As many of you know, Mac was one of the most delightful kittens I have ever bottle-fed as a foster.  I started with him and his siblings at 2 days old!  Mac stood out as both quite a character and lots of extra trouble.

My husband fell in love with Mac, and we ended up adopting him.  He has grown into a huge cat, and loves to hang around with us.  We were very concerned that he was so friendly, so didn't let him outside until he was over a year old.  Then he pushed the issue be being good at sneaking out. 

Good news is that he seems to stick around our large property, and runs away if he sees a stranger or a car.  Both good things as far as we are concerned.

 He loves to sleep on top of his human, my husband, and still is a rascal in spirit.  We feel so lucky to have him in our lives.

Every kitten I foster has a "superpower," or that is my theory.  Of course, sometimes that is just they are cute beyond words.  I like to think Jolene's superpower is her ability to roll over on her back, with total trust I will keep her safe, and take a nap.  Awww.
  
By the way, these cute poses come and go, and the biggest challenge for me is to have a camera nearby, and have a hand free to take the shot.  I am a one person operation, so I do it all.  Even still, I have been able to get these type of shots to share just how adorable and precious these little kittens are.

I marvel at the interesting combination of colors, textures, and variations of colors this little kitten has.  For a kitten found in the wild and turned in to a animal shelter, she seems very exotic to me.

So, I thought I would share a few photos of her interesting markings so you can check it out. I think most interesting is that her tummy fur looks almost like polka dots, while her back is an interesting marbling of many colors.

Anyway, I would love to get to meet her again someday and see how all of this turned out when she got to be an adult.  I guess that is the down side of giving them to good homes when they are old enough for adoption.  You may ask how old it that?  I keep them until they are healthy and at least 2 pounds weight.  Then they can safely be spayed or neutered and go on to their forever homes.

Jolene comes to work with me, and has discovered that office supplies make wonderful kitten toys ;)

Her many "Aunties" love to see what she likes to play with next. Pens, small boxes, rulers, and binder clips are just a few of the things she loves.  I realize this is probably not a normal upbringing for a little kitten, but we all watch her very closely and keep her out of trouble.  Besides, everyone knows that a kitten will turn everything into a toy no matter what we think.  Sometimes it is something you would never expect.

Shiirley from my workplace offered to babysit Jolene, and had a great time playing with her. She discovered if she taps her fingers that Jolene would leap & jump around. How cute is that!

This photo is one I have been trying to catch for a while. It stars Button and Silky, both pets I fostered and then adopted, and they are best friends.

Button has grown up to be less than 5 pounds, bit silk thinks she is a tough little dog. Silky, who I called Boots as a foster kitten, is younger but had grown to be much larger than Button.

On child mornings, I have noticed that Button like to sit on her best friend to keep her toes warm. Silky is very tolerant and in this case they were like this for about 5 minutes. Too Funny!

I had to be a bit sneaky to get the photo since Button usually gets excited and greets me if I get too close. So the photo is zoomed and a little grainy, but still worth sharing.

Misty is ready to find her "forever home. " A bittersweet time for me,  proud that they are ready & turned out so well,  & knowing I will miss them. 

She is a beautiful kitten and will be somebodies best friend.  She thinks both humans & small dogs are her people. I would be tempted to keep her but I already "failed" as a foster & adopted her sister Boots. Have to leave room for more foster kittens & I can't keep them all. So if they go to a home that loves them,  I am happy.

I am keeping her in my foster care as we look for her new home,  which makes me happy. I took this photo so we can put her on the Sonoma Humane Society website on Monday.  I don't think I will wait long.

Last week I was in Lake Tahoe for vacation at a Quilting Retreat.  No, I don't quilt, but my husband does and I work on my coin jewelry while everyone else quilts. While I was gone,  my 3 little foster kittens were being taken care of by Star, who had been a foster for 14 years.

Start sent me this very cute photo and told me her 8 year old grandson had a wonderful time playing with them. Thanks Star,  you are much appreciated!

Back off the desk drawers... yep, kittens have to check that out.  Could resist taking a photo of these two checking out all out.

The kitten's were busy today playing! It is amazing how the go from helpless babies to playful kittens overnight. Good news, it gave me an excuse to get some cute photos. Really enjoying this...

    My foster kittens are 3-4 weeks old now and starting to show little personalities. Little Boots decided to leave her two littermates napping on the couch and come hang out with me. She was adorable giving me little licks on my chin and snuggling against my neck. Being a mommy to a bottle fed kitten is the best!
    Before long, Button, noticed what was going on and got jealous. Button is my "failed foster" puppy that is now a full 4.7 pounds at 8 months old. So Button joined the loving session and curled up for a snuggle on my chest too. This definitely called for a "selfie" to share here... I think I better start looking for an adopter for this kitten before she totally steals my heart like Button did! Boots shows signs of being a very special kitty.

Oh my, these are the cutest and softest little kittens ever. At 3 weeks old,  they are just about perfect.  I have struggled to come up with names this time.  I have fostered enough kittens now to have used up my favorite kitten names, so time to start naming them after some of my favorite people.
    So,  I decided to name the larger Siamese Fred or Freddie. Named after a developmentally delayed man who worked for our family business for 8 years until he died at age 40.  Fred was a real character and we still miss him and his simple but somehow brilliant view of the world. I sometimes call this kitten a brute as a nickname because he is so much bigger than the other two,  but that is kinda unfair since the kitten is so sweet.
    The smaller Siamese has been named Misty after another of our employees that Fred had a big crush on.  Fortunately, Misty was smart and kind,  as well as being very pretty,  so she thought Fred's crush and shyness around her was cute.
   The "tuxedo" black and white kitten I named Boots after a cat we had 40 years ago.  The original Boots looked very similar and also had long soft hair. I know this is probably an overused name,  but it fits her so perfect.
   So just hanging out with these kittens and enjoying this perfect age.  I know the time will go fast and they will be ready for adoption before I know it.... Only 5 weeks or so to go.

    Well, Button is 7 months old now and in her "teen" years.  I still think adopting this little foster was one of my best decisions.  She is still a cuddly little lovebug and wants to cuddle in my lap as much as she can. No problem for me with her tiny size of just under 5 pounds. 
   Besides taking her to work everyday,  I try to take her with me as much as I can.  She is a very social little girl and I want to keep encouraging that.
   This week I got my favorite phone call, time to bring more pendants out to Local Color Gallery in Bodega Bay! I brought Button with me and I think she was a little bored. She still behaved well enough to get a compliment on her good behavior. Not too bad for this girl.

Tugboat was one of my foster kittens,  and I just received an update and photo from her new home. Just before she was adopted, we found out that Tugboat was actually a girl,  making it a priority to give her a new name.  The Adoptions staff at the Sonoma Humane Society had a sense of humor,  and listed her on the reports as "Tugboatress."  Fortunately her new owners named her Samantha.  Very nice name,  I like it.
   You can see in the photo she had grown quite  bit and it looks like her green eyes have gotten a more intense color.  I am tickled to see a photo and to know she is in a wonderful home.
Ann

   On Wednesday I was given two new kittens to foster.  Rather than my usual favorite,  bottle fed babies,  these two are about 4 weeks old and very skinny. When I first picked them up,  I was shocked how boney they were and that I could feel every rib.  Poor little kittens. They didn't have names yet,  so I named the male kitten Buddy, and his sister Carmela.
   They seem healthy and eat well,  so my job is to fatten then up and spoil them with kindness. That I can do!
  This morning,  after two days of feeding them and lots of cuddling,  I noticed that Buddy was shaking like he was cold. I picked him up to cuddle him and found he wasn't cold,  he was purring so hard he looked like he was vibrating!  How sweet is that !
   

   Little Carmela was in a hurry to eat this morning. . . and the results were both funny and messy.  Poor little kitten is so skinny that it clearly is a big event at meal time.  She hasn't finished the dish,  so I know she and her brother got enough food. I am sure she doesn't quite trust that food is going to keep showing up yet.
   In case you are wondering,  she wasn't too worried about cleaning up,  seeming to be just fine with wearing some of her food.  A baby wipe made quick order of the mess and she looked like a sweet tidy kitten again.
   I think fostering these two hungry little kittens is pulling on my heart strings.  It doesn't hurt that both kittens are very sweet and cuddly. We are a happy little family.
Ann

I had a tough decision to make this week about Kitkat.  Single foster kittens often don't do as well.  Sure they get lots of love and nourishment,  but sometimes they aren't as socialized as kittens fostered with another kitten or two.  It takes a little sibling time to teach them not to bite,  scratch,  or even to play appropriately.
   KitKat definitely was a slow developer.  She wasn't lacking anything,  just took her a little longer to figure some things out.  It was pointed out to me she might be better off matched with another kitten about the same age.  Of course my first reaction was no, I am very fond of this sweet little kitten. But over the next day or so,  I realized that was a selfish attitude and I really needed to do what was best for her. 
   So,  today I was tested on that.  Another volunteer was willing to take her and mix her with the two "singletons" he already had.  He has been fostering a long time and very experienced.  I liked him,  and more important could tell he would be a great foster for little Kitkat. I miss her,  but feel good that I did the right thing.
   Looking forward to my next kittens to foster,  it seems a little quiet without a kitten meowing at me even if I have two of my small dogs in my lap as I write this :)
 

Kitkat Is 4 weeks old today,  and celebrated with a little playtime after eating. She likes to lay on her back already,  but today she grabbed my hand and attacked me. . . well, in a very gentle kitten way.

So,  I couldn't resist and took a few photos.  I am getting better at snapping photos with one hand while kitten wrestling with the other.

I really enjoy seeing the different stages as a kitten matures and figures things out.  Makes my day!

It is pretty funny,  but Kitkat is so trusting and relaxed that she falls asleep in her back. . .
She is only 3 weeks old here,  young enough to do crazy things like this.  It will be fun to see if she keeps doing this as she gets older.
She is doing better in some other areas as she develops.  I was wondering about her sight since she didn't seem to always knew I was there and would startle when I touched her.  Eyes are now clear and she likes to crawl up from my lap to look at me up close.  Cute!

   Button is a tiny little dog that was a "failed foster. "  That is the living term we give to foster pets that grab our hearts and we end up adopting and making part of our family.
   I actually fostered 3 pups from this litter, and Button was the smallest and thought she was in charge.  Because she was so small,  the shelter decided to let me "foster to adopt." What the means is I make the commitment to adopt her,  but she to return her to be spayed when she is ready. 
    Button was only 2 pounds at a couple months old, and they like to wait until they are about 5 pounds before doing spay surgery. So she had her surgery this week at 6 months old when she was up to 4.7 pounds.
   Button did fine with her surgery but according to the veterinarian didn't get any bravery awards.  No surprise there!  She also got a "cone of shame" since she kept licking her incision.  Typical for her though,  she thinks the cone is fun and has been running around bumping into my other dogs with it.  Pretty entertaining to watch.  In the meantime,  little Button is still my best pal. . .
Ann

   Did I mention that KitKat has the softest fur I have felt on a kitten? She is so cute and is now starting to show some kitten antics.
   When I fed her tonight,  she decided to roll over on her back so I could rub her belly!  Pretty funny move,  which I thought was an accident, until she did it a couple more times. This is going to be interesting foster kitten. . .

    KitKat Is a talkative little kitten,  and meows constantly while she does everything, including walking.  At first I was concerned there was something wrong,  but it just seems to be what she does.
    I have been told by several people at the shelter that most black cats are part Siamese.  That would explain a thing or two with this kitten.  Quite a talker, which the Siamese breed is known for.
   KitKat is also a very round kitten. .. which makes walking a little comical dragging her big belly along. With little orphans like her,  being round is a good thing.
   So I am taking advantage of a holiday and an extra day to relax.  Hanging out with KitKat is fun and relaxing, so all is good.
  

    I fostered this tiny dog last February for about a month.  She was 6 months old and only weighed about 3-1/2 pounds.  Tiny!  She was very timid with new things and needed some time to adjust to her new situation.
   She fit in with my little army of small dogs and did really well at home,  and just ok at work.  An animal shelter can be a scary place with lots of people, dogs,  strange noises, etc.
   After a few false starts, Ladybug was adopted by a nice young couple who was looking for a second dog.  Ladybug got along well with their small dauchsund, so it was a good match.
   I saw Ladybug briefly this week when she came back in to have her spay surgery done. I was really pleased she remembered me and gave me lots of waggy tails. I love it when things work out!

    Not sure why,  but was hard to pick a name for this little fluffy kitten. My husband suggested KitKat, which is pretty silly,  but I liked it.
    This video is her moving around a little,  which is pretty much the limits for an 8-day old kitten.  So clumsy they are adorable!

  On Thursday,  the last of my foster kittens was adopted. He went out in the Adoption Gallery about 12:00 when they opened, and was adopted by 12:20! Daryl is a very cool kitten,  so I hope he and his new owner have a wonderful life together.
  As it turned out,  I already have a new little kitten to raise.  This is a little girl  that is mostly black fur and very fluffy.  She is only 8 days old and her eyes started to open on Thursday.
  She is a good eater and has a big round belly.  Nice!  Good features for a little kitten.
   She is what we call around here a "singleton" because she had no siblings with her.  The rumor is that singletons get spoiled and are little brats... sounds harsh but it refers to the fact they play hard and don't have a sibling to teach them to not scratch etc. So, I will be mom and sibling all rolled into one!  Sounds like fun.
   Now, to think of a name for her. . .