After dropping off Chandra on Saturday the 16th, I spent my first foster kittenless night since I joined the rescue last year. I was heading to my mentor's house to visit with Spitzer on Sunday when she texted me asking if I'd like to take 3 orange kittens home with me. It's cute that they think they have to ask! Don't worry, I'll let you know where that brown tabby came from...
During the drive home, at least two of them pooped in the crate. My kitchen tile was being re-done and I couldn't use the sink for a bath, so we stopped off at the grandparent's house for a quick bath. Mom and dad helped get it done quickly so I could take them home to feed them.
These kittens were a little spicy! They hissed at me and told me to keep my distance, as they were NOT interested in human attention. They backed away as far as they could...
until I stuck a spoon of smelly kitten treat food in their direction. That got their attention and won their affection.
We had about 36 hours of hissing and hiding until they accepted me. As I kept some of my friends updated, they thought the term "spicy" was a cute way of describing fiesty felines and we started brainstorming names related to spicy things, going through different peppers, spicy snacks (I was really enchanted with Taki for the girl for awhile), but when the mystery brown kitten was added I couldn't figure out how to add her into those spicy names... so we kept thinking.
They felt the safest when wrapped up those first few days. We could hold kitten burritos without being hissed at.
Can you tell these faces apart? LOL... we had trouble, so I took several pictures with finger cues matching where they were on my kitten chart... #1 (kitten on the right) has a lipstick dot on his right ear; #2 (kitten in the middle) has a lipstick dot on her left ear, #3 (left side) has no dots on his ear. If you look carefully at the pictures below you can see my fingers giving me a hint! I tried to use those cues the first few days, but it didn't work well when I was working solo... have you ever tried holding a wiggling kitten, holding up fingers behind it's head, and snapping a photo at the same time??
Meanwhile, they were changing from angry spice level to a mild level. The little girl, who was the spiciest of the crew, was also the first to mellow. She was very aggressive and protective of her food for the first half of the week, which made me giggle every time. But she quickly learned there was plenty of food and that my human hands provided it. I miss her little growly noises, but we've worked hard to get her used to being touched while eating and not swiping at hands that touch or poke at her food.
But her brothers weren't far behind her and it wasn't long before they'd pile on or around me after they got their wiggles out.
Two of them have the most unique tails... these short, stubby, little pine tree shaped things... I can't stop looking at them when they're playful or really hungry and they poof up...
Two days after they arrived, I got a message from another foster who had a dark brown tabby girl. They thought she was part of the other foster's litter, but she ended up being a bit bigger/older, and a LOT more playful. She was playing too roughly with the other kittens, who cried and cried. My spicy kids were really rambunctious and only slightly smaller than her, so I agreed to see if she would get along with my crew. We set up a second kennel near them, and brought her home. for the first few hours, we just had them in the same room together while I finished my work day.
When I had time to supervise them, I let them all out for a bit of play. She blended in without a single hiccup. Forgive the horrendous mess and crowd... with the kitchen floor being torn up, we were stuck in a tiny office for a few days.
I quickly abandoned the two kennel idea and they've been a cohesive group ever since. Brown tabby is growing much faster than her new litter mates and is more active, but they don't mind her wrestling when they're awake.
We moved into the larger kitten room last night, as the floor was nearly completed and most of the big tools and barricades taken down (HURRAY!) Our friends came to meet them and help them learn to socialize with more people. Brown tabby would not stop spazzing out for pictures, but some of the orange kittens got some awesome socialization. Their son whispered stories about warriors to the kittens to help them learn to be brave and strong.
I built them a kitten castle to play in during the day if I'm in the room but distracted, as I am right now while blogging, as I'm not ready to let them run around the whole room yet. Unfortunately, the 3 orange kittens are not fully potty trained. I'm hoping they'll learn from brown tabby, but they're being carefully supervised during free play.
when they're sleepy, I also like to cart them around in my special sweatshirt with a kitten pouch... best thing ever!
With the addition of the brown tabby, who was never a bit spicy, the name game got a little more difficult. I really liked Taki for the girl, and was thinking of other spicy things, like Kimchi, Gochujang, Fuego, Siracha. Chorizo, Chipotle, etc... but I couldn't think of anything for the brown kitten... the best I had was Avocado, but that seemed like a stretch.
Then my google searches led me to actual spices, instead of spicy foods/snacks... and I realized there were sweet spices too... so orange colored spices and a sweet spice seemed like a great fit!
So, may I present... Saffron (dark marble orange male), Tumeric (light striped tabby orange male), Paprika (lighter partly marbly, partly striped orange female) and their always sweet tabby sister Cardamom
Updated 5/28/2020
With a house full of furbabies but no human children, I don't always get to find out how my foster babies handle tiny tots. But this crew got up close and personal with two young girls... and I do mean UP CLOSE. These babies were hugged, pet, hugged, played with, hugged, fed, hugged, kissed, and hugged. Then they were hugged a bit more. Sometimes they wiggled. Sometimes they cried to be put down. But they mostly accepted the attention, food, and hugs sweetly, sometimes thrilling both girls with gentle purrs.
Saffron and Tumeric learned to rub their own bellies to put themselves to sleep.
All of the kittens were completely relaxed around the girls by the time they left, after several hours of play.
The girls were rather delighted when the discovered my bin of cat hats. My housecats don't care much for dress-up time, but these babies didn't really seem to mind it.
One of my best friends asked to visit the kittens. He's come back every night for kitten therapy. These are well socialized kittens! Before he met me, he had never held a kitten or heard a kitten purr. Now I think he's addicted to it all! I'm trying to talk him into adopting two...
Update 6/6/20
My friend has become a kitten whisperer. He's returned every night except the one I worked late. I think they kittens are more bonded to him than to me at this point. He's sitting next to me with a pile of kittens in his lap while I type this.
He still won't commit to adopting them, but I'm certain he's wavering. I love watching him grin at them while he rubs their faces into ecstasy.
The best part of having him here is having an extra set of hands to take some photos. I never could have obtained these amazing Cerberus Cat pictures by myself.
Or this video... I love everything about this.
They do more than just sleep. We had some trouble with Paprika's health, but once she recovered, she led the charge at every meal time.
In addition to fostering kittens, I've been searching for a very specific kitten for over 15 years... a long haired calico with white fur and bright orange spots. My entire foster organization was on the lookout- and last Sunday she was found. I adopted a very frightened Pigwidgeon. She was very gentle, but very timid. But the Spices were determined to be her friend, and eventually they won her over.
Update 6/29/20
I've never had a litter of kittens that I couldn't eventually tell apart until the Spices. In photos, I just can't distinguish between Saffron and Paprika very well, and if Tumeric is belly up, I'm not sure about him either.
But in motion, they're much easier to identify. Mostly, because if it is in motion coming towards my face for some insistent loving while meowing incessantly, it's most likely Paprika. If it is meowing for attention, but without moving from his comfortable fluffy bed, that's Saffron. If it is moving you can see it's stripes, and then you know it's Tumeric.
But if I try to take pictures of kittens in motion, they just end up as orange blurs, so I get piles of sleepy orange kittens.
Cardamom is much easier to pick out when he joins the mix, along with foster kitten friend Pigwidgeon.
The Spices are not very spicy any more. No more hissing and spitting. These kittens want to be where the people are. The first time I let them roam the kitten room alone, I returned a few moments later to 5 very lonely felines.
It didn't take them long to learn to climb over the gate to get to me. If I was in the kitten room with them, they were satisfied. If I left, I would eventually hear a thud followed by pitter patter, often accompanied by tiny kitten mews.
The only thing they love more than people is food time.
They're very relaxed around humans during sleepy time. We can pick them up, pose them, wiggle them, and... indulge my husband in this weird obsession....
No kittens were harmed or bothered by this... they slept on, purring during the photo shoot and were supervised for the brief time they were coiled.
They get a little over enthusiastic about food. Paprika, in particular, is not very patient at food time. I don't mind being climbed and covered in tiny kitten claws, but I know this might not be appreciated in her new home, which my husband insists is NOT going to be my home.
So we're trying to teach her to SIT and WAIT. She's very food motivated but slow to learn.
The boys will be fixed next week, but Paprika will have to wait until the following week unless one of the other female kittens in the foster get sick. Usually, I'd feel badly for her, but with Pigwidgeon close to her age/size and a second litter about a week or two younger, she has plenty of playmates.
Update 7/12/2020
All my spices have found new homes. Cardamom is now Merlin and living with some of my closest friends. Paprika is at my feet right now, but will get adopted later today to another friend who has promised kitten play dates. Tumeric was adopted yesterday-his new name is Frodo Tumeric and he'll appreciate getting his second breakfasts the rest of his life with his new mommy. Saffron also got adopted yesterday, and I haven't given up hope that his new mommy and daddy will reach out to me with updates and pictures.
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