Sunbeams & Kittens

During what seems to have been the longest, coldest winter ever the cats have been looking for any bit of sunshine they can get. They are all following any sunshine they can find throughout the house, I think that they are as done with winter weather as I am.

Soaking up the rays! 

Munster wants a piece of the action!

Hearts continues to grow, she has had a bit of a growth spurt but is still too small for adoption. Both of her littermates have already been spayed and gone off to their forever homes...and Hearts is only 1.4 pounds - a pipsqueak! But look how far she has come: same bed, taken about 5 weeks apart.

Spending the day curled up on the couch with the kitties, not a bad way to spend my Monday!

Introducing: Kim Chee!

Shortly after Aurora joined the family the next member came along, he isn't fluffy but that doesn't mean he isn't cute!

A coworker of mine had told me about this adorable mini turtle she had gotten in China Town. So of course I instantly wanted one, without any thought to whether or not there was actually such a thing as a "mini turtle" (there is not). Our next trip to Boston we stopped by China town and scoured every shop tying to find one. Shop after shop and no luck, we then found one that looked like it could be an aquarium type store so in we went. We asked the woman behind the counter and I cannot even think how to type the sounds that came out of her mouth...China Town is a strange place. But we were in luck! A bucket of little turtles appeared from a back room, they were so little and so cute. I was pretty overwhelmed with excitement, these babies were about the size of a quarter.

After I got home with our newest little baby, Kim Chee, I looked into turtle care information...something I should have done beforehand, I know. Turns out there is no such thing as a "mini turtle". A mini turtle is just a baby turtle and baby turtles that little are actually illegal to sell. Oops.

Kim Chee didn't eat or grow much for awhile, but once he started to grow he grew like a weed. He has finally slowed down and I think he is just about done, finally! He hasn't ever tried to bite and recognizes his food container - he lets me know when he is hungry or not, he is one smart cookie!

Having a turtle may be more work than I anticipated, I have yet to find a filter that can handle dirty turtle water, but I wouldn't give him up for anything.

Turtle Tubby Time!

Stay tuned for the next member of our four legged family!

New Toy!

Yup. That's me, with my brand new toy.

Kevin and his parents got me the best gift ever. Not only because I've been wanting a fancy camera but because they got it for me because they are so supportive and believe in me. Just because I want conquer the world of photography doesn't mean that I always believe that I can. Having people in my life that offer so much love, support, and belief make it so much easier to believe in myself as well. So, thank you!
Enough sappy stuff, go hug someone who believes in you and lets move on to the fun stuff!

...Not only did I get the camera with standard lens I also got so many fun accessories! The kit came with a telephoto lens, a bunch of different filters, some sort of fancy extra flash, two different sized tripods, two little lens things that screw on to a regular lens (one for fish eye and one for telephoto), and a bunch of other little add on. In addition to all of that we have an old Nikon from Kevin's dad and the lenses from that fit on my new camera - thank you Nikon! So I also have a macro lens and a portrait lens...both of which can only be used while the camera is in manual mode. Basically....I have a lot to learn!

I have been watching YouTube tutorials and taking notes all about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and how to put that all together. Lets just say, it can be a tad overwhelming at times. But then I remind myself, there is no rush, I don't have to learn everything at once, I just have to practice with all my fun new toys and try as I might that just isn't going to happen in one weekend. What is going to happen in one weekend? I am going to take pictures of my pets while trying out different settings and different lenses.


I can't wait till summer...so many bug pictures to come!

Introducing: Aurora!

The next addition to our four legged family came in 2005, and wasn't exactly planned. I went to the Manchester Animal Shelter with my mom because she was looking to adopt a kitten. So, when I say it wasn't 'planned' I am not sure if I could have ever expected to go to the shelter and not adopt a kitty... There were two 12 week old kittens caged together, both fluffy, one black and one tiger. They of course were calling them 'sisters' and how could we possibly take one and not the other (something I now say to adopters as well! Two kittens are always better, right?!).

I called Kevin to see what he thought about getting another cat, and though he wasn't instantly sold on the idea he eventually said ok (perhaps this about the time he realized he was dating a crazy cat lady?). Aurora was a shy little thing, her and her sister, Jinx, were part of the Shelter's Trap Neuter Release (TNR) Program. They had a colony of cats that they cared for, feral cats are trapped, vetted, and released back to the colony. Cats that are trapped and deemed friendly enough for adoption are kept by the Shelter and adopted out. Lacking early socialization with people sometimes these cats can be on the timid side, Aurora spent a good amount of time sleeping on the top shelf of my closet at first. 

With a little bit of time, patience, and love she started to open up and her and Bonx became the best snuggle buddies.

Aurora never became the most outgoing cat, she spends her time upstairs avoiding any commotion that may go on downstairs, but that's ok with me (there are many jokes that she is goth or that she doesn't actually exist).
She may not love to snuggle but sleeps next to my pillow every night and has the cutest little chirp meows. I have to admit, I may be a little obsessed with how pretty she is, she has the prettiest eyes, is so petite, and has the most perfect little profile. 

Coming up next up in the Kaulback Crew: Kim Chee!

Kitten High Fives

Hearts is growing up so fast!

She spends so much time zipping around the house, chasing her tail, and snuggling with the other kitties...it's hard to imagine she was ever a sickly little kitten! I have started to be able to leave her at home while I am at work, which is a lot less stressful for her but also a little sad for me because that means she will soon be old enough to fly the nest. Luckily she has a potential home lined up already so she won't have to spend any time back at the shelter.

....and I have been teaching her lots of tricks to impress her new family...

Yes, that is how I spend my evenings - and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Keep checking back for more foster kitten updates!

Introducing: Bonx!

Since I have already introduced myself I thought it would be a good idea to introduce the rest of the Kaulback Crew. It may take a little while since there is quite a few four legged family members, but everyone is special and deserves their own post.

Bonx was our very first addition so she gets the very first post, plus she is Queen Bee so she wouldn't have it any other way.

I adopted Bonx in 2004 from the Concord SPCA as a birthday gift for Kevin. Neither of us were supposed to have pets in our apartment - so naughty, I know - but we made it work and she lived as contraband for a year in Kevin's basement apartment.Bonx was your typical little hellion of a kitten; she would attack your feet while you were sleeping, attack the window blinds, chew on shoelaces...and take the most epic-ally stinky kitten poops.

Being all grey with just one patch of white on her lower belly she obtained the classy nickname, Albino Vagino - she even had her own MySpace page (but her internet career died when MySpace became obsolete).

Cutest. Little. Kitten. Ever.

As Bonx got older she became the guard/attack cat of the house hold. When we moved to Ashland she would sit in the window and growl at the people who walked by; she would also find the perfect places to sit in the house, where guest just had to walk by, so she could corner you and give you a good swat. It is like she is always reminding people that this is her house and you better keep yourself in line. These days she lures people in with her pretty looks, sweet purr, and a coy flop over as to say 'Pet me! Rub my belly!' Then as soon as you are close enough, you may even get a quick pat in, she strikes. 

Bonx loves the strangest things, anything with a menthol smell, bleach smell, or strong minty smell. Teeth brushing time is her favorite, and if you need an icy hot patch she will be all over you. She also tries to consume most forms of plastic and tape, and of course she then promptly throws it up. Don't get the wrong idea, Bonx isn't all grump and sass. She can be sweet and loving too...when she feels like it...a snuggle session can quickly turn into a game of 'lets attack your hair'.

There is no denying that Bonx is one of the prettiest kitties around, and this little Queen Bee won't let you forget it.

Check back soon for more Kaulback Crew profiles. Next up, Princess Aurora.

Kitten Update

Look who is finally hit the one pound mark! 

When I first took her home on February 13th she weighed only 12 ounces. That is a four ounce weight gain in just a little over two weeks. When her and her litter mates first arrived at the shelter we estimated them to be about two weeks old, which would put them at about 6-7 weeks old now, and little Hearts is about the size of a four week old kitten.

She is doing wonderfully, eating well, toddling all around the house, climbing on and off the couch (to go use her litter box!), and even starting to explore the stairs!

I couldn't be happier with her progress, she is so sweet and loves to snuggle - I am sure she will have no problem finding a home when she is ready for adoption. I always miss the clumsy pitter pat of kitten feet when they are gone... but I'm not going to think about her leaving us yet, we are just going to continue to snuggle the days away.