Updates All Over!

The last week has seen a massive surge in the number of people viewing the kitten livestream.  We've got over 1000 subscribers and are fast approaching 2000 likes!  That's amazing.  And just the other day, we had over 100 simultaneous watchers.  Thanks, YouTubers!  You're the best!  According to YouTube, almost 50,000 people have watched over 500,000 minutes on our stream.  That's almost one whole year... since April 20th!

ONE HUNDRED WATCHERS!

ONE HUNDRED WATCHERS!

Special thanks to our chat moderators, DJ, catlady2016, ltgaga, and Miki thedragonfan.  It's not easy keeping a crowd like this under control, and you've all been a great help.  

In other news, Apple, Coopi, and Spot were all adopted from Hazel's litter, but Seven, Troi, Riker, and Broccoli are still waiting for their forever homes.  So is Hazel!  These are WONDERFUL kittens, so please, consider adopting one from On Angel's Wings.  Here's some photos from the adoption event last weekend, and from the OAW shelter.

We'll post again soon with photos and news about the adopters of Spot, Apple, and Coopi.  stay tuned!

Finally, here's a heartwarming video gift from our latest moderator Miki to us - and to all of you!  

2016 - Session Two, Roll Call!

With the addition of three last-minute student enrollments, session two of 2016 at Kitten Academy is full.  And the kittens have all been named.  See below for photos and names, as well as some bonus photos and a video.

Hazel's family from the first session are back now, and will be in the annex until Saturday.  You can view them on the Live Stream.

On Saturday, they will be making an appearance at the PetSmart in Crystal Lake, from 11am - 2pm.  Please stop in to see them!  If you think you're interested in adopting, contact On Angel's Wings now to pre-fill out your paperwork.

The rest of the day Saturday and all day Sunday, they will be at On Angel's Wings in Crystal Lake. 

Here's a bonus video from this morning of the three new students getting baths and introductions.

And finally, some extra photos:

Saved by the Bell!

Today, Session Two of 2016 has begun!  On Angel's Wings saved three kittens and a momcat, as well as one other lone kitten from high-kill shelters, and sent them to the Kitten Academy.  They haven't been named yet.  

When we picked them up, the mom and her kittens all had pretty bad fleas, and we had to give them a flea bath and some medicine.  The lone kitten seemed to have an eye infection, so we're treating that as well.  They are temporarily staying in the Kitten Academy annex, but will be moving to the main room on Friday, when Hazel's crew leaves.

We've updated the site, moving Hazel's crew under 2016 - Session One links, and updating the Current Session to point to the new crew.  However, Hazel's class isn't gone quite yet.  Tomorrow, Wednesday the 22nd, they will be at PAWS in Chicago, getting neutered and microchipped.  Then they will return to the Kitten Academy for recuperation, and finally on Friday, they will go to On Angel's Wings in Crystal Lake, to hopefully be adopted.  Stop in or call in you're interested!  Thanks to everyone who's been a part of raising Hazel's kittens, and to everyone who has enjoyed watching their live stream.

Here's a video and some photos of the new class.  Stay tuned for more!

Graduation Photos!

Once the kittens have reached two pounds in weight -- and learned all their catting lessons -- they are sent to PAWS in Chicago for their spay or neuter, and microchipping.  Then they return to the academy for a day or two of recuperation; it doesn't take long for kittens to recover.  Finally, they get to spend time at the On Angel's Wings shelter in Crystal Lake.  Sometimes, if they're not adopted immediately, they'll get to return to the academy for a few days, so they don't have to be confined in cages at the shelter.  

If you're interested in adopting one of this class, now is the time to contact On Angel's Wings.  The phone number is (815) 356-8170.  Or you can find additional information on their Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/OnAngelsWingsInc/

Our first class of 2016 is all over 2lbs now, and their trip to PAWS is scheduled for Wednesday the 22nd of June.  They'll be at the shelter the weekend of the 25th.  

Here's the official Graduation Roll Call:

Apple has already been adopted, along with her sister, Coopi.  They will live together in their new home.  They're already best friends, so it works out well!

We love all the kittens here at the Academy, but Spot loves us back more than any of the others.  She's always the first to greet us when we come into the room, and the most likely to curl up and sleep on a lap.  She's likely to grow up into a great lap companion.

Lieutenant Broccoli is one of the two boys in the litter, and he also loves his people.  Playful and affectionate in equal parts, he'll make a fine feline friend.

Riker is the other boy in this group.  Rambunctious and adventurous as his namesake!  

Seven was the seventh of the litter to arrive.  She's the smallest, but she makes up for her small size with energy!

Coopi was adopted early, along with her sister Apple.  They'll be the first to move on after graduation next week!  We'll miss them both dearly.

Troi is an independent kitten who likes to do her own thing... though often times that thing is playing and wrestling with her classmates!

In addition, the mother cat, Hazel, will also be spayed and available for adoption on the same schedule. She's a wonderful cat who gets along great with other cats, and dogs.  She's playful, smart, and super affectionate!  

We'll have to get a new photo of Hazel soon - here's an archive shot from several weeks ago.

First Day Out!

A few days ago, we let the class go on a field trip to the living room.  Here's some photos of various quality covering the event!  It was mostly a success, but Hazel is very protective of her children, and when Spot hissed at Elsie, our dog, Hazel went into full attack mode and we had to put everyone away.  Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

Worldwide Mews!

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We are thrilled about all the new people we have met since Kitten Academy has opened to the internet.  We'd really like it if more people sent us pictures of themselves, and their cats, enjoying the live stream.  Or just sending us e-mails, chatting on the live stream - whatever!  Say hello to us from you.  You can email headmaster@kitten.academy or you can just check out the live stream and talk to us directly in the chat there - most of the time.  

Here's a couple highlights from this week:

Our friend Mark likes to display the live stream to keep his team of programmers motivated.  We're all doin' it for the cats -- amIrite?  

Meanwhile, our Austrian friend, Eva-Maria, loves to regale us with charming sayings on the YouTube Chat.  She and her mom call Coopi, "Tiny Fudge Ear."  Which is so cute, we considered renaming her.  This week, Eva-Maria sent us a collection of cat sayings in her native language, with some adorable translations.  Some of these are well-known quotes, and others are invented for our kittens by Eva-Maria!

Woran erkennen Katzenfreunde einander? - Kratzer an der Hand, Haare am Gewand.

Whereby catfriends recognize each other? - Scratches on the hand, hairs on the garment.

Frei nach Loriot (deutscher Humorist): Ein Leben ohne Katzen ist zwar möglich, aber unerträglich sinnlos!

Based on Loriot (German humorist): A Life without cats is possible, but unbearably pointless.

Fondant-Öhrchen = Tiny fudge ear

Die Menschheit lässt sich grob in zwei Gruppen einteilen: in Katzenliebhaber und in vom Leben Benachteiligte. - Francesco Petrarca

Humanity can be divided roughly into two groups: in cat lovers and people who are disadvantaged by life. - Francesco Petrarca (Italian poet)

"Wenn ich mit meiner Katze spiele, bin ich nie ganz sicher, ob nicht ich ihr Zeitvertreib bin.“ - Michel de Montaigne

“When I play with my cat, I'm never quite sure whether I am her pastime.” - Michel de Montaigne

Spot springt hoch, Spot springt weit. Warum auch nicht, sie hat ja Zeit. = Spot jumps high, Spot jumps far. Why not, she has time.

Hazel, die Schulter-Katze = Hazel the shoulder-cat

Busto-Miezi = it’s a mix of the Bavarian word for Kiss = “Bussi” and the Italian word for taste = “Gusto”.
So this is “Busto”. And the German word for kitty/pussy = “Miezi” (self-creation from my mom)

[Ed: I think the above describes DJ's propensity for 'accidentally' licking the kittens when she is kissing them.]

"Niemand! Wirklich niemand darf mich Sonntagmorgens wecken!" - "MIAU" – "Ach, du hast Hunger?  Komme schon du armer Schatz!" – Unbekannt

"Nobody! Really nobody can wake me up Sunday morning!" – “MEOW!” – “Oh, you're hungry? Coming, you poor baby!” – Unknown

Frei nach Mom: "Wenn die Uni dich an den Rand der Verzweiflung treibt, Dir nur noch der Blick auf die Kätzchen bleibt!"

Based on Mom: "If university is driving you to the brink of despair, it only remains that you look at the kittens!

 

 

Thank you Eva-Maria!  And thank you, Mark!  And thank you to all our viewers and fans.  We love to hear from you!  

Kitten Playtime!

Here's some video archived from the live stream, yesterday, while the kittens were all being very active.  Everybody was kung-fu fighting!  At the sixteen-minute mark, Coopi does some epic climbing, for a kitten.  Perhaps someday she will be the climbing expert.

Sorry for any encoding glitches.  I think there are less after the first few minutes.

Photos and Updates!

Things are moving pretty fast at the Kitten Academy!  The students have all been eating food on their own -- both wet food and solid kibble.  I think this is the first group to start on solid kibble so early.  They're also using the litterbox, though not quite as consistently as we might like.  

We took some new photos the other day.  Hope you enjoy them!

Kittens Learning to Eat!

The last couple of days, the kittens have been slowly learning to eat food from a plate, instead of just nursing from Hazel.  Here's four unedited videos of them getting started.  And see below for some bonus images of Spot!
 

As a bonus, here's the image of Spot used for the blog thumbnail, and a couple extras.

First Vet Trip!

Today Hazel and her kids all crowded into a single carrier and took a trip to the Randall Road Animal Hospital.  Kitten Academy tends to use them a lot, since they have a deal with On Angels' Wings, the foster group that provides us with our kittens.  

One of the black kittens has a little bit of an eye infection - nothing serious.  Other than that, everyone is in great health!  Everyone got their first deworming, too.