7 August, 2011

And then there were two

We had a great time yesterday with Crispin and Clementine’s new people who came down for a bit of a visit, a tour of the Manor (it’s small, so those don’t take as long as you might think) and then departed with the fuzzybutts. Zille approved as she was able to con them both into throwing her ball for her. Sid of course embarrassed me by acting as if we have never done any training ever about things like keeping our paws on the ground when greeting people.

At any rate we had a grand ol time and hopefully they did, too. On Monday I’ll be calling the vet to arrange speutering for Constantine and Coriander, who have their homes lined up, and then it will be a matter of coordinating trips to drop them off at their new homes and we will be kitten-free, a state which is simultaneously sad (they are such adorable little boogers) but happy (they are also tiny terrorists who try to climb your legs and they’re better off in homes of their own). Then it will be time to bring mama Briar Rose in; she already has a home lined up so a quick run through the vet process and off she goes if all goes well, and that will be the last of the adult breeding females we know about in the Manor Cat colony.

Meanwhile, population count in the incubator is four hatched blue-laced red Wyandotte chicks, with two more pipped and pondering hatching. Another bantam egg has pipped, and even more excitingly, Ayinnanku’s egg has pipped! There is a 50/50 chance that baby will come out with a naked neck, and it should be either blue or black. It will almost definitely have feathery legs!

Later I must go on a photo safari and get updated pics of One and Three, from the first Hatchapalooza, as well as pics of two “black game” bantams I picked up yesterday. It’s a busy world filled with poultry and kittens, gentle readers.

6 August, 2011

An eventful day at the Manor

Last night when I went to bed, two of the eggs in the incubator had pipped. This morning I woke up to one damp and exhausted chick and two new pips for a total of three.

Later today, Crispin and Clementine’s new people will arrive, get the Grand Tour of the Manor, and then depart, taking 50% of the kitten population with them. And I will call the vet and set up spay and neuter appointments for Coriander and Constantine in preparation for getting them into their new homes so that we can bring Briar Rose in, who already has a likely home lined up. Easiest cat placement ever.

Meanwhile, we’ll be watching the eggs hatch. It’s a slow process but a lot of fun (for the spectators at least) and results in tiny dinosaur-lookin chickens that dry out into adorable fluffiness. You can follow along on Twitter, where I’m @civilwarbore and using the hashtag #hatchapalooza.

2 August, 2011

Coriander Wants Her Own Home

EDIT: Coriander has a home to go to! Huzzah!

Three of Briar Rose’s four kittens have homes to go to. Crispin and Clementine, as a matter of fact, go home THIS SATURDAY. Constantine will go home to live with his Manor Cat big brother Juniper as soon as we get him fattened up enough to get neutered.

But gentle readers, no one has spoken up for Coriander. Clearly, this is an oversight on the part of the internet because is she gorgeous? She is! Is she adorable? She is! Does she have a marvelous spotty tummy? She does!

So here we go again. I am about to hit you with kitten pictures that demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that this exotically beautiful cutie is someone’s dream kitten. Someone out there in this world, gentle readers, needs this kitten in their life, and we will have to hook them up. Details on adoption are on the end of the post, but meanwhile… How can you look at this face and not start immediately shopping for kitten supplies?
An X-TREEM close-up of Coriander's gorgeous face, showing off her golden-brown tabby markings, her perfect black eyeliner which is nicely set off by paler fur around her eyes, and her gorgeous greeny-gold eyes.

Or if that face looks too much like Srs Cat Is Srs for your tastes, how bout THIS face?
Coriander lounges in my lap and looks at the camera, the tip of her tongue poking out of her mouth.

She is playful!
Coriander stretches full-length in a cat bed to bat at my fingers.

Coriander lies on her side, revealing beautiful tabby stripes that shade from dark brown to gold, all on a pale tawny background, and looks up at the camera wide-eyed and innocent, one front paw still on my toes, as I attempt to interrupt her assault on my foot.

Coriander attacks the side of her blue faux-fleece lined cat bed.

And yet, she also loves to be cuddled and petted!
A close-up of Coriander's head and chest, her face in three-quarters profile to show off her beautiful gold tabby markings on her face, as she lounges comfortably in my arms.

Coriander leans into my fingers as I scritch her cheek, leaning so hard that her head is turned sideways.

Coriander makes a silly face as she leans up to head-butt my hand.

And last but not least, the coup de grace of cute, she also loves to have her spotty tummy tickled:
Coriander lies on her back in my lap getting her tummy tickled, and turns her head to be cute at the camera -- the kitten can multi-task!

Slightly Non-Standard Kitten Boilerplate:

1) She always has a place here. If the new owner cannot keep her for any reason, I will not ask questions, I will not judge, I will not grouse on my blog. I will just come get the cat and bring her back to the Manor.

2) I will drive up to four hours from Fredericksburg, VA to put her in a new home. This covers most of the state of Virginia, a good chunk of Maryland, a good chunk of West Virginia, and even goes as far as Gettysburg, PA (I take the back roads to avoid I-95). We also have transportation for her up to 2 hours north and east of Gettysburg, and within a couple hours of Knoxville, TN.

3) She must be an indoor kitty. Coriander has lived the outdoor life and now deserves to be safe in a climate-controlled environment with soft beds and lots of toys.

4) No declawing. It’s mean. Just no.

5) Yes, she is adorable. But you know what? Surprise kittens make crap gifts, y’all. Therefore I will need to be in contact with the actual person with whom young miss Coriander will be living. I do not care how well you know your friend/roomie/spouse/partner/parent/sibling/dentist. Coriander is not a good present.

6) She is FIV/FeLV negative and has had her first set of vaccines. She will be spayed before she goes to her forever home and will get her rabies vax at that time.

7) So far she is very fond of her siblings, would probably do fine with an older cat who didn’t try to kill her when her terrorist kitten tendencies came to the fore, and needs a home with either a low prey-drive dog or an owner VERY dedicated to safe management. She is not thrilled about dogs but then again every time she meets them, Sid tries to lick her. I wouldn’t be thrilled if someone 20 times my size tried to lick me, either.

8) She is a little more cautious and timid than her three siblings. Her new owner will need to be patient and dedicated to wooing her. I’d also STRONGLY recommend giving her only a small area (like a bathroom) when she first gets home and then letting her explore at her own speed once she’s comfortable there. She can’t be rushed, but once she decides that you give good noms and good pettins, she is all about interacting.

I know you’re out there, patient person who wants to sit in your bathroom floor and read a book while a kitten discovers you. I have your kitten, you just need to get in touch!

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