The Mighty Zeus as a kitten

So my boyfriend was nice enough to bring back the flu from a business trip to Massachusetts and give it to me!  So I haven't taken a lot of pictures this week of the my foster girls.  But I thought I'd share some kitten pictures of Zeus.  We rescued him from our backyard where a feral momma cat was nursing him under thick bushes.  This was her second litter, where we rescued another kitten as well and he went to live with my boyfriend's son and roommates.  Well, I had been keeping an eye on this litter which was originally 5 and she kept moving them around the yard.  After a couple weeks, he was the only one left and fearing he'd die as well, I snatched him and we raised him.  We rescued him about 3 weeks before we were to get my rottweiler, Fleury.  So they grew up together and played together until she got too big.  I have a video I will post of them "fighting" over his vinyl box which is hilarious.  His newest joy is picking fights with Angel and Momma, so he gets banned to the game room alot when it gets out of hand.

Sitting on Daddy's shoulder, he's the only person that Zeus purrs for.

Sitting on my stomach for a feeding.

Swatting at invisible bed mice.  He chased invisible things for much of his kittenhood it was hilarious!

Forget the overpriced toys......

A box will do just fine.....

Zeus enjoying the wok box.

A wok on the wild side....

I'm just a maaaan in a box.....

Hush my darling, don't fear my darling, the lion sleeps toniiiight....

Now this here?  This is trust.  *smile*

A VERY big step towards peace and harmony

I've previously neglected to mention that Angel is the typical calico and very much has an attitude problem.  I've worked around it and left her alone after being scratched (very hard, enough to cause bruising around the scratch) three times.  Today, she decided to wander into my room as I sat on my bed watching television and surfing the internet.  She hopped up onto the bed which my rottweiler Fleury was lounging on at the foot of the bed.  I gingerly reached out to pet her and she melted under my touch.  I was shocked, so I had to document, I apologize for the low lighting and awkward angles (and messy nightstand) but its the best I could do without moving too much or disturbing her too much (and using one hand).

Angel enjoying some attention, see her left eye, I've been scared too touch it for fear of being scratched but I got that gooky out thru clever petting.  =)

No more eye gookies and some much needed loving.

Proof Fleury was on the bed!  Yes I was playing Fable 3 on XBOX 360 hehe.

Paws delicately crossed and a content kitty.

This is a great breakthrough today, it brought tears to my eyes that I was able to show her some much needed affection after she's been here for almost a month now.  Proof that fostering warms your heart.  =)

Silly Girl

Momma enjoying the afghan my mother made for me.

Showing off her toes.

Guarding the base of the cat tree.

Furry Friday

Resident cat, Zeus settling down in his cat tree cubby.

Angel enjoying her box top bed and a view of the window.

Momma showing the cat tree some love.

Angel and Momma

Momma Cat

Momma was dumped outside a vet's office in the middle of the night in a cardboard box with her kittens.  Her kittens turned out great and have all been adopted.  She is less than a year old, a baby having babies, which is one of the reasons it is so important to always spay or neuter your animals as soon as they are old enough.

She is a silly little cat, her head being smaller than her body.  She is very affectionate and playful young lady although doesn't particularly prefer being held or sitting in a lap.  However, she cuddles right next to me on the bed while I watch TV or blog.  She has a maddening habit of sticking her head into whatever cup of drink I have sitting around which sometimes leads to a mess on the floor I must clean up.  She also has a healthy fascination with the toilet, so lid must be down in the evenings LOL.  You can look at her listing on petfinder.com here.











Angel

Angel was brought to us by family members of a gentleman that had suffered a stroke.  They were unable to care for her and thought it best to have her put up for adoption.  Angel is around 5 years old and seems to have been the only cat in her house.  She's a bit overweight and has moments where she is quite a grouchy girl.  I can't blame her though, she has to be pretty confused and probably mourning the loss of her human.

The good news is that we've had an update from the owner's family this week.  Her owner was slowly recovering from his stroke and the entire time he's been asking for Angel (whom the nurses assumed was a sister or relative ha!).  So I've agreed to foster Angel until her human is well enough to take care of her again.  What a happy ending!!  For this reason, we have no listed her on our petfinder listings.

And so it begins

I have spent the majority of my life as an animal lover.  I was one of those kids that brought home every manner of living creature and desperately pleaded with my parents to keep them.  Through the years, there have been only very brief times that I have lived without at least one pet in my home.  So having been a victim of our current recession and finding myself unemployed and fortunate enough that my significant other's income was enough for us to live on, I thought I might as well do something productive with my spare time.

I recently became a cat/kitten foster parent for an organization in Baton Rouge known as APAWS, Animal Protection and Welfare Society.  So I begin this blog as a way to document and share the rewards and challenges of fostering kittens and cats.  I hope to share many heart warming stories and educate the public about animal rescue, volunteering and the importance of spay/neuter programs for animals.

Now to be completely honest, I had no interest in fostering adult cats.  I have a house full of my own resident staff, Fleury, a 1 1/2 year old female Rottweiler, Tink, a people aggressive 5 year old female Jack Russell terrier, Odyseuss (Ody) a 14 year old male Maine Coone, Boo Boo, a 6 year old long hair domestic cat and finally Zeus, a 1 1/2 year old silver tabby short hair domestic cat.  The reason I was unsure of fostering adult cats was because all I had available was a spare room to foster out of and I thought it would be too cramped for the adult cats to live out of.

Fleury trying to claim her bed from Zeus.

My boys, Boo Boo, Zeus and Ody.

Tink (with Fleury trying to steal her toy)

After meeting Emily Harris, Vice President and Cat Foster Chair for APAWS, I decided to give an adult cat a shot since I was new to fostering.  The cats and kittens spend their time between foster homes and kennels at our local PetSmart's hoping to be adopted into forever homes.  And as the title states, so begins my adventures into the wonderful world of animal fostering!