Such an exciting day!

Grant from Crijo Pets arrived an hour and a half early this morning, having driven to Hattiesburg from Birmingham, Alabama.  I rushed down to the Cat Cottage at the shelter, and Grant and Anthony (our resident Crazy Cat Man) had already moved the equipment into the cottage and were setting it up.

This is the Crazy Cat Trio -- Grant from Crijo Pets, Anthony our soft-spoken cat caretaker at the shelter and me.  Which of us is the craziest?  Hey, it's not a competition.  This picture shows three very happy people doing what they can to help cats.

Grant is very proud of his cat furniture (www.crijopets.com).  He explained how to make adjustments in the furniture, how to clean it, what parts might eventually need replacing (mainly the sisal pads), and the benefits of this type of furniture, especially the decrease in illness and the increase in adoptability (happy cats are adoptable cats.)  Fewer than TEN shelters have this furniture so far, so we are part of a very elite group to own this very high quality, long-lasting furniture.

Brontos was the first to check it out, and I know he was happy about the equipment...because when I picked him up, I received lots and lots of cat kisses and nibbles.

Anthony was pretty pleased, and the other shelter workers came in to see what the hub-bub was.  His animals will be living in the lap of luxury now.  And even though he's a man of few words, he LOVES those shelter cats ... and I got a big hug on my way out.  Awwww!

Our house is full of little feet right now, and I thought I'd post some updated pictures, so you can see how all of the babies are doing.

Willie is part of the litter I'm bottle feeding.  She's the quietest and most patient of the group.  Her hair always looks a little crazy.

Oh my goodness.  Will you look at that face? This is Violet, and she's still tiny; I took her to the vet and she was weighed on the LIZARD scale (she weighed 200 grams).  She's an amazing little cat -- lots of personality.  She's turning more grey as time goes on, and Steve LOVES her.

Charlie is giving a big yawn -- he is loud and wants everyone to know he is a BIG BOY and doesn't WANT to be in the kitten playpen.  He loves getting out and exploring.

OK, once more ... will you look at that face?

This is Fargo -- a former foster kitten who was returned by his adopter.  He's turning into a very handsome cat, and soon will be going with Zero to live in a cool bachelor pad with Harrison and his roommate.

Isabelle, remember, is only about eight months old, and has done a fabulous job with her batch of four babies.  She doesn't like picture time very much, but tolerates me ... I think mainly because I bring her food.  Lots and lots of food (she eats about four cans of food a day, and hasn't gained any weight.)

Remember, these babies were all born Easter weekend, so they have Easter names.  This is Bunny, and she is really quiet, sweet, laid-back and easy to please.  I love her white bib and her gentle attitude.

Peter was the last to open his eyes, and I worried about him for a while ... that there might be something wrong.  Turns out he was just taking his time.  I like this picture, because you can see his little family in the background.  He's timid, but will be a very handsome cat.

Peep is the bravest.  She has been the first to really explore the bedroom and likes to hang out by herself now (mainly under the edge of the bed.)  She's pretty muscular for a little girl, and I wonder what color her eyes will be?

Jelly Bean was the smallest but is now the longest and tallest.  I think she'll end up being a fairly large cat.  She's pretty spunky and strong.  I think she's pretty smart, too.

And this is Peep once again -- she was showing me at the start of the photography session that she is a TOUGH cat.

Isabelle's litter will soon be eating solid food -- in about a week, I suppose.  And then Isabelle will have to dry up and go for surgery and adoption.  The Easter Crew has got another six weeks or so until they can go for surgery.  In the meantime, they are all warm, fat and happy.  Life is good.