Most readers know I throw a birthday party for Buster every year.  I invite some friends and neighbors who come for food, libation and carrot cake some time in October.  I live in a very accepting and free-thinking place where it is not unusual for grown women to throw birthday parties for bunnies; so I’m not ridiculed (at least to my face) for my eccentric behavior; and in fact, I’m even able to coax my guests in to singing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a little brown bunny with floppy ears. (NOW who’s eccentric?)

Thanks to Miss Shirley at Earth Fare for another fabulously delicious cake!!!

The list has grown from a handful of folks to about 25, and this year we had a very good turnout.  Here are some great photos of some of the nicest folks you’d ever want to live near:

Whenever cake is involved you can expect Tama & Company to be the first to arrive!

Marcie & Bill. He’s my dentist too! No I’m not flossing as regularly as I should. 😦

Brusle and Susna (These guys hadn’t seen each other in a very long time) 🙂

Renay! She doesn’t live in the ‘hood anymore, but she’s a Buster fan from way back and he would never have a party without her!

Skeeter & Hudson. Please stop feeding that child. She’s growing too tall!

Brenda & Duncan–first timers!

Abbie & Marcie–new neighbors and foster kitten owners!

Irl & Martha–my new next door neighbors in about 30 days! (They seem to be OK with folks who throw parties for bunnies)

Mike & Sue. I’d call him the kissing bandit, but he only has eyes for one victim.

So a good time was had by all and we had lots of food and wine left over (What’s up with that guys?)  Since the lifespan for spoiled indoor bunnies is around 10-12 years, The B’Man has officially reached middle age.

Looks real good on you dude. 🙂

Hope everyone has a fun Halloween!  Stay safe and don’t get too skeered!

When you see this on a regular basis NOTHING scares you!

Miss Fancy & Mr. Flash went back to the farm to live with three of their siblings from their litter, (Muzzy, Little Bear & Knightly) and an older brother (Snow) from a previous litter, and their mommy Miss Bella.  So now, my friend Debbie, who until a few short months ago had NEVER even owned a cat, now has seven!  You go girl!  She’s already complaining about how the little pester heads wake her up too early in the morning cavorting on the porch right outside her bedroom window.  Sorry Debbie!  You want me to call the Waaaaaaaaaaambulance? 🙂

Here are the last of the pictures of my two little farm kittens.  Enjoy!

Mulder couldn’t take a nap without having a posse gather around him.

Come on guys, can’t I get some ALONE time?

No way dude. I’m sticking with you Uncle Mulder!

He just feels so soft! And he smells so nice!

Uncle Mulder is my HEWO!

I’m just sick of this Papawazzi!

Toward the very end of their time with us they discovered an exciting and mysterious land called “upstairs”.  It has been Rowdy’s refuge from foster kittens for many weeks until her secret was discovered and her privacy invaded.

This lady seems like a mommy kitty. She’s EXTRA soft!

Shhhhh…”upstairs” will be our little secret. 🙂

So for the longest time in recent memory, the Burlingame ranch is down to four pets: three young adult cats, and one middle-aged dude.

Who you callin’ middle aged?

It would seem that once again, Mr. Mulder is the “baby” of the house.  I think he’s just fine with that.

I’m NOT a baby!

Yes, you are Mr. M.  Yes you are! 🙂

Miss Fancy would like to endorse her new favorite toy! It is available in all major grocery stores, it doesn’t need batteries, and it comes with a useful supply of handy paper towels for household use!

Man, you guys gotta twy this out!

I mean sewiously guys, this is way fun!

For WEAL, this might be the gweatest toy ever!

I wuv my Paper Towel Roll 2000 so vewy much!

Aren’t kittens gweat.  🙂

Actually his full name is FLASH-DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, but you can call him just “Flash” for short.

Call me if you need defending, OK?

He got his name because he has a super-hero symbol on his chest.  We’re not sure what his true powers are, but I’m betting they’re awesome and mighty!

This is no way to treat a super-hero!

This treatment is beneath the dignity of a mighty warrior for truth and justice!

Actually Jim calls him “Flash Drive” most of the time because Jim is a super-nerd!  He’s made up many other nicknames for this little dude and here are just a few: Flash Dance, Flash Light, Flash Point, Flash Mob…living with Jim is a constant reminder of how sometimes men just never grow up.

Flash has a personality that just won’t quit.  If you’d like a kitten who is a docile, sweet, lap cat who spends his days grooming, looking cute and generally being pleasant and demure, this is NOT the kitten for you.  If however, you’d enjoy a mischievous, wild, crazy kitten who makes you laugh ten times a day and is, in general, a real pain-in-the-butt-pester-head-full-of-monkey-shines kitten, then THIS is the guy for you!  Neither of us can walk by this little hellion, without him taking a swat at us with his mighty paws of death!  He talks constantly in a secret code language that only other kitty super heroes can decipher, and he wants to be near his humans at all times so he can report our activities to the Mother Ship.

Flash’s sister is the polar opposite in personality and temperament.

Miss Fancy

This chick is a dignified lady who wouldn’t be caught dead running around the house wreaking havoc and creating chaos.  She prefers to sit around on soft things looking pretty and sweet.  While she loves her brother and enjoys napping with him and grooming his wild self, she enjoys the life of a quiet, pampered little girl.

I do have a potential home for these guys, but the family will be taking them on a trial basis, since they’ve never had a house cat before and aren’t sure if the experiment will work out.  I really do not want to split this team up since they are seriously in love with each other.  Get in line to snap these babies up next week if their domestic situation doesn’t pan out.  I’ll keep you posted.  Meantime, enjoy Flash’s theme song, performed brilliantly by Queen.  🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS4_Z84-rRE

I took Muzzy, Little Bear and Knightly back to Debbie’s farm yesterday.  Their mamma kitty, Bella lives there with their brother from a previous litter (Yes, she’s gotten Bella fixed now!)  Debbie’s grandson Cam was visiting clutching his two stuffed puppies and looking very cute.

Don’t be afraid, these doggies are stuffed.

It didn’t take long for the babies to warm up to their big brother Snow.

My name used to be Snowball but then I had an “operation” 😦

Snow did not like that “Mulder” smell on his little brother, so he gave Knightly a good bath.

Hold still! You smell like Siamese!

While I was there Debbie really wanted to re-introduce them to their mother, but Bella was skittish and wouldn’t come around for a reunion.

Beautiful and shy Bella

With my little foster kittens safely ensconced in their little kitty house, I asked if I could go visit Miss Daisy.  Debbie and I walked out to the chicken palace and called but she didn’t come running like she usually does.  I instantly got a sick feeling in my stomach  because that girl was always FIRST in line for my call and my grapes.  Debbie suggested that she might be laying an egg, so we peeked in the nest box and there she was.  Whew!

A little privacy please!

She gently took three treats from my fingers and I gave her a few pats before we closed the lid.

By business concluded I returned home to find a sweet photo in my email.  Debbie took a picture of Bella reuniting with her kittens.  As soon as she saw them Debbie said she wrapped them up in her paws and started licking them vigorously!

I’ll get that “Mulder” smell off if it’s the last thing I do!

We weren’t sure she’d remember them, but I guess a mother’s love is pretty strong.  These guys are going to have a great kitty life on the farm with their mom and big bro.  Thanks for letting me borrow them Debbie.

Fancy & Flash

And then there were two.  🙂

While I have potential homes for two of my kittens, I’m unable to persuade anyone to take the remaining three.  Debbie, their original mom, said she would be happy to take back any that could not be adopted so I decided to prepare three of my kids to go to Debbie’s farm in Tuskegee where their mom and “brother-from-another-litter” live.

First I told them about “outside” and how it could be very fun.

…and that they might encounter unusual wildlife and strange new creatures at their new home.

Mr. M got everyone clean and ready to go.

Final photo ops were taken

Neighbors came by for a last visit. (Emmie was very gentle)

Last group photo. 😦

So say goodbye to Muzzy, Little Bear & Knightly!

I can see the future…they will be very happy in their new home–Mulder the Magnificent!

Pictures of the hand-off tomorrow. 🙂

We’ve had a boarder for the past couple of months.

Meet Tony

Tony is our daughter’s cat and he’s been staying with us while she relocates to a new state.  He’s a very nice guy, but he has claws, and he’s a boy, so he kept our other cats in a state of high alert when he was around.  We did our best to make a peaceful home for all but I will admit that it was a relief to finally take him to his real mommy in Mississippi last week.  While he was here, we enjoyed his exotic looks and swaggering personality.  He’s a very beautiful cat with a sweet nature.

We think he enjoyed his brief stay with his grandparents and cousin kitties (and bunny)

While he was with us, Jim had loads of fun coming up with alternative names for this guy.  His favorite was Tony Baloney, but Jim has a fruitful imagination (and apparently too much time on his hands) so here were some other monikers, this kitty answered to:

Tony Macaroni, Tony Mascarpony, Tony Abalone, Tony Home-Aloney, Tony Cannelloni, Tony Telephoney, Tony Rigatoni, Tony Alimony, Tony Pepperoni, Tony Zamboni, Tony Rice-a-Roni…you get the picture.

While I was home I took a picture of my mom’s chicken “Floppy”.  Mom and Dad have over 50 Rhode Island Reds on their property, but Floppy is special because of her weird, oversized comb.

What are YOU lookin’ at?

She also loves people and getting treats at the kitchen door.

What’s for breakfast? BUKAWWWK!

Farewell, Tony!  We’ll miss you!  Rowdy, you can come down from the bookcase now.

Whew!

No, I’m not smokin’ crack and yes, I said SEAGULL!  Gina, from the Alabama Wildlife Center, called me this afternoon to see if I could meet a truck driver to get an injured Seagull and transport it to the bird rehab center in Pelham, AL.  The driver had been leaving Gulfport when she saw a bird in the median of a busy road who seemed to be injured.  She pulled her 18 wheeler over, got out in traffic and grabbed the bird.  She put him on the front seat with her two travelling companions and got back on the road.

Brandi the Road Angel & her travelling buddies, Nonnie & Joe.

Apparently her puppies were quite bored with the bird and didn’t bother him during the ride.  I met her at the Mitylene exit in the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Have seagull, will travel.

Brandi told me this was not a new experience for her and that she rescues animals several times a year on her travels across the country.  She has many rescue dogs at her home that she saved from the road.

She named this little guy ARK.
(Almost Road Kill)

My original plan was to drive Ark to the bird sanctuary near Birmingham, but meantime Gina found a volunteer in the Montgomery area who could keep him overnight and drive him first thing in the morning.  The center would have been closed by the time I got there.  The volunteer called my cell and gave me directions to her home.

LaDonna is a local artist who has work in the SAC’s Gallery here in Montgomery

She’s been a bird rescuer for many years and has only lost one creature under her care during this time.

It’s quite an experience for me to get to meet these awesome people who give so generously of their time to help animals.  I never even knew there was a whole network of rescuers helping everything from native birds to bunnies to cats and dogs.  Apparently even truck drivers are part of this web of super heroes.  Brandi’s truck slogan shows that she has a partnership with someone very high up the love chain.

The Big Man is her co-pilot!

I was honored to be a very small part of this little rescue.  If you want to keep up with Ark, just check out the Alabama Wildlife Site and while you’re there, consider giving a donation. http://www.awrc.org/  These folks are truly doing great work and they need our support.

What was Jim doing during all this excitement and on his last day of furlough?

Babysitting.

He did have some expert help though.

Mr. Mom

Godspeed little Ark.  Great meeting you!

Post Script: (10/7/13) Very sorry to say that Ark didn’t make it through the night.  He must have had some internal injuries.  Sorry that little fella didn’t make it, but still grateful to the folks who tried their best.  😦

My new neighbor Abbie came with her daughter and a friend to pick out a kitten. I was happy to let her choose the one she wanted and, not surprisingly, she chose little Aubie, my red striped baby.  I asked them to please take an extra kitten with them for a few days since it would be less traumatic for Aubie to adjust to his new home if he had a buddy.  Marcie decided to take Miss Uggy with her for the extended sleepover.

Little did they know that I had a plan in mind.  I was hoping that the pair of orphans would wiggle into the hearts of their new family and both would be taken into their forever homes.

MWAHAHAHAHA! My evil plan worked!

I have a very large friend named Dennis.  His heart is a big as his frame.  He loves kittens like nobody’s bid-ness, so when I get a new crop he’s one of the first humans who come over to play.  Often when I have an especially skittish kitten, he is the one who calms them down and makes them friendly.  Here are some recent photos of one of his therapy sessions.

I didn’t know Alabama had mountains.

These things are hard to kill! I must keep trying!

Is this some kind of secret handshake?

He tastes just like chicken!

You’ll notice Dennis’ expert technique of assembling his various parts on my office floor and letting the kittens inspect his many nooks and crannies.  (They especially like his “crannies”)  This routine has worked for dozens of Burlingame foster kittens and I am so grateful for his services.  I once had a kitten for three weeks who never purred.  One session from the Kitten Whisperer and that little guy was revving like a Maserati!  I think they view this big mushy monster as a very fun amusement park attraction.

THIS RIDE IS TOO SCARY!

Thanks Dennis!  You are DA BOMB DIGGITY!

(Tama is teaching me how to sound like a gangsta) 🙂