Brand New Meowtfits!

December 17, 2024 by KA Jamestown in Introduction, Cheatsheet

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!

Apply for Derby!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Welcome New Momcat Hazelnut!

July 21, 2024 by KA Jamestown in Introduction

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!

July 21, 2024 by KA Jamestown in Introduction, Photos

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.

sads

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

April 05, 2024 by KA Jamestown in Cheatsheet, Introduction

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

March 27, 2024 by KA Jamestown in Cheatsheet, Introduction

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.

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

Welcome Callie and Her Timey-Wimeys!

December 09, 2023 by KA Jamestown in Introduction, Photos

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

Say hello to our newest momcat whom DJ has named Calendar, or Callie for short!

Callie arrived to us on December 2nd, on a transport via DAWS all the way from Georgia. We aren't exactly sure about her age but we guess she's about one year old. She's super loving, playful and enjoys calm lap time, too. One of the more unique things about Callie is her waggly, bobbed tail but we'll go into more detail on that topic a little later!

On December 5th, we took her in to our vet, AristoKatz, for an x-ray with Dr. Katz. The x-ray confirmed she was pregnant with 5, maybe 6 kittens, and due anytime! The x-ray also showed her tail but we were unable to definitively conclude whether it was genetic or an old injury at that time. Turns out it's genetic! And we know this because...

A couple days later, on December 7th, Callie welcomed six healthy kittens to the Academy! Of the six kittens, two have bobbed tails which tells us that her bobbed tail is, in fact, genetic! It hasn't been all that long yet but so far she's proven to be a great mom, very attentive and quick with the cleanup duties.

For now, we’re pretty sure January and Holiday are the only girls but it can be hard to tell this early.*

*Edit: This time we’re almost certain, Holiday is the only girl in this class!

Finally, here are some photos of the Timey-Wimeys for you to enjoy!

Monday - Male

Julian, bobtail - Male

Gregorian - Male

January, bobtail - Male

Holiday - Female

Friday - Male

Group Photos

Callie (before she had her kittens)

Repost: The Adorable Adootables!

November 01, 2023 by Mr. Academy in Photos, Introduction, Adoption

Greetings, Kitten Academicians! We are re-publishing this post to remind everyone of the adorable kittens still available for adoption. Since the original post, Raindrop does have an approved adooter!

The Adootables!

Let’s start right here; forget anything you think you know about these kittens! Okay, not everything, but the time they’ve spent at KA has seen them all through many changes. So if you’ve heard us say things in the closeups like “I think so-and-so would love being adopted with so-and-so” keep in mind these things can change pretty quickly – and easily – at this young age.

All the cats and kittens we’re discussing here are ready to go and as always, you can adopt from anywhere in the continental USA, but you have to pick them up from Monroe, CT, in person. If you have any trouble with the application, please let us know.

Adopt!

The Tabby Sisters

Raindrop, Sprout, and Drizzle are sleek and lovely mackerel tabbies who are very well-adjusted and love play and snuggles with humans as you’d expect from KA graduates. They came to the Academy as the “April Meowers” and their mom and other siblings have already gone to their adopters. They have lovely satin fur and play responsibly – you can pet that belly! All three of them get along just great with the other adootables and any pairings would be great choices.

Of the three, Raindrop is the most attention-seeking, both from cats and people, and tends to be the quickest to get along with new cats and new situations. She does have a fixation on fingers and wants to help you type by biting on them, but is very gentle about it.

Sprout is a free spirit who can’t be collared – literally! Even when the sisters got their sparkly new collars, Sprout rejected hers quickly. She’s independent and of the three, probably would best tolerate time alone while her human is at work.

Drizzle is the most conservative, and can be quite growly at new kittens initially, but learns to get over it in due time. Drizzle jealously guards her favorite toys and loves to play fetch – if she brings you a toy, try throwing it, but make sure she’s watching where it goes (or use a toy that makes noise)!

All three tolerate endless snuggles from their humans and being held like babies, as long as they’re getting petted in the bargain.

Adopt!

The DLC

When Dr. Katz at Aristokatz discovered a litter of newborn kittens on her doorstep, she offered to let us care for them. A late addition to the April Meowers, these Darling Little Cats had a bit of a rough start but have grown into the fuzzy marshmallows they are today. Circumstances saw them hand-raised by Mr. A and their attachment to humans is particularly strong as a result. We’re pleased to announce that Wellingtons and his sister Squall have both (mostly) outgrown their need to lick noses, just as their tongues are becoming extremely abrasive. They still cannot get enough snuggling and carrying and prefer to sleep near – or on – their human’s heads. They aren’t particularly fond of other cats – they’re well bonded with all the current Academy residents and other adootables, but very skeptical when meeting new cats and kittens and take a little convincing to come around.

Wellingtons has become a “typical teenage boy” who is extra rambunctious and lately his waking hours are spent almost entirely focused on roughhousing with his sister, the Tabby twins, or anyone else he can. He reminds us of teenage Tommy, or Custard, and like them is likely to grow out of it – mostly – in a few years.

Squall is much more focused on human affection and there’s never enough. She and her brother both will need humans with lots of time and affection to give, but Squall more so. She’s a little quicker to come around to new cats than her brother is, but still a bit wary.

Adopt!

Serenity Now!

Serenity arrived at the Academy a momcat and a kitten herself. While she didn’t become a momcat in the end, she is still a playful kitten! Serenity is quite shy but also energetic like a kitten, and loves human affection. She’s a wonderful bundle of contradictions – a cat. We find she can be hand shy and especially wary of people standing over her, but if you are on her level and patient, she will reward you with endless affection and play. It took Mr. A some effort to get her to come around, and the resulting snuggles are all the more enjoyable for it. He still can have a hard time catching her when it’s time to go to her room – and of course she’s well-known for being an escape artist capable of operating door handles to let herself out again. As a kitten, she has a lot of energy to work out, and zooms and wrestles with the other adootables all the time. While she did learn to get along with all of the kittens at the Academy after a normal adjustment period, we notice that she really appreciates having her own space, too. We think she will be very happy in a home that has a more normal human-to-cat ratio.

Adopt!

Lastly, here are some bonus photos of everyone mentioned above, some more recent than others.

Raindrop

Sprout

Drizzle

Squall & Wellingtons

Serenity

Introducing Till's Petty Cash!

October 20, 2023 by DJ in Photos, Introduction, Cheatsheet

We’re catching up on our debts of recent class introduction posts, and so here is Till’s Petty Cash! Till came to Kitten Academy on July 15th, from a previous foster in West Virginia. Her kittens were born on the morning of July 26th.

On September 14th, an additional kitten joined the group named Bill. While we stand by our "no-sads" policy, it has always been our intention to inform you of the facts when these, thankfully rare, sad things happen. When you're ready, click the “sads” button for our facts-only update on Bill.

Sads

Now onto the Cash at hand!

Till

Ledger

Farthing

Quid

Doubloons

Also, another quick update: Teaspoon is doing well! He will be having surgery in November to correct his heart condition (pulmonic stenosis). Once he is confirmed to be doing well after this procedure, he will be able to undergo his graduation surgery. His pre-surgery appointment is coming up on November 7th.

Lastly, here’s some more deposits of Petty Cash, and Teaspoon with Uncle Loganberry!

The Adorable Adootables!

October 15, 2023 by Mr. Academy in Photos, Introduction, Adoption

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

It’s been a while, but we’re here with plenty of good news! The most important stuff is all about the cats and kittens that are ready to be adopted, but before that, let us take one moment.

We’ve been working on better communication and so we’ve started putting things in place to bring in some extra help. I only bring it up to mention you may see some really positive changes in the coming days and weeks. Thank you so much to the wonderful people who have volunteered – and I know many more of you have offered help in the past. Once we sort things out a little, we’ll be greatly expanding the program. We’re super excited to share it all with you, but first things first!

The Adootables!

Adopt!

The Tabby Sisters

All three tolerate endless snuggles from their humans and being held like babies, as long as they’re getting petted in the bargain.

Adopt!

The DLC

Adopt!

Serenity Now!

Adopt!

Lastly, here are some bonus photos of everyone mentioned above, some more recent than others.

Raindrop

Sprout

Drizzle

Squall & Wellingtons

Serenity

Hello and goodbye to The Cutensils!

June 10, 2023 by Mr. Academy in Graduation, Introduction, Photos

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

Sorry it’s been a while, but Syl didn’t want to post two art blogs in a row, so we had to do something. Of course we hope to do this more often, but you probably know how busy we’ve been!

If you’re checking in and haven’t been to the Facebook fan page or had time to watch the (infrequent) close-ups, we should mention that all the Cutensils have adopters and will be going home in the next few weeks… except Teaspoon. His adoption is on hold for now. We’re scheduling surgery with the cardiologist in a month or so, and after that we’ll have a better idea when he’ll be ready to be adopted!

Back with more photos soon… or… in due time?