Introducing Scribbles and Her Pencilvanians!

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

If you read the last post, you should be caught up. If you missed it, it’s definitely worth heading on over to read up on all the updates, there were many! You can find the last post here.

Before we hop into the introductions, we would first like to start with a reminder that Jumper is still looking for an adopter. Jumper is a sweet and snuggly girl who would love to keep you company. She starts off a little timid but warms up over time. She would do best in a calmer environment and prefers people over animals. We feel she would be able to coexist with other pets if the introduction was done slowly and the other pet was respectful of her space. She has big eyes and a bigger heart! Click here to apply for Jumper!

Now, on to the new news!

Say Hello to Scribbles!

New Momcat Scribbles

About one month after moving, DAWS contacted us and said they had a pregnant momcat coming up on one of their regular transports from West Virginia. They asked us if we'd be interested in fostering her and of course, we said yes! She arrived on the 16th of August looking a little unkempt after the long drive but seemed very happy and obviously pregnant. DJ decided pretty quickly to name her Scribbles. The information we had about her informed us that her most recent x-ray showed that we should expect 5 kittens and that this was not her first litter.

Peaches, Scribbles’ daughter

In fact, her daughter from a previous litter, Peaches, also went to DAWS. By the time we found out about her, she already had a foster lined up but we couldn’t help but wonder if any of Scribbles’ new kittens would look similar. Well, it didn't take long for us to find out!

Welcoming the Pencilvanians!

Three days after her arrival, Scribbles went into labor and did a great job. Five beautiful, healthy, uniquely colored kittens were born in the span of about 2 hours. A little over one day later, DJ had their names!

At this age, there isn’t much to tell about their personalities quiet yet but what we can tell you is that Sonnet is by far the biggest complainer. She loves the sound of her own voice and is not afraid to share her opinions! They all have super silky fur which might indicate that they’ll all be long-haired like Scribbles but we’ll have to wait and see.

So far, Scribbles is doing all the heavy lifting. These kittens have been kept very clean, they are making great gains, their eyes have just recently opened and they're starting to find their feet. It won't be too long before they're up running around, causing chaos and we're very much looking forward to it!

Cheatsheet provided by is.a.momo from our discord

Be sure to check out the youtube playlist for this class. As of writing this, there’s only 5 videos posted but more will follow! Lastly, here are some phone snaps for you to enjoy!

The Family

Manifesto - Tuxie, Male

Brochure - Orange & White, Male

Sonnet - White & Orange, Female

Lore - Tortie with White, Female

Haiku - Dilute Tortie with White, Female

Major Catch-Up - Meowtfits, Moving & More!

Hello Kitten Academicians!

We're behind on the updates, so here's our current plan: we're going to make this one big post that goes over the big updates to help us get caught up quickly. Following this post, we'll introduce you to our newest momcat and her 5 beautiful babies which will have us back to current happenings! After that, we'll be posting as regularly as things happen around the Academy. We thank you very much for your patience and understanding. In appreciation of this, we'll be sprinkling in some photos from the last several months.

Picking up with the Meowtfits

Last we left off, the Meowtfits were pretty new to the Academy. Over the first couple months we got everyone back in good health only to discover that some of the kittens had ringworm. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with worms, which would have been much easier to treat. Ringworm is a common and contagious fungal infection that spreads very easily. After some reading about strong yet cat-safe cleaners, disinfectants and the like, we bought supplies and started routinely disinfecting all the different rooms from top to bottom. There were several points where we thought we’d conquered the ringworm but a short while later we’d find another bald spot on a kitten that indicated the war wasn’t over quite yet. Obviously, with something so contagious, bringing in a new momcat or kittens was simply a bad idea. Even spays and neuters were postponed due to the risk of the active ringworm on their skin spreading internally. This whole situation is what caused the Meowtfits to stay enrolled at the Academy much longer than the average class. Eventually, the several-month-long ringworm battle came to an end and we were victorious! Their spays and neuters were finally able to take place and they were ready for adoption.

Six of the ten Meowtfits were adopted before our move. That meant that Cloak, Romper, Cardigan and Jumper were still present at the Academy. Because the Academy was moving states and it was really unclear about how the laws were laid out, permits or certificates required, etc. all four of the remaining Mewotfits were returned to DAWS for adoption/fostering. After the move and receiving the necessary paperwork, Mr. A drove the 3-4 hours back to Connecticut and wound up bringing Cardigan and Jumper home to the new Academy. Cloak, who hated the car, and Romper, who demonstrated a pretty strong attachment to Cloak, remained at DAWS. Our hope was that they’d be placed with another foster who had time to dedicate to them. More specifically to Cloak who had always been extremely shy and needed help learning to trust.

Slight side note here - We’d like to let you know that DAWS is in need of more fosters! If you are in or around the Bethel, Connecticut area and love kittens as much as we do, please consider becoming a foster. If you think little kittens might be too much work for your circumstances, you could foster older kittens or maybe even adult cats, too. Feel free to reach out to DAWS and let them know you’re interested. We’re sure they’d love to hear from you and they’d be able to give you all the information you need.

Back to the Meowtfits - Jumping forward to today, we're very happy to announce that nine of the ten Meowtfits have found their forever homes! Below is a list of adoptions in the order they took place.

  • Cape & Parka - June 29th

  • Tutu - June 29th

  • Smock - June 29th

  • Blazer - July 4th

  • Poncho (& Noodle) - July 5th

  • Cardigan - August 8th

  • Cloak & Romper - August 25th

Sweet, sweet Jumper is still looking for her forever home!

Jumper is an absolute sweetheart who is slightly timid but loves to snuggle. She prefers people to other cats but could certainly learn to get along with another pet if they are respectful of her space and the introduction is done with care. Her ideal living situation would be in a calm home with humans to snuggle, blankets to nap on and a space at your desk to keep an eye on the progress of your work. Currently, Jumper is located at the new Academy (more on this later!) in Pennsylvania. That said, given the unique nature of this situation, Mr. A would be willing to drive her back to DAWS in Connecticut (where all of her endowments are also located) if the approved adopter would prefer to meet there for pickup.

Autumn is around the corner, do you need a Jumper? Click HERE to submit an application!

The enrollment & graduation of Noodle

Back in February, Noodle came to us on a transport as a potential momcat from Georgia. Right away we were skeptical about her being pregnant and, as it turns out, we were right. Despite her pregnot status, she enjoyed a few months of enrollment at the Academy getting routine vet care, advanced floof maintenance classes and later getting adopted with Poncho in early July.

A brand new campus for the Academy

The Academy has moved! DJ graduated from her specialization fellowship earlier this year and got a wonderful job at a great health network in Pennsylvania. Once the job was secured, the campus search was on. Months of researching, must-have considerations, viewings and seller negotiations later, the new campus was secured. Over time we’ll be making some changes to better suit the Academy but as it stands now, it’s a lovely hillside property with a lot of built-in character, fun history and oh so many windows.

During the second week of July, the Connecticut campus was packed up and moved to Pennsylvania along with Mr. A, DJ & the Faculty. For those of you who have been following us for awhile, you may remember our move from Illinois to Connecticut. As the faculty adjusted, dynamics shifted. Well, it's happened again. Custard and Loganberry, who have previously required constant separation, are now getting along again and we even have pictures to prove it!

Given the change of location, Mr. A started looking for a new, local shelter to work with. Sadly, none of the shelters that were contacted meshed well with how the Academy is accustomed to running. As we touched upon earlier, we learned that work could continue with DAWS so long as we provided our approved Pennsylvania foster certificate. What's even cooler? The transport that they use, the same one we've gotten several momcats and kittens from in the past, comes right through our new area!

Well, the shelter was sorted but what about a vet, you may ask. When it comes to routine vet visits, we'll be trying different places in the area until we find what feels right for us. Though we're hoping we don't need one anytime soon, we were lucky enough to get a direct recommendation from Teaspoon's surgeon for an emergency vet in our area. Again, not something we hope to need anytime in the near future but it's definitely an important marker on our map should the need arise.

Following that last point, we have a sad update to share that admittedly is long overdue but we simply couldn't bring ourselves to compose it any sooner. Click the button below if and when you are ready.

All moves come with a bit of an adjustment period and this move has been no different. We’re still getting settled, unpacking, setting up what will hopefully be a smoother stream for youtube and really just getting the Academy back to what you all know it to be.

Once again, we appreciate your patience and we’re excited to bring you all along for this new chapter of Kitten Academy - Pennsylvania. The first class has already enrolled and they’re doing great. Head over here to read all about them!

Brand New Meowtfits!

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

We have exciting mews to share but before we get there we want to remind you that Derby is still looking for his furrever home! Derby loves attention, loves to talk, will follow you around wherever you go and loves to snuggle up at bedtime. He has a big purr, is very food motivated and loves a bit of birdwatching, too.

He would be fine in a home with other pets but in that case would do best with a slow introduction. He’s ready to go home as soon as he has an approved adopter! Click the button below to apply!

Now, on to the fashion show!

Introducing the Meowtfits, a collection of three sets! 

Just last week, we heard from DAWS that they had a few groups of kittens coming from Georgia that we could choose from. They had three options for us and after looking over the menu, we handed it back to the waiter and said, "Yes, that'll do."

On Saturday, December 14th, Mr. & Mrs. Claus brought the kittens and a couple of their moms to the Kitten Academy! If you haven’t seen the magic happen, you can watch the archive on our youtube channel here.

We have decided to name this class as one collective group; however, each set has their own dressing room for now. Our hope is to bring some or all of them together after we've had a chance to see how they are. We don’t want to commit any fashion faux pas by mixing and matching sets that might not work!

Dressing Room 1 - The Annex

Our first Meowtfit set consists of a Momcat and 3 kittens.

cheatsheet by is.a.momo on our discord

Momcat Cape is a very social lady and her kittens are super active. Given how similar the kittens look, especially on stream, we’ve given them collars. Upon arrival, Cape was a little sneezy and now the kittens are sneezy, too, but that’s nothing new for us. According to the paperwork, these kittens were born roughly in mid-October, making them about 2 months old currently.

Dressing Room 2 - The Second Annex

The second Meowtfit set is made up of a Momcat and her two kittens.

cheatsheet by is.a.momo on our discord

Initially, Cloak was very shy, liked to hide and keep to herself. After spending some quiet time in her room and giving her some churu, she has been more interested in our attention. We still have a ways to go with her but we are happy with our progress in such a short time! Her kittens are roughly four weeks old now and have been playfully trying to zoom since they arrived. Tutu has been dealing with a bit of an eye infection but has improved greatly with just 2 days of eye medicine. We’re unsure what exactly her coat color/pattern is at this point but we’re excited to see how it develops as she grows.

Dressing Room 3 - The Rainbow Room

The final Meowtfit set is a group of three kittens.

cheatsheet by is.a.momo on our discord

So far, these kittens have a broader range of personalities. Jumper loves to play but is more people-shy than the other two. Blazer loves attention, snuggles and pets. Smock likes to spend time on her own and sleeping but does get into play battles with the others, too. All three have giant purrs!

The paperwork we received on this set of kittens doesn’t shed much light on their ages or how they came to be together for that matter. We do know that Jumper is roughly 3–4 weeks older than Blazer and Smock. At best, she's a half-sibling to them but more likely they’re completely unrelated. Our best guess is that Jumper is 3 months old while Blazer and Smock are closer to 2 months old.

After noticing some not-so-solid forms in the litter box everyone in the Rainbow Room was given dewormer medicine. A visit to Dr. Katz on Tuesday the 17th confirmed that Blazer and Smock had minor URIs and were sent home with medicine to help. So far, Jumper is doing just fine but we'll be keeping an eye on her. If she starts showing symptoms, she'll start getting the same meds as well. Because Jumper has already been exposed to the URI that Blazer and Smock have, putting her in a new environment would only raise the risk of spreading the virus further around the Academy. For that reason, she'll be staying in the rainbow room.

I think for now you are all as up-to-date as we are. We’ll be back with more updates and photos when we have them to share!

Hold Onto Your Hats! News, Updates & Photos!

Hello, Kitten Academicians!

We come to you today with news, updates, adoptions and photoshoot pictures to share!

Gadget’s Gearbox

First, we have unfortunate news to share about Crank. When you're ready, click the button below to read our facts-only update.

We hope that's the last time for a long time that we have to share sad news.

Gadget was adopted on November 3rd by Sham & Gambit’s family! We do miss her silliness here at the Academy but we know she’s continued her shenanigans at her new home and with her new buddies, too!

A Hat trick!

Moving to more pawsitive news, we've had a hat trick! Fez went home on December 1st to his new family and seems to be settling in very nicely. On the 6th, Stetson & Hazelnut started their journey home together and have done well so far! We are already receiving updates about their adventures on our discord!

So that’s three Hats adopted, two Hats to go!

Bonnet

Bonnet enjoys a good cuddle and will let you know with her approving purrs! She baffles scientists with her ability to take up an immense amount of space despite her physical size.

Derby

Derby has opinions and wants to make sure you know them! Just as much as he loves a good debate, he also loves to plop down and snuggle right next to you while he purrs.

Both Bonnet and Derby are food motivated and, due to that, potentially easy to train if that’s something you’re interested in trying. They both love to birdwatch & still have endless kitten energy. They’d be a great pair if you’re interested in two kittens but they can absolutely be adopted individually as well. Their endowments are sorted and they’re ready to go home as soon as they have an approved adopter or adopters! If you’d like to submit an application for one or both of these sweethearts, click the button below!

As for a new momcat, DAWS knows we’re ready and they’re looking but we haven’t heard anything just yet. We aren’t in a giant hurry but we’re ready as soon as we get the call that they’ve got a momcat in need! We’ll keep you informed!

Now, on to the photoshoot pictures you’ve probably been waiting for!

Group Shots

Hazelnut

Bonnet

Stetson

Derby

Fez

Hazelnut's Hats + Lots of Updates!

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

We’ve got a lot of news to get through so let’s get to it!

Cashmere

Super high on the list of exciting things to share is that Cashmere of Cuddles’ Snugglers has found an adopter! Better yet, he’s going home with someone already on our discord, so we’re excited to be able to keep up with him. The expected adoption date is September 2nd. We’re gonna miss this handsome guy.

Cashmere

Hazelnut’s Hats

Another exciting announcement is, of course, Hazelnut’s Hats! Late on the 6th of August and into the morning of the 7th, Hazelnut gave birth to four beautiful and healthy kittens. She’s very clearly an experienced mom and has taken wonderful care of herself and her family so far. After the last few classes that required a bit more hands-on care for one reason or another, this class has been an absolute treat to have at the Academy. Great gains, sweetheart mom, hardly any bad poops, clean and tidy, adorable—the list goes on.

We don’t have pictures quite yet of these tinies but rest assured, it’s on the to-do list. We wont make any promises but there’s hope that we may get around to a real photoshoot with this class soon. For now, here’s a cheatsheet with their names! Bonnet being the only girl.

Cheatsheet made by is.a.momo on our Discord

Crank Update

While what we do know from vet appointments and the internist she saw is positive news, we don’t really have any specific answers as to what may be going on with little Crank. There’s the potential that whatever is causing her digestive issues may be something she’s able to grow out of as it has been slowly improving over time. We’ve gone ahead and scheduled her spay on September 9th with the same surgeon who did Teaspoon’s neuter awhile back. While she’s sedated they’ll do a little investigating and see what they can find. In the meantime, she’s doing okay with the lactulose and receiving enemas as needed. We’ll update again when we know more. Here you have a few Crank photos and a bonus Teaspoon!

Teaspoon Update

Tuesday, the 27th, Teaspoon had a follow-up appointment at the cardiologist. Basically, his heart valve issue is more or less stable and his body is compensating well enough to continue as is. The risks of the procedure he may eventually need greatly outweigh the benefits at this point, so we’re happy to wait. The plan for now is to continue him on his heart medication and have another follow-up in about one year.

Directly after his cardiology appointment he met with our vet, Dr. Katz, regarding his ongoing constipation issues. She decided it would be best to give him an enema to clean him out and bump his lactulose dose up just a bit. She also suggested a high-fiber diet which we will be looking into as well.

Teaspoon and Cash being unbearably cute

Gadget Update

On the 13th of August, Gadget got her spay without any issues. We thought maybe it might calm her down but so far there’s been no sign of her slowing down, not even a little bit! She has been enjoying supervised exploration around the house and some arranged trial playdates with Custard. Her style of communication is a little misunderstood by the rest of the cats but we really do think she’s just got a lot of energy and wants to be playful despite not communicating with the others clearly.

If you’ve made it this far, well done! We know this was a lot to get through. As a bonus, here are a couple photos of Gadget and Crank out in the stroller with DJ. Gadget found it interesting, Crank, not so much.

We’ll be back when we have more to share, thanks for reading!

Welcome New Momcat Hazelnut!

Hello, Kitten Academicians!

Say hello to Hazelnut, our newest momcat!

Hazelnut figuring out that headbutting chicken baby food maybe isn’t the best plan.

Hazelnut is a local lady who we originally heard about through our vet, Dr. Katz, a little over a week ago. Dr. Katz was telling us about a man who took in a stray cat to be friends with his resident cat. After taking her to the vet to get checked out, they learned she was pregnant. The man wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep her or not and decided to take her home for a few days to think about it.

Fast forward to the following weekend. Michelle at DAWS let’s us know she’s got a potential momcat for us; they’re just waiting for the owner to sign the paperwork. She then let us know that the cat has already been confirmed pregnant by Dr. Katz.

Lo and behold, it’s the same cat!

Late Tuesday morning, on July 16th, Hazelnut came to the Academy. She’s only been with us for a few days as of writing this so we don’t know all that much about her personality yet. What we do know is that she’s pregnant and the x-ray showed at least two kitten spines. Because skeletons can be seen on the x-ray, we also know that she has 2-3 weeks left of her pregnancy at most. We’d guess less.

That’s it for now! Stay tuned for an eventual birth announcement post as soon as Hazelnut is ready!

Introducing Gadget and Her Gearbox!

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

Gadget arrived to us, like most momcats, on a transport via DAWS from Georgia. Right away, she made it obvious that she is a snuggle bug who loves attention. Headbutts, rolling on her back, purring, reaching out for us with her paw, climbing into our laps—all the adorable things that tell us she loves people. A few days after arriving to us, on June 11th, Gadget welcomed four kittens.

While we are committed to our no-sads rule, we have always made it a point to keep you aware of the facts. When you're ready, click “sads” for an update on three of the four kittens.

Moving to the positive news, Gadget and Crank are doing well! Gadget has come out of her shell even more and has revealed herself to be a super energetic and talkative cat. Crank is gaining very well each day, starting to explore quite a bit and interacting more and more with her environment, which is perfectly on par with what we'd expect from a kitten her age. Crank has a vet appointment next week on the 25th for a general checkup and her first round of vaccines.

You may see Gadget carrying Crank around or seemingly playing a bit rough with her, but rest assured, we’re keep an eye on them. If it becomes necessary, we won't hesitate to separate them if that’s what we determine to be the best option. In the mean time, they’ll continue to be in the annex together and we’ll bring them to the spa from time to time.

For now, here are some random photos of Gadget and Crank. We’ll be back with a follow-up post when we have more to report on these two.

Welcome Cuddles' Snugglers

Hello, Kitten Academicians! 

Although a little late, allow us to introduce Cuddles and her Snugglers!

On the morning of March 19th, while taking Holiday for her spay, Aristokatz received a phone call from a homeowner wanting help with a stray cat who had just given birth in their garage. We didn’t get too much information on the momcat, but the homeowners did let us know that she would rub on ankles but did not tolerate being petted or picked up. Sure enough, she had given birth to four healthy kittens in a bag full of leaves and was definitely showing some really protective mom instincts. 

Given her protective nature at the time, we needed to get creative to collect them all safely. Ultimately, we decided to grab the three nearest kittens, place them in the back of the carrier, and wait patiently for her to check on them. After a little bit of time she did just that, and the door was closed behind her. The fourth kitten was then retrieved and placed in the carrier, which then went into the car and back to the Academy!

Upon arriving at the Academy, the carrier was placed in Mr. A’s office bathroom and set up to be their home base. Under normal circumstances, momcats would typically go into a larger room, but she's really not our typical momcat. Given the description of her temperament provided by the homeowner and a few attempts to hide kittens, we deemed the bathroom to be the safest starting location for her. In those first few days, we worked really hard to very slowly push her boundaries tiny bits at a time while keeping her stress level as low as possible. This has worked out well so far, and we’re happy with her progress to this point. She’s still a little spicy at times, but we’re more confident now in understanding her body language and communication style. We want to be clear that she’s not aggressive by any means; her way of communicating is just slightly different than that of the average momcat we’re used to seeing around here. She enjoys attention and pettings, but wants it to happen in accordance with her terms & conditions.

Cheatsheet created by is.a.momo on our discord

A day before their relocation to the second annex, DJ gave them all names! Momcat Cuddles and her kittens: Cashmere, Pajamas, Hot Chocolate and Marshmallow! To us, it appears that Cashmere and Marshmallow are boys while Pajamas and Hot Chocolate are girls. Cashmere and Pajamas also look quite similar, but they do have slightly different white spots on their chests and bellies, which allow us to tell them apart. Pajamas also has a little bit of white on her back toes.

Cuddles and her Snugglers are now living in the second annex and doing great! The kittens are gaining exceptionally well, Cuddles is eating well, and overall everyone is happy.

Now, how about a few photos?

Welcome Skylight and her Skyscrapers

Greetings Kitten Academicians! Today we’re introducing Skylight and her Skyscrapers!

Skylight came to us on the evening of February 24th from a barn in Kentucky via DAWS. Apart from being a little stinky and having weepy eyes, she was very talkative, sweet, good-natured and definitely a good eater. To get a general sense of her health and confirm her pregnancy, we brought her to Dr. Katz of Aristokatz on February 26th. While her x-rays didn’t show much, it was confirmed that she had what looked to be 3–4 kittens on the ultrasound. Nine days later, at a follow-up visit on March 6th, she got x-rayed again and we saw skeletons forming! This let us know she was roughly 14–21 days away from giving birth.

Sure enough, 15 days later, Skylight gave birth to four super-fuzzy kittens. Will they be long-haired? We don’t know for sure but we’re thinking possibly, maybe, perhaps! Skylight gave birth to the first kitten in an elevated pineapple bed, but when discovered, the duo was moved to the much safer birthing box to have the remaining kittens.

Skylight and her Skyscrapers

Cheatsheet provided by is.a.momo on our discord

Names, they’ve got names! It almost never happens this quickly but DJ spent some time with the kittens and assigned names the same day they were born. See the cheatsheet to the right and photos below. At this point, we’re somewhat confident in saying that Joist, Rafter and Alcove are girls and Gable is a boy.

If you’ve been following the stream at all, you may have noticed that Joist looks pretty tiny compared to her brothers and you’d be correct. In fact, she’s the smallest kitten born at Kitten Academy so far, weighing in at just 2.1 ounces–about the same as two AA batteries or roughly 12 sheets of paper!

For those of you keeping an eye on the weight sheet, you may have seen she’s received some supplemental feedings. This has mostly been to make sure she’s meeting what we would like the minimum gains over 24 hours to be. Rest assured, we’re happy with her ability to gain and equally as happy to help supplement them as needed.

Now for some photos! These were taken while labor was happening so there’s just a few quick shots of each kitten. More photos will come in a later post!

Joist - Female

Rafter - Female

Gable - Male

Alcove - Female

Tail Mail with Syl

Hello Kitten Academicians, it’s Syl!

I hope everyone is having a good start to the new year. A few art prompts have happened since the last time you heard from me. Over the summer there were two art prompts - Summer Camp 2023 in June and Cat Days of Summer in August. Both prompts included themes of summer fun and ways to keep cool. In October there was a prompt with a new theme - Costume Carnival - featuring carnival and Halloween themes. The last prompt to wrap up the year was December Doodles 2023.

This month’s theme - KA Pen Pals 2024 - was inspired by cute stationery and the idea that I think the alumni would send each other letters if they could. They would write about the interesting things they’ve found in their new homes and tuck a piece of ribbon or lint in the envelope to share. What do you think they would find interesting enough to write about? To participate please check out the “KA art challenge” thread under the Arts and Crafts channel in the Discord server for Patreon members.

Below you will find art pieces I picked from the last few prompts. Thank you so much to everyone that participated in 2023!

If anyone has questions or ideas for future community art events please comment them down below! You can also contact me on Discord (@Sylhouettes).

To view all past art prompts click here.

Jamestown

Michelle

Sage’s Handmade

Sylhouettes

Neela Kangal

AltoClarinetLady

Sherbear

Michelle

Waithamai

Sage’s Handmade

Michelle

18thClaw

AltoClarinetLady

Neela Kangal

Michelle

Created by an anonymous Discord member