# Third fosters of the season



## Venusworld21

The "L" batch is here! Five kittens...about 10 weeks old. They need to be better socialized before they can go up for adoption. They arrived about 28 hours ago and have been settling into their new digs. I was able to pet 2 of them tonight, though they weren't super happy about it.

2 medium/long haired black kittens.
2 gray/black tabbies (one with white feet)
1 short haired black kitty.

I don't know sexes yet....haven't been able to get close enough.

They'll probably be here 2-4 weeks, depending on how long it takes them to start trusting people. 

Pictures to follow. I've taken them, just haven't uploaded them to the computer yet.


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## JungliBillis

Can't wait!!!


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## annegirl

Hi Venus 
I'm thinking of entering the world of kitty fostering. I have two, one year old indoor only tabbies. I registered with my local shelter as they are pretty desperate at the moment for foster carers and they have been sending me daily emails on the cats/kittens they have who they are looking to place. Any advice on fostering? What to take on first? Having resident and foster kitties? 

Thank you so much.


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## Lotu

How about naming one of your fosters "Lotu" or "Lotus"? Just sayin'... It goes with your "L" theme. Congrats on your 3rd fosters. I'm looking forward to seeing the pics!


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## Venusworld21

Oooh, I like Lotus. I haven't been able to determine boys/girls yet, but once I do I'll definitely keep that name in mind.

Annegirl: start with something easy is my advice. My first batch from the shelter was three kittens (so not a huge group) who were 4 weeks old (so already starting on solids and past a lot of the newborn dangers) and who had their mom with them (so I wasn't playing mommy when I had no idea what to do).

I always keep my fosters separate from my permanent cats for at least the first two weeks, and until the babies are at least 4 weeks old. 2 weeks is the time frame during which most illnesses will manifest symptoms and 4 weeks is when they're getting the idea of tottering around on their own. After 2 weeks if everyone is doing well (my cats and the foster cats), I start making slow introductions. My primary foster room (laundry room) has a glass door, so all the kitties have already been able to see each other. Only once have I had a foster mom who HATED my other cats. I had to put up a baby gate with a blanket over it so she couldn't see my guys.

I had 3 of my current cats when I started fostering and they did okay with the introductions. I got my other two cats about a year and a half ago and it did take some getting used to for them to see fosters coming and going...at first they vowed to hate the new kitties forever, but once they saw a few batches come and go, they relaxed quite a bit.


My other advice is don't be afraid to ask questions. I have a "foster mentor" friend of mine who has tons of experience and I pestered her to no end with questions when I was first getting started. I also asked the shelter lots too. Sometimes they just said "eh, watch it for a few days and see if it improves" and I've felt kinda stupid, but then there's been the few times I've had kittens get really sick because I didn't ask a question when I should have (luckily none of them got fatally ill, but I'd rather they not get ill at all, of course).


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## librarychick

Ditto what Venus said. Kittens with a mum are WAY easier to handle since she does all the work: socializing, feeding, litter training, ect.

After that a litter of kittens over 5 weeks without a mum aren't bad, since at that age they eat about 4 hours apart and (even if they were 'feral') they get accustomed to things easily and have a good start on litter training. Messy though, lol. A group of kittens will also socialize each other, so you don't need to work as hard to be everything for them.

Adult cats are hardest for your cats to adjust to, so i wouldn't start with them, but there's a definite need for it.

Young kittens, birth to 2-3 weeks are hardest. They eat every 2 hours around the clock, and YOU get to play mum. Singleton babies are even harder because you have to be mum AND siblings. I've done it, but it was a lot of work and I had adult cats to help socialize as well as other batches of fosters.

I'll also add that I'd suggest a dedicated 'foster' room, even if it's a bathroom, and stop letting your cats in there ASAP. Having a room that doesn't smell of your own cats will be more comforting to the fosters, plus if your cats get used to not being allowed in the room it's less stress on them when you have a foster. On top of all that it would help reduce the chances of spreading diseases, AND keep most of your cleaning and sanitizing helpfully contained.

Make sure your cats are UTD on vaccinations, and have a chat with your vet about what vaccinations they should have. (ie, which diseases are common and easily communicable in your region)

Once you've done all that...take a deep breath and jump in! It's incredibly rewarding and I can't wait until i can get back into it again.  oh, and take TONS of pic of each batch. I love looking back at my pictures of past fosters.


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## Venusworld21

Speaking of taking lots of pictures! 

This was the night they arrived:









And these were taken tonight, about 3 days later. It's currently about 80 degrees in the house (no AC  ), so for the most part they were too tired to be afraid of me. I was able to pet the larger of the two longhaired black ones last night (it actually purred for me too. I stroked it for about 10 minutes) and I was able to pet the shorthaired black one tonight during our photoshoot and have it purr for me also. The Tabbies are a bit more fearful, but food is rapidly winning them over and the smaller of the two longhairs is probably the most skittish of the bunch. 

I promise all 5 are in this photo:



Larger of the longhairs and tabby with gray feet:



Tabby with white feet:



Shorthaired black kitten:



Smaller of the two longhairs was hiding in the window:


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## Jakiepoo

My gosh I love kitten season! They're all so cute!


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## Lotu

Ha! The one with the promise of all 5 in the picture had me searching...thinking that one was under another, counting legs...then I spied the paw reaching from under the curtain. Too cute


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## Venusworld21

They just got wormed and sexed, and while they are definitely displeased with me, I am not bleeding.  Yay for the heat making them slow and mellow. 

All three black ones are girls. The two tabbies are boys.


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## Leazie

The L group is adorable. Sounds like you are beginning to break the ice with them. Give them a few days and they will be crawling up your leg for attention.


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## annegirl

Venus and librarychick - Thank you so much for your advice. There are two ten week old kitties looking for two week foster placement. Have just had their first round of vaccinations. I took my two to the vet yesterday for their booster. Two 10 week olds - what you think?


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## Venusworld21

Two ten week olds sounds pretty easy in terms of what you'll have to do for them (they should be eating on their own and using the litter box on their own). At the shelter I work with, they'd already be up for adoption (unless there's something "wrong" with their behavior, like if they're skittish). They'll be super crazy though probably, in terms of energy levels, but 2 weeks isn't a very long commitment, so if they drive you bonkers, it's not for very long.  That's probably a pretty good starting point. Go for it!


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## Venusworld21

I have Lotus and Lobelia I(both flowers) picked out for the two longhaired black girls. Luna for the shorthaired black girl. I kind of like Lark for one of the tabbies...does that name seem too "girly" for a boy cat? I still need another boy L name for the other tabby too.


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## Venusworld21

I did a small poll with the family and was told Lark was way too girly for a boy, so I ended up with Luigi (tabby with white feet) and Lego (tabby with gray feet). Luna is the shorthaired black. Lotus is the smaller of the two longhairs and Lobelia is the larger.

Luna has discovered that scratches feel GREAT and that people aren't so bad after all (especially people with food). She'll probably be ready for adoption soon. Everyone is eating and gaining weight and filling out a bit. Everyone got ear mite medicine yesterday (and I still did not end up bleeding, yay) and everyone will get wormed again tomorrow. They're starting to mellow out. I can touch Luigi pretty reliably too now, but the other three (Lotus, Lobelia and Lego) are still pretty shy. 

There's a glass door that separates the laundry room (where these guys are) from the kitchen. I brought Sanka's babies (foster batch #2) into the kitchen to get them used to being inside and they were playing with them through the glass door. It was pretty adorable.


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## JungliBillis

Adorable! Are they all from the same litter?


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## Venusworld21

It looks like it to me, but there's no way to know for sure. They all came into the shelter together, anyway (their intake #s are sequential).


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## annegirl

Hey Venus - Haven't taken the fostering plunge yet. Had an unexpected request to put up some people for a few days next week so figured it would not be good to have the kittens at the same time so maybe after next week I'll take the plunge. Your L crew look so sweet. I have an L crew of my own with my two resident cats named Lily and Lola. Thanks for all the advice again.


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## Venusworld21

Lego's name stretched out into Legolas. I like that better. 

All of them are coming along well. Luna is ready to go up for adoption, but since none of the others are there yet, I'm holding on to her a little longer...I don't like sending them back alone if I can help it, plus the others seeing her loving on us makes them think it's a good idea too.

Photo update:

All 5 are in this one, plus Diablo, one of our permanent kitties.





Luigi, Lobelia, Legolas:



Size comparison with one of our permanent kitties:


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## Lotu

Fun pics  Great name choices too! Do you have a revolving door of fosters or do you take breaks?


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## Venusworld21

During "kitten season" (May-September ish) I have a revolving door. I have an inability to say no to animals in need. The rest of the year the need decreases dramatically, so I might only foster 1-2 batches during that entire time.


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## JungliBillis

Awww they are all growing up nicely. I love that name, Diablo. Hahaha. Sounds so fierce!


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## Venusworld21

Diablo was an absolute terror as a kitten, lol. He earned his name.  He's mellowed with age (he's about 4 now), but he's still a big brat, teehee.


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## Venusworld21

A big step! Yesterday 3 of the kittens went back to the shelter in order to go up for adoption. Luna, Luigi and Lobelia are all at the shelter looking for their new homes. Legolas and Lotus are still here with me, as they aren't quite "there" yet in terms of being properly socialized. I did glamour shots of everyone except Lotus, who didn't want to cooperate. I'll get her a proper photo before she goes back to the shelter though. I'm going to stop by and check on everyone today (and Juno, the mom from my last batch, if she is still there) and make sure they aren't too traumatized by the shelter.










And for the biggest surprise of all....I was scratching Luigi the other night and he did the "elevator butt" right in my face. Guess what? He is actually a "she" ! Lol, I guess I should have stuck with the name "Lark" after all. Oh well.


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## JungliBillis

Hahaha Miss Luigi! They are so precious! I hope they will be adopted by good homes soon.


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## Lotu

Nice glam shots  Will those photos go on an adoption website?


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## Venusworld21

I ordered prints of the photos and sent them to the shelter along with a write up for each kitten. So their new owners will get a copy of that photo and their write up when they adopt them. I also have the option of uploading a virtual profile for the kittens on the shelter's website, but generally they get adopted so fast that there's not much point (and the website isn't usually what generates those adoptions...it's foot traffic through the shelter).

I was in today to check on them. Luna, Luigi and Lobelia are all up in the adoption room. Luigi and Lobelia look a little bit overwhelmed by all the people, but Luna is right at the front of her cage purring and acting adorable. I'll swing in Tuesday (the shelter is closed sunday/monday) and check on them all again.


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## wallycat

OMG!!!! You are so wonderful to foster. Our 3 won't have it and I don't know if I could part with them once I took them in, which I realize is sort of the point.
They are all adorable!!!


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## Venusworld21

Miss Lotus finally cooperated for her glamour shot.  One step forward, two steps back though it seems.

She's finally pretty friendly around us and will purr and let us walk up and pet her. But wifey surprised her today and reached out to pet her when she wasn't expecting it. Got bit for her trouble. I was thinking she was getting close to being ready to go up for adoption, but it seems not yet. 




Also, I think Legolas is a girl too. I fail at telling who is what lately.


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## Venusworld21

I stopped by the shelter today and Luna has been adopted. Luigi and Lobelia are still there looking for their new homes but were friendly and in good spirits. Legolas and Lotus will be going back in about a week and a half to go up for adoption.


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## Venusworld21

Lotus blossom and Legolas (who is indeed a girl) are going back to the shelter tomorrow to go up for adoption. I'll check while I'm there to see if their sisters have found homes yet. Lotus fell asleep on my chest last night and hasn't drawn blood from anyone in about a week.  Legolas is pretty mellow and actually came out to say hello when we had company over last night.


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## 10cats2dogs

I love Lotus! Black Cat with copper eyes!
Somehow I get found by Green eyed cats!
I did have a blue eyed cat once, she was a Sweetheart...
I love green eyed cats, there is always subtle shading differences within the greens!
You are Terrific for what you do!


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## Venusworld21

Well, good news and bad news. Good news....Luigi got adopted, yay!  Bad news....the remaining 3 (Lotus, Lobelia, Legolas) have lice. I'm now doing lots of reading, as I have zero knowledge about cat lice. Fun times. They've been treated once (I was out of town on my honeymoon, got home yesterday) and will be treated at least once more. But for some reason a bath at the shelter made them pretty upset (shocking, right?), so they're back here in my garage (separate from ALL my other cats/fosters) for a little bit. Fun times. 

I'd already agreed to take on a pregnant foster, thinking these guys were golden, so she's here too and moved into the laundry room (will start a thread for her soon). The shelter thinks she isn't due for another week or two. I still have Kiwi and Kricket from my second foster batch, and their mom Sanka as well. I need to get some kitties adopted!


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## Venusworld21

Lotus, Lobelia and Legolas hanging out in my garage. At least they're happier than at the shelter. They purr when I go out there and love playing on the tall shelves...they're such kittens! 

Lobelia is the most relaxed of the 3:



Lobelia and Legolas (tabby):


Legolas:





Lotus Blossom refused to come down off her new favorite spot, the top of a 6 foot shelf:


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## 10cats2dogs

I Love Lotus!! Her Eyes are...mesmerizing!


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## Venusworld21

They're still in my garage. Have had 3 treatments now, so I think we've just about killed every kind of bug that they might have on them. They should be able to come back in the house soon and start doing some heavy duty socializing again.

Lotus:



Legolas:





Lobelia has taken over Lotus' spot on top of the shelf:


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## 10cats2dogs

They Grow To Fast!! Such Cuteness!


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## Venusworld21

Mostly I'm just so pleased that they've put on weight. I literally cried the first day they were here because they were so skinny. Poor darlings.  I've been working with them on and off for at least 2 months now.


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## jusjim

Lotu said:


> Ha! The one with the promise of all 5 in the picture had me searching...thinking that one was under another, counting legs...then I spied the paw reaching from under the curtain. Too cute


I too had to hunt for #5 in the 'all there' picture.

My beautiful Zenobi (OTB) pulled the same stunt. I hunted the house looking for her until an irritated head poked out from between curtain panels wanting to know what I wanted.


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## Venusworld21

Well my two foster kittens from in the house got adopted. I'm going to check in with the shelter vet tomorrow for confirmation that these guys are lice-free, then they're going to come back in the house. Hopefully I'll be tripping over them as they wrap themselves around my ankles by the end of the week.  They're doing really well in the garage and are relaxing quite a bit. I'm hoping that they'll just need a quick refresher once they're in the house and can go up for adoption and get into homes soon.


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## Venusworld21

Still not cleared to come back in the house.  They're such special kitties though. I know they're going to be great kitties for someone, once they're finally able to go up for adoption again.


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## Venusworld21

The girls are finally cleared to come back in the house. They were in for a few hours yesterday. Legolas actually did really well. Lotus tried to climb the door to get out and Lobelia was okay for an hour or two, then decided she was done. Not bad for their first time in a while. If they keep doing well, I'm going to send them back to go up for adoption later this week. I'm signed up to pick up 8 more fosters on Tuesday, so they'll have to move into the house full time from then on anyway. I think they're FINALLY almost ready to go up for adoption again.


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## Jakiepoo

8 more fosters, ohmygosh  another batch of kittens? That's so many! But these three I've noticed have the most gorgeous, bright eyes ever! They're so beautiful!


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## Venusworld21

Yeah, I'll start that thread once the new guys get here. Mom and seven babies, two weeks old or so. 

I love the eyes on these sweet girls. I think I'll be able to send Lobelia and Legolas back to go up for adoption soon. They've been in here playing for several hours now. Lotus did much better tonight (no door climbing), but still was only able to handle it for about 90 minutes and she didn't play with her sisters. Big improvements for everyone tonight.


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## Venusworld21

These three went back to the shelter tonight to go up for adoption. I'll be checking on them every few days until all are in their new homes.  Congratulations my darlings!


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## Venusworld21

The last photos before these guys went back. They spent 3 full days living inside with us ('cause I needed their garage for batch 5) and did really well, so now they're off to find their new families.


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## Venusworld21

I haven't updated on these guys in ages, but I've still been checking on them. They were very fearful acting once they were back at the shelter and seemed to be feeding off each other's fears, so the staff split them up into separate cages and that seemed to do the trick. Lobelia was adopted within 2 weeks. Legolas was "pet of the week" this past week and has now been adopted and Lotus Blossom is still looking for her new home, but seems very relaxed and unafraid of the shelter environment and noises. I'm so happy for my girls!


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## Venusworld21

After 2 months in the shelter with no luck, Lotus is back here with me. I'll spend some time getting her relaxed and comfortable and then network her on my own, from an environment where she feels safe, one on one with an adopter, and I think we'll have much better luck getting her placed that way. I'm hoping to have her placed for Christmas.


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## Heather72754

Oh awesome that she is back with you, and I'm sure you will be able to show her finer qualities off so much better one on one. That's great, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for her furr-ever family to show up before Christmas. :smile:


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## Venusworld21

We've been keeping Lotus in the laundry room so she can re-acclimate to the house without getting overwhelmed (there's 7 other cats here besides her and she's nervous to start with). But thursday she decided she'd had enough of that and escaped into the house. We didn't see her much the last few days. This morning I got woken up by a fuzzy tail in my face and a loud purr. Apparently she's acclimated, lol. So she's back in the house and as long as she keeps doing well, I'll start networking for her home in the next few days.


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## 10cats2dogs

An up-dated photo of Lotus would be Great!


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## Venusworld21

I'll try to get some photos of her in the next day or two. She even came out to say hi while our rowdy friend was here tonight. Her fear seems to come and go though...she's fine one minute and the next she's flying under the bed like you tried to squish her. For no apparent reason. Once the "normal" moments outnumber the crazy feral moments, she'll be ready.


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## Venusworld21

Updated Lotus pictures. Her coat especially has improved a lot. 






That's her next to our dog, Athena (50 lb lab mix) and that giant booty in the corner of the photo belongs to Diablo.  They're all piled up in front of the heater.


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## 10cats2dogs

There's Lotus! This one really caught my attention from your "L" group! 
I think she is GORGEOUS! 
I hope she finds a Very Loving Family to call her own...
Sigh...


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## Jakiepoo

Lotus is so gorgeous! I would be hard pressed not to snap her up  and a haha Diablo has got one big kitty booty!


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## Venusworld21

Jakiepoo said:


> and a haha Diablo has got one big kitty booty!


He is a tank. Part of it is that he is a larger kitty. He'd probably be "ideal" weight around 12-13 lbs. He's got big bones. Part of it is that he's overweight (he weighs in around 16.5 lbs) and part of it is the angle of the photo (definitely not his best angle, lol). He's not really bigger than the 50 lb dog. 

Lotus is very light though. She's long haired, so she looks bigger than she is....but she has decided she likes to lay in my chest to sleep, and I can hardly feel her (whereas with any of my permanent kitties I feel like I dropped a dumbbell on my chest). I'd guestimate her weight around 5-6 lbs. She's very light, and also very soft footed. She can appear almost out of thin air a few inches from you, lol. She always gives herself away though. She makes the most adorable little chirping sound, pretty frequently. I can hear her coming long before I see her.


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## Venusworld21

Lotus is still here. I've had a few inquiries, but no one has actually come out to see her yet. She had her first heat last week. THAT was fun.  She's...uh, vocal.  I've got more photos (she was being completely adorable earlier and I went a little camera happy) I'll try to get posted soon.


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## 10cats2dogs

I can't believe no ones seen the Beauty in Lotus...
As well as her gorgeousness on the outside!


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## Venusworld21

New Lotus pictures


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## 10cats2dogs

Lotus is such a gorgeous cat, I can't believe someone hasn't adopted her...


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## Venusworld21

I found a few more. She's such a pretty girl


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## Venusworld21

A couple from just a few miles down the road was out to meet Lotus yesterday and they want to adopt her!  The shelter is closed Sunday/Monday, so they'll go in Tuesday to do the paperwork. Fingers crossed for her!!


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## 10cats2dogs

Prayers and all paws crossed for Lotus! Gorgeous girl deserves a home of her own!
I swear, its a good thing I didn't live closer!!!


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## Venusworld21

Lol, Tootsie, from a few batches ago, ended up being adopted into Oregon and I arranged for her transport down there. Be careful what you wish for!


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## 10cats2dogs

LOL! Sigh...
I love and adore cats...
If I hadn't of already taken in the two that were dumped where I work...
AND taken Midnight my work shack kitty home...
I might have taken you up on that! Something about Lotus just really 'caught' me, from her very first debut on your threads!
I truly hope she lands with good people, but with you looking out for her, I'm sure she will!!


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## Venusworld21

The shelter says the adoption paperwork is finalized, so we are just waiting on the new owners to come and pick her up. Yay Lotus!


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## Heather72754

Yay!! rcat


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## 10cats2dogs

Sooooooo VERY Happy to hear this! Yay little Lotus!! 
Ahhhh, Such a Pretty Girl...sigh...


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## Venusworld21

And she's off to her new life!


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## Venusworld21

Lotus is now renamed Shadow and just had her spay surgery done today. She will stay the night at the vet (going back to her new owners tomorrow morning). She's been there a week so far and is settling in very slowly, but I am in frequent contact with the new owners and they are very committed to helping Shadow relax and fit in to her new home.


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## 10cats2dogs

Thanks for the update on 'Lotus-Shadow'!
I'm so glad you're still involved in making her transition easier!


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## spirite

Goodness. How did I miss the whole L batch?? 

Fingers crossed that all will go well for Lotus! She's beautiful and has such a gorgeous coat and tail. 

Are the foster kitties that you have now the "M" batch?


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## koshechka

They are so adorable!


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## Venusworld21

spirite said:


> Goodness. How did I miss the whole L batch??
> 
> Fingers crossed that all will go well for Lotus! She's beautiful and has such a gorgeous coat and tail.
> 
> Are the foster kitties that you have now the "M" batch?


Nope, I already had an M batch (pregnant mom Minerva who ended up having 4 kittens) and an N batch (mom Nala with 7 babies, one kitten died--foster group 5). My current batch (foster group 6) is 5 adult cats. They came in December of 2013, so they all got Xmas names, not letter themed. My next batch of kittens (sometime in the next few weeks, depending on what the shelter needs me to take) will be the "O" batch.


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