Welcome Callie and Her Timey-Wimeys!

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!

Cheatsheet provided by is.a.momo on our discord

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!

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.

 

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.  

Raindrop

Sprout


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)!  

Drizzle

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

The DLC 

Squall & Wellingtons

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.

Wellingtons

Squall


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. 



Serenity Now!

Serenity

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.

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!

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 25th.

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.

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!

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!

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.

 

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.  

Raindrop

Sprout


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)!  

Drizzle

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

The DLC 

Squall & Wellingtons

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.

Wellingtons

Squall


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. 



Serenity Now!

Serenity

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.

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!

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?

"Welcome" to Cahooligans!

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

Today, we’re catching up on a few of the photos we’ve taken of Cahoots and her kittens since they arrived at the Academy in Spetember. Technically, they all turned up around the 12th, but we didn’t get to see most of them until the kittens were born on the 24th of September.

Here’s a couple early photos of Cahoots!

Here’s some photos from shortly after the kittens were born:

You might need a cheat-sheet to tell who’s who here! We certainly did. Thanks to “@is.a.Momo” on our Discord server for compiling these:

Next we have a handful of photos from October 21st — we think there’s a missing set of files from shortly after their eyes opened, which we hope to find “in due time” —

Finally, we’d like to share one last set of photos today, taken just a week or two ago, but before we do, we’d like to mention that our friends at DAWS are responsible for today’s blog post in a couple of important ways:

First and foremost, DAWS is the shelter we work with here in Connecticut and they find our momcats and also process applications to adopt the kittens and momcats that we foster.

Secondly, they asked us if we’d mind mentioning that they’re running a huge fundraiser today, on “giving Tuesday.” We believe, of course, that giving to DAWS doesn’t need a special day — it’s always a good idea. But the kind of people who make sure the lights stay on like to make an event of it. If you’d like to participate, today’s your day - just click here to go to the Giving Tuesday donation page. Today’s blog post wouldn’t have happened if they didn’t ask us to give the event a plug!

If you missed the moment or if you would love to support DAWS and the cats and dogs, but feel a bit of dissonance about the idea of a special day for your generosity, you can click here to go to the regular, everyday donation page.

Supporting DAWS or your local shelter is always a good idea, whatever the day!

Finally, here’s some Cahooligans posing for their Christmas photos! (and maybe a bonus or two…)

Graduation for Ocean's Kits!

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

We’re still slowly working towards getting everything back up to our usual standards, but this journey lately feels like it may be a thousand miles, and so we start with the few steps we can take and build from there.

So, we bring you our latest photoshoot - plus a few odds and ends from the camera roll, in honor of Ocean, her kits, and Trinket all being ready to find their adopters — or vice-versa. You can apply here on our application!

It’s our impression that Ocean is a supremely dedicated mom and might do well to be adopted with one of her kittens — perhaps Caliper. Trinket loves to play with all three boys and otherwise has a hard time making new friends, so we would really love to see her go home with any of them, perhaps Astrolabe or Spyglass who are both extra rambunctious and love to wrestle with her. In the end, though, it’s always up to the adopter how much they are ready to take on; adopting a kitten is making a 20-year commitment.

If you’ve already applied, don’t panic - we’re sure DAWS will have everything processed in due time!

We’ll be back real soon to post baby photos of the next class, Cahoot’s newborns. Meanwhile, please enjoy…

More Catching Up with Bumble, Crouton and More!

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

Crouton’s kids are all grown up now and gradutating in the next couple weeks. We have SO many more photos of them, but in the spirit of “catching up,” we’re just going to publish what is ready to go, and we’ll hope to edit and publish more — in due time!

Before we forget, a couple items of current events:

  • The momcat and kittens we expected to arrive last Saturday, didn’t. But there’s a very good chance we’ll be getting a new pregnant momcat this Saturday the 13th, in the early afternoon.

  • We don’t expect the momcat arrival to impact mailbag, or Morsel and Nugget’s adoption, which will also be Saturday the 13th.

  • Art Coordinator Jay has created a schedule for re-publishing our most popular T-shirt designs over the next few months! Get ‘em while they’re hot!

Crouton and kids have adopters! What we know so far:

  • Crouton will be adopted September 1st

  • Morsel and Nugget will be adopted together August 13th

  • Chunk and Tidbit will be adopted together date TBD

  • Smidgeon and Crumb will be adopted together August 23rd

    All dates subject to change!

So, presenting for the first time on this blog, Crouton and her tiny breads, Chunk, Nugget, Crumb, Tidbit, Smidgeon, and Morsel!

Catching up with Scottie and the "Puppies"

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

We’re setting new records in being waaaaay behind so we’re delcaring it a “website backlog forgiveness day time” And here’s the plan: we’re just going to post what we got, no worries about trying to put it all together narratively or checking that we’ve edited a roughly equal number of photos for each kitten.

So here’s the blog post we uploaded all the way back in April, with Scottie and the Puppies, and we’ll be back with more catching up before you know it!

Here’s a couple things to know in case we don’t:

Crunchyroll Expo 2022 is this weekend and the kittens will be attending — well, virtually, anyhow. Many thanks to Crunchyroll for bringing the extra attention to the kittens we’re fostering, for the third year running! We’re told that if you are attending the Expo virtually this year, you don’t even need to register in advance, just turn up on the website and check things out!

And speaking of big events this weekend, we’re expecting the arrival of a new momcat with her six or seven kittens on Saturday evening. Keep an eye on the stream for updates!

Back soon (probably?) with more!

Here’s Pug, Beagle, Pomeranian, St. Bernard, Basset, Jack Russell, and of course, Scottie:

"Introducing": River and the Tiny Townies

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

DJ’s Cheat Sheet

[Edit: The date on this post is February 8, but it wasn’t published until April 29.]

We’re further behind than ever before! Here we are introducing River and her kittens and they’ve already all graduated (except Yurt) — but we’ll get to that after a bit of more timely news.

KA-Con 2022

KA-Con is being held in-person this year June 17-19th. The event is entirely arranged by the volunteer KA-Con Planning Committee and we’re expecting it to be a casual good time where we get a chance to meet and interact with some of you in-person (and some virtually)! As in previous years, attendance is limited to Patreons and Discorders so that the Planning Committee is able to accurately gauge the scope and not work themselves to an early retirement!

Miss Mellie’s Kitten Academy Poems

Miss Mellie and Umbra Love have published Volume Two of the amazing Kitten Academy Poems, an illustrated two-part series of imaginative stories told in verse by the cats and kittens that have attended the Academy (part three coming In Due Time™). The link here goes to the Kindle versions, but if you dig in, you’ll find they are also available in paperback or even hardcover! The on-demand printing isn’t cheap but the quality is superb, and the poetry and artwork is well worth the price. The profits from sales go to Kitten Academy and various other animal rescues[*]. If you are interested in further supporting Miss Mellie and Umbra Love, you can commission poetry and art in the same style for your own pets at their new project, petpoetraits.com!

Scottie’s Tiny Puppies

Scottie’s class has failed their final exams and will be held back for a week or two of summer Spring School. More on that in our next blogpost (In Due Time™).


River and the Tiny Townies

With that out of the way, let’s introduce River and her Townies! They came to the Academy January 8th and the kittens were already a few weeks old. Although they started out extremely shy, it wasn’t long before they took over the Academy (and our hearts).

They’ve all graduated now, except Yurt, who is being adopted with Beagle of Scottie’s class. In order to get caught up, we’re publishing whatever photos we had ready-to-go, and perhaps we’ll be able to publish some or all of the rest In Due Time™.

River - Momcat

Villa - Female

Chalet - Female

Lodge - Male

Yurt - Male

Bungalow - Male

Here’s the rest of the photos we have ready-to-go!

[* In the past, proceeds have been split among Kitten Academy and DAWS, the shelter that provides us cats to foster. Currently, Miss Mellie and Umbra Love are dedicating a portion to orginizations involved in rehoming of pets that have been rescued from Ukraine.]