So many kittehs!

Well, they're definitely over their "shy" phase. Now when I walk into the Kitten Hatchery they swarm me! If I sit down, I immediately have all four kittens in my lap, generally tussling with each other. It makes it difficult to take pictures-- for every picture I post, imagine that there were 2 more that I had to erase because they were blurry, or only had half a kitten in the frame by the time the shutter clicked. Also, these kittens, like most, are so much cuter in person-- assume 75% more cuteness that you just can't see in the pictures. :)

I gave them all Foster-Names, but even those change quickly. The good news is that I have an official forever home for Violetta. I took her to the apartment complex's office today as an example of how well the kittens were doing. The staff-person who had said she might want to adopt one decided that she does want to adopt one, and moreover, wants this one! So Violetta has a forever home waiting for her in a few weeks. She will have a big sister: a chihuahua named Coco Chanel!! Violetta's name has been changed as befits her new home: she is now Dolce!

I hope I can find such good homes so quickly for the other three!! Shy little Zadie has become more out-going. She joins her siblings in hanging out with me, and likes to be held. She has even started purring. When you see her by herself, or sitting in a lap, it's hard to imagine her doing the rough and tumble of other kittens, but she'll get in there and fight with her siblings just like the others. Ideally, I'd love to be able to adopt her out with Dean, her big brother.

Dean is living up to his television namesake, being the first and last at the dinner table, and being completely outgoing. He seems to need to be aware of everything, but he also takes care of his siblings, curling up with them when they've all just had a bath. Dean is also the one who is most like Baby Beatrice-- he has taken to gnawing on everything, up to and including my feet and ankles. Silly boy. Also, it is not unusual for me to be dealing with one of the other kittens, or brushing my teeth, and to suddenly have Dean climbing up my pants leg.

Istref (Iso for short) is the only one who won't purr, but he does seem to like curling up in my lap, and he's certainly not shy any more. He plays and he cuddles and he's got such cute moo-cow-kitty spots! He's hard to get pictures, of though, 'cause he moves fast! He and Dean are already bigger than the girls (Dean is biggest, though) -- not so noticeable in pictures, perhaps, but definitely noticeable when you go to pick them up!!

The kittens are using the litter box, although there have been a few accidents. I chalk those, however, up to the changes in food which is making their stool less than delightful. (Lucky me.) Still, for the most part they're using the box fine, and I'm sure they'll be perfect with it once their little kitten tummies fully adjust to the switch over in foods. Speaking of foods, they're still eating a mix of baby food and kitten food, but they've also taken to snacking on dry kitten food, so this is good. They're not so good at the water dish, though, generally dumping it on the floor rather than drinking from it, presumably in their raucous kitty fights.

So, things continue apace. But please spread the word about these babies needing homes. Classes end relatively soon, so I can even get them fairly far afield, should you be reading this from a place that is not AZ. (Import your kittens!) Cuddly fuzzy babies need homes!

45 (!!) new pictures in the April 2009 Kittens Flickr Set