It's no secret that we love tabbies around here, so we were delighted to invite our three little Framboises into our home.
You've met the girls, now it's time to meet the boy!
Please say hello to the incredible handsome Enzo Framboise! But please say it quietly, because he's still getting used to us.
He's the scaredy-est cat in the batch, and though he's still a wee bid timid, he has made TREMENDOUS strides since he first moved in on Friday. On the first day there was a lot of hissing and day two, a little less. On day three he only hissed once and that was when I startled him with a sneeze while he was having his lunch. That's totally understandable.
Yesterday morning he was sitting in the back of the cage and purring with his sisters--- purring is always a major breakthrough. And finally, last night, when I picked him up to say goodnight, his little body hardly felt tense at all, and after a few words and pets, he turned his motor on for me. When I put him back into his cage when we were through, he did not run for safety and hide in the shadows, he just stepped out of my hands and sat down. We are getting there!
My favorite thing about fostering is watching the kittens let go of their fears and learn to trust us humans. It's a pretty magical transformation to witness.
SO, this tongue thing.
He does it too, though he doesn't stick it out quite as far as the girls do.
(from front to back: Posey, Cleo and Enzo)
I took them to see Doc on Monday, and he didn't seem to think anything was physically wrong with them regarding their tongues. Cleo did have a runny eye, so we've got some meds for that, and it seems to be clearing right up. We'll just keep watching them, and hopefully it's just a quirkily little thing the Framboise Family does.
Because they started out shy, they've been spending their time in their kitten kennel. You don't want to give timid kittens TOO many places to hide, so it's better to keep them contained in a smaller space. I think today, because everyone is doing so much better now, we'll let them out and do a little exploring in the kitten room. They're going to love that -- you can tell that now that they're hiding less and playing more, they're ready to stretch their legs in the bigger world!
That will be fun, and it will be documented! Keep your eyes on our Instagram account later today!
Tabbyyaayy! This is will be a particularly fun brood to follow!
ReplyDeleteCharlene will be so happy!
ReplyDeletePeggy
A Beanie flavor! Welcome, Enzo. Is the tongue thing a "monkey see, monkey do" or just freaking adorable?
ReplyDeleteSo, I have a theory. And it could be totally wrong. But my Mom has a dog that leaves her tongue hanging out like this (sleeps with it out, hangs out with it out, etc etc) and when she mentioned it to her vet, he said that puppies (and perhaps also kittens?) stick their tongues out in the womb, and it's simply a leftover behavior - perhaps it's calming, or just a habit. (I was born with my thumb tucked under my other four fingers in a fist, and still do it unconsciously and often... it's a comforting sensation.) Perhaps this is what these adorable kittens are doing?
ReplyDeleteMy sisters and I do a similar thing.. not with our thumb completely under the 4 fingers, but peeking out between the index and middle finger. Our Mom did it as well. Genetic? Subconscious imprinting? Who knows. I just remember the day I visited my youngest sister one time, and my niece suddenly shrieked "SHE DOES IT TOO!!" :)
DeleteIn my very first photo, I'm making a tiny fist! It's nice to know I'm not the only weirdo around here :-)
DeleteThis is too much. I die. I'm dead. It's too much cute!
ReplyDeleteEnzo is abso-freaking-lutely adorable! What a trio!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the IBKC, Enzo!
ReplyDeleteMelt, melt, melt. I'm so in love!
ReplyDeleteI love fostering-motherless babies, ill adults, but shy or fearful kittens are my favorite. The joy of moving them from "I'm going to kill you" hiss, to "I'll tolerate, but not like, rubbing" to "more, please" is my favorite part. Gail
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's something their Cat Mom did, and they learned it from her. My 20 year old Peanut does it from time to time, mostly because she "forgets" to put her tongue away after cleaning herself. I. Just. Love. It.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweetie-pooh. If you had all that progress just in a couple of days—quite impressive—then there's really nothing to worry about! At the ASPCA they place the shy cats as the 'Secret Admirer' category... (Other categories are Sidekick and Leader of the Band. My boy was a Leader of the Band type (Thing Jagger & Richards rolled into one). But he has also turned into a MAJOR sidekick!). This tongue business is too cute. And that tey all do it! That's pretty weird. Could it be a genetic thing even? I know that sounds stupid, but hey. Imagine if someone adopts all three tonge kittens, and they continue doing it—they'll become internet famous for sure!
ReplyDeletePS. I love the combo Enzo [It] and Framboise [Fr]. Mulyi-cultural!
ReplyDeleteThat there is one handsome kitten boy.
ReplyDelete