Tom Kitten

This is the kitten who nearly ended it all for us as fosters before it really began- because mum wanted to keep him!! Mum chose his name, and named him after the Beatrix Potter character.

He wasn't the bravest of kittens- he wasn't too keen on me at first. I thought he would like me, because we looked similar! He is Dhoni and Nigel's little brother, but was a fair bit smaller.He quickly learned about games and toys, and looked oh so cute while he played. We call this Tom's "Oh my, you caught me" look.
He would get up to the silliest business. Hiding in shoes was a choice activity. Dad's work boots were his favourite targets. As Dhoni and Nigel grew, they started to gang up a bit on Tom, and he withdrew into himself.
So when mum took his siblings back for desexing, she brought a special treat home for Tom- four new kittens!! Not that he enjoyed his treat at first. Mum thought he would enjoy a chance to be the big kitten for a while. So she unloaded three little kittens, and an older girl, Trixie, who had just missed making weight to be desexed that day.
Clockwise from left- James Bond, Trixie, Pipi Saurus-Rex, Tom Kitten, Charlie Brown.
Trixie wound up being a great foil for Tom. She was a very calm, relaxed lovebug of a kitten. She was not at all bothered by Tom hissing in her face! She just continued to persist in her efforts to make friends, and ended up being successful.
He was a very playful little boy, and gave us lots of laughs. He loved to play with the wand toy, and even let Trixie join in!
The funny thing about Tom is that he was never a big eater. When the kittens first arrived, he would growl over his food, but didn't do that for very long. It always took a bit of extra coaxing to get him to really dig in. He also had a longer, leaner body type than Dhoni and Nigel.That meant the vet wanted him to weigh more than the kilo they usually want kittens to be prior to desexing them. Mum didn't mind- she was happy for him to stay for as long as possible.
After finally reaching his desexing weight, he spent a few weeks in the shelter before his Forever mum came along.

Can we Carol on your Doorstep?

The first Noel the angel did say

Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;

In fields as they lay, keeping their sheep,

On a cold winter's night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel, Born is the King of Israel.

-Trad.

We Are Home This Christmas!

I'll be home for Christmas;
You can count on me.
Please have snow and mistletoe
And presents on the tree.

Christmas Eve will find me
Where the love-light gleams.
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams.
-Kent, Gannon and Ram.

Pipi on the mantle, from l-r, Katie, Nigel, Archie, Basil, Trixie, Charlie, Rick, Bobby, Tom, Evie, Dohni, Manuel, and James. They all found their Forever homes this year.

Wordless Wednesday

Crazy Tom Kitten doing what he does best- being CRAZY!:)

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Wordless Wednesday

Tom Kitten's Guide to Being in the Background, stealing Pipi's thunder.



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Sundays are days for Funny Faces!

And funny faces are something darling Tom Kitten does extremely well! :)

Tom was part of our first litter.

Boy oh boy did mum fall in love!
It's easy to see why!

Little Munchkin Face

Little Baby Tom Kitten!!

Our First Fosters

Our first experience as foster parents came with Dohni, Nigel and Tom Kitten, who were dropped off at the shelter as an 'oops' litter. Dohni and Nigel were black and white, and Tom was a smokey tabby. We were told initially that all three were boys. They came dirty, hungry, and with fleas.

Each of the kittens got a bath on arriving home, which they accepted rather happily. I set up our spare room as the kitten room, with plastic sheeting to try and protect the carpet, and then put down lots of blankets and kitten cushions, as well as a mattress against the wall for them to hide behind and climb on. They LOVED having plenty of food available. Tom Kitten was protective of his food, and growled while eating it. To try and combat this, we took to gently stroking him and talking to him while he ate. He dropped this habit after about 10 days.

Dohni and Nigel grew fast, and were very rambunctious. Tom Kitten on the other hand, who was smaller than the others when they arrived, barely grew at all. The other two, while still sweet kitties, took to bullying him. Dohni and Nigel went back to the shelter to be desexed when they reached the magical 1kg mark. Nigel found his forever home 2 days later, and Dohni the day after that. Tom stayed with us for a while.

Dohni turned out to be a girl! I should have known really, she was a dainty little thing, and very happy to put lots of love on you. Both Nigel and Dohni got along really well with Fui. They loved to play with him and watch him, and he was fascinated with the kittens. Dohni was very clever. She was onto everything straight away. Initially, I tried using a baby gate to confine them to one part of the lounge, but she worked that out in about three seconds flat! Nigel was a bit more reserved. He would watch what was happening very carefully, and you just knew he was figuring it all out.

Tom Kitten thrived after being seperated from his brother and sister. When I took them back to the shelter, I bought home a second litter, Pipi Saurus-Rex, Charlie Brown and James Bond, and one other kitten Trixie. The first three were younger and smaller than Tom, and he loved having a chance to be topcat. He started to grow more quickly, and became more confident. Trixie was very gentle with him, and really helped him to come out of his shell. I absolutely adored him. It would have been very easy to keep him!

Tom was ready to go back to the shelter a week after his siblings. He was adopted 11 days later. He was a lovely little boy, and I am very proud of the way he grew and learned. The three were a great introduction to fostering, very laid back and happy. They were an absolute joy:)