Catching up with Scottie and the "Puppies"

August 04, 2022 by Mr. Academy in Introduction, Photos

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:

Arts and Cats with Syl

June 27, 2022 by Sylvie in Art

[Edit: This blog was meant to post earlier in June but the Kazoo Network kept interfering.]

Hello Kitten Academicians!

It’s Sylvie here again to talk about all things art, well maybe just a few things. So far this year we’ve had two art prompts – Floofy February and Artsy April. February’s prompt had us imagining cats writing love letters and playing in the flowers whereas April was about art and nature. There are still four more planned prompts for this year – June, August, October and December. This month we’ve been taking a mental vacation to the beach as we imagine kittens chasing seagulls, playing in the sand and even surfing during Beach Party 2022. October and December will be seasonally themed so look forward to that!

When I first created these prompts I was still learning digital art so I try to make them friendly to all skill levels as well as fun for all mediums. I quickly learned that drawing everyday is tiring so myself as well as others tend to combine days. With this in mind, the rules for participation are simple - the terms are inspiration for your creation and can be interpreted however you’d like.

To participate during the short remainder of this month you can create an art piece and post it on Twitter using the hashtag #KABeachParty2022. If you’re not a Twitter user, we also have members of the Discord server that post their creations to the arts and crafts channel.

Below you’ll find the submissions from Artsy April 2022, but if you would like to view the other creations you can find them here. Thank you so much to everyone who participated - we love to see the creativity within the community!

Does Beach Party sound familiar? We first had one in 2020!

To view all the previous art prompts click here.

"Introducing": River and the Tiny Townies

April 29, 2022 by Mr. Academy in Introduction, Photos

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

[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™.

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.]

More Art Alliterations with Syl

April 06, 2022 by Sylvie in Art

Hello Kitten Academicians!

It’s Sylvie again and I’m here to tell you about this month's art prompt, Artsy April 2022. This time around, the terms on the prompt were mainly chosen by you, the community. Thank you so much to everyone that gave us suggestions for the prompt, we look forward to getting the community more involved in the future. If you want to participate in this month’s prompt, all you have to do is create with whatever medium you enjoy and post it to Twitter using the hashtag #KAArtsyApril2022. If you’re not a Twitter user, you are also welcome to post your work in the arts-and-crafts channel in Discord. We can’t wait to see all of your creations this month. I hope you’ll join us, even if only one day inspires you. Lastly, don’t forget - have fun, don’t stress and if it stops being fun, take a break!

Below, you’ll find the submissions from the previous art month, Floofy February. Thank you so much to everyone that participated! If you would like to see all of the other fun and floofy artworks click here.

Does Artsy April sound familiar? We also did one in 2020!

To view all of the previous art prompts click here.

Art Alliterations with Syl

February 25, 2022 by Sylvie in Art

[Ed: We’re trying something new here because we’re so far behind on showing the appreciation we feel for the amazing artists in the Kitten Academy community! Feel free to comment below.]

Hello Kitten Academicians!

My name is Sylvie and I’m the “Syl” responsible for creating the Kitten Academy art prompts. I’ve been creating these art prompts since October 2019 as a way to engage the community and give you all a creative outlet. Over the past couple years, we have seen some great pieces created by the community and will be continuing to find ways to welcome newcomers and encourage participation. At the end of this blog I’ll be showing you some community submissions from the last two art prompts — Spooky Sketches 2021 and December Doodles 2021.

Typically, each prompt is themed and includes terms for every day of the associated month. This month is Floofy February and to participate you can use the hashtag #KAFloofyFebruary2022. As Mr. A said in the previous art blog, you can participate however you want using whatever medium you enjoy. While the idea comes from traditional art prompts, we consider these as creative opportunities for those of all skills, talents and interest in our community. We have seen entries using various mediums as well as nail painting, photoshop, crochet pieces and poems just to name a few. As a creative person myself, I understand how ideas come and go randomly so I don’t want anyone to feel as though they must stick to specific rules. Personally, I like to combine multiple days and I’ve noticed other participants do the same as well. There is no requirement to participate every day, and I find that combining days creates fun ideas while also helping to prevent burnout. I don’t have many rules but the ones I find the most important are — have fun, don’t stress & if it stops being fun take a break!

Speaking of taking a break, it has been a while since the last art blog was posted. As you know, Mr. A has his hands full of kittens almost all the time now and to keep these running on schedule, I’ll be creating the art submission blogs from now on. Please look forward to the rest of the community creations this month as well as our next prompt that will be scheduled for April!

To see all the amazing entries from the last two prompts check out these hashtags on Twitter — #KASpookySketches2021 and #KADecemberDoodles2021.

If you would like to know more about upcoming prompts and activities, you can find me on Twitter (@Sylhouettes) as well as the Kitten Academy discord for Patreon subscribers.

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!

It's Your Kids, Marty!

January 11, 2022 by Mr. Academy

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

With apologies to Doc Brown, “we have to go back!” Technically, Mural, Splotch, and Caper are still at the Academy, awaiting their adoptions, so we’re still in time with the graduation photoshoot for their class. The photos below were taken on December 4-5th when everyone was still here, with a few bonus “Christmas” photos from our card shoot November 22.

At the time of this writing, we’re waiting anxiously to hear about the results of Caper’s bloodwork, Splotch is in the middle of her latest treatment, and Mural’s just waiting for the proper schedule. Buttons has an approved adopter! And we owe you all about a half-dozen blog posts.

We’ll be back and bring bonus blog backlog before Buttons and Bum become alum!

Summer Picnic!

November 24, 2021 by Mr. Academy

Greetings, Kitten Academicians!

Maintaining our usual schedule (“in due time”) we’re here with photos from the picnic shoot, which took place on October 10th and 11th. There’s also a few extra random photos from various times thereafter.

DAWS has informed us that all the kittens have approved adopters so we’re closing the applications for now. Here’s the schedule of adoptions as we know it presently - keeping in mind that anything can change.

Mural - TBD (Needs Spay Scheduled)
Etch and Trace: TBD
Scrawl and Squiggle: Dec 10th
Splotch: Dec 23rd
Doodle: Dec 3rd
Rue and Gimmick: TBD
Caper: Dec 4th
Tomfoolery: TBD
Sham and Gambit: Dec 18th
Hijinks and Hustle: Dec 5th

We’re pleased to announce that all of the adopters have been active on our Discord server (except Tommy’s - yet) so it’s likely that we’ll get updates in the future. Some of them also have various social media accounts already set up, which we’ll announce - in due time!

Although all the kittens seem very healthy and active, we’re still seeing plenty of URI-like symptoms from most of Mural’s family, especially Splotch. And Tommy is fighting a bit of bad poops! We’re doing all we can to make sure these things won’t impact the adoption schedule, but if there are any delays introduced we’ll be sure to let you know.

We’re still planning another post about the upcoming Art challenge in December, as well as reviewing the last TWO challenges. Just to hedge a little though, here’s a link to Syl’s tweet about December!

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.