You can also help by liking and sharing our page. Thanks and big purrs to everyone who has helped!

Peeta, Gale, Rue, and Dumbledore (formerly Katniss).

Goodbye to Dumbledore

The day has come, as we knew it would. The first of the kittens has gone to his new home. Fluffy, wise-eyed, storm-grey Dumbledore--the kitten formerly known as Katniss--has found his forever family.

Dumbledore (sometimes mistaken for a unicorn)

Dumbledore was the firstborn of the litter, and he grew quickly. Originally christened Katniss, after the brave and resourceful heroine of The Hunger Games, he turned out to be a be brave and resourceful  ... hero. He was dubbed Dumbledore by his new family, who were waiting until he was old enough to take him home.

Nom, nom, nom! Can I have some more, please?

Today, as the kittens celebrated their two-month birthday (born July 20, so they're actually just over nine weeks old), a little girl in Cranston was celebrating her eighth birthday with the best birthday present ever: another kitten joined the cat family!

King of the Cat-Tree Mountain

Dumbledore, have a long and happy life with your new family. We'll miss you, but we look forward to seeing pictures and hearing stories of all the fun you'll have growing up and playing with the people, cats, and kittens in your forever home.

Obligatory Kitten Glamour Shot

Kittehs Busting Out All Over!

Is it getting crowded in here or what?

They're not quite two months old, but these kittens are already HUGE in cuteness, personality, and energy. Did I mention energy?

I'll have one order of Rue-in-a-Basket, please.

Did I mention their amazing ability to become airborne in nanoseconds, springing from bed to cat tree and from floor to window? Or their ability to appropriate just about anything, from a wastebasket to a shoe, and turn it into a toy, prey, or an amusement-park ride?

They are already starting to outgrow their fostering room. Now, when the door opens, they make a mad dash to explore the mysterious Other-Cat-Kingdom, venturing down the hall past the laundry baskets that used to serve as a barrier. They've already managed to acquaint themselves with Duncan, Ian, and Molly, the resident cats, who seem wary but willing to make friends until Mama Runway comes flying out, tail a-puff, ready to defend her babies. And even though they're twice her size, Duncan, Ian, and Molly run away when they see Runway coming, because they know that nobody messes with a Mama Cat.

MY cat tree! MINE!

But we can see that Runway is getting tired, and last night she was showing signs of being ill. Today she was seen by the vet for a urinary tract infection and dehydration. No more nursing for this mama, and we need to keep her away from the kittens for a little while--although we expect her to voice her disapproval.

But it's almost time for the kittens to find new homes. Katniss--now renamed Dumbledore--is officially adopted and will be ready to meet his new siblings, Snape and Hermione, after he gets his vaccinations at the end of the month. We have already had people asking about the other kittens. If you'd like an adoption application, please email mirishouse (at) gmail.com and tell us why you would make a make a great pet parent. We encourage potential adopters to take two kittens together or consider adopting Runway, the beautiful calico mom cat, with one of her kittens once she is fixed. She's a great cat who has done an amazing job of raising four kittens, and we want to see her go to a loving home where she'll get the pampering and attention she deserves.

If you'd like to sponsor Runway or one of the kittens, or simply make a donation toward their food, care, and vet visits, please use the PayPal button to send your gift. The kittens--and their mom--thank you!

The Saddest Happiness

Remember the evil character "IT" in the classic children's book A Wrinkle in Time? Apparently IT liked to call ITself "the happiest sadist," and "sadist" was actually pronounced "saddest," not "say-dist," the way I and  everyone I knew had always pronounced it.


Happiest. Saddest. They're both pretty good words to describe how we at Miri's House feel every time a foster cat or kitten gets adopted. Whether we've fostered these animals for months or only for a little while, it's impossible not to grow attached to them.


The kittens are the hardest to say goodbye to. For a few weeks or a few months, these little fuzzy ones were part of our lives. We watched them grow, sometimes from the very moment of their birth. We held them when they were so tiny they fit into the palm of a hand. We saw them open their eyes for the first time, take their first wobbly kitten steps, jump feet first into dishes of kitten food in their first messy but enthusiastic attempts at eating. We watched them climb into slippers and use them as little boats to sail across the floor. We saw them grow from helpless, squealing babies who cried if they were taken from Mama's side to fierce, furry adventurers who raced, wrestled, climbed, and leaped their way into our hearts.


And then, into someone else's.


Because that's what it means to foster. We feed and brush and pet and play with and nurture and love these kittens so they will have every chance in the world to grow up to be healthy, playful, and loving cats. And then we send them out in the world, and hope that the people we send them home with will love and treasure them for the rest of their long and happy lives.


So when they leave for their forever homes, tucked into a cat carrier with their excited new families gathered around them, we smile and wave goodbye and wish them well, knowing that we've saved one  life and enriched many more.


So we're happy.


But I can't say we don't miss them. And I can't say that when we run across a fishie toy forgotten in a corner of the closet, or a long-missing slipper somehow pushed way under the bed, we don't cry.

--Posted by Kate, 9/10/13

Cute of the Day

 

Cute Rule #1: Big head + huge eyes + floofy little body = CUTE!

We let the kittens know that they are famous model kittens, featured on Good Morning Kitten. They seemed to take it in stride.  After all, they're used to being worshiped for their cuteness.

The kittens are in their adventurous phase. They're no longer content to stay in "the kitten room," and when the door opens, there they are, ready to march out, single file, either following Mom or leading her. When she wants them to go back, she'll chirp to them and lead the way home.

This is fun to chew on--but not as fun as Gale!

They've also managed to create their own jungle gym by pulling some drawers out of a small storage dresser, then climbing all over it. They still think the broom and the litter-box scoop are toys, and they don't understand why anyone would use them for cleaning up messes when making new messes is so much more fun. They've already managed to bury one toy mouse in the litter box (bye-bye, mousie!), shred another mouse, and lose various toys under the bed or under the dresser.

Since they started eating last week they actually cry when they hear the can open---well, mostly Peeta cries, but they wake up and drop anything they are doing to trot over for the food game. All five of them gather around the two bowls I have emptied the can into and start chowing down. Many times Mama has to push her way in just to get a bite. Today Katniss ate almost a whole dish by himself. Rue is least likely to get a seat at the table, as she is the littlest and her kitten sibs think nothing of shoving her out of way. Today Rue ate most of her dinner spoon by spoon as I encouraged her to nibble bite by bite.

He followed me home. Can I keep him?

Gale continues to recover from his bite wound and exhibits no fear of--well, anything! Today he leaped from my shoulder, bounced off the side of the bed, and then bounded to the floor and ran off, not at all bothered, as I cringed and gasped. He is seemingly unaware of his hair scar and thinks he is the cutest ever--which of course he is!

Stay tuned for more kitten antics in the days and weeks ahead.