My fosters

[smokey the elder]

Since I started my new job in March I haven't had as much time to chat with you all. Anyway, here are pictures of my current fosters. They are all available for adoption, or will be soon in the case of the kittens.

Buddy is a 3 year old, grey tuxedo male. He wants to play, but my older cats won't give him the time of day. He is fascinated by my foster kittens.

[smokey the elder]

Dolly (dark tortie) and Maddy (pastel torbie) came to me from another foster home, where the foster mom needs to give up her fosters since she's selling her house. They needed major socialization, especially Maddy. Dolly was adopted on March 29.

[smokey the elder]

Two weeks ago another volunteer offered to trade me kittens for my feral foster Dax. I got five kittens from two litters, three were 4 weeks old and two were 6 weeks old. Lil Bit, the runt, went to the RB last Tuesday; she'd had a heart attack caused by a congenital defect. She was so sweet. The other 4 are doing really well. Here's a picture of some of them at suppertime.

[smokey the elder]

Here's Lil Bit.

[smokey the elder]

Here's a tabby female I think. She hasn't told me her name yet. What would you call these markings (besides gorgeous? ) She's a real climber.

[smokey the elder]

Here's Boots, a Tuxedo, definitely male!

[smokey the elder]

Here's a tabby with white paws. I'm thinking of naming him Bashful, since he's the shy one of the litter.

[smokey the elder]

The black kitten is the largest one of the group, and possibly female. She doesn't have a bit of white on her. I'm thinking of naming her CB (for carbon black.) Every litter has to have one geek name in it...

[lailamara]

It's so wonderful that your heart is so HUGE as to take in all these kitties and give them a chance at a good life. They are all adorable. So sorry about Lil' Bit. He looked like a spunky fella and you gave him the best he could have even if his time was short. Thanks for taking care.

[rg_girlca]

Oh your foster furbabies are so adorable. Buddy is very handsome. I'm glad that Dolly was adopted and I'm sure it won't take long for the others to follow.
Bashful is a cute name and I would take him in a minute as he is soooooooo adorable.

My heart aches for poor Lil Bit. She was such a pretty kitty. Rest in peace little one and have fun up in Rainbow Bridge.

I agree with lailamara that you have a huge heart as with all the foster mommy's and daddy's on PT who are lucky to be able to open their doors to these precious little ones.
Congratulations on a job well done.

[rosethecopycat]

Wonderful job you're doing.
I admire you.

[Kater]

The five kittens are SO CUTE and SO TEENY.

"What would you call these markings (besides gorgeous? )"

I'm not sure what kind of tabby markings those are.
There are three main types of tabby markings: mackerel, classic and spotted.

According to http://www.thedailycat.com there are five types...

Classic Tabby
The classic tabby has bold, swirling patterns on its sides -- much like a marble cake. It is called a "blotched tabby" in some regions. The pattern of circular blotches (or smudges) on the classic tabby's body closely resembles a bullseye.

Mackerel Tabby
A mackerel tabby has narrow stripes that run in parallel down its sides. This is what some people refer to as a "tiger cat." The body has narrow stripes running down the sides in a vertical pattern. Ideally the stripes are non-broken lines; evenly spaced. They branch out from one stripe that runs along the top of the cat's back down the spine, resembling fish skeleton -- which is why the term "mackerel" is used to describe it.

Spotted Tabby
A spotted tabby has spots all over his sides. These spots can be large or small, and sometimes appear to be broken mackerel stripes. They can be round, oval or rosettes. Often a mackerel tabby with a broken pattern resembles a spotted tabby. It is not known whether these spots developed from a mackerel tabby or come from a separate gene.

Ticked Tabby
A ticked tabby (sometimes called Abyssinian tabby or agouti tabby) does not have the traditional stripes or spots on her body, and may not, at first, seem to be a tabby. However, like all tabbies, this coat pattern has tabby markings on the face and agouti hairs on the body. What are agouti hairs? If you look up close at the lighter parts of a tabby's coat, you will see that the individual hairs are striped with alternating light and dark bands, known as the agouti hairs. The ticked pattern is displayed prominently in Abyssinians but also appears in mixed breeds.

Patched Tabby
This is the term used to describe a tortoiseshell (also called tortie) tabby. In the typical form, there are separate patches of brown tabby and red tabby on the same animal. A tortie who also carries the tabby gene is often called a torbie. Patched tabbies can show any one of the above four distinct tabby patterns. The markings are usually more apparent on the legs and head.


So I'm thinking this kitty most resembles a mackerel tabby? Do you agree?

[smokey the elder]

Actually, she looks like the description of the classic tabby, with the bold swirls of black. Anyhoo, she's gorgeous! Bashful and CB will be 9 weeks next week and can go for adoption.

[lute]

they are cute!!! i miss my wiggles so much...he was a black with not on white hair on him.