Catching Up Part One: Buttons and Bumble (And Splotch)

January 31, 2022 by Mr. Academy in Photos, Merch

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

We are, in the words of the great Douglas Adams, “…late, but moving fast!” Today’s blog post is entirely about Buttons and Bumble, with a side of Splotch. We have the best intentions to return quickly with posts about the other new residents of the Academy… soon! Until then, catch them on the Live Stream!

In what may be a first, Buttons arrived from Georgia as a presumptive momcat, was found to be a non-pregnant kitten, had her graduation, and has gone to live with her adopter (back to Georgia, coincidentally), all before we managed to post anything about her on our blog. That doesn’t say a lot for us, but it sure says a lot for Buttons, and her adopter (and all of you)! Our favorite fact about Buttons — she was allowed to roam the Academy freely for most of the weeks she was here, and in all that time, only went downstairs once; just long enough to decide it wasn’t for her. Here’s a few photos from the photoshoots she managed to participate in.

Next, DAWS had the lovely tuxie Bumble arrive as a presumptive momcat. But she turned out to be a slightly chonky cat, not pregnant at all. She, too, has had her graduation surgery, but is still awaiting adoption applicants. Her favorite things to do are eating and sleeping, and she would make an excellent couch companion. She’s young, perhaps a year or so, and so does also require a certain amount of play and zooming — more on that in a moment. She does not start trouble with other cats, but she does let them know to keep a distance by growling. If pushed further, she’ll run away and hide. She only fights if cornered. She can get along with other cats just fine, and if they’re reasonably polite and will respect her boundaries they can even become friends over time.

…Which brings us to Splotch. You may recall that Splotch had an adopter lined up, but the adoption was delayed a short while so that we could focus on helping her get over a bit of a snort that she had had since birth. Good news: the snorting has been completely resolved thanks to the ceaseless efforts of Dr. Katz! However, due to a change in circumstances, Splotch’s adopter has had to withdraw, and so Splotch will need a new adopter.

Splotch is a strong, healthy polydactyl kitten who loves play and zooming more than anything else, napping and eating when necessary. Splotch likes to be near her people, but tends to be independent and prefers cuddling and purring when it happens on her schedule. We expect that over time, she’ll build a very strong bond with her adopter and come to enjoy affection more freely. She would make an excellent companion for someone who wants a more active and curious cat — if her mom is any indication she’ll continue to be that way well past kittenhood. She’s good with other cats, and will respectfully give them distance if they respectfully request it. She’s polite with humans and cats, takes corrections well, and seldom uses her claws or teeth without provocation. When other cats are too forward, she tends to correct them with quick smacks rather than a growl, so an adopter who already has cats should consider whether they’ll respond favorably to that. So far, everyone here — including River — gets along with her just fine.

Our recommendation would be to adopt Splotch along with another cat or kitten — one that she will get along with and that may help her find an outlet for some of her energy as well. So far, it seems like Bumble would make a fair choice for this, although it’s possible that Bumble would be overwhelmed if she were solely responsible for keeping Splotch entertained. It may well be the case that Splotch ends up best friends with one of the tiny Townies or even eventually one of Scottie’s kittens. It also seems likely that Splotch would be just fine without other cats around, if her adopter is committed to keeping her busy!

So, applications for Splotch and Bumble (together or separately) are open!

Here’s a couple “bonus” images including previews of the upcoming blogpost photoshoots that we’re behind on editing and posting:

…one more thing!

In what’s definitely a first, there’s also beautiful Buttons merch on the store — merch announced after Buttons had already come and gone, but it’s so pretty we can’t wait for ours anyhow!

What Happened to October?!

November 05, 2021 by Mr. Academy in Photos, Cheatsheet

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

We’re awfully late on getting some photoshoots published, plus we owe an art post that was supposed to happen before October — now it’s been pushed to “before December.” Let’s see how we do!

Quick updates - everyone is almost entirely healthy, but we’re still dealing with a few minor issues. Rue’s allowed all the kittens a bit too much leeway and we’re trying to get her and Mural to both stop allowing the kids to nurse… but momcats gunna’ mom! Caper still doesn’t prefer to eat the regular food with all his family, but we’ve found that he will if it’s his only option. Splotch still has breathing sounds, but the doc has checked her out and neither of us believes it’s anything critical. It may just be remnants of the URI Mural and all the kittens had in more evidence a couple weeks ago. At any rate, we’re watching and treating everything and everyone is happy and active — including Mr. A, who’s still recovering from some back issues.

All the kittens are scheduled for their vaccine boosters and checkup on Monday the 8th, and will be getting their graduation surgeries on November 30th and December 7th - some on one day and the rest on the other. Based on that, all kittens and moms should be ready to be picked up by December 17th at the latest, although some will be ready sooner (like Rue and Tomfoolery, who are both OK to go anytime).

The latest word from DAWS is that prior applicants will likely be adopting all of the kittens, and Rue came to us pre-adopted, but Mural and Tommy may still need adopters. Of course, nothing is certain and it may also turn out that some of the kittens also need new applicants. So the time is right to open up the application for anyone interested. Keep in mind that while you are allowed to adopt from anywhere in the continental United States, if you are not local, you will be responsible for arranging travel to pick up the kitten(s - we do encourage adoption of pairs). If you are flying, you will need to arrange with the airline to allow you to bring the kitten(s) in the cabin on the flight; no checked kittens! Most airlines require you to verbally inform an agent ahead of time about your plans so they can enforce rules about how many animals are allowed on any given flight.

As mentioned, we do encourage adoption in multiples. Adopting a solo kitten is certainly allowed but we’ve recently been reminded (by Tommy) that kittens without siblings need you to help them burn off all their play energy every day, and it can be a lot to keep up with! Adopting with a sibling or mom means a little less burden on you, believe it or not!

Here’s updated photos of everyone, followed by the rest of the shoot! We also have a photoshoot from October 11-12 that we will hopefully publish out-of-order, soon!

Rue’s Ruses

Rutabaga - Rue - Momcat

Caper - Male Classic Tabby - Blue Collar

Hijinks - Male Mackerel Tabby - Red Collar

Hustle - Male Long-Haired Tabby - Purple Collar

Gimmick - Male Black - White Collar

Sham - Female Black - Pink Collar

Gambit - Male Black - Green Collar

Tomfoolery - Tommy - Male Dilute Tux - Honorary Ruse, No Relation

Mural’s Tinypaints

Mural - Polydactyl Momcat

Splotch - Polydactyl Female Torby - Gold Collar

Trace - Polydactyl Female Tortie - Maroon Collar

Etch - Polydactyl Male Tabby - Black Collar

Doodle - Polydactyl Male Black - Polka Dot Collar

Squiggle - Female Tortie - Pink/Green Collar

Scrawl - Female Torby - Grey Collar

What a roster! And here’s the rest of the photos!

Rueral Living For a City Kitten!

October 09, 2021 by Mr. Academy in Introduction, Photos

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

We’ve got all kinds of things to share with you but we’re also at least three blog posts behind right now so we’re just going to briefly introduce our newest arrival, and post some outdated photos of Rue and Mural’s kids. We’ll have something a little more recent and verbose coming up soon in due time!

The new kid, Tomfoolery, is a couple-few weeks older than Rue’s kids. He was discovered panhandling for pastrami outside a deli in New York City by a long-time friend of Kitten Academy, and we offered to take him in for extra socialization and education. It’s our hope that he can eventually join Rue and Mural’s combined kids but we’re taking it slow, as he’s got a lot to learn about how to politely interact with other cats — and humans for that matter! He’s got more energy than most classes combined and while he’s learning his lessons very well indeed, he still can be a little too enthusiastic when he gets all riled up.

Tommy has been a good reminder for us, and a good lesson for potential adopters of kittens — a kitten has a ton of energy and needs to work it off. If they don’t have parents and siblings around to play, all that interaction and play becomes your responsibility, and it can be a big one! This is one of the reasons we greatly prefer to see kittens (and momcats) adopted in pairs.

As the kittens all get older they will become closer in weight and skill and a better match for Tommy whether he’s overly excited or not. We expect him to graduate at the same time as Rue and Mural’s kittens — just before Christmas.

Just a couple quick reminders:

We’ll announce when we’re ready to open the application for these kittens - should be in the next few weeks. Until then, DAWS has asked that everyone wait for it, and to not try to apply using their website — to keep things simple for them. Thanks for being patient!

Mr. A may be taking it easy for the next week or two while he recovers from some back pain - the worst is already over but it’ll take some extra R&R to make sure that he’s fully restored. Please excuse any extra delays in publishing photos, social media, and close-ups while this is ongoing! You all have plenty of practice in patience already given our usual delays!

And speaking of the usual delays, here’s a whole bunch of photos from various photoshoots, mainly from September 17-19 when Mural’s kittens were two weeks old and Rue’s were four weeks old including some last-minute photos with Paisley and Basketweave. Also included are a few slightly more recent of Tommy.

Two Households, both Alike in Dignity!

September 09, 2021 by Mr. Academy in Cheatsheet, Introduction, Photos, Merch

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

Mural has finally had her six precious kittens after the second-longest pregnancy ever* at Kitten Academy! But before that — literally the day before — we brought in Rue and her sixlets. So today’s mewspaper post is going to introduce two families!

(* Mural gets second place with 34 days spent pregnant at the Academy. The record continues to be held by Tempest who lasted 37 days!)

Rue’s Ruse

Rue was discovered in the Bronx where she was rescued and brought to Hoboken, NJ and given the name “Rutabaga.” Reportedly very sweet and playful, she was a joy but soon concern mounted over her growing belly and a trip to the vet was in order. The vet quickly determined that she was pregnant with six little kittens, so her rescuers called the one person they knew could help — Mom! (Their mom, not ours or Rue’s.) Mom brought Rutabaga to Dr. Katz in Fairfield, CT where the kittens were delivered, and spent their first two weeks. Now that they’ve reached an age appropriate to more mobility, we’ve brought them in to the Kitten Academy to give them a little space to stretch out and zoom around! They are currently living in the “Second Annex” next door to Mural, with hopes that eventually the two families can come together.

“Mom” will be adopting Rue (so actually Rue’s mom after all) after she’s done raising her last litter of kittens (Rue, not Mom), and the kittens will go through the usual adoption process here at Kitten Academy when they are about three months old.

A Note on Applications

Speaking of which, DAWS — the shelter we work with and who process applications for Kitten Academy kittens — have asked that anyone who wants to apply for any of Rue or Mural’s kids use the Kitten Academy application here on this website. They ask that you don’t use the regular DAWS application. The Kitten Academy application will open after the kittens are a few weeks older and we’ve had a chance to get to know them a little better. We’ll be sure to put the word out here and on our Twitter when that day arrives.

Here’s the Rue crew, and see below for Mural!

Caper - Male “Classic” Grey Tabby

Hijinks - Male “Mackerel” Grey Tabby

Hustle - Male “Mackerel” Grey Tabby

Gimmick - Male Black with Ventral White Spots

Sham - Female Black

Gambit - Male Black with Grey-Flecked Prosterior

Rue - Momcat

Mural’s Tinypaints

Mural is another momcat who was brought to Dr. Katz, this time from a sort-of cat colony near her practice in southwestern Connecticut. Mural was brought in with the intent of performing a spay and returning her to her usual place (TNR), but Dr. K discovered she was pregnant (Mural, not Dr. K) and very friendly so offered to have her attend the Academy. We initially suspected she’d deliver kittens within a week of her arrival but it turned out to take over a month! During that time she’s shown that she’s very comfortable around other cats, and spent most of her days just hanging around the Academy with the faculty.

Etch was born with a special talent for reviewing movies and Facebook posts.

Mural is a polydactyl cat, which in her case means she has one extra toe in-between her fourth toe and her dewclaw on her front paws. Four of her kittens are the same, each with one extra toe on each of the front paws, as noted below. This is an unusual, but not rare genetic mutation that is unlikely to have any impact on health or longevity. However, it does allow for an impressive thumbs-up!