Kitten Season!

It's summer, and that means KITTENS EVERYWHERE! Including at Miri's House. Because, even though we were trying to take a break from fostering to give our older kitties a little rest, sometimes homeless cats find a way.

Like this little kitten who was born outside, and whose feral mama just gave birth to yet another litter of kittens.

Nimbus, age 12 weeks, learning to love a safe indoor life.

And this pregnant mama who turned up on somebody's doorstep, as hungry for attention as she was for food.

Opal, a sweet and very pregnant kitty.

Right now, we've got a full house--with more to come, because Mama Opal, the beautiful calico, is due to give birth any day now.

We named the gray and white kitten Nimbus, thanks to a suggestion from one of our adopters, and named his mother Stormcloud. When he first came into rescue, he hid and hissed at anyone who got near him. He wasn't sure about being picked up and cuddled at first, but now he immediately starts up his little purr motorboat when you hold him.

Stormcloud (L) and Nimbus (R), in their outdoor days.

And we've just learned that he has more siblings his own age. We are concerned about them, and about Nimbus's mother, Stormcloud, and her new litter of kittens who remain hidden somewhere outside. Our neighbor has been feeding the outdoor kitties, and was able to capture Stormcloud--but she managed to rip her way through a window screen and escaped outside.

Then there's a sleek, dark-gray cat who we think is the father of all these litters. He keeps turning up on porches, looking for a home.

The number of cats who need help can feel overwhelming. We can't rescue them all, but we hope to find some help to rescue all the kittens, find them homes, and, if we can't find homes for the older outside kitties, at least get them fixed.

Nimbus has had his first set of shots and is due to be fixed in a few weeks. Mama Opal and her kittens will also need medical attention soon.

Can you help? Here is our wish list:
--Funds for veterinary care and spay/neuter for all current fosters and strays (click our "Feed the Kitties" PayPal link)
--Foster caregivers for the outdoor kitties (all you need is love--and a spare room)
--Kitten food and cat litter (we have an Amazon Wish List for those wishing to donate that way)
--Pet-proof window screens, and someone to install them, to keep foster kitties safe

If you can help with any of these, please donate through our PayPal link on this blog's main page or email mirishouse(at)gmail.com.

Thank mew!

Mama Stormcloud--still outside; desperately seeking foster home for her and her kittens.

A Home for Everybody?

Ember and Moondust

Moondust was adopted last month, and she's enjoying life in her new home with her adopted brother--who looks remarkably like her!

Moondust is a Mini-Me! 

Good news for Ember, as well--she had a visit from some adopters and is scheduled to go to her new home next week. She got spayed first, and we planned it so that Moondust came for an overnight and both sisters went to the vet together. We were a little worried that Ember and Emily wouldn't recognize Moondust after two weeks, but they were thrilled to see her. Both kittens came through their spaying with no problems and are doing just fine.

Now we're just hoping for a great home for Mama Emily, too. Please share and help this elegant, sweet little black cat find her forever family for the holidays.

Emily and Moondust--reunited, and it feels so good!

A Little Visit with the Kits

The girls at play. 

Ember and Moondust, winding down. 

Moondust and Ember entertained a few young visitors yesterday and enjoyed their play session. They followed all the jumping, chasing, running action with a nice Sunday afternoon nap.

Moondust, taking five. 

It looks like Moondust may be getting adopted soon, and that this may be the week for both the girls to get fixed. We will be calling the vet to make arrangements. In the meantime, we're enjoying their cute, playful personalities as well as the gentler moments when they curl up for some well-deserved sleep. Here's a wish that all of you--Mama Emily, Ember, and Moondust--find the best homes ever! 

Mama and her lovely tortie girl enjoying the lamplight. 

Looking for a foster--or forever--home!

This sweet little lady looks an awful lot like our former foster kitten, Luna. A neighbor found her huddled outside in the snow, trying to keep warm.

We don't really have room for another foster kitty right now, so we are looking for someone who can take her in, either temporarily as we search for an adoptive family, or permanently. We think she's about 6 months old. We need to take her to the vet and have her checked out.

We will post updates soon, but in the meantime, if you can foster, please send an email to mirishouse (at) gmail.com. And if you can, please send us a donation to help with her vet care.

Off to See the Vet (Again)!

 So, today I felt like the biggest meanie in the world.

I had to take these two warm, cozy, sleepy, happy kittens away from their chosen sleeping spot in the laundry hamper and put them in the cat carrier, despite the protesting meows of Mama, and carry them outside on a chilly November morning, and then take them on a car ride while they blinked at me reproachfully as if to say: "All this and NO BREAKFAST?"

Yes, today is the day when Leo and little Rue are getting their neuter and spay surgeries.

And even though we humans know all about the benefits of spaying and neutering companion animals, I'm sure all Leo and Rue know is that they got left alone in a scary place with funny smells and strange people and animals.

I'm sorry, kittens. We will make it up to you, I promise.

Right now, I'm waiting for the call back from the vet. Please keep a good thought in mind for Leo and Rue on their surgery day. If you'd like to help, you can make a donation toward the kittens' medical expenses through PayPal. Thanks, and we'll update soon!

And Then There Were Two ...

The Hunger Games Kittens, 3 months on: Rue and Leo with Runway.

Now that Dumbledore (Katniss) and Opie (Peeta) are happily settled in their new homes, the little foster family is down to three: just mama Runway, sweet Rue, and playful Leo (Gale). In one week, Rue and Leo are off to the vet to be spayed and neutered, and then Leo will go to his forever home. That means only Runway and Rue are still waiting for their forever family.

Runway has fully recovered from her spay surgery, and she's now running, jumping, and playing like she's just one of the kitten gang. In fact, at three months old, Runway's kittens are nearly as big as she is. Clearly, she is a very young mother--but also a really good one. All her kittens are healthy, friendly, and absolutely beautiful!

If you're interested in adopting Runway or Rue--or both of them together--please email mirishouse@gmail.com. Because they are such a bonded pair, we are hoping they can find a home together, but we will also consider applications for individual adoption.

Look at those feet! Leo, when you grow into those,
you're going to be a HUGE cat!

Catching Up With Kittens

So, what's been happening with the Hunger Games Kittens?

Funny you should ask.

Runway, the kittens' beautiful young mama, is doing well after her spay surgery. Soon, she'll be ready for her own home, and we hope this sweet calico girl gets the loving home she deserves.

Rue, the smallest kitten, is always by Mama's side. She is playful, but not as rambunctious as her brothers--definitely more of a cuddler than a fighter. With her tufted ears, fluffy coat, and unusual dilute calico coloring, Rue is absolutely stunning, and she, along with her mother, is still available for adoption.

Gale--now named Leo--is a rascally redhead with an appetite for trouble--and for chili, pasta, yogurt, and sweet potatoes with cinnamon! Leo has been told that cats aren't supposed to like sweet or spicy foods, but he doesn't care: Leo knows what he likes. Leo's adoption is pending, and he's scheduled to move into his new home in early November.

Both Leo and Rue are scheduled to be fixed at the end of this month, so they will be all ready for their new homes.

Peeta is now named Opie, after the character Ron Howard played in The Andy Griffith Show (we can see the resemblance). He is the beloved center of attention in his new home, where he has two little girls to adore him. 




And Katniss, renamed Dumbledore, the first-born and first to be adopted, is now fully integrated into his new human and cat family.  

If you're interested in adopting, please send an email to mirishouse@gmail.com with a little background on your home, current or past experience with cats or kittens, and contact information.

If you can't adopt right now, you can always help sponsor a kitten by sending a donation through our PayPal link.

Purrs from all the kitties!

The Heat is On

Runway is rolling. She's stretching. She's posing. She's chirping and meowing and making that long, low, sultry mmmmrrrrawwwwrrrr sound. She's suddenly a lot less interested in her food, and a lot more interested in getting out and meeting cute guys.

In short, Runway is behaving like a teenage girl at a boy band concert. She's a force field of hormones, on a mission to fill the world with kittens.

Runway is in heat.

We've seen it in other mama cats we've fostered, and although it may sound funny, it's really painful to watch them go through it. We were hoping to avoid it this time, and we almost made it. Runway's spay surgery is scheduled for Friday of this week.

In the meantime, we'll need to be especially careful about keeping her away from doors (she managed to slip outside today--and, perhaps coincidentally, or not, there was a strange red-and-white cat in the back yard), and we may need to keep her separated from the boy cats. In the past, the resident hot mamas have always shown a preference for Ian. (Not that we blame them!)

But we know Runway will be happier and healthier once she's been spayed, and she can go back to being a playful, carefree young cat again and focus on finding herself a new, loving home.

If you'd like to make a donation to help cover the costs of Runway's surgery, please send your contribution through the PayPal link below. If you can't contribute money, please send your good wishes for a trouble-free surgery and speedy recovery for this brave little mama!

Rue and Runway: Mama's got a Mini-Me!