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Saturday, September 15, 2012

New Addition To The Family

(If you must have politics, please keep scrolling)

Amber!

The pictures below were taken at Amber's foster home, where she was living in a luxury van in the cool shade of the mountains of West Virginia.



Even before the sudden loss of our beloved Dusti, a dear friend had offered us the chance to adopt Amber, a tortoiseshell kitten about six months old.   There was a several weeks' delay in adopting Amber because (1) she had to be FeLV and FIV tested first and (2) she had to undergo her free spay with the rescue group's veterinarian.

We hope that some of the tortoiseshell folklore is true!
Cats of this coloration are believed to bring good luck in the folklore of many cultures. In the United States, these are sometimes referred to as money cats.
Tortoiseshell Cats Profile (New York Times)

Our other two cats, Mysti and Cameo, are seniors (age 13 and 11 respectively). We're hoping that Amber brings a new lease on life to our seniors.  Maybe Cameo can even lose some weight with the extra exercise that a kitten brings to the mix!

We haven't had a kitten in the house since 2001. I hope that Mr. AOW and I are up to the task!


Via a personal email to me, my friend Tammy Swofford said the following about the photo immediately above:
I swear, she has your personality. "Don't mess with me!"

34 comments:

  1. She's gorgeous!! Congratulations!! She is a great addition to the AOW family!

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  2. Stogie,
    Amber is long, tall, and lean -- the opposite body type as compared to Cameo. The photos in this blog post don't show her build very well.

    I am taking photos with my new camera (long story as to WHY I had to buy a new camera). When I get some worthy photos and figure out how to get those photos onto my computer, I'll send you a few for that graphic that we discussed via email a short time back.

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  3. Interactions among this cat family are hilarious!

    Amber emits a high-pitched growl that sends Mysti, a timid soul, running out of the room.

    Cameo respects that growl. She even went belly up to try to make friends with Amber! When Amber continued growling, Cameo hissed. Amber hissed back. Cameo went under the bed and sulked.

    I can't let the cats have any contact yet because (1) Amber has stitches from her spay on Thursday morning and (2) Cameo's claws must be trimmed so as the ensuing fight isn't too ugly.

    ------------

    Today, while I'm running errands, Amber has the run of the master bedroom so that she can explore. Previous to this morning, Amber was confined to the enclosed back porch. She obviously isn't used to big spaces and will need to explore only one section of the house at a time.

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  4. Mrs. Liberty,
    You always had fortitude, now you also have

    TORTITUDE!

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  5. Mr AoW needs to get a dog... one big enough to EAT cats. ;)

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  6. What a beautiful cat, AOW. I hope you'll tell us about her personality and adventures in the future.

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  7. Congratulations! I'm betting she will liven things up around the QOW household. I think you made a good choice!

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  8. Hi AOW.

    Looks like a 'lot' more activity around the house.
    I remember the first days when i used to take another cat in.
    At one time i had % of them running around.
    Then they all became sick with a nasty cat virus only one survived.
    After that i stuck to that one cat.
    Anyway i just came across a great cat facebook page:

    http://www.facebook.com/Awwwwwwe

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  9. Amber looks like sunshine filtered through tree branches on a scattering of brightly colored leaves on a crisp fall day.

    May peace, harmony, and conviviality reign among the feline population of your home, AOW.

    Amber may very well fill out and become chunkier with all the good food you're bound to feed her. Just give her time.

    CONGRATULATIONS!

    ~ FT

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  10. Cute cute cute. Is she litter box trained? I hope so.

    We only had one cat in our married life, that was when our daughter was just a toddler. The cat loved to hide, then jump out and attack our daughter. The cat had to go.

    I saw him later after he was full grown. He looked like a big panther, huge.

    Debbie
    Right Truth
    http://www.righttruth.typepad.com

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  11. Wonderful news. Look forward to hearing about the fun and adventures ... and mayhem. As you remember, we are cat lovers. Best regards.

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  12. Jason,
    Amber is a calm kitten. What she wants most of all is cuddle time.

    Today, for the first time, she has shown some signs of wanting to play as she's obviously feeling better since her spay on Thursday morning.

    What's going to be interesting in a few days: the first interactions among the three cats. I have the feeling that Amber is going to draw the line even though I'm absolutely sure that Cameo will still the the one who dominates. Cameo is "queen bee" -- her Siamese heritage.

    Anyway, I expect much hissing and growling at first.

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  13. we hope you will never have to send out an Amber Alert on Amber.

    She's precious.

    But then, I never met a cat I didn't like.

    Wish I could say the same for people! ;-)

    ~ FT

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  14. FT,
    Amber is going to be an inside-only cat. There's too much traffic here now to let her outside safely.

    Amber has never had so much living space. I think that she'll be perfectly content to stay inside.

    Tonight, for the first time, she'll spend the night in the master bedroom, where she has been all day today. She has already learned to sleep wherever her fleece blanket is -- and, of course, her blanket is on the bed.

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  15. Sometimes I wish that Jackie wasn't so allergic to cats.

    Beautiful Amber eyes and one of my favorite names too. :^)

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  16. She looks like a stipfire cat- just like you XD I'm glad, she should be a good companion
    Glad to hear the cats are semi-getting along, they can be so picky! Hoping for no real cat fights.

    -Wildstar

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  17. Wildstar,
    Well, YOU would know that I am a spitfire. **wink**

    Or maybe I should say, "It takes one to know one"!

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  18. Warren,
    Your Amber had a golden coat.

    We gave our Amber her name because of her eye color -- and a few amber-colored stripes in her coat, which is very, very short.

    Amber loves people. But she has not a clue about coming when called. There was no need for her to come to somebody while she was living in that van. We shall learn shortly how intelligent she is.

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  19. Duck,
    We want to get a dog, but I refused to take in a puppy while Dusti was ailing.

    Once the school term starts, I simply can't be home enough to manage a dog. Plus, the yard needs fencing. **sigh**

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  20. Think "sled dogs" as backup battery for Mr. AoWs scooter... ;)

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  21. FJ,
    I think that I may qualify for a service dog if the bionics work well enough for me. Mrs. AOW will be looking into that possibility, I think.

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  22. I can hardly wait till next weekend! Then Amber gets to join the general population!

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  23. She's adorable!

    I think there is something to that tortitude thing... 'Nibbler' certainly has it!

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  24. Amber! Amber! looking bright
    In all hours day and night,
    What immortal hand or eye
    Could frame thy lack of symmetry?

    In what distant deeps or skies
    Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
    On what wings dare he aspire?
    What the hand dare sieze the fire?

    And what shoulder, and what art.
    Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
    And when thy heart began to beat,
    What dear hand? And what dear feet?

    What the hammer? What the chain?
    In what furnace forged thy brain?
    What the anvil? What strong grasp
    Dare domestic terrors clasp?

    When the stars threw down their spears,
    And watered heaven with their tears,
    Did He smile his work to see?
    Did He who made the Lamb make thee?

    Amber! Amber! looking bright
    In all hours day and night,
    What immortal hand or eye
    Dare frame thy lack of symmetry?



    Apologies to William Blake who wrote The Tyger on which this parody is based in 1794

    ~ FreeThinke

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  25. FT,
    Love the poem!

    I've saved it to a Word document.

    PS: Amber is sitting on my lap while I'm blogging right now. **smile**

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  26. Hi Amber, you sure are a beauty! What nice colors and markings. She is a lucky little kitty to find such a nice home with you & your family AOW!

    Kittehkins says MEOWS and congrats on finding some nice humans. Cats Rule!

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  27. Amber is a cutie and, you're right, she does look like our Kinky :-)

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  28. looks like YET ANOTHER ADDITION to you household of-'The Most Intelligent Animal Ever built! : )

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  29. Mysti is still grousing. Cameo has stopped grousing altogether.

    I always knew that Mysti would be insufferably jealous. However, she is not aggressive and a sort of recluse anyway.

    Amber backs off from any and all growling and hissing. **smile**

    ReplyDelete

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