Fatty and the Bulgers 2: Ready to Fly!

Well, it's that time again. The kittens have grown to monstrous proportions, are eating us out of house and home, and are ready for new adventures.

UPDATE: Thanks to our friends Bertha and Nancy for helping us find good homes for all the kittens! Humpty's getting cuddled to death by Nancy's kids, and the girls are in their new jungle homes looking for tasty rats to eat!

The Bulgers are watching... UP YOUR NOSE!!!

Here's the lineup:

Gretchen

Gretchen's name came about because I thought she looked like a gremlin. Or maybe Yoda. But neither Gremlin nor Yoda are very cute names for a baby girl kitten, so Isaac suggested Gretchen (because it sounds like Gremlin). He doesn't particularly like the name, but I do. :)

She's fuzzy, she's playful, she'll rip her brother's face off. Gretchen is thus far the best hunter of the pack, bringing home cicadas and cockroaches almost every day. Though she is very playful, she's probably the most stand-offish of the trio, and so far she hasn't been very cuddly--but seeing how the other two and her mom are extremely affectionate, I would guess that she'll become more so as she gets older. Her specialty is sniping feet, so watch your step!

Gretchen, getting into trouble.

Nkala

Nkala is named after Tarzan's mom due to the fact that, when she was smaller, her coloration looked ape-ish, and because she climbs EVERYTHING (though Gretchen may be catching up to her). The "N" got added in front when Isaac misunderstood me ("Their names are Gretchen and Kala" - "Gretchen, Nkala?") Now he won't let me call her "Kala."

Besides climbing, she likes hiding in strange places (her current favorite place is in the post-hole digger). She's the littlest of the kittens, but she plays just as hard and is FAST. She's fairly cuddly but prefers to hang out with people while awake.

Nkala, hiding under the tina (the basin we wash clothes in), stickin' her tongue out at you!

Humpty Bulldozer Beardsly

Last comes Humpty, the lone boy. The girls were born in the evening, but we went to bed without waiting for the rest. When we woke up in the morning, the girls were healthy and happy, and they had an ENORMOUS brother bulldozing his way over them in an attempt to find food. He also has a beard (hence Beardsly--which should make you laugh if you know MST3K). The name Humpty comes from a song that, if you don't already know it, don't bother looking it up because it's not worth it (Isaac's college friends liked making fun of it). The song has a line "limp to the left like your leg was broke," and Humpty's always had funny legs. He can still do the splits, and he jumps around like his legs don't work quite... normally. He also got fallen on by his mom at one point, which made him ACTUALLY gimpy for a few days (he's all healed up now).

Humpty likes people more than his sisters. He often comes to us to play or cuddle. He's one of my favorite cats, of all the cats I've been around during my lifetime. If I could keep one of these guys, it'd be Humpty. He's gonna be one big cat (and I think he'll be ugly, but Isaac says not). He's a lover and a goof-off. He's not quite as good at hunting (probably because he's such a nut), but he's good at cute, which is the other reason people have cats. :)

Humpty Dumpty looked in a pail. Humpty Dumpty got stuck in jail... I'm not Mother Goose!

Chicken

Now we come to our lovely Chicken, the mama cat. She's also been known as Roof Cat, and we first really noticed her for her beautiful markings. She once belonged to our neighbors but escaped from them (we assume she wasn't getting the affection or nutrition she needed and decided to strike out on her own). She came to us when we left some duck bones out for her. At that point, she was still a kitten but already pregnant with her first litter. After they were born, she stayed with us. She's a good girl, likes to cuddle like her little Humpty, and is good at keeping the yard safe from dogs and other cats (she and the rooster make a good pair of guard-animals). Since we'll only be here in Ecuador a few more months, we're also starting to look for a new home for her. We'd take her home with us, but she wouldn't make it even to Quito on the bus, and I can't imagine how much she'd hate the airplane. And she truly is a jungle cat.

She's still young and playful, but she does have some weird issues. For one, she's the most vocal cat I've ever had. And her voice is LOUD. And though she does well by herself, she does have some separation anxiety (last time we left for two nights and got back to find that she'd meowed herself hoarse). Even with her little quirks, she's a good cat, will keep anyone company, and will scare away the boogymen (but not cockroaches--she just doesn't acknowledge their existence). She's been a good friend.

Chicken the cat, being her elegant self.

We didn't intend for Chicken to get pregnant again. Unfortunately, there are no vets who can spay her here in town; we'd have to travel an hour or more by bus (each way); she freaks out when we take her five blocks to the vet here in town. They gave her a shot before that should kept her heat-cycle-free until a week after her kittens were born... I.e. it didn't work. She went into heat while we were in Quito for a conference. We got her another shot for now (we know it's not the best way to deal with this issue, but we feel it's the best option for her right now, and it's a much better option than what usually happens to cats in our neighborhood). We'll make more decisions about her once her kittens go to their new homes.

Eye Candies

Humpty's first drink of water. He sneezed a lot.

Gretchen, which is better: sleeping or eating? Both. At once.

Nkala pooping on our walkway. But hey, she's cute! (Chicken is teaching them where to do their business, so no worries.)

Humpty, Nkala, and Chicken sharing lunch. Slurp!

If you're in Ecuador and would like to adopt one of these cuties or beauties, let us know! You're also free to just stare at the pictures. Let me know if you want hi res! Hehehe!

..kirstie..

This post is a part of the Forest and Farm series.