And Then There Were Nine

When I started fostering cats for Abbey Cats earlier this year, my sister told me that if I ever had more than ten at one time, she would have to stage an intervention.  Somehow, rather suddenly and unexpectedly this week, I find myself dangerously close to that limit!  At the moment, there are 9 little lovelies staying with me.  Katrina and Maggie, who live here permanently and then Gus and Beans who are back to visit as a result of their unsuccessful adoption and now, as of yesterday, we also have a momma cat named Yonhee (a Siamese mix, I'm told, shown here with one of her kittens, Oliver):

and her daughter Patience (who is not at all patient when it comes to being fed, meowing piteously at me to make sure I realize that she is HUNGRY):

and a third kitten that Yonhee adopted as her own when he needed nursing, named Halo, who has the cutest little smudge of colour on his face that makes him look like he has just dipped his nose into caramel and hasn't yet had a chance to lick it off):

Here's another picture of Oliver, who stole my heart right away when he started purring like a chain saw as soon as I first touched him:

The man who very kindly drove these cats all the way from north of Collingwood (a 2 hour drive) also brought along a beautiful grey cat named Tamana, who was scheduled to be picked up today and taken to another foster home. However, I immediately fell in love with her and enjoyed her friendly nature and tendency to give wonderful cuddles from the moment we first met and that meant I had to keep her with me just a little bit longer.  What the heck, what's one more? The other four adults in the house are still trying to figure out who she is and why she smells like perfumed baby oil (I can't quite figure that out myself) but they are slowly adjusting to her presence. 

Both Yonhee and Tamana are way too thin and I'm hoping they will fatten up while they are here, it is quite pitiful to see how very skinny they are. Yonhee loves to be petted but you can feel every knob on her spine when you run your hand down her back.  Obviously, they are so much better off to be safe indoors instead of left to live their lives as strays or a frightening fate in a high kill shelter.  The kittens seem small for their age but are very friendly, playful and inquisitive.  I had already planned to take them in before I knew Gus and Beans were coming back but even so, how could I say no to looking after them?

One more kitten is due to arrive next week, so there will be an even number, making it easier to adopt them out in pairs (which helps their socialization skills as they grow older), and then that's it, I'm going to have to say no more cats.  At least until some of these guys go to their forever homes.  :)