A Little Hawthorne for the Holidays

Hawthorne came to us as one of the three Halloween kittens, who were abandoned when someone moved and rescued in October. Three little black kittens, sweet as could be, rescued just before Halloween. We named them Harriet, Hazel, and Hawthorne.

Hawthorne and his sisters.

Harriet and Hazel both found great homes a few weeks ago. Hawthorne is still in foster care, being as cute as he possibly can.

Black velvet, if you please!

He loves exploring high places. You may find him on the top of a door or on any tall perch he can find. He loves playing and chasing his foster brothers and sisters up and down the stairs. He also loves food, and will steal it from his foster brothers and sisters if they let him get away with it! (Mostly, they do, because this mischievous but adorable little guy is so hard to resist.)

We are the watchers on the wall.

But most of all, Hawthorne loves lovin'. He's resting his chin on my hand right now as I type this. His favorite place to be is right next to you. Unlike many cats, he loves to be picked up and held. Because of his size and floof factor, we wondered if he is part Maine coon, but now we are starting to wonder if he has Ragdoll in him!

Hawthorne and his magnificent tail!

Whatever his origins, Hawthorne is a great cat who reminds me of another most excellent  black cat who was fostered here a few years ago, Sirius Black--now happily adopted and known as Sirius Black Sabbath! We hope that Hawthorne, he of the magnificent ebony plume and the loud, contented purr, finds his own happy ending soon.

If you are interested in adopting Hawthorne, send an email to mirishouse(at)gmail.com or fill out an adoption application at CARE Southcoast.

How to Be a Foster Failure

Molly explains it all.

Maybe you'll come into a house as a mama cat with kittens. You'll be scared and too shy to interact with people.

Your strategy should be to hide, whenever possible. Be camera shy. When people come to pet the kittens, flee. Almost no one will know the kittens even HAVE a mother.

Where's Molly?

 People will try to pet you. Don't allow this behavior. Run away. Hide. At some point they will take you to the vet. This is horrible. When you get back, burrow deep into the walls, behind the insulation, where no one can find you. The humans will be worried. Let them worry. They deserve it.

Eventually, come out from behind the walls. There is food here. There is a big, handsome orange cat here. Maybe you can find a place here. Sometimes there is butter. Maybe being a house cat is not so bad. Eventually, the humans will realize that you are here to stay.

Molly + Ian, sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g.

Or maybe you'll be an outdoor cat, roaming the neighborhood, getting belly rubs and food wherever you can. A "six-dinner Sid."

Those indoor cats will look at you from behind the door and hiss. Those pampered indoor cats. Who needs them?

Keep coming around. Soon you'll be a fixture at dinnertime. Then it will start getting cold. Sometimes the humans will leave the garage door open for you. Then there will be a box with a bed in it. Not bad, you think. Not bad at all.

I own this chair.

Then it will get colder. There will be a room inside with an open window, and a soft chair, and a warm blanket. A safe place to sleep. And that's where you'll stay.

Just for a while, the humans say. Until you find a forever home.

But you know better. You know that eventually the other cats will stop hissing at you. That they'll start to realize you're part of the family. And you will notice that the humans have stopped calling you a "foster cat." Now they call you a "foster failure."

But you know there's no success like failure. You know you are a most successful cat.

I am Clark Gable, and yes, I AM fabulous.

Will You Be My Brother?

 

Ian continues to be the "Ambassador Cat" and has been the first resident kitty to welcome our sweet tuxedo foster cat, Clark Gable, into the household. They hang out together, play together, and eat together. Duncan and Molly have made a little progress, too, but they need supervision. If they're not distracted with food, the growling will soon start--but we're trying to convince them that when this cute, mustachioed cat is around, treats magically appear.

Integrating a new cat into a multi-cat house can be challenging, but this guy is such a loving and friendly feline, he's really worth the effort. Of course, if the perfect adoptive home for him comes along, we'll have to let him go, but if not ... this group must somehow form a family!